The Human Car

Ha. In the late 70's there was a bike race in the Grand Canyon from rim to rim, so at least in theory if you can walk it, you can bike it a lot faster.

I am somewhere in between being depressed and hopeful for a new start. Thanks to all for the kind words, it helps.

NoRacer

At least we know that you'll be keeping in touch via Facebook, and for those who don't do Facebook, there's BF.

So, for those who don't do Facebook, here's my ride from Sunday:

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/99952705 - Holtwood via Rocks Rd

greaterbrown

Isaias, I was looking over my shoulder yesterday wondering whether you'd make a late showing. I think you would've really liked the route and the end of the day events, however, the picnic was nothing special. Nice to see the club together socializing, but I just don't understand why it's all the way out in Taneytown causing 90% of the membership to drive an hour to get there. Silly. IMO

We had 7 riders. I rode the first half with John R. and Tiffany. We got to the picnic a bit early and got to munch on fresh cantaloupes and watermelon- actually, the best part of the meal

Dave1, Charlie, John F., and Jeffery M. rolled in a bit later. We chowed down and chatted with the gallery. John and John left early, Jeffery stayed to get a ride home and Dave, Charlie and I split just as the frisbees and slip'n'slides came out. (just kidding) Ride home was hillier, hotter and beautiful. (Sams Creek rd = )


After the climb up the trolley trail in EC, Charlie throws out an offer: "we could go back to my place and have a swim in the pool" I waited a moment before replying in hopes that there would be a 2nd part to the offer... "and, I might have some beers on tap as well"

I looked back at Dave to see what his response would be, but it was a formality- this was an offer no one could pass up. Oh dear, this long distance riding thing is so hard. Two months in a row of swimming and beer.

HC203

Sorry I missed the Taneytown ride-sort of. I haven't had much energy lately, or maybe it's enthusiasm, not sure. Anyway, I decided I needed to break in y hiking shoes a bit more so went for a hike at O Ridge with my boy, then another walk later to 7-11 for Slurpees. Thinking I might just stay off the bike until I get back from my hike in the Whites this weekend.

I thought the Moonlight ride was great, yes the traffic blocking guys were a bit aggressive but I guess that is the only way, otherwise it would take forever to finish that route. As it was we got back pretty late, midnightish for me.

NoRacer

I keep missing the beer-ops.

maxine

Yeah, what he said!! I had a very nice weekend in PA with my sister and nieces, but I'll admit to being sad to have missed out on a ride that featured a beer-and-pool stop at Charlie's house.

revolator

I'm going to be in the College Park, MD area. Are there any road route/rides that folks would recommend? Don't know the terrain, but preference would be 25-45 miles with elevation if possible? Thanks in advance!

ronwalf

Not much elevation change, but the Patuxent Wildlife Center loop is an easy ride from your location, and it's all on-road. If you want to add a steep but short hill to start it off, use Cherrywood Ln -> Ivy Lane -> Crescent Rd -> Lastner Lane -> Ridge Rd -> Research Rd -> Powdermill (and then continue on the trail). In general, you can just get lost around that area (north and east of Greenbelt), and as long as you find your way home, it'll have been a decent bike ride.

There's also a good hill going south in Greenbelt Park, and heading back down it going west on Goodluck Rd. I'm not sure how that fits into any overarching route.

If you like dealing with foot and road traffic, look up the WAGBRAD route that circumnavigates DC (bikely has it, but it's down right now?).

balto charlie

hey all: It was a good outing with the Rando ride tho' finished overheated. At least I did finish this one! I drank about 3 gallons of fluids and only cramped once @75 mile but rode it out. Lots of Nuun and Hammer electrolytes. Picnic was nice as I consumed lots of cantaloupe. I think I ate an entire one by myself. Really loved riding Park Heights and Sams Cove. Wish you guys had made it to the ride. Next time a shorter ride to spend more time in the pool and drink beer.
@Barry: Arizona!! I was hoping you would lead us with a bike tour of NYC. Wait until after summer, that place can be bloody hot, good luck.

@revolator: Check out this site but the previous advice is as goods as it gets. The area is the Patux Wildlife, Agriculture research fields and NASA research campus. Few cars and nice scenery. In the Bikewash site I posted you can also look up bike trails as the DC 'burbs have many to choose from. You can ride to DC and around the town/museums/monuments. Many, many options, Enjoy.
https://bikewashington.org/

revolator

@ronwalf @balto charlie Thanks for your advice. I'm going to check it out.

WackyBanana

I've just been looking around the D.C. metro area on Google Earth, and I don't see any mountains to really climb nearby (with a bike, anyway). Is there a long, sustained climb to pursue w/in reasonable driving distance (say, one hour)?

Sorry if this is a n00bian question!!!

Sincerely,

E.

greaterbrown

Hey Banana, welcome to the bunch.

You would probably have to head over to Sugarloaf mtn or Catoctin mtn for longish sustained climbs.
Raven Rock rd, which is the big 'un from the BBC's Civil War Century is a great climb. (5 miles?)

dspaff088

sugarloaf mountain in montgomery county i reckon

greaterbrown

GB in "practice mode" can make some crazy silly decisions. Today, I took the first half of the day off of work, woke up before my alarm at 5AM, loaded up the Nova wagon with the bike and headed up to Ashland for some un-paved training. (ahem, I mean practicing) The temps were manageable at 6AM on the NCR up to Glen Rock. Early on, I was gunning to get close to my best time for this route, but I quickly abandoned that idea as the temps got into the nineties by 9AM. I decided to shave off some time by skipping the first rest stop. My legs didn't feel quick or strong- not exactly sure why, but it is probably just as well. If the legs had been willing, I probably would've pushed too hard and raised my HR too high. Not good today.

This route is NCR north, then a big loop of mostly un-paved PA roads- many of which contain some sharp climbing, then NCR back to the start for a total of 83 miles. Today's attempt was 7hrs 5min. 35 minutes slower than my best time. I don't think I could've ridden it too much faster without succumbing to some heat related problems. Parts of the route are remote, I was alone and blacking out would not have been good. However, it was good to know I could hang out in today's heat, keeping a decent pace and managing to hydrate and digest efficiently. When I got back to Hunt Valley and turned on the radio, they were reporting 101 degrees.

NoRacer

Sounds like you kept it together, GB.

xrayzebra 

Hey, GB... I'll be looking for you to whiz past me on the NCR someday. I most often ride the parts between Monkton and the PA line.

Everybody else...

I just noticed this regional section of the board, so thought I'd drop in and introduce myself. My name is Mike. I live pretty close to the Monkton NCR trail parking area. I always ride alone, so I'm looking for anybody who else rides this part of the NCR alone or in small groups who would like to have an additional riding companion.

I'm a slow poke, though. I typically average 8 to 10 MPH on the uphill run and a little faster on the downhill run. (For those who don't ride this trail it has a very slightly uphill trend toward PA and slightly downhill back to Monkton, though you get some variation both ways.) So, I'm looking for fairly casual riders who are maybe building up their endurance like me. I usually ride 10 or 15 miles, but would probably ride a little further with some company who doesn't drag me along too hard.

If you're out there, I'll be the old guy with the ponytail riding casually on a Dahon folder or soon to be riding a Brodie Once with an Alfine 11 speed hub. I like the oddball bikes, so I would also particularly welcome anyone riding something out of the ordinary. I enjoy checking out unusual bikes, old bikes, and new technology, and I enjoy tweaking a bike as much as the riding. (I saw a guy out there last week on a completely prone recumbent, laying completely flat and pedaling with his hands! I would have loved to check that out.)

I rode a lot more when I was younger, so I do understand the machinery. I would really welcome the company of anyone who is just starting out and would like some help with tweaking their bike and riding form. No newbie is too slow or too new to join me - all the better, because I'd rather wait for someone than be the one lagging behind. I'm a patient rider, and I enjoy stopping every few miles to take a rest or do some photography. I'm also willing to join anyone who rides a little bit harder, to help me develop my own speed and form. I do try to pace stronger riders from time to time, just to get better myself. If you get tired of waiting for me, and want to forge ahead, no offense taken.

I mostly ride on the weekend, but I'm self employed, so I do ride on a weekday from time to time, when the trail is a little less populated.

Just a tip: If you are coming from any distance to ride the NCR, the Whitehall parking lot is far less congested on the weekend than the Ashland and Monkton lots. Ashland and Monkton are better if you like seeing other bikers. Whitehall is much better if you want to ride north and see only more serious bikers and not as many creek floaters standing in the middle of the bike path.

If anybody here has kayaked on Gunpowder Falls in this same area, I'd really like to hear from you. My wife and I usually go over to Deer Creek near Darlington for kayaking. I'd like to hear about kayaking GF from someone who has done it before. If you area a kayaker, check out my Deer Creek stream gauge page at https://xrayzebra.com/gauge.htm Looks like the water is way down today. If you haven't seen these resources, there is a website where you can monitor water conditions on almost any body of water you can think of. Drop me a PM for more info.

NoRacer

Welcome, Mike! I believe Maxine does some kayaking.

balto charlie

Dag, that was long ride for those conditions.
Friday was a hot one. 87 on the train platform at 6:30am!! I didn't wear much that day shorts, lime green safety vest, and a cap. Couldn't wear a helmet. I know I am bad but putting on a styrofoam cooler on my head w/ temps @105 wasn't going to happen. I am a slug this wknd, free time but no energy.

xrayzebra 

Thanks NoRacer Nice to see how many people on this thread have join dates of 2004 and 2005. I'm still working up to 50 posts so I can at least return PMs.

dspaff088

So on thursday to celebrate this heatwave I went down to Virginia for one of my favorite rides. Climbing reddish knob. 100+ degree heat and one of the highest points south of vermont. heres the map my ride link and some pics off my cell phone. Figure I'd share something to look at while we hide from the sun.

https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/42830650/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/6559416...7627144888105/

and yeah it was awesome, but miserable

NoRacer

Nice ride and pics. I see you used a triple on that Trek.

NoRacer

My Sunday ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/101506819

Pics link inside.

maxine

GB, your "practice" session sounds to me like it was a smart, successful ride.

Mike, hi, welcome to the MD peeps thread. I used to live in Sparks, less than 2 miles from the Phoenix Road parking lot of the NCR Trail, and was on the NCR all the time, either on foot or bike. I really miss everything up there -- the road riding is excellent as well -- I would not have left except that it was just too far from work. Sometimes, though, I'm still sorely tempted to go back . . . As NoRacer says, I do kayak a bit, but I tend to stick to deeper water. My boat, a 12' Perception Tribute, isn't a river runner, but I could likely manage some gentle Class I or II stuff. I usually launch from Dundee Creek Marina or (depending on the wind) from the beach at the Hammerman area of Gunpowder Falls State Park and paddle (close to the shoreline, I don't consider myself skilled enough yet to cross open bodies of water alone) of the Gunpowder River.

Dspaff, are you out of your mind??? j/k, great ride!

dspaff088

No trek but def a triple.

Never find much use for the granny gear, but it turns into my best friend sometimes.

NoRacer

Nope, not a Trek--didn't look at the picture close enough.