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Pastor's scholarship fundraiser ride successful

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Photo courtesy of Fred Hedt. Rev. Fred Hedt and Ed Coss of Ascension Lutheran Church in Cumberland at the end of their 129-mile bike trip. Hedt raised $23,000 for Ascension School's scholarship fund during the ride on the Great Allegheny Passage.

Published on: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

By Holly Nunn

Rev. Fred Hedt got a $23,000 birthday present.

At least, that is how he looks at it.

On July 15, the day he turned 62, Hedt biked129 miles on the Great Alleghany Passage from Boston, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, to Cumberland. The pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church raised $23,000 in funds for Ascension School's scholarship fund with his ride.

Ed Coss, a member of the congregation and the director of Ascension's summer camp, rode with the pastor the entire 129 miles.

Having company ensured that Hedt did not get bored by the hours of biking-a concern of Hedt's going into the ride.

"We just talked the whole ride," said Hedt, who took his iPod along just in case but didn't use it.

That is a whole lot of talking as Hedt and Coss hit the trail at 7:30 a.m. The twosome finally coasted into Cumberland at 8 p.m.

Hedt had expected a 10-hour trip but said all the stops along the way to take pictures delayed their finish.

The record-setting heat this summer was another concern for the endeavor, but high temperatures did not cause the riders too much discomfort. Hedt's wife, Alice Hedt, kept up with the progress in a van and met the bikers with water, Gatorade and food.

Their biggest challenge was the elevation. The majority of the ride - 115 miles - is uphill, so coasting was not an option.

The last 8-mile stretch uphill from Meyersdale, Pa., to the Eastern Continental Divide was the worst, said Hedt. At the divide, there is a bridge to cross.

"You can see it from a mile away, and you're working the whole way. It went on forever," said Hedt.

But they made it and stopped for another photo.

The funds raised fell short of their $50,000 goal, but Hedt thinks it could have been worse. Only $17,000 had been pledged the week before the ride. In a last-ditch effort, Hedt sent out a few desperate e-mails.

"People responded to the whining," he said.

And what's next for Hedt's fundraising efforts next year?

"Well, if I rode from Santa Barbara to Ocean City at three cents a mile…," said Hedt, laughing at the thought.

More realistically, he will attempt to ride 320 miles in two days from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.

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