Northeast - Baltimore - Tour du Port

http://www.onelesscar.org/TDP/2007/index.php

October 21, starts at the Inner Harbor.

It's a fun ride. Early on a Sunday is a good time to bike the city and watch it waking up.
This year they're adding a 40 mile "long" ride on top of the 22 to 26 miler they've had on previous years. Now I won't have to go twice around the route to make it worth my while. ;)

Bump

2 weeks to go.
They haven't published the route maps yet. I'm curious where the long route is going.

Anyone else planning to ride?

Yep. It is becoming a favorite of my wife. dunno if we will tandem it again this year or ride separately. I would love to do the long route but I dunno if I want to drag her around that far :-)

$35 or $50 to register? I just don't see paying that much money to ride through the same town I commute in everyday and have to put up with horribly maintained roads, unsynchronized lights that mean having to stop every block and drivers who will run you over at the drop of a hat. I guess that's why there's no route map posted.

$35 or $50 to register? I just don't see paying that much money to ride through the same town I commute in everyday and have to put up with horribly maintained roads, unsynchronized lights that mean having to stop every block and drivers who will run you over at the drop of a hat. I guess that's why there's no route map posted.
I agree, the at-the-door price is high.
Don't know if they are changing this year, but the way they have done past rides there is no bib or rider number tag, there are arrows on the road and route marshals along the way, and they didn't check if riders were registered at the Patterson Park rest stop. The only real extras you got were the cue sheet, the t shirt and the lunch at the end. This has been an easy ride to join without paying.
And early Sunday morning there's not much traffic to worry about. I usually start 7:15 to 7:30 so I'm one of the first out on the road. Get to watch the sunrise over the harbor.

I agree, the at-the-door price is high.
Don't know if they are changing this year, but the way they have done past rides there is no bib or rider number tag, there are arrows on the road and route marshals along the way, and they didn't check if riders were registered at the Patterson Park rest stop. The only real extras you got were the cue sheet, the t shirt and the lunch at the end. This has been an easy ride to join without paying.
And early Sunday morning there's not much traffic to worry about. I usually start 7:15 to 7:30 so I'm one of the first out on the road. Get to watch the sunrise over the harbor.

I guess I just prefer something a little more picturesque than Baltimore for my biking. Hearing about this ride really makes me wish I was back in CA and could ride through the Oakland hills again.

I spent last weekend riding the hills of Western Loudon County. I don't mind some city riding for a change. :D

They finally posted the route maps for the rides.
The long route looks like it starts to follow the same route as previous years, then continues out Holabird to North Point Park. I had hoped they would head more north (and add a few hills), but east is ok too. Something new to see.
The 10 and 22 miles follow the usual routes.

added - just noticed that they changed the start location. Fells Point instead of Rash Field. Good thing I read the website again.

A friend of mine asked me about this recently. I don't know... now that I have a kid, it is difficult for me to commit to doing something like this too far in advance. With a $50 price tag for late registration, it's probably not worth it for me.

A friend of mine asked me about this recently. I don't know... now that I have a kid, it is difficult for me to commit to doing something like this too far in advance. With a $50 price tag for late registration, it's probably not worth it for me.

Come out anyway. For such a short route it isn't like you need to use any of the rest stop amenities. And the harbor has plenty of places to eat afterwards. Even if you just come out and ride IMO you are showing support by being seen cycling.

-D

Yep. Go self-supported. If you don't use their resources there is nothing to feel guilty about. Or you can send them a $10 donation later.
You're just riding along the public streets. ;)

Had a good ride. Weather was perfect.
Did the 40 mile route, then rode back to Federal Hill and Locust Point to add a few more.
I think prefer Rash Field as the start/finish/festival instead of the Harbor Point. That huge parking lot was pretty bleak. Could have used some shade while eating lunch. North Point and Riverside were both good rest stops. I stopped at Paterson Park, like a lot of people did, even though it was not an official rest stop.
Oddest thing I saw was on the way to North Point, a bar called "The Fort" had a sign out front advertising the "Pimp and Ho Ball" next week. And at 8:30am on a Sunday, the bar was open.

I rode yesterday too...my first year riding in this event. The entry price was a little high, but I guess it goes to a good cause. The primary rest stop was setup really nice with lots of food choices ready for the taking. Overall, I'd do the ride again. I'm not from the Baltimore area, but I think the trip down was worth it. There was some nice scenery and the was some crummy scenery, just like any major city.

CC, who cares where you park your car - sitting at a table overlooking the harbor like that was beautiful! They ran out of t-shirts if you waited until after the ride to pick them up (like I always do) which was a shame since it was a fairly decent T this year. It was an absolutely beautiful day! Too bad we couldn't go into the PP pagoda like in past years.

Sitting in a hot, dusty, treeless gravel lot wasn't as nice as eating lunch under the trees at Rash Field.
By this time next year Harbor Point will probably be a construction site.

The ride was great.
Even without a trip up the Pagoda, PP was a nice stop.

The ride was very fun. The only part I didn't like is the off-roading near North Point Park. The glass on the paved parts there were ridiculous. My tires were glittering when I got out of there.

Now if only they'd block off some time to run a USCF-sanctioned crit series at the same time. That'd be hot.

I had an awesome ride. Well the best part was the ride to the ride. I got up and on the road about 6:30am and biked the 30 miles from my house downtown. I got to see the sunrise. It was a balmy 46deg when I started.

I met my wife downtown and we did the 20 mile loop together.

Of course then I fumbled my bike on the car rack and broke my fork :(

-D

CMYKE - FYI, I live in Edgemere and ride the paved path to North Point State Park at least three times a week. When this path was constructed it was made with Glassphalt, that is why it glitters. Yes there is broken glass on this path. I recently swept this path, Sunday 10/28, to eliminate the lose gravel and glass. We have four-wheelers in the neighborhood that like to do doughnuts on the shoulders. hope to see you on the trail.