Sports

Brevard team to bike rail-trails

By Bill Moss, Published: May 11, 2012

A group of Brevard College students and professors are gearing up for the college's first-ever Rails-to-Trails biking expedition.

The Brevard College Bikes Rails-to-Trails team will leave Monday for a 400-mile biking trip. For 11 days, eight Brevard College students and two faculty members will bike along the Virginia Creeper and New River cycling trails in Virginia, and the multi-state GAP and C&O Canal cycling trails connecting Pittsburg, Penn. and Washington, D.C.

The BC Bikes Rails-to-Trails trip offers Brevard College students an opportunity for the interdisciplinary study of multi-use recreational trails, outdoor education, leadership and community economic development. Students will explore the economic, recreational, health, community and recreational benefits of Rail-to-Trail development.

The BC Bikes Study Tour will offer extended bicycle rides and incorporate meetings with local leaders working to develop the Ecusta Trail; Rail-to-Trail developers in Virginia; and with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C. Meetings with the legislative staffs of U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler, U.S. Senator Kay Hagan and U.S. Senator Richard Burr are also planned.

Rides of 25 to 50 miles each day will leave time for exploration and discussion. The group will set up camp each night, and will also stay in a historic Lock House on the C&O Canal.

BC Bikes students—whose majors range from art and education to business and wilderness leadership—will log daily journal entries, photos and videos of their travels and experiences which will culminate in a shared summary on Facebook, blogs and the Brevard College Web site. Readers may follow the BC Bikes Rails-to-Trails expedition at: www.brevard.edu/bcbikes

Student expedition members include: Rhiana Barrero of Bluffton, S.C.; Marcelo Betcer of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dillon Brown of Spartanburg, S.C.; Liza Fortenberry of Charlotte; Monica Gibson, of Occoquan, Va.; Allie Hovis of Charlotte; Zach Merriken of Hudson, S.C.; and Hunter Tuttle of Navarre, Fla.

Team leaders are Brevard College Assistant Professor of Business and Organizational Leadership Michael Oliphant and Associate Professor and Coordinator of Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education Major Jennifer Kafsky.

The BC Bikes experience – which combines academics with outdoor exploration – is also designed to educate the public and raise awareness of the opportunities that rails-to-trails projects bring to communities; bring attention to organizations and groups poised to address the development and management of trails; and foster a sense of stewardship and community activity among the students who participate. The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club is a sponsor of the BC Bikes study tour. REI, The Hub, and Sycamore Cycles are equipment sponsors.