Pedal Pals (from left) Mary Cravens, Emma White, Hash Khadim, Christian Frazie, Hannah Grubb and Samantha Nygaard ride down Virginia Street East, in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s East End, on April 11, 2025.
Pedal Pals (from left) Christian Frazie, Hash Khadim, Mary Cravens, Emma White, Hannah Grubb and Samantha Nygaard pause at the Lee Street Triangle, in downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, on April 11, 2025.
West Virginia Pedal Pals member Emma White adds air to Hannah Grubb’s bicycle tire during a break in their outing through ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on April 11, 2025.
Pedal Pals (from left) Mary Cravens, Emma White, Hash Khadim, Christian Frazie, Hannah Grubb and Samantha Nygaard ride down Virginia Street East, in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s East End, on April 11, 2025.
Every few weeks when the weather is warm, Nygaard hosts a free, family-friendly bike ride, typically a tour of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä that highlights art, history or architecture throughout the city.
Moving to West Virginia
Nygaard moved to West Virginia from Jacksonville, Florida. She had visited West Virginia on a spring break trip while she was in college.
“I just fell in love with how beautiful and kind the people were. I was really taken aback,†she said. “Even just going down Capitol Street, people [were] waving across the street to each other and saying, ‘Hi.’â€
West Virginia Pedal Pals founder Samantha Nygaard rides her bike in downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on April 11, 2025.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
After graduation, Nygaard worked in Jacksonville for almost three years while “longing for West Virginia,†she said. In 2018, she moved to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nygaard, who said she loves taking spin classes on stationary bikes, picked up outdoor cycling.
“It was really a cool time in our community, because there were just so many people outside and, even though it was mostly people in their bubbles, like in their clusters walking together, it was just nice to be in community outside like that,†she said.
Starting Pedal Pals
During FestivALL, Nygaard said, she enjoyed going on the mural bike tours of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. The person who guided the tour moved and passed the handlebars to Nygaard. She led the mural ride in 2023.
The participants enjoyed the ride and asked when the next one would be. Nygaard tried to explain the event was only during FestivALL, but the participants said they wanted to ride again.
Pedal Pals started in August 2023 with support from Active Southern West Virginia, an organization that supports fitness events in Southern West Virginia.
Group rides range from five riders to more than 30, Nygaard said. During warmer weather, she tries to have one or two bike rides a month. The Facebook page for West Virginia Pedal Pals has details about the rides and a Facebook group serves as a connection point for local riders.
Upcoming rides include an East End History Tour on May 28 and a West Side Mural Tour on May 30.
Meeting new riders
Christian Frazie, who lives in Hurricane and grew up in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, used the Facebook group to meet new people when he moved back to the area three years ago.
“[I was] trying to look for a new group to ride with, in a sense, and just meet new people and branch out,†he said.
He mountain bikes in Putnam County but prefers ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä for riding around the city, especially on Kanawha Boulevard.
“Even if nothing is scheduled, it’s kind of nice to have somebody to ride with sometimes,†he said.
The most recent Pedal Pals ride was his first one with the full group.
“[Nygaard] is really good about getting people, in a way, out of their comfort zone, but doing it in a safe manner,†he said.
Rides for ages 7 to 70
The rides are suitable for ages 7 to 70 and beyond, Nygaard said. The group rides build confidence for road riding.
“It’s really intimidating to get back on the road and get back on a bike,†she said. “This is the perfect way to start. I’m very gentle with people and coaching them. If someone is behind, someone will stick with them in the group, and we will wait for them. There’s not a race.â€
ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä resident Hannah Grubb is friends with Nygaard and has been involved with Pedal Pals since it began. She said she likes how the rides bring together groups of people who normally don’t interact with each other.
“You get kind of the older crowd and the younger crowd, and that’s really cool,†she said.
West Virginia Pedal Pals member Emma White adds air to Hannah Grubb’s bicycle tire during a break in their outing through ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on April 11, 2025.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
Nygaard said she hopes to expand Pedal Pals throughout West Virginia, and she already participates in other local cycling events, such as a fall bike ride in Pratt.
“If there’s a road, there’s a way,†she said. “It just gets people out there on roads [where] they’ve never been before and seeing things they’ve never seen, whether it’s a waterfall or a new route to them. It’s a really cool way to experience the state.â€
Community values
Even in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, Nygaard and Grubb said, the rides are ways to see things they may miss in their cars.
“On a bike, you can stop and slow down and see the tulips begin to open up, or we could take a picture, which you can’t necessarily do in a car,†Nygaard said.
For Nygaard, Pedal Pals leans into her values of community and a sense of place. She was a military kid who moved around the country every three years.
“I had to really pick up and ... make connections to the community I lived in every three years,†she said.
Her favorite part of the rides is teaching people, even those who have lived in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä their whole lives, something new about the city.
“When you learn more about your community,†she said, “you care more about your community.â€
Pedal Pals (from left) Christian Frazie, Hash Khadim, Mary Cravens, Emma White, Hannah Grubb and Samantha Nygaard pause at the Lee Street Triangle, in downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, on April 11, 2025.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
Ashley Perham is a city reporter. She can be reached at 304-348-1240 or aperham@hdmediallc.com.
