The short news is that I didn't ride out to OC last weekend as planned. Unfortunate family health issues showed up and I needed to stay close. I realized quickly that it's times like this that require a clear mind and what better way to clear a mind than a long ride on a beautiful day. I just had to find one that ended back in Baltimore, not OC.

I scanned the BBC calendar and figured on Janet's 48 miler- a no brainer. Then I glanced down to the casual ride for the day. "The Backroads Beater Tour" lead by Andy Hanson a 40 miler out of Glen Rock PA. Wha? a 40 mile casual ride. Intriguing. Riding town to town on a "combination of dirt roads, rail trail and paved". That's it. I'm in. Of course, since I've got all day for a ride, I'll just ride the 40 miles up to Glen Rock and back after the ride for an easy 100+ day.


Falls rd near Gunpowder on the way up to Glen Rock

I blew out of Hampden at 7AM straight up Falls rd. on the Kogswell (32mm tires) As I had hoped, Falls was pretty calm early on Sat. morning, but I had forgotten what a roller fest that road is. Beautiful view of BC cornfields. After 23 miles I made a right on Gunpowder- more steep descents to small streams and hard climbs back up. No big deal, I'm feeling strong. However, the Kogswell is heavy and can be a pig climbing the steep stuff. So, I start pushing harder to make sure I get into Glen Rock on time. I get a little bit lost, then back on track, finally swinging into the library parking lot just in time. Whew.

Andy introduces himself and his wife. There are about 10-12 riders on a nice variety of hybrid, mountain and cross bikes. We get the pre-flight blather, I stuff the cue into the bottom of my bar bag and we're off. Two quick realizations were that I didn't have a chance to eat anything in Glen Rock and that my legs appreciated the flatness of the trail. First stop was 7 Valleys along the trail. One group went for good food (that should have been me) and one group went to the tavern (that was me). I downed two 12oz Coors lites while thinking I should be eating something more carbohydrate intensive. I didn’t. 20 minutes later the group was back on the bikes headed southwest on the trail in the beautiful sunlight.


A very friendly group of 10-12

The ride rolls on pavement for only short sections, quickly dropping onto packed gravel- often in the shade of a canopy of trees. Stunning views of PA countryside when the trees part. Andy's posted pace- "casual" basically means "no drop". We're probably riding about 13mph with liberal rest stops. I like it. It makes for easy chatting while riding. Andy changed the ride slightly from what was posted. Instead of a 40 miler, the ride is a 50 miler with a 25 mile option. An informal show of hands at the start showed that almost all of the group was going to attempt the 50. I was trying to be modest about my likely mileage for the day, but I was clearly a curiosity to many of these riders. I hope that after talking to me, many of them will consider longer distance riding.


Typical of the road surface.


Dappled sunlight

As we approached Glenville the route got hillier, rougher and more fun. There were a few quick descents on crushed rock paving that had me very happy that I was riding 32mm tires. Many of the ascents were so loose that I needed to remain seated to get enough traction up the hill. I flatted. The group flooded past me and it struck me how fantastically human-free the environment was. Really peaceful. I knew that no one was waiting on me, so I did a speedy tube replacement, dug the cue out of my bar bag and tore after them. It wasn't far ahead that I caught the train of riders and not too much further that we got to the 25 mile option cut off.

It was at this point that I saw in many of the riders faces that this hilly ride was a challenge for them. All except 5 riders decided to take the short route. I took the long route realizing that it headed south from here and I could continue south from Middletown rd. Off we went, soon pulling up in Glenville for lunch. Finally, some food for refueling. Well, not quite. The lunch stop was another bar and the kitchen was closed. They were offering free hotdogs which I don't eat, so I tried a true "not dog"- a bun with ketchup and mustard on it. And, of course, more beer. (can you see where this is headed?)

Out of Glenville, we began to near the MD/PA line continuing with similar climbing. I am constantly distracted by the fantastic views, the much more technical riding on these rough roads and the nice conversation. Andy stopped at some point and offered a shortcut that dipped into the woods on single track. I was at first hesitant, then decided that it would be just the medicine to clear my sad-sack brain. We all dive into the weeds. I guess I did fairly well with drop bars, and smooth tires, but I did put a foot down on a couple occasions. Eventually we came out on to paved surface. I spent the next mile reaching down to pick the weeds out of my front derailer. Good stuff.

We cross a lovely little stream on Shalk rd and I peer over the edge. Andy informs me that I'm looking into the head waters of the Gun Powder River. I love the water ways. :-) For a while the route parallels the state border heading east. Some great road names- York rd Number 1, Crossroad Schoolhouse rd, Baker Schoolhouse rd, Slab Bridge. It was just before Flintstone rd that there was a nice steep ascent. I didn't downshift quickly enough and had to press hard into the pedals to keep up speed. Nothing came out. I stopped and for the first time in a long while I had the notion to walk. So, I walked up the hill a bit. Andy came up from behind me and said, "got a little bonk going?" What?!! Bonk?? How dare you. So I clipped back in to prove him wrong and barely managed to make it up the hill. During the next descent, I took notice of my eating habits so far and realized it was not "textbook" nutrition for a hilly 200k. Luckily, a food stop was just down the road. Oh no, not another bar!!

I thought I'd never say that. Luckily, this bar had pizza and I ate one along with a bag of Utz chips. Oh yeah, and another couple beers. Was that 6 for the day? Somehow I lost count ;-) We had some more good chilling and chatting. The route was at it's southernmost point here and the return for them was all on the NCR/Freedom bike path. So, I finished up my pizza, filled the bottles, thanked my new riding buddies and headed south on Middletown rd.


Northern Balt. County hills for the ride home.

My legs were still not kicking. I probably needed more quick carbs. The pizza wouldn't give me energy for a while. I stopped briefly to see if there was a flatter way home. Who am I kidding? I counted off the hills as I slooowwly conquered them. Pretty Boy, Cuba, Jerome Jay and finally Bellona.

Mom was happy to see her sweaty biking son.
115 miles total, abt. 7,000 ft of climbing, speed- N/A
more pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2797683...en/2009/07/04/