The rides out of Salisbury are nice and flat and make a good first century unless its windy.

The BBC Civil War Century is a good runner up as it has a bail out at ~60 miles that's all down hill to the start. But if you do go for the full century it is hilly!

CBAR: https://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=2372
CWC: https://www.baltobikeclub.org/index.pl/cwc
SGC: https://www.seagullcentury.org/

yeah from what i hear the salisbury ride is either very windy or very rainy whereas the gettysburg is always hot and hilly. what a decision...!

The CBAR is new this year (I believe) so it may miss the rain or wind.

CWC there is a big push to start the ride early to avoid the heat if it's going to be hot, the amount of cars that come in at the crack of dawn is unbelievable. Also I'm not sure if its always hot, I remember wearing long sleeves for a few years.

Hey there all, pretty exciting commute today.
I went to performance bike and picked up a rain jacket as I knew it was going to rain, put on my fenders in preparation for today commute. Sure enough I got 0 drops of rain on the way in and 0 drops of rain on the way home, I did sweat plenty under the jacket. Wife said I should have just bought a hefty bag instead...what does she know.

On the way home between Caton Ave and westside shopping center there was a explorer on fire, took over 10 minutes for the FD to show up, nice show. Then I hopped at steel plate @ 25mph, my pbsf flew off hit the ground and was in 3 pieces(front,back and batteries), I picked it up and clicked it together, works great not even a scratch, this thing is bullet proof.

Also BTW I saw Barrys pic in the latest spokes magazine, Go Barry!

pbsf= Planet Bike Super Flash? I'll note that I lost two covers and innards to riding the roads in Balto, so I now tape the thing together with clear tape.

I've got a get Spokes magazine I have no idea what Ron wrote about me.

Actually, both this past year were fine weather wise. Last years CW Century actually got changed from Sat. to Sun due to Hurricane conditions.

Barry, CBAR??? What is that an acronym for?

The Civil War Century, as Barry notes, is a tough ride if you actually do the century route (shorter options are available.) Even taking the "bailout" only cuts out the last of the big climbs (unless the route has changed since I rode it.)

The Seagull, on the other hand, is flat as a pancake, but that kind of terrain can inflict its own kind of pain over the course of 100 miles (and, yes, there are frequently weather issues.) It's also a huge century (7000-ish riders) and it attracts a lot of first-timers. Not coincidentally, there are often a lot of accidents.

A nice "not too hilly, not too flat, JUUUUUUST right" ride for your first century might be the Indian Head 100/Southern Maryland Century. https://ohbike.org/century/index.htm I did it 5 or 6 years ago, and I'm really thinking I need to get back there again this year. It was a relatively small, very pretty, very peaceful ride.

pbsf you are correct

couple of Rons quotes "Baltimore has no more dedicated activist than Childress" and theres a pic of you accepting the Medocre Award for a Kinetic Bicycle Sculpture Race and they talk about your extracycle.

Also Krista Schultz is in there too, I think shes a BBC trainer?

https://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=29918

ck out my link it says my commute home is 1600 feet of climbing, does that seem right for that route? I know I'm tired and my legs believe it but what do you think?

Geez MD Peeps, you've put 3 more pages of posts up and I've only been gone one weekend.

But oh, what a weekend it was: Me and Betty headed down to Coho central (Franklinville, NC). Stopped in for a quick hello to Charles(the builder) and Nina on sunday, spent the night at Days Inn nearby and showed up with all my parts to begin build up Monday AM. Beautiful weather (but you all had it too) the whole day. There was only one hitch- the 7-speed cassette was a bit too small for the hub body. Charles called up to a great shop in Greensboro (Cycles de Oro) who had a 4.5mm spacer and an hour and a half later I had it good to go.

We took a short ride around the neighborhood Monday evening before sundown. Charles and Nina kindly offered to let me sleep at their place and knowing that I'd be able to do a longer ride on tuesday, I accepted. The next morning, Charles on his blue Paisano and I on the new Coho roadie rolled through Randolf county and all of it's farms and forests. This countryside is a perfect bike tester- always rolling, but nothing sharply steep and very little traffic.

The Coho is impressive. Immediately I noticed how perfectly it fit me. It is smooth and still a good accelerator. I'll give a more thorough and more thoughtful review with more riding and more writing later. I will add though that I'm pleased with the choices I made on parts. The Nitto Classic bars are a great change from the Rando bars on the Kogswell. They are narrower and flat across the tops. So far, I'm loving the drivetrain and the Mavic wheels with the Grand Bois 28's are light and quick.

The pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/2797683...ed/2009/04/29/

Whatcha converting?

aquateen, I am leading a 100+ mile unsupported ride every month. All of these are posted through the BBC, but anyone is invited. Next one is Memorial Day- a ride from the Balt washington Monument to the DC Washington monument and back. For June, a 200k ride to Chesapeake Beach. The rest of the year is still tentative, but likely to be:
July: Baltimore to Frederick
August: 3 Cities Century (Balt, DC, Annapolis)
Sept: On Again, Off Again (a real fun one that jumps on and off of the NCR trail)
Oct: Susquehanna valley 300k (up to Lancaster and back)
Nov: Point to Point (a crazy adventure to 10 peninsulas on the western shore of the Ches.)
Dec: 4 reservoirs tour: Liberty, Pretty Boy, Loch Raven and Druid Hill reservoirs

For a first 100 miler, I'd suggest the seagull or as Maxine suggested the Indian Head (rode that last year with Harry and loved it). Of, my rides: Monument to Monument is not very hilly, but is trafficky. On Again, Off Again is fairly flat and easy to shorten. Point to Point is flat, but has some crazy industrial terrain early on.

-GB

The Seagull Century aka Assateague Century would be a very good first century. It's very flat and well supported. Just keep your eye on the weather. Historically, there's been some rather wet and windy ones.

She's a beauty, mate!

Can't wait to meet her in person.

That sounds weird to me as well. You are coming out of two stream values that I would guess have 300' of climbing each and a few hundred for the rollers going through the city.

I will note that city riding is a different kind of work out then club rides, as you tend to use more of your fast twitchy muscles then your stronger endurance muscles.

Chesapeake Bay Air Ride https://www.baltimorespokes.org/artic...09041207060597

To help people with lung disease.

Who says its not about the bike?

GB Welcome back, purdy bike. I also liked the doughnut in one of the pictures. They made my Kashi bar taste like doo. You also had a Kogswell in one of the pix. Looks like 650 wheels, no? I want to build up an oldish(80's tourer) into one of these. No frame yet. I'll ask you more Q's later. I know brakes and BB height are important.

NR: did you make it to day 2 sans bike?

Josh: rain gear in these parts usually suck. Cold rain or warm sweat, your choice. I never wear a hard shell rain jacket unless it is raining hard. Some folks swear by Showers Pass out of Seattle but it is pricey. Your commute looks nice. Catonsvilles high point is almost 500 feet. You are at sea level at the bay(inner harbor) and almost that low in the Patapsco river valley. Is your odo reading for round trip? Seems like RT numbers to me.

Barry nice sicker but I agree the writing is too small. Congrats on the Spokes write up. I'm going to REI tomorrow. I'll make sure to get one. Doesn't it get confusing with your Spokes and their Spokes??

I agree with NoRacer, its a great first century. Did it last year and good course (very flat, only hill is a bridge) along with the support at all the stops being good. Luckly last year it was sunny and somewhat warm.

Neil (of Spokes Magazine) says he looks at all as a form of advertising and he rattles off a whole list of other things with "Spokes" in the name.

y...Y...y..es. No adrenaline rushes... no endorphins... no caffeine... Cold turkey sux.

Wait a minute. Did I miss something? NR off the bike? For how long?

... GB thinks: "now's my time to double up on mileage and get back to more than 1/2 of NR's mileage".

If you're ready to roll and do your first century this weekend. You may want to try this one called the Six Pillars Century, there's also a 57 mile route. I was going to do it as a training ride with my son but will join a RFF training ride in Oxford instead. There's also the Flatlands Century in June, a BBC ride, also the Bay to Bay in June, around Fathers Day.

https://www.6pillarscentury.org/

https://ohbike.org/events/index.htm

[QUOTE=balto charlie;8828196]

Josh: rain gear in these parts usually suck. Cold rain or warm sweat, your choice. I never wear a hard shell rain jacket unless it is raining hard. Some folks swear by Showers Pass out of Seattle but it is pricey. Your commute looks nice. Catonsvilles high point is almost 500 feet. You are at sea level at the bay(inner harbor) and almost that low in the Patapsco river valley. Is your odo reading for round trip? Seems like RT numbers to me.

QUOTE]

Commute from home to work is 18.5 each way, if I get lazy or sleep its 10 from the inlaws. I really wish
I knew how much climbing I do. Depending on how many points I make using veloroutes the way home is anywhere from 600-1600, one the way in its 1600. sounds like I need a garmin 305 to be sure or NR can go ride it for me and report back