The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) Public Lands Ride – 2021 marked the return of the in-person running of the event. If you haven’t already, check out The Hub’s write-up on the 2020 virtual series or the Elk State Forest route from the 2021 virtual series. A can’t miss bundle of routes that show off Moshannon, Bald Eagle, Rothrock, and Forbes State Forests.
The PEC Public Lands Ride saw its inaugural year in 2019 at Black Moshannon/Moshannon State Forest. PEC has been an environmental and conservation advocacy group for decades. Its events are an extension of that advocacy. They shine a spotlight on how important the millions of acres of public lands throughout Commonwealth are to its residents and visitors. The event is the brainchild of Helena Kotala. She and crew produce an event and other mixed-surface routes (i.e., the 2020 routes) that brilliantly introduce PEC and the Commonwealth’s public lands to outdoor enthusiasts of all levels. They have truly opened up PA’s otherwise daunting and expansive forests to the public. Read below to find out how Helena and crew continued that pursuit at the Public Lands Ride – 2021.
Public Land Ride – 2021 – Event Details
The Public Lands Ride – 2021 included a weekend of festivities. The 2021-edition again took place at Black Moshannon State Park/Moshannon State Forest. PEC reserved the group campsite at Black Mo. For a nominal fee, riders, families, and friends had a central location to camp on Friday before the event and Saturday after the event.
Friday
JB rode in the 65 mile version of the event. The plan was to head out from Pittsburgh early on Friday, ride the PEC Public Lands Ride Sizerville State Park/Elk State Forest route, grab some food, and head to the group campsite. Everything went to plan up to getting to the campsite. The crew at the Public Lands Ride made clear that cell coverage is non-existent in the main portion of Black Mo and to have adequate direction prior to arriving. JB thought he was prepared, but not so much. Getting food took a bit longer than expected, and he arrived at Black Mo well past dark. He had assumed that the group site was near the main campground. WRONG! It was so dark, he couldn’t find the site and missed out on Friday.
It is our understanding that it was an awesome evening of relaxing, chatting with new/old friends, and grilling up some fantastic food! Bummer missing it. It is also our understanding that PEC’s head honcho, Davitt whipped up a mighty fine breakfast (in addition to Friday dinner).
Saturday – Event Day
Check-in on Saturday was bright and early – 7:30am to 9:00am at the beach pavilion. The pavilion served as event HQ. There was a nice spread of breakfast items and other goodies to fuel the ride. The rides rolled at 9:00am. Notice the “ride” theme. This event is not set up as a race, which is really awesome! The vibe is much more relaxed and it attracts riders of all levels. Kinda the run whatcha brung mentality. The route layout was along those lines as well. There were three distances: 25, 45, and 65 miles. A loop-in-loop format, which was really nice. You were far enough away from the start to feel that sense of remoteness and adventure, but close enough that it didn’t give you that daunting sense.
Terrain
The start/finish of the ride was in the parking lot above the lake beach. The pavement ended soon thereafter and served as a lead into a great course. It was a mix of gravel, snowmobile trails, a bit of virgin trail, and a small amount of pavement to link the remainder. Check out The Hub’s gallery below for the representative terrain on course.
Aid Stations
The aid stations were adequately dispersed throughout and well stocked with everything needed for a fun day on the bike. The volunteers were encouraging and wonderful! It was truly a community affair. The crew from The Bicycle Shop were at Aids #1 and #4 to serve all the nutritional/mechanical needs. Evan/Nittany Mountain Works was at Aid #2 dishing out awesome food as always, including the infamous pierogis. Aid #3 was at the beach. It also had a great assortment of goodies. There was a surprise popup aid station run by the great women at Happy Valley Women’s Cycling between Aids #1 and #2 (check out their Seasons of Rothrock and Rothrock GRIT Gravel Grinder). Dave from unPAved was out on course as well directing us onto the singletrack (go figure).
Afterparty
The afterparty was nice as well. Riders were rewarded with a nice dinner catered by Brown Dog Catering out of nearby Philipsburg. You had a choice of steak, chicken, or veggie sandwiches. It was accompanied by a nice salad and cookie for desert. Riders also received a free 1-hour paddle boat rental from Sleepy Hollow Outpost. The cherry on top was the two PEC Voile straps included with entry – how unique and cool! No doubt, this event was awesome, welcoming, and professionally run. If you weren’t there, don’t make that mistake this year – sign up now! And word has it that Davitt grilled up some more fine food at the campsite on Saturday night – we aren’t missing the campsite in 2022!
Public Lands Ride – 2021 Route
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