MODERN DAY CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ADVENTURE IN OHIO ON JUNE 5-7
WASTE MANAGEMENT & OHIO TO ERIE TRAIL TEAM UP FOR 300 MILE BIKE TREK

May 14, 2007 – Call it your modern day Christopher Columbus adventure right here in the State of Ohio doing what no one has successfully done before -- bike the entire Ohio to Erie Trail from Cincinnati to Cleveland in just three days and literally map the exact trail route as they go. Waste Management and the Ohio to Erie Trail are partnering for this challenging expedition that takes place June 5-7, and the “Waste Management (WM) Bike Team” will travel approximately 305 miles (with Day Two expected to be the most difficult conquering rough terrain all uphill). The riders will start in Cincinnati on June 5, and their journey will include stops in Xenia, Columbus, Mt. Vernon, Akron, and then complete their bike adventure in Cleveland on Thursday afternoon, June 7. (Schedule and locations of stops for the three days attached – Riders will be available for short interviews during the stops.)
 
The WM Bike Team consists of Waste Management Landfill Manager Erick Palmer (who successfully climbed the summit of Mt. Rainier in 2006) and team member Nick Harpster. Executive Director of the Ohio to Erie Trail, Jerry Rampelt, will also be biking most of the trip and showing support of the project. According to Rampelt, “The ultimate benefit will be the mapping of the Trail and putting it on a website becoming a valuable tool for trail users everywhere. By Waste Management supplying the riders and being committed to this project, it is more than a donation. It’s an investment in the future of Ohio.”
 
Eric Palmer will have a GPS unit attached to his bike during the whole trip. WiredViews, a web application company based in Tallmadge, Ohio, will capture the trailhead data throughout the trip and then use it to develop the first interactive online map of the entire Ohio to Erie Trail. When completed, the Ohio to Erie Trail will be the longest paved trail in the United States.



The 305 mile Waste Management Bike Team Trek on Ohio to Erie Trail  
June 5-7, 2007 - Schedule of Stops
(bikers available for short interviews during these stops)


TUESDAY, JUNE 5 – DAY ONE  (plan to bike 115 miles)
  
6 a.m.          Begin in Cincinnati
                    Avoca Park, 8063 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH  45227

9:30 a.m.     Stop at Xenia Station
                   South Detroit Street (OH 380) about 1 mile south of the US-35 and US-68 intersection, Xenia, OH

11:45 a.m.   Stop at Senior Center Trailhead - London
                   280 West High St., London, OH

4 p.m.         Stop in Columbus -- Battelle Riverfront Park
                   25 Marconi Blvd., Columbus, OH  43215

End of Day One



WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 – DAY TWO  (plan to bike 100 miles)

6 a.m.        Begin in Columbus
                 3875 Olentangy River Road (Jerry Rampelt’s home located on Trail)

11 a.m.      Stop in Mount Vernon – Knox County Administration Building
                 117 East High Street, Mount Vernon, OH  43050

4 p.m.        Millersburg

End of Day Two



THURSDAY, JUNE 7 – DAY THREE  (plan to bike 90 miles)
 
6 a.m.        Begin in Millersburg    

Noon         Stop in Akron – Lock 3 Park
                  182 S. Main St., Akron, OH

3 p.m.        Finish Trail in Cleveland – Leonard Krieger CanalWay Center
                  4524 E. 49th St., Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio