Ernie's Ride 2024 Sets Records
When the riders lined up in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, August 9, in the pre-dawn darkness, Ernie's Ride 2024 immediately set the record for most riders to participate in an Ernie's Ride. The ten riders, Scott Wright, James Kenniv, Doug Shope, Chad Settlage, Zach Metzger, Luke Williams, Dave Huff, Kevin Brown, Dave Kenniv, & Scott Stone, pedaled out at 6:05 for what would be 119 miles and a little under 8 hours in the saddle that day. Temps would only reach the low-mid 80's, with mostly sun, and very light head/cross winds throughout the day. After a quick water break at Loveland, we rode on to breakfast at Fresh to Morrow (in Morrow) where owner Ryan Doan had our meal waiting for us. Just before arriving there, we received some unplanned encouragement as we encountered long-time supporter, Mary Elmer, on the bike path.
After the 40 miles to Morrow, our next water break was 15 miles away in Corwin, and from there 14 more to a quick water/nature break in Xenia. It was just after 11:00 am and we already had 69 miles under our belts. Then, it was just 18 miles to South Charleston where we enjoyed lunch at Chillicothe Street Pizza, picked up some supplies at IGA, and headed 12 miles north to London, where we were (kinda) surprised by Zach's wife, Linzee, and 4 of their 5 children. The last 20 miles went uneventfully, as Friday turned out to be our only mishap-free day and we rolled into our hotel on the west side of Columbus at about 4:35.
Friday evening consisted of showers, supper at Roosters (Cane's for Doug, since he was on laundry duty), Giant Eagle for re-supply & snacks, and then to bed to rest up for another early start.
On Saturday morning, we prayed & rolled out of the hotel at 5:58 AM. It was a picture-perfect morning, as we rolled thru the streets & park trails of Columbus. Temps were about the same as Friday and the wind was negligible. We rolled up to the UDF in Westerville after 28 miles and were greeted by Dave Huff's brother & niece - more support & encouragement!! Then, we set out for the 8 mile leg to Breakfast at in Sunbury. But here is where we encountered our first mechanical issue. Kevin went down at a crossroad when his tire dropped off the edge of the concrete, resulting in minor scrapes to him, but a broken derailleur & hanger for his bike. While the rest of us ate breakfast, Kevin got an Uber to the Trek Store in Dublin, got his bike fixed, and headed back to near where he had gone down. He was met by Chad, Dave Huff, & Doug, who had gone back to ride with him the rest of the day. The other six riders pushed ahead 25 miles to lunch in Mt. Vernon and, about 15 minutes after they left Wendy's, Kevin's group arrived. We would be in two groups until we got to Comfort Inn in Millersburg.
The rest of the day was 15 miles of the Kokosing Gap Trail to a water break at the trailhead in Danville, then 12 miles on the Mohican Valley Trail (which includes the 3.5 mile hill that we all look forward to) to a break at the Glenmont Trailhead. The day finished out with 8 miles of peaceful, rolling hills on almost empty roads between Glenmont & Killbuck and the final 6 miles on the Holmes County Trail to our hotel in Millersburg.
On Sunday, our final day, everyone was feeling very fatigued from the start (note the bags under Doug's eyes). We rode out of the hotel parking lot right at 6:00 AM, jumped back on the Holmes Country Trail, and headed north by the light of our headlights. It's about 10 miles when the trail ends in Fredericksburg & within that time, Luke was forced to stop due to pain in his knee. He took some Ibuprofen, we prayed, he continued on. After Fredericksburg, we navigate the rolling hills of Ohio's Amish Country. It was a picturesque morning in idyllic country, but when you're already tired and the hills keep coming, you sometimes need a friend to remind you where you are. James did this for Zach, alerting him to the beauty of God's creation and bringing a welcome distraction from the grind.
Stomach issues plagued both Dave Kenniv & Zach (these ultra-type events do weird things to your body!), but after brief stops, Dave (accompanied by Scott Stone) and Zac (riding with Kevin & Doug) caught up to the group at "The Best Gas Station in the World" (so dubbed by Scott Wright) in Dalton. We were 28 miles in and a little refreshed when we jumped on the Sippo Valley Trail to begin a stretch of very rough pavement, gravel, dirt, and crushed limestone for almost 70 miles. Thankfully, after 20 miles, we arrived at Sisters' Century House, in Canal Fulton, for breakfast. These surfaces, and the constant shock absorption provided by the riders' arms, took their toll. So, after a brief respite at Mustill Store in Akron, we were ALL ready for a hearty lunch in Peninsula. Unfortunately, so was EVERYONE else. We knew that the beautiful day had brought out the throngs on the trail (we had been slowing & waiting on them much of the morning), but we hadn't thought about how crowded the restaurants would be. The one-hour wait was not possible for us, so we rolled on up the trail (without a lunch) to Boston for ice cream. On our way, we encountered our SECOND mechanical issue when James' digital shifters ran out of battery.
We arrived at Boston Store and, while there, Chad got a weather alert for rain and strong gusts of wind to our north - the direction we were heading. The skies looked ominous ahead, but we were hungry. While we ate our ice cream, a couple calls were made and a charger cord was located at a Bike Store in...Peninsula. A group of six riders saddled up for the ride north while Kevin & Dave Huff made the 2.5-mile ride back to Peninsula & returned with the cable. After about 15 minutes of charging, James had enough power to shift (a little) to get us to the Lake. Kevin, Dave, Doug, & James pulled out about 40-45 minutes behind the others.
But here is where God provided a reprieve from the crowd. Those clouds that appeared so ominous blew on past. Clear skies appeared. But the crowds had already disappeared! Both groups encountered few people over the last 20 miles of trail and both groups were reunited at the Script Cleveland sign for our group picture. However, just before this, Scott Wright's rear derailleur cable had snapped, leaving him with only his hardest gear for the final 2-3 miles. He pushed through. We navigated around an unannounced detour in those last 2 miles and rolled into Edgewater Park, caked in limestone dust, at about 5:50 PM. We were a little over an hour later than we originally anticipated, but were glad to get there.
Ernie's Ride 2024 set THREE RECORDS: Most Riders (10), Most Pledged Donations ($53,427.20), and Oldest Rider to Complete the Ride (Doug at 64 yrs, 6 mos, 28 days).
2024 Ernie's Ride Timeline & Statistics
Day 1
(119.0 miles)
7:43:51 Pedal Time
6:05 AM – Departed Cincinnati – Avg: 15.4 mph – Arrived Columbus 4:34 PM – Red Roof Inn on W. Broad
Day 2
(116.0 miles)
7:34:09 Pedal Time
5:58 AM – Departed Columbus –Avg: 15.3 mph – Arrived Millersburg 5:25 PM – Comfort Inn
Day 3
(109.4 miles)
8:00:43 Pedal Time
6:00 AM – Departed Millersburg – Avg: 13.7 mph – Arrived Lake Erie 5:50 PM – Edgewater Park
By the Numbers
344.4 Total Miles
23:18:43 Pedal Time (Not Including Breaks)
14.8 mph Average Speed (Pedal Time)