PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A New York City-to-Philadelphia bike ride is expected to raise thousands of dollars to continue work on the East Coast Greenway, the route that connects 450 cities for 3,000 miles between Maine and Florida.
Each rider pays an entrance fee and has the opportunity to fundraise. Daniel Paschall, Mid-Atlantic coordinator for the East Coast Greenway Alliance, said the money goes toward expanding the Greenway’s traffic-separated, biking and walking paths.
Parts of the Greenway are already in place, including sections of the New York-to-Philadelphia ride. Paschall said Philadelphia already has sects of the Greenway.
“The Schuylkill River Trail, the Delaware River Trail, the John Heinz Refuge down by the airport, the Cobbs Creek Trail — there are all these little, beautiful segments on their own, but we want to connect them together,” he explained.
“(COVID-19) studies have shown that it’s safe to be outside, open-air really helps, but also physical health, mental health. We know that this is really important right now. People are just itching to get out on rides like this.”
More than 300 people have already signed up for the 130-mile ride on Aug. 28 and 29, and more can participate virtually. Bikers can ride as far as they want.
“Maybe you’re riding for just a day, walking your dog, or maybe you’re going on a weekend-long adventure, or maybe you’re doing a multi-state journey,” he chuckled, “so we really want to have a little bit of everything in there.”
Riders will cover 65 miles a day with a tent sleepover in Princeton, New Jersey. The two-day ride will wrap up at Penn Treaty Park.