Moffitt Memorial Ride September 10 – Friday September 16, 2022
Registration for the 2022 seven-day, six-night Ohio to Erie Trail bicycle ride will open mid-December.
The ride will take place September 10-16, 2022. Watch our website and social media for a registration opening announcement. We do not have a waiting list. The ride typically sells out by March.
If we have cancellations, we will post here and on our social media.
Pricing – for the ride without transportation increases on the schedule shown below:
December – May 31: $795
June 1 – September 1: $895
Cancellation Fees:
Rider cancellation fee: $150 until April 30, $350 after July 31
For cancellations after August 1, all fees will be considered a donation to Ohio to Erie 501(c)(3)
If ride is cancelled by organizer (for example, in the event of continued challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic), a $25 fee per rider will be reserved to cover administration costs due to our registration system.
Transportation Return to Columbus or Cincinnati:
$115 per person
Bicycles – need to be in good working order for the trip. A tune-up a few weeks prior is an excellent idea. Bring two extra tubes and carry at least one on your bike. Also, small bottle of chain lube is a good thing to place in your bike bag to use each day. It is helpful to have a rear bike bag, a saddle bag…someway to carry what you need for the day. Some days you might want to carry your lunch after you buy it and the bag will help!
Bike Tires – all bike tires except for the very thin ones will work for you on this trip. Road bikes work well as long as the tires are 28 mm or larger. We are on some type of pavement the majority of the time. The one exception is the Towpath Trail which has a hard packed crushed limestone surface.
Luggage – each participant is permitted two pieces of durable luggage, any combination of duffle bags and suitcases weighing no more than 40 pounds each. You’ll get official OTET luggage tags for your bags before the ride. Luggage is transported between hotels each day.
Training – while we will be available to provide you with vehicle support, this is a bicycle tour and not a van tour! We want everyone to ride the entire 326 miles on bicycle over the course of the week. Make sure you are physically ready to ride 40-65 miles a day for a week.
Pace – we do not expect all riders to move as a group or at the same pace. Ride your pace but plan accordingly for the mileage each day so you arrive by 4:00 (5:00 on Day 1, the longest mileage day). If you are going to be later than 4:00, let us know that morning if possible, or use the list of numbers on the bicycle i.d. card to call us and let us know.
Helmets & Illumination – every rider must ride wearing an approved helmet. No exceptions. There is simply too much research regarding serious and even fatal injuries when not riding with a helmet. Also, while we will not be riding at night, rear lighting is still very important. Have a quality blinker and extra batteries especially for our short rides through the major cities. We also recommend a front light that blinks.
Water Bottles & Hydration – if you have ridden days of 40-70 miles prior, this will not be a strenuous trip but it is critical that you stay hydrated. We highly recommend drinking a few sips of fluid every 10-15 minutes, consuming a water bottle each hour. Need water…just ask us. We have sealed bottles of water for you in our vehicles and at all SAG stops.
SAG Stops – there are designated SAG stops approximately every 15 miles along the route. These stops have chilled bottles of water, a variety of sweet and salty snacks, fruit, and PB&J sandwiches. A bike tire pump is available.
Security – bicycle theft is a slim possibility along the Trail but we do encourage you to have a lightweight bike cable and lock that you can use should no one be available to watch the bikes when you leave yours to use the restrooms, eat etc. We can also lock bikes together. Hotels either allow bikes in rooms or provide a locked storage area. Please be very careful with walls and beds…and grease from bikes! :)
Inclement Weather – in the past five years we have had only a couple of instances of rain. Clouds and some cool mornings in September will happen. The month is typically dry but be prepared to ride in rain if necessary. We strongly suggest having two pairs of riding shoes. We also suggest wool socks (Smart Wool) for riding, especially on cooler mornings and if it rains. While your feet will get wet, your feet will stay warm with wool.
Lodging – we have selected hotels/motels close to the Trail for easy access and have carefully checked them out. Call the hotels with the provided reservation codes for the OTET reduced rates. All hotels allow two people in a room for the same negotiated OTET reduced price. You have been provided the contact info and code info for each. All our rooms are held for us until mid-August. All hotels take major credit cards and you will handle all of your own reservations and payments with the hotels. If you make other arrangements outside of this block of hotels/motels, you may also have to make arrangements for your luggage to be transported.
Starting Point in Cincinnati – we will be starting at the Holiday Inn – Cincinnati Riverfront, 800 West Third St, Covington, KY 41011. The luggage truck will be in the Holiday Inn parking lot. We will ride together to the Southern terminus of the OTET route in Smale Park before starting on our adventure. Long-term parking is available at the Kentucky Convention Center Garage, located at 220 Madison Avenue. The garage is 0.8 mile from the hotel and near the bike route to the start of the OTET.
Registration information is on the Experience the Moffitt Memorial page.
