maxine

I've been enjoying the pics posted to Facebook by several riders -- looks like it was, as usual, a great ride! (Despite what I hear were headwinds in BOTH DIRECTIONS!)

NoRacer and I rode the Six Pillars Century on the Eastern Shore on Saturday (my first century since . . . um, last July ), so I wasn't even looking at my bike on Sunday.

greaterbrown

A belated 'well-done' to Max and NoRacer. There was a DC rider, John, who rode 6 Pillars and on Sunday briefly intersected with our ride. Last year, he rode M2M as DC-Balt-DC, but this year he said he was too pooped to do the whole thing after Saturday. M2M was a ton of fun for me this year. Took it easy and hung out with new peeps and old friends.

greaterbrown

My (not-cancelled) B2WD was not too bad this AM.
Did not see a single other rider on my way in.
Got coffee and bagel at my local haunt and off to work, lights blazing and slicker on.
I remember meeting NR up in Towson many years ago on a rainier morning.

My ride home might actually be in pleasant weather.
Best, y'all.

balto charlie

Seriously, I was wishing I was in an ark or a kayak at least. The biggest rain I rode in this year by far. I left before 6:30 and got hammered. You must have left much later. I was riding a flooded street(yes flooded) when a truck going in the opposite direction sent a huge wave at me. Got drenched.
DCs B2WD was held. Poor turnout. Some of the pitstps were not manned, others had few cyclist.
FWIW: Catonsville was ready to ride B2WD but many others caved so BMC caved as well. After this AMs commute felt it was the right call. I was part of the group that was trying to make the decision, kinda funny to witness. Some stories best shared over a beer.

I will agree that ride home was sweet.

jeirvine 

Checking in. Looking for riding partners for 20-50 mile weekend jaunts at ~15mph. Either from North Bethesda or Catonsville. Cheers,
-John rvine
jeirvine@gmail.com

aquateen

check out the 10 am saturday ride at the hub in catonsville. usually around 15 mph (depending on who shows up) but it's no drop and a nice group.

Rides and Events - The Hub Bike Shop & C'Ville Bikes Catonsville, MD

CycleRail

I was really looking forward to this ride. Bob first scheduled this ramble a couple of years ago, but, having a newborn at the house, I simply did not have time to ride the entire route back then.

Fast-forward a couple of years and I was still having scheduling issues. Bob scheduled the ride for July 20, but my wife is out of town that weekend. I’ll have the kids for 4 days straight (this adventure maybe the subject of another report on a different forum).

So, I planned to ride the ramble a week early, as I did with the Chesapeake Beach Ramble a month earlier. I spent the Saturday before the ride washing the bike, cleaning the chain and scrubbing the rims. It may not make much of a difference, but it gives me peace of mind.

Mike agreed to ride part of the route with me and we met up at the corner of Park Heights and Slade Avenues around 6:45 a.m. I wanted to get an early start because of the heat and impending rain and Mike had to get back to his house early as well. The air was saturated.

Off we went heading north on Park Heights Ave. and then working our way toward Reisterstown. Once we hit Route 30, I could feel the wind at my back. We rolled along the Hanover Pike at a pretty good clip. We saw some chickens and almost ran over them. Traffic was busier than I expected for a Sunday morning and I wanted to get through the traffic circles as quickly as possible.

There was so much sweat dripping from the bill of my cap that I thought it was raining at one point. I was completely drenched with sweat (and would be for the duration of the day).

We arrived at the first rest stop around 8:15 or so. Mike recalled that this was the Burger King that was the launching pad for Bob’s Old Roads Ride last fall. I remembered seeing a group of elderly friends having breakfast there last time. They were there again today. This time, someone showed up with a cake. A birthday party at BK on a Sunday morning? I was tempted to stay, but we knew we had to move on.

Mike had designed his own route back home and we parted shortly after breakfast. He kindly reminded me that I had 100 miles more to go. No pressure. Thanks for riding with me, Mike.

Crossing into PA, I spotted the sign where 2 years earlier I stashed my bike and took pictures of the other riders as they crossed the Mason-Dixon line. Now, the real adventure began. I’d never ridden Impounding Dam Road before. The roads into Gettysburg were relatively free of traffic and downhill for the most part. But, the temperatures were rising. Because of the humidity, 83 degrees felt oppressive.

After crossing US 15, I made a wrong turn on Knight Rd. mistaking it for Wright Ave. No problem. Once inside Gettysburg National Military Park I slowed down to take a look around. I’m glad I did. I came across a reenactment of a group of soldiers firing cannon. The fuse didn’t catch and the ball never left the cannon. The leader said that they would have a full demonstration in an hour. Oh well, I had to “soldier” on. OK, that was bad.

Once inside town, I headed for Subway instead of the Garryowen Irish Pub. It was before 11:00 a.m. and the pub was closed. I wasn’t in the mood for heavy food, anyway. Subway let me bring the bike inside while I scarfed down a 6” Italian sub. Just what I needed. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve been eating too much at Ramble lunches. Thinking that I need a lot of calories to sustain me on the ride back, I gobble huge amounts of food and, sometimes, more than a couple beers. By late afternoon, I tend to regret it. I end up feeling nauseated and miserable. It’s frustrating when your legs are fine, but it’s your stomach that slows you down. So, I was hoping a little sub would get me through.

After lunch, I headed south through the park, taking in the sites and dodging the other tourists. I came across a larger road on guessed that it was US 15. Glad I checked or else I would have been running around in circles. The wind was coming up from the south, which was fine because it helped move the sweat off me. I came across the old cement post making the Mason-Dixon line. I dismounted and took another picture. Now I have one in both directions.

The little town of Harvey was kind of depressing. The dilapidated buildings depicted hard times. In Taneytown, a little boy rode with me for a block on his BMX bike. By the time I reached New Windsor, I was ready for a break. I had ridden over 90 miles. I nearly missed the next rest stop. Seeing the 7-11 at the last minute, I gave the brakes a quick squeeze and fishtailed into the parking lot. I grabbed a Coke, water, and some Pringles and chilled out the best that I could under a tree.

Now things started to get more difficult. The temps were hitting the high 80s and the climbing began. The climbs weren’t difficult, but I was working hard. Deer Park Road offered some relief and I cruised down to the Liberty Reservoir. I took another break on Ivy Mill Rd. to eat a granola bar. I was feeling pretty good, but I was ready to get off the bike. After only 20 miles since the 7-11 stop, I had only a little bit of water left. Yikes! I took it easy through Randallstown. Once I hit Reisterstown Rd., I had to stop. I was only a few miles from home, but I didn’t want to risk riding further without water. I stopped at the Rite-Aid on the corner of 140 and Seven Mile Lane. I scratched the bike locking it to a sign. Ugh. But I needed fluids. Inside, I quickly found some bottled water and a Dr. Pepper and got in line. The lady at the counter was having an issue with her coupons and was holding everyone up. I just wanted to check out and go. I’m sure the people in line wanted me to go too, because I must have been pretty ripe after 125 miles. It seemed like eons had passed before I eventually to the counter. Afterward, I refilled the water bottles and slowly headed for home.

I was happy to reach Mt. Washington. It then dawned on me that I had to climb up the ridge to Roland Ave. Lake Ave.? or Bellemore? I decided to quickly “rip the Band-Aid off” as opposed to just slowly peeling it off. I made a right on Bellemore. It was a snail-paced climb. I then made a right on Roland Ave. where I promptly dropped my chain. OK, it was time for me to get off the bike.

I made it home around 4:45 p.m., thankful of completing this ramble without any major issues. One minor one, though. It must have been the way the wind was blowing but my teats were screaming at me by the time I got home. I’ll have to figure that one out.

133 miles in 8:36:05. Climbed 6,954 feet and apparently burned 4,898 calories.

CycleRail

Links to pictures from the Gettysburg Campaign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/891772...7645282609839/

CycleRail

Slow and steady ride to the station this morning. Did not like the snow in my face.

maxine

The snow in your face? How about that wind?? Man, I was hating life just walking to/from my car!

Hats (helmets) off to you, sir!

greaterbrown

(eyebrow ice crystals from ThursdayAM commute)

fishboy316

I'm in Arnold/Annapolis area.About 5 min from B&A trail.

aquateen

looking to start a social ride/camp coffee group for the baltimore area. check out the link if you're interested

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107660199260847/

GOLDENTURTLE02

A newby from Western Maryland, Washington Co. About 15 miles from Big Pool and The Western Maryland rail Trail also about a mile or so from the C&O Canal Towpath. both are great rides.

gunnarr

Southern Maryland Bike Group: look up SIC or Solomons Island Cycling on FB. We have standing rides Sat- road. Sun -mountain bike. and Thur evenings- road . In 8 months we have gone from 12 members to over 145.

htotaza

Me too! Just joined this forum, and was wondering the same thing! Glad to see I'm not the only person from MD here!

balto charlie

Greetings all:

Been way too long for me to post on this site. We are no longer on the front page but alas I shall change this. I have decided to "improve" my web presence for the sake of bike advocacy. So for starters please check out the flyer and join us if you can. I'll post more info in the near future.
later, Charlie

greaterbrown

yeah, let's keep the MD Peeps thread alive! Snot on FB.

the Ramble is also Saturday. Not sure what day he's leaving, but Isaias is riding Essex to Ocean City, MD.

I'll share pics if you do.

balto charlie

OK, I'll post a few.
Enjoy your Ramble, chance of rain. Last year we had rain just before our 4th ride. My sweep called me to see if we were going to cancel but I took the Ramble 'tude and said we'll make the call at the start. I rode to the start seeing 50 eager riders....we rode w/ no rain.

maxine

{{ insert fist-pump emoji **** Yeah!!

Isaias and I set out for Ocean City on the morning of July 1: Isaias on his bike from his house in Essex; me in my car from my place, bound for my bike-start point at the park-and-ride in Barclay, MD (about 15 miles northeast of Centreville.) I was just approaching Annapolis on Route 50 when my cell phone rang. Isaias *never* calls (we Google/Hangout chat) so I knew it couldn't be good news . . . and it wasn't. His derailleur hanger was busted. I turned the car around and drove to where he was stranded on Route 40, not far from Abingdon. It was lucky that I was running a bit late that morning; had all gone according to plan, I would have likely already been on the Eastern Shore and just starting my ride.

We decided to drive to Ocean City, find a bike shop, and hope they could repair his bike. Shortly down the road, however, a glum Isaias suddenly emerged from his funk: "Wait, I *do* have a spare hanger! The one that's on the other Ridley!" (His older black one.) Turned the car around again, this time back to Isaias's house, where he performed the hanger transplant surgery.

By then it was getting later, we were both pretty hungry, and Isaias hadn't even yet test-ridden his repair. We opted to drive to Ocean City, whereupon we parked the car, took the bikes off it, and didn't touch the car again until we departed.

The weather was a bit iffy (rain/thunderstorms) just about every day but one, on which we did a 66-mile ride up to Cape Henlopen, to include some mucking about on gravel trails, narrow dirt trails, deep sandy trails . . . and a water obstacle!! We also did some shorter, faster rides up and down Coastal Highway.

Isaias had worked so hard to get ready for this "comeback" ride start from his house; I felt bad that he'd had to DNF before he'd barely begun, because of a bizarre mechanical. I suggested that he ride home from Ocean City, with me driving along the route and leapfrogging, meeting up with him at various pre-agreed rest stops. He was afraid I'd be bored, but I had my trusty Kindle to while away the waits. So he did a "return route" of his inbound trip but modified it to go to my place instead of Essex, with roughly the same amount of mileage, and off we set on the morning of July 5, Isaias a bit earlier than me.

He was *flying*!!! The first meeting stop was at 49 miles, and I was beginning to seriously panic, driving along, because I wasn't seeing him. I did not catch up with him until we were literally both turning off the highway into the gas station! He kept telling himself it was a long ride, and he had to slow down (even though his power readings weren't ridiculous, and he was feeling good), but he ended up riding the first 97 miles at something a bit over an 18 mph pace.

Then the serious heat/sunshine/humidity started to kick in, and some breezes, and some muscle fatigue . . .

One of his route modifications was to stay on Route 40 and have me meet him in Perryville to shuttle him across the Susquehanna. When he rolled up to the Farm Store just before the bridge, at about 130 miles, I could see it on his face. After some consideration of his current state, and that the upcoming section (down Route 40 from Havre de Grace and through East/South Baltimore) was pretty much "old hat" for him, and not a ton of fun riding besides, Isaias concluded that 130-ish miles was a good run, and that he didn't want to end the ride completely strung out and on the verge of requiring rescue. I loaded his bike onto my car, and we drove the rest of the way to my place.

He did great!!

maxine

I saw this on Facebook, and pointed it out to Isaias. Very cool, if we had been in the area, I would have come up for that ride!

balto charlie

Hey Max, how was OC??

Promised trip report:
The July 4th ride to the Fort was inspiring. The weather expected was less than ideal, 90% chance of rain with a thunderstorm possible. I arrived at the start 20 min early to a decent crowd of 20. C-ville/the Hub Bike shop hosted a great spread of food for the ride start while Catonsville Rails to Trails was busy signing up the riders. The number of cyclists continued to grow to about 50. I never got a total count but we had cyclist from every biking niche, Roadies with their CF bikes, Freds with their bar-end shifters, Tandem riders, Mountain bikers, Soccer moms and dads on hybrids, teens and even a toddler in a trailer. How to keep this group together!!! Thankfully Mary Sthruthman volunteered herself and friend Mike to assist, BIG THANKS to both of you, I never could have led this thing w/out you guys. Off we rode with more cyclists joining us as we made our way down Frederick rd. to Baltimore. The promised rain began to fall, nothing but a drizzle. We stopped at Carroll Park for a short re-group. We were missing our sweeps due to a flat tire of another cyclist. We navigated the Baltimore streets finally reaching Federal Hill. The rain began to fall in earnest so we headed to “The Fort”. We were able to escape the rain. We hung around the Fort talking and taking in the views while Mother Nature cut us some slack. The return home was blemished a bit by more rain, broken seat and blown hub. All cyclist returned safely albeit a tad wet.
See pics here, my files are too big. FB lets me do it, hmm...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/560562...57655047169928

greaterbrown

Yeah, you didn't tell us any Maxine stories. Did you guys go to the go-Kart track? Thrashers? Did Isaias buy new clothes when he got down there and then donate them before coming back?

The July 4th Ramble up to Glen Rock was super fun for me. Very lightly attended (3 riders), but we made up for it in quality. ;-)
Route was as expected: steep on the roads and muddy on the trail and beautiful scenery.

I'll put up some pics here as soon as I can.

maxine

No interesting "Maxine" stories. Since we ended up driving to OC, we actually brought clothes (still only one set, though ) with us, and Isaias did not do the usual "buy and donate at the end of the trip" routine.

I did hang out by (and dip in) the pool briefly on the day we arrived, when the place was deserted. Otherwise, though, all we did was ride our bikes . . . and search out within-walking-distance dining places. Hall's all-you-can-eat buffet (conveniently right next door to the Sea Bay Hotel) is closed. Yet another tradition of the annual July 4th OC trip down the tubes!! Of the alternatives, we really liked Bad Monkey, a few blocks south. Two for one happy hour and decent food.

I'll try to get a few pics up later. The ones of Isaias crossing the water-filled ditch on the Cape Henlopen trail are my faves.

maxine

Great pics! You need to get yourself into more of them.

Seems that Catonsville is really developing a good-sized community of cyclists.