Doug and Ellen McCann are as close as spokes on a wheel, a bicycle wheel that is.
On Saturday, the McCanns, of Hampton, will undertake a 60-mile bike ride from West Newton to Connellsville along the Great Allegheny Passage.
The ride is a sort of celebration of Mr. McCann’s 60th birthday in May. That and a passing remark,, “Doug, you’re starting to show your age” triggered a competitive nerve in Mr. McCann.
Everyone in the immediate six-member family will take part, from 37-year-old son-in-law, Dieter, to 2-year-old Patrick, who will ride in a basket as they follow the Youghiogheny River. Also taking part is Bill Kashion, a co-worker.
Biking has long been a pastime for the McCanns.
The couple enjoys bicycling close to home at North Park. But their travels have allowed them to pedal the highways and side streets as far away as Canada and France.
“You get to see so much more of the passing scenery than while driving in a car,” Mrs. McCann said.
The McCanns have been married for 38 years. Early on in their marriage, they chose bicycling as an activity they could both enjoy.
“Fitness and fun are the two reasons that we’ve stayed with it this long,” Mr. McCann said.
Mrs. McCann uses a Raleigh Hybrid while Mr. McCann feels comfortable on his Trek.
As they grew into their 40s, their choice of equipment changed from single bikes to a tandem ride.
Mrs. McCann, a service representative at Northland Library in McCandless, acknowledges that on the tandem, which is a da Vinci bike, her work is less strenuous as she pedals in the rear seat while Mr. McCann operates the clutch and brake on the front seat.
But Mr. McCann never abandoned his first love.
He recently pedaled the 15 miles from his home to his job as an actuary for Highmark in Pittsburgh and back home. It’s a jaunt he likes to take once a week, weather permitting.
Jimmy Dunn, freelancer writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: June 19, 2015, 4:00 a.m.