Indiana Bicycling Advocate Robert Ordway on Trails, Safety and Quality of Life
Growing up in Gary, Indiana, bicycling advocate Robert Ordway looked up to his dad, Doug. He was a man of wisdom, Robert said, who first taught him to ride a bike at age 5. Doug went on to instill in his son a strong sense of agency and motivated him to push himself in all his pursuits until—when Robert was just 18—Doug died after a five-year battle with ALS.
Inspired by his dad’s lessons, Robert has since dedicated his life to public service, currently as a senior policy adviser to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, as an author, and as an advocate for how bicycling impacts people’s lives. In April, we spoke with Robert about his work and the 825-mile bike ride he completed in 2024 between Washington, D.C., and Indiana—much of it on trails—to honor his dad and raise $100,000 for ALS research. Below are some highlights.
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of Rails to Trails magazine and has been reposted here in an extended format. Subscribe to read more articles about remarkable trails while also supporting our work.
Q: How did you first get into bicycling as a kid in Indiana? What induced you back into cycling as an adult?
A: I rode my first bike at the age of 5 in the spring of 1990. My dad held the seat over and over until he let go without telling me … then I looked back and crashed. After that moment, I fell in love. In the fifth grade, I was awarded an 18-speed bike with my first-place essay at the completion of the D.A.R.E. program, and later on I got into BMX, which came to an end my sophomore year when I acquired a driver’s license and a girlfriend.
It wasn’t until I moved to D.C. in January 2017 and sold my car that I was reacquainted with two wheels, beginning with my commute to work. Next thing I know, I’m head over heels, doing 100-miles-plus rides and bikepacking. Now that I’m in downtown Indianapolis, I commute to work and take rounds on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Monon Trail and White River Greenway.
Q: What was the inspiration for using trails to honor your dad and raise awareness for ALS?
A: Cycling [on roads] can be dangerous; zoning, whether urban or rural, has been designed around the car since World War II. Trails are very safe and accommodating and offer people a part of nature they might not have discovered. A friend used Ride With GPS software to design my route, which connected trails, but when one was not available, ensured I was on the roads less traveled by cars using a “heat map.”
Q: How did the idea evolve into reality?
A: In an interview with the Chicago Post-Tribune, the journalist asked if I would ever move back to Indiana. I told him I would when I could bike it. It was a tongue-in-cheek response to keep me in D.C., but all that changed when my boss—then-Sen. Braun—asked me to follow him back to Indiana in the governor’s office. I was confident he would win, and I was interested in relocating, so I had to resolve this promise I made in print.
Then-Sen. Braun co-founded the ALS caucus in 2020. He had a bill that evolved into the Promising Pathway Act 2.0, which would—among other things—provide people with ALS timely access to conditionally approved drugs. The legislation was supported by over 100 groups, but one seemed to stand out—I AM ALS, which was founded by ALS patient and former Obama White House Attorney Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya. Given the high-value deliverable of their organization, I wanted to raise money to help keep it going.
Q: Any favorite trails on the route?
A: During my bike ride from D.C. to the Indiana Dunes, I really liked the Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Some places are very remote, and others are a block off from the city. There is something for everyone there.
Q: Why do you think trails are transformative for people?
A: I look directly to the Native Americans here. “The Region” in the Northwest, which was ceded to the U.S. government by Native Americans in the 1830s, is called Indiana’s “Last Frontier.” It would not truly be developed for another 50+ years by big industry. I grew up just off one of the historic Potawatomi Trails in Lake Station, which winds around the natural barriers that used to exist. Trails are not just a means of transporting people and goods, but they also impact one’s psychology in positive ways and increase a community’s overall quality of life. Just take a ride around the block of your old childhood home, and quickly you’ll be triggered and primed by memories of the past.
Q: How do you feel trails serve as catalysts for quality of life?
A: Outside of diet, modern conveniences have led us to become an unhealthy nation. The body was meant to move. Trails allow for easy and effortless exercise by walking and/or cycling. In addition, I can say there are many entrepreneurial opportunities in places that allow small-scale development along trails; communities are easily built through food and drink.
Q: How can the people of Indiana draw attention to this impact?
A: I can be sour about overconsumption of social media in our society—I probably use Instagram too much. I believe, however, as a content creator, that I can inspire people to see my actions to create intrigue, ask questions and hopefully take action when it comes to discovering trails and their therapeutic power in our modern age of hyper-distraction.
Q: With your policy background, how are you advocating for Hoosier cyclists?
A: As a political appointee under an elected official, I can’t take official stances on legislation; however, like a nonprofit think tank, I can talk about the philosophies that make sense when crafting public policy. For example, from Jeff Speck’s “Walkable City,” narrower roads slow cars down (especially in intersections) and make it safer for walkers and cyclists to navigate.
Q: What’s your outlook for 2025 for bicycling advocacy?
A: I plan to support folks like Ty Warner and Mitch Barloga from the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), as they are doing a great job of working to complete the Marquette Greenway, a 60-mile trail from Chicago to New Buffalo, Michigan. Right now, the trail is piecemeal, but in August 2023, I rode the entire route with a friend in one day, which ended up being 110 miles—after the loop to Three Oaks where we made a stop at Journeyman Distillery. We caught an AMTRAK train back to Chicago with our bikes, which was neat!
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