Inside the Outsider

Meet the Branle Bunch

What happens when two marketing professionals who’d rather be hiking and biking fall in love?

Easy. They become Outsiders.

When Mark and Rebecca Branle met, she was a hardworking single mom, and he was working hard to fit long rides into his long days in the publishing world. At first, Rebecca wasn’t too keen on adding a man to the mix. After all, she had two little boys who deserved all of her attention, but there was something special about Mark. When he gave her his number, she gave him a nickname, “Wheels.”

Why Wheels? Because even during that first quick meeting, she knew bicycles were in Mark Branle’s blood. He was so proud of his Belgian heritage, being the son of a Belgian immigrant whose huge heart had a special place for his country’s national pasttime, cycling. A passionate outdoorsman, Mark’s father raised him with days spent outside from sunup to sundown, shredding local trails on his mountain bike, fishing in fresh streams, and camping in the New Jersey forests surrounding his home.

Young Mark became grown Mark, a guy who tied flies with his dad and discovered a love for road riding, and then road racing. He earned some big wins on the bike, including the Tour of the Battenkill and State Champion titles in both PA and NJ. Off the bike, he sold advertising for the New Jersey Star Ledger, and then a niche business travel magazine that took him as far away as Dubai for meetings.

Like Mark, Rebecca’s spent her childhood with dirt in between her toes, creating forts out of fallen trees, mixing dandelion potions in rock bowls, and pretending the tree canopy of the state game lands made the walls and ceilings of her castle. For her, nature wasn’t necessarily about sport; it was about peace. And it stayed that way through adulthood, when long runs calmed her down, and tromps through the Welsh Mountain Preserve were a favorite afternoon getaway for her and her toddler boys. A copywriter turned creative director, Rebecca’s idea of the perfect day involved journal writing and shade trees.

With Wheels, err Mark, added to the mix, Rebecca’s ratio of runs to rides quickly turned upside down. Suddenly a cycling enthusiast, Rebecca started checking out bike shops, but felt like they were missing something. Bike shops were all bikes and parts. She wanted more.

And she did get more. She got married and got a great idea.

Building A Bicycling Community

Sitting at a traffic light in tourist-heavy Intercourse, Rebecca, pregnant with their daughter, Anna, watched a line of visitors board a sightseeing bus and wondered if they would ever experience the true beauty of the Lancaster countryside – the beauty that lies beyond the shops and busy streets, the real peace and culture of the community. An area native, her favorite way to soak it all in had always been by bicycle. And that’s when it hit her. She and Mark could open up their very own bike shop, one that sold the world’s best bikes and offered guided and self-guided tours. Oh, and while they were at it, she wanted a bike shop she could SHOP in. Intercourse Bikeworks was born.

Enter Lititz Bikeworks

Two-and-a-half years after opening, success in Intercourse led to an option to move to Lititz, the pair’s favorite town for a date night or a family spin on the local rail trail. Never wanting to think inside the box, the two took on the ambitious pitch to open a full-service bicycle shop on the Rock Lititz campus, a creative hub where world-famous musical touring acts design their shows.  Lititz Bikeworks brought with it a bike share on the Warwick to Ephrata Rail Trail, free learn-to-ride clinics for kids, and even – for a little bit – a one-of-a-kind cyclocross course carved into a field on campus. As business boomed, the team grew to include Josh Kreiser, a mountain bike enthusiast with serious mechanical abilities.

Getting Down to Earth

On the Bikeworks Team, Rebecca always wore the marketing and community outreach hat, arranging guided bicycle tours live on TV and working on bicycle advocacy with city and county planners. That experience led to an opportunity she couldn’t turn down, and she traded daily bike life for a leadership position at Venture Lititz, downtown Lititz’s economic development organization. Her days spent on bustling Main Street felt like a homecoming. She was exactly where she wanted to be. That’s when life threw the family a curveball, and opened a door. Caleb, their middle child, was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. Rebecca loved her new work, but the hours were double a healthy workweek, and the time away from her children, who now numbered three, was too much before and impossible now with the new diagnosis.

At the same time, one of Rebecca’s favorite Main Street buildings was listed for sale. A door opened. The family purchased the building, which was sadly too small for a full-service bicycle shop, and created a business they’d long been dreaming of. Earth to Lititz opened in the spring of 2024, bringing a fresh concept to Main Street: apparel for people who love the planet. Rebecca and Mark partnered with B Corp-certified brands to build exactly the kind of clothing store they’d always wanted, but never had nearby. The best part? It enabled Rebecca to focus on family. A 10 am start time left plenty of time for doctor’s appointments and making sure Caleb had everything he needed to start his day, and a cool hangout room upstairs meant the kids could come with her to work and spend days in the family’s favorite town.

Calling all Outsiders

Just as Earth to Lititz was settling into the downtown community, Lititz Bikeworks was facing the end of its ten-year lease at Rock Lititz. The team, energized by the activity and engagement of the downtown, knew exactly where they wanted to be and who they wanted to be. For over a decade, they’d been meeting, befriending, and learning the stories of their customers. They weren’t just cyclists; they were outsiders. They biked, hiked, camped, climbed, and went birding, but they had no local place to get all their gear. It was clear that Lititz Bikeworks needed to expand its offerings. The first step was finding a property that could hold it all.

The old Lititz Record Express building was always on their wish list. Its wide-open interior and location on a lane ideal for test riding made it an obvious choice. So when rumors spread that the owners (super kind, awesome outsiders themselves) were ready to retire, Mark paid them a visit, and a dream became reality.

Today, Mark and Rebecca are so excited to share what feels like their life’s work – a place for people who find peace and refuge in the outdoors. The Lititz Outsider is home to Lititz Bikeworks and continues its tradition of high-quality customer-focused bicycle sales and service. And it’s more. It’s where you’ll go to gear up for your next camping trip, hiking adventure, or climbing challenge. It’s where you’ll find gifts that help the ones you love answer the call of the outdoors. It’s where you’ll be invited on group hikes and group rides, and where you can attend events to learn more about trail building and preservation. Most importantly, it’s where you’ll find a caring team of fellow outsiders who love nature as much as you.

We can’t wait to welcome you.