Out of Bounds
...Ventures Away From Home
written by: Christine H. O'Toole
Written for Mt. Lebanon Magazine, September 2005 Issue
When Jay Duchene of Beadling Road decided to make his hobby into a business, it took a used bookmobile,
two dozen bent bikes and a tiny Fayette County town to turn it into reality.
“I’ve biked all my life, and this is the most comfortable way to go,” says Duchene, whose youthful smile is topped by a Harley-style mustache. He’s referring to the “bents,” or recumbent bicycles, that form his new venture, Allegheny Recumbent Tours. Now open on the Great Allegheny Passage, the recreation trail that runs from the Pittsburgh suburbs to the Maryland state line, the company offers group touring on a fleet of easy-topedal velocipedes.
We met Duchene in the tiny, peaceful village of Confluence, 10 miles south of Ohiopyle, for a test drive of his shiny new bikes. With only 700 residents, Confluence is quickly gaining a reputation for its charm and biker-friendly amenities, like The Lucky Dog, a funky new sandwich shop where Jay is treated like family.
Duchene, a banquet manager at a downtown hotel, describes his business brainstorm as the result of a lifelong enthusiasm for biking stoked on the streets of Mt. Lebanon and later in California. After buying his first recumbent in 1995, he realized that leisurely recumbent tours would be an ideal outing for groups that didn’t necessarily fit the sunglasses-and-spandex stereotype of the long-distance cyclist.
“You can go out with a business group, just as you would on a golf outing, and every person can do this well,” he explains. “And best of all, if you travel north on the trail, it’s all downhill. It’s a great entry-level bike, but it’s for all skill levels. And the trail is like a street with no traffic.”
Even those familiar with the trail, whose most scenic and popular section is the 27- mile run from Connellsville to Confluence along the Youghiogheny River, will admit
to a certain amount of saddle fatigue after a few hours on a standard touring bike. Recumbents offer a kinder, gentler ride. The comfortable mesh back support of the recumbent leans the rider back and extend the arms and legs, so that a cyclist resembles Easy Rider even if he feels more like Pee Wee Herman. The bent’s saddle is
wide and cushioned—no padded shorts required. This is soft adventure, indeed.
Duchene adjusted our seats and handlebars, strapped a pack with a tire repair kit and water bottles on the back and waved us off at the Confluence trailhead. Even on
a misty and humid afternoon, the shady path was a treat: glowing green, with wildflowers and butterflies flanking the crushed limestone path. We passed quiet farms and breathtaking river gorges. We waved at rafters on the Yough below. And we reveled in the ease at which our Easy Sport bikes meandered along the trail.
Those longing to power up hills might be disappointed by the recumbent’s lack of speed. But when using them on the trail, with a grade that follows old railroad lines, hills aren’t an issue. Grades are never more than two or three degrees, meaning they are imperceptible. On downhill grades, we zipped along at almost 10 mph, a bit faster than mountain or touring bikes, and on the miles of perfectly level surfaces, they provided steady, low-effort locomotion.
At the next trailhead, a familiar figure pedaled toward us. “Hey, where’d you get those cool bikes?” Duchene asked. As sole proprietor, Duchene is everywhere on the trail, making sure the bikes are in top condition, offering historic tidbits, and sharing his appreciation for the surrounding natural beauty.
“The bikes are completely safe. They’re checked in advance of every ride,” he says. But should a mishap occur, Duchene is quick to ride to the rescue.
En route, Duchene points out a trailside quarry discovered by a local archaeologist. “The first time I stopped, I walked over and picked up a stone. When I turned it
over, there was the imprint of a seashell,” he recounts. “There are so many fascinating things that you might ride by and not notice.” Allegheny Recumbent Tours (ART) offers guided packages for those who want to learn more about this region’s rich history, from its War for Empire days www.mtlebanon.org 63 through its coal and railroading history.
Back in Confluence, we stop back at the Lucky Dog, where Duchene’s wife Wendy is waiting on the deck. The couple
is dividing their time between Mt. Lebanon, where their son Joe is a junior at Mt. Lebanon High School, and a home in Confluence.
How small is Confluence? Jay Duchene’s househunting story shows how. Last spring, he stuck a note on a Yough Street cottage door, asking if the owner might be willing to sell. A few weeks later, the owner called back. Done.
The home is also the headquarters for the ART fleet. To offer one-way tours, Duchene purchased a transport for the ART fleet so that he can meet groups anywhere along the trail. His vintage carrier is a used bookmobile from the Allegheny Institute, big enough to pack 24 bikes and gear.
Duchene’s thinking big but starting small. Since May he has been booking groups for rides and will continue
through the fall. “We’re thinking it through, not really following a model,” he says. Confluence now has a blossoming B&B business (if four establishments can be considered a boom), and Duchene foresees a group opportunity for a funky small-town conference center that could offer dining, kayaking, trout fishing, and cycling to groups.
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