NYC-->BALTIMORE Fixed Pt.2
 

In just a few days I will be taking off on my 2nd cycling roadtrip south, just as I did last year.

I'll be riding my Fuji and the boss will be on his Trek roadbike. We'll both be traveling very light, as last time - this is a blitzkrieg! Then again, last year we did the same and ended up on an errant course that took us through some severe conditions and it nearly cost us.

This year the route will be much more direct - apparently, this fellow was able to do it without meeting much resistance. He did this several years ago but believes that the route is still valid. We figure that with a little adjustment it ought to take us there in style and we will make good time!

Check the course - you out there in NJ, PA, DE, or MD land & anywheres nearby can come out to the barricades, hold out cups of water and cheer us on...or ride up in a support vehicle and chuck bottles of water at our heads. Or maybe ride along with us for a few miles, I don't know...

BONUS: If all goes well and we get to our objective with time to spare, I may consider riding down to DC since it's pretty close - IF I can find a suitable route there and back.

Hope to see someone, anyone on the road down there!

:beer:

—©.

where are you coming through baltimore? and when?

Trip
 

I dont know how you intend to get from Brooklyn over into NJ. Be careful on Rt 1 in NJ. Once you make it onto Elizabeth Avenue in Linden you will be OK. Not the best area!

Hit me up when you're in baltimore. I believe we met back at the Rico Race last winter? PM me if you need a place to stay/advice for stuff to do here.

Baltimore to DC
Try this one http://bikewashington.org/routes/dc2balt/index.htm
Keeps you off of route 1.
If you get as far as Greenbelt, you can take the Metro to downtown DC if you want to skip some iffy roads.

i wish i had huge enough balls to do this. good luck. how many extra tubes are u guys taking with u on the road.

ch0mbs... you rule. hope you guys have fun and get home in your respective pieces.

Exit from NYC may be over the GWB, otherwise we'll just train into Newark like last year. I'm familiar with the streets there and they're tougher than they used to be. It moves pretty fast though. Leaving Tuesday, arrival in Baltimore on Wednesday, staying there through Sunday in the harbor area.

DC is only open to me on Thursday but I'll do it if I have the time - may have to find a "drunk wagon" back. I was told it's only 30 miles :mad: @#$! map says 47!

30 miles on I-95. More on the bikeable routes.
If you don't have time for DC, Annapolis might be a good alt.

If you go down Rt 27 through Jersey, you'll pass right by my work in princeton. avoid the early evening rush hour, traffic can get nuts.

seems like a good route.. we took part of it from philly to NYC. YOu will be passing right by the bike co-op, you could stop and grab some fluids if youd like.. just let me know what day

good times! good luck homie

are the tt bars working out? are you gonna use them? good luck with the ride.

have an awesome ****ing time!

ride safe and good luck!

Stay cool out there...have a good ride.

I'm sorry I didn't catch this thread earlier. A friend of mine and I did Philly --> Reston, VA back in April (we went by way of Baltimore and DC). Last week we rode from Philly --> NYC. I did both fixed.

On the Philly --> Reston trip, we took Baltimore Ave. in Philly to Route 1 and then continued on Route 1 all of the way down to Baltimore. Route 1 was great, however, it is questionably legal for bikes. We didn't have any trouble, though (cops would just pass by without hastling us). Route 1 turns into a big 4-lane divided highway, but the pavement is really nice and there's a huge shoulder (big enough for us both to ride side-by-side). The only questionable spot is a dam right after crossing the Maryland border (it's one lane each way with no shoulder).

There are tons of rolling, steep hills around the Maryland border. Make sure you at least have a front brake. I normally ride brakeless in Philly, but I was really glad I had one on the downhills (if you're not careful you can reach speeds in excess of 100km/h with a heavy, loaded touring rig).

There's literally nothing between Kenett Square, PA and the suburbs of Baltimore. We had to make an 8 mile detour just to get lunch. Work under the assumption that you may be stranded without water for up to 3 hours of riding at a time. When between Kenett Square and White Marsh, Maryland, make sure you take every oportunity to buy water that comes your way, because they're few and far between.

I wouldn't recommend riding past White Marsh, Maryland after dark. This is coming from a guy that lives in West Philly.

On our Philly --> NYC trip, we took route 13 (Frankford Ave.) to Old Route 1 (Lincoln Highway) to route 206 to route 27 to Newark to the PATH train into NYC. That route was really great except for route 27. As route 27 gets closer to Newark it becomes a four lane road with no shoulder. The cars were really flying and it wasn't very safe to be on the road in most areas. Where there were sidewalks in some parts, they were really crappy and didn't have ramps at intersections (jumping curbs at every intersection is annoying on a touring setup).

Here's my account of the Philly --> Reston trip: http://www.sultanik.com/blog/RideToReston

When are you planning on being in Philly? Let me know if you'd like me to organize an "escort" into the city. Best of luck!

It took us about 6 hours to go from Baltimore to DC using the reverse Bike Washington cues. This is without including any extended stops for food, but including rest stops for water/bathroom. It probably would have taken an hour or so less had the Bike Washington reverse cue sheed had fewer errors. There were times at which my GPS was invaluable.

ch0mmy ch0mbs, when do you leave? perhaps we can do a little lakeside happyhour bf ss fg send off?

Good to hear that someone's been on the route recently and it still works. I think we oughta be in Philly by early afternoon - we may be making a stop at some bike shop that is apparently along the route (don't recall which one that is). Probably will be eating something at that big indoor market on Arch before heading south.

R1 was definitely the way for fast movers and it gets tight in a few places (I remember seeing this somewhere around Gunpowder Falls and beyond - 12 inches of gutterspace between the guardrails and rumbling death!). The hills most definitely roll on and on and it was fun to do, but this year I am taking a brake.

Sorry amadeo! wish I could get up for a round but now I gotta be all isolated like the astronauts and sh*t. I already got sick this weekend with the food poisioning and don't wanna make things worse. We'll catch up when we get back from our rides. Good luck and happy hunting on the west coast.

Thanks for the word, people!

So,

Here I am. 17 hours, 180 miles. My wingman bailed out this morning. Rode the last 70 solo. This was probably the toughest ride yet. That sh*t was no joke - the heat and the traffic were both set to kill. I think I went a little crazy out there, but I've got a couple stories and some good pictures to throw up on here once I'm back.

My legs won't stop moving so I'm off to inspect Baltimore. You two up above from around here, check your pm's. DC gimme a holler and let me know what y'all up to.

See you on the streets!

You are nuts.

Glad you made it.

****ing awesome! it's so rare you hear about long distance... like... cross continental distance rides on bikes these days, it makes me sad. i want the right and ability to ride my bike anywhere i very well choose, be it nyc, portland, vancouver, or mexico city. it'd be so sweet.

I think I asked you this last year, but once again, why are you coming to baltimore, seriously this place sucks.

ps good luck!