Unity bicycle enthusiast recovers from fall, preps for rugged charity ride in Utah

Ray Charley is ready to ride again — and this time it will be “a ride to the sky.”

On Oct. 3, the Unity man, who co-owns a number of local Shop ’n Save supermarkets, plans to head out with several fellow adventure bikers on a 12-day, 440-mile mountain bike trek across rugged terrain in Utah.

“It’s supposed to be some of the most stunning scenery in the country,” Charley said of the Hayduke Trail MTB Tour. Also known as the Trans-Utah, the route from a point near Kanab to Moab lets riders view millennia-­old rock formations in Capitol Reef National Park and at Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments.

But that view doesn’t come without some effort and support from tour operator Lizard Head Cycling Guides. There will be both desert and mountainous areas to cross and overnight camping in remote areas, as Charley and fellow bikers ascend more than 30,000 feet in elevation.

“It promises to be a tremendously challenging ride,” said Charley, 70. “I haven’t camped since I was a child. We have to be ready for everything, from snow to 90-degree temperatures.”

In 2019, Charley took part in a cross-country charity bicycle ride of more than 3,000 miles, from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla. It benefited Feherty’s Troops First Foundation, providing assistance and support for veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What happened to Charley the following year inspired his upcoming off-road ride and his new choice of beneficiary.

He was riding his bike in January 2020 when he was severely injured during an encounter with a distracted motorist.

“I fell to the left,” he said. “It was a blessing. If I would have fallen to the right, the car would have run me over.”

Still, he shattered his pelvis and was unable to walk for more than five months. He underwent surgery through the Excela Health Orthopedics Institute, followed by many months of physical therapy at Excela Square at Latrobe and with a private therapist.

“I told the medical team I wanted to be able to ride across the country again, if I want to,” he said. “I was serious about getting strong, getting back and being able to do exceptional expeditions.

“It was the great medical care and the therapy I received that enabled me to be able to get back to walking and even get back on a bicycle.”

That’s why, during his Utah ride, Charley plans to match donations made to benefit Excela Health Orthopedics.

Customers will be able to make donations at the checkout lanes of his Shop ‘n Save stores in Greensburg and Murrysville, where displays will map his route. Donations also can be made by visiting ExcelaHealth.org/RayRidesAgain.

“That gives me a lot of giddy-up in my step,” Charley said of those who support his cause. “I can’t let those people down who are supporting me.”

Charley chairs the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation, which provides support for two of Excela’s three hospitals. “In order to maintain excellence in any discipline, it requires investment of money,” he said.

Charley has sworn off sharing the road with motor vehicles. As he recovered, he graduated from riding a recumbent tricycle to a mountain bike. His mountain bike has a lower frame than a bike intended for use on streets and is easier to mount.

Charley rides several days a week, often accompanied by his wife, Kate. They particularly like mountain biking on trails in Linn Run and Laurel Mountain state parks.

“My wife is my biggest cheerleader,” he said. “She just keeps encouraging me to get stronger and keep going.”

In August, Charley completed the 335-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Trail. He was accompanied by Texan and fellow biking enthusiast Kip Othold, who took part in the 2019 cross-country trek and will share a tent with Charley on the Utah ride.

Charley still deals with pain stemming from his injury. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to do what he loves: enjoying the outdoors from the seat of a bicycle.

“It’s a mindset,” he said. “You just don’t give up. You just keep pushing.”