8-year-old plans 50-mile bike ride to help C&O Canal Towpath
Many area parks say they have more runners and bikers, but less funds and donations. Brody Reppe is trying to change that.
[Aug. 20, 2020: Joshua Shavit]
Many area parks say they have more runners and bikers, but less funds and donations. Brody Reppe is trying to change that.
8-year-old Carroll County boy is on a mission -- on his bicycle. "I learned how to ride my bike in March at the beginning of the pandemic," he said. Since then, he has logged more than 500 miles. "Now, I'm riding super long distances," he said.
He started in his Westminster neighborhood, but his favorite spot is the C&O Canal Towpath. "There are plenty of places to ride on it. You don't just have to go at the same place many times," he said.
However, there is one problem. "There are parts of it that are ungraded. You would think it's very rocky," Brody said. 184.5 miles of towpath creates one of the longest biking trails in the continental US.
More people are visiting parks and outdoor spaces during the coronavirus pandemic, and many area parks have more runners and bikers, but less funds and donations.
So, Brody is raising money to pave the trail, posting his campaign online. "I am (pledging) to ride 50 miles on the C&O Canal," Brody said. "It's great to see him combining a passion that he loves with biking with something that's helping C&O Canal as well," said Brody's mother, Kristi Reppe. Brody said he thought learning how to ride a bike would be the best part of being home so much.
Brody said he thought learning how to ride a bike would be the best part of being home so much. It turns out, it's not. "I like riding a bike because I like being with my dad," Brody said.
"I travel a lot for my job. So I'm away a lot, and so with COVID hitting, I'm not traveling at all. So it has really given me that time to spend with him, and I love seeing that he enjoys spending that time with me as well," said Brody's father, Dan Reppe.
With the fundraiser, they hope other families will enjoy biking as much as they do.
So far, Brody has raised over $3,700 of his $5,000 goal.
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Want to learn more?
You can donate to Brody's big ride which is scheduled for Sept. 6, 2020 here.
The C&O Canal Towpath is short for Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. More information on the Towpath can be found on the National Park Services website here.
