New Trek for 2014: 1000 Mile Challenge

Maybe you’d love to bike Across America, but you can’t get away for long enough this summer.  Maybe you feel like you could handle the New York-Montreal route or the California Coast, but you want to push yourself a little.  Or maybe you’d love to see Chicago, New York, and the stretch of America between them.   If that sounds like you, check out our new 30-day 1000 Mile Challenge Trek!

Cycle just over 1000 miles, starting in Chicago.

See the Great Lakes and miles of beautiful farm country through Indiana and Ohio.

Visit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, and eat chicken wings in Buffalo, NY, where they were invented.

Visit Niagara Falls before cruising through New York’s lake country and heading into NYC.

Ride along the Hudson River into Manhattan and Coney Island, where your trek ends.

 Camp with your fellow trekkers some nights, and on others, stay in clean, friendly hostels.

Make friendships that will last your whole life!

This challenging ride (50-100 miles per day) will take you through Chicago, Ft. Wayne, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Ithaca, New York -- and everything in between.  It's suited for high schoolers entering grades 10 through 12. We’ll be running 1000 Mile Challenge June 27 - July 26 (trip code 1000-JN27) and July 11 - Aug 9 (trip code 1000-J11).

Visit TeenTreks.com to apply to bike the 1000 Mile Challenge with us, or sign up for one of our other super trips: Across America, Pacific Northwest, European Phantom, California Coast, New England Shore, Amsterdam-Paris, New York-Montreal -- and more!

New Trek for 2014: Green Ireland

We have two new routes this year!  Check out some of the exciting (and beautiful, and all-around awesome) things you'll be able to see and do on our Green Ireland Trek:

Bike through 4 distinct regions of Ireland: Clare, Kerry, Cork, and the Midlands.

Tour medieval castles, the Ring of Kerry, and the Cliffs of Moher.

Get to know charming rural villages and the lush Irish landscape.

Visit bustling Dublin and Galway.

This 28-day trek will take you through Ireland’s major cities and the gorgeous countryside it’s known for.  We’ll travel on bicycle paths and small roads, sometimes sharing them with sheep and cows (yes, really!), climb through Bunratty Castle and other medieval sites, look out across the Atlantic Ocean from the Cliffs of Moher, ride through the green hills of Connemara, and discover traditional Irish music.

You’ll enjoy welcoming Gaelic hospitality in small cities like Limerick, Kilarney, Cork, Kinsale, and Clifden, and get to visit Galway and Dublin, both world-class cities.  Along the way, you’ll experience thousands of years of Celtic history, music, culture, and food.

This moderately challenging ride (30-50 miles a day; some hills, but not too many) is best suited for high schoolers entering grades 10 through 12. We’ll be running Green Ireland June 25 - July 22 (trip code GI-JN25) and July 2 - July 29 (trip code GI-J2).

Visit TeenTreks.com to apply to be one of the first trekkers to bike Ireland with us, or sign up for one of our other super trips: Across America, Pacific Northwest, European Phantom, California Coast, New England Shore, Amsterdam-Paris, New York-Montreal -- and more!

New Season, New Coordinator!

Hello from (very snowy) Buffalo.  My name is Victoria Brockmeier, and I'm working as Program Coordinator for Teen Treks this season.  I'm excited to be joining the team for 2014!  We have two brand new treks -- the 1000 Mile Challenge, running from Chicago to New York City, and Green Ireland, which will take you through small towns, big cities, and ancient landmarks in the Emerald Isle.

To tell you a bit about myself, I have an MFA in creative writing/poetry from Louisiana State University and a PhD in English literature from the University at Buffalo.  My first book of poems, my maiden cowboy names, won the 2008 T. S. Eliot Prize, and I'm at work on second and third books of poems, plus a critical manuscript.  I've previously done web marketing and communications for the UB medical school, and I grew up hiking all over the Missouri countryside.

I'm ensconced at the Teen Treks offices now, with what surely has to be our last snowstorm of the year coming down outside, and I'll be delighted to talk to you about our trips, whether you're looking to take one yourself, asking for your son or daughter, or considering leading for us.  Email me at victoria@teentreks.com or call 716-566-7908 any time.

Farewell 2013 Season!

Teen Treks' 2013 season has flown by, and as summer turns to fall, the office is winding down for the season.  It has been a blast!  From the beaches of Cape Cod, to the islands of British Columbia, and the streets of Paris, our Trekkers have been lucky enough to see some fascinating parts of the globe.  
Cliff and Alexa enjoyed meeting Trekkers and families in Buffalo, New York City, Block Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; it was wonderful to see groups working hard and enjoying themselves.   
Our Leaders were tireless, working to climb hills in South Dakota, to fix flats in pouring rain, and round up Trekkers who missed a drop.  We thank all of our Leaders for their hard work and dedication.  
Most of all, we are happy for all of the Trekkers who decided to do something out of the ordinary this summer by hopping on a bike for weeks at a time, often to new places with new people (who turned into close friends).  From town to town, country to country, our Trekkers have grown as young people and bikers, all while traveling hundreds of miles and having fun.

Teen Treks would like to thank all of the teens and families for participating in our bike trips.  Everyone has helped to make 2013 another exciting season of cycling.  We hope that you join us again next season for more new cities, beaches, hills, food, and friends.  

Thank you for choosing Teen Treks, and have a great year.

See you in 2014, where adventure awaits!

Some European Phantomers

Maine Coast

Pacific Northwest

Niagara-Toronto

Across America

New England Shore

California Coast

Some European Phantomers

New York-Montreal

Lake Ontario

New York-Montreal

New York-Montreal Makes it to NYC and Enjoys Brooklyn

After saying goodbye to one Trekker in Montreal (farewell Tyrone!) and catching some shut eye on a bus from Montreal to New York City, the Trekkers enjoyed some urban cycling from Manhattan to Brooklyn, where they met Cliff, Teen Treks' Director, for lunch.

 

The Trekkers rode down the West Side Bike Path, around the tip of lower Manhattan, and over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn Heights. There the group had a celebratory lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant and took an afternoon dip at the Brooklyn Bridge Park pool.

 

It has been a really great Trek with an amazing group of cyclists, and we wish all the best to our Trekkers!

 

Thank you,

 

Kyle, Erin, Cliff, Alexa and the Teen Treks crew.

 

 

Across America Meets the Atlantic Ocean-A Final Ride

Yesterday afternoon, Across America accomplished their massive, 55-day ride from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon to the Atlantic Ocean in New York City!   

The Trekkers blasted through a 106 mile final 24 hour push through hills, dips and New York City traffic before arriving to the Atlantic Ocean boardwalk.  Despite getting about 4 hours sleep, the cyclists were beyond excited to have accomplished their 3,500+ mile ride.   

The determined group completed their Trek to Coney Island's beach with a joyous crowd of family eagerly waiting.  After taking a quick dip in the ocean, everyone headed to a nearby restaurant for some gourmet NYC pizza.  It was a thrilling afternoon for the cyclists and the families to celebrate such a massive accomplishment.  

 It has been amazing to watch a group of strangers unite and become a force of strength through mountains, rain, hail (!!), deserts, forests and thousands of miles.  Across America was a whirlwind ride of a lifetime, and we send our congratulations to everyone. 

Teen Treks wishes you all the very best as you part ways, even out your tans and catch up on sleep.  Have a wonderful summer!

To all of the Trekkers, Leaders, families, friends, strangers, bike shop employees and everyone in between: THANK YOU!

Way to go Across America!

Canada at Last for New York-Montreal (NYM A5)

The New York -Montreal Trekkers were excited to cross the border into Quebec, Canada only one day away from Montreal.  On the way they rode a ferry and stopped to pick fresh corn.

New York - Montreal Trek in Vermont (NYM A5)

For two days the New York-Montreal Trekkers biked north to the City of Burlington.  Vermont's rolling hills were barely a challenge for these seasoned cyclists.  The group camped in a nice campground on the shores of Lake Champlain and hit the sites of this progressive college town.

Emma assists a street artist in Burlington.

Emma,  Ben, and Russell about to dig into the humongous Ben &Jerry's Vermonster.

Ben and Johnny's post Vermonster recap:  "We ate it in about 3 minutes!"

Across America Moving Down to NYC

The group was met by the Director, Cliff in downstate New York as he was driving to the city (yes, he packed his bike).  Everyone had lunch in Hancock, New York before parting ways.

The group is so close to the end, and we are very proud of Across America making it to the Big Apple.  The group should arrive to NYC on Saturday, and will meet with one of the Trekker's families for a meal.

Looking forward to seeing everyone who can attend Across America's end of Trek celebration in Coney Island!