Phil_gretz

My wife and I leave on Wednesday on an 8-day tour of Northern VA and Maryland. We'll be crossing into MD via White's Ferry, and on an ~150 mile ride northward and eastward toward the tip of MD/PA/DE where close friends live. 2-days rest over the weekend, with fireworks and festivities up at Longwood Gardens in PA, then riding home next week.

For my wife, this is a significant distance of ~50 miles per day. We consistently ride 20-30 miles on our recreational rides, so with breaks for snacks and rest, I'm sure we'll do fine.

We've collected county road maps for the route, and have laid out the locations for stops and for inexpensive hotels for the evenings. Some counties (like Montgomery County, MD) prepared bicycle route maps that show the elevation changes (by color code) along all of the routes, so you can judge the amount of climbing. Our night is in a town called Mt. Airy. I'm nervous about any destination that has "Mt." in the title, as it implies going up to get there!

I'll have all of the gear on my bike w/front-rear panniers. She'll just have maps in her handlebar bag and food/snacks on a rear rack bag. This will be our first multi-day tour together, so I'm looking forward to the adventure, and to what we'll learn along the way.

Thanks for everyone who contributes to this site, as you've taught me a lot about preparation, keeping a positive attitude, and enjoying the journey. I hope to post results at the mid point of our ride.

Phil G.

Machka 

Have fun!

And if you know the route you want to take, you can map it on Bikely and take a look at the elevation profile ... if Bikely is up and running, that is.

staehpj1

A couple other options for checking out the elevation profile are:
https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/create/
https://bikeroutetoaster.com/
You will see the profile much better if you map short sections separately. Mapping a long section hides much of the contour.

valygrl

Awesome, I hope you guys have a fun trip!

indyfabz

Have fun. If you cross the river via Conowingo and will be on Rte. 1 for a while thereafter, stop at the Spready Oak Restaurant for a bite. It's on the left a few miles northeast of the river in Rising Sun. Pretty popular with cyclists.

The GF and I are fying to Missoula, Montana that day to start a nine-day loop through the southwest part of the state.

Phil_gretz

Excellent! Thank you. We'll look for it on day 3 after we cross the mighty Susquehanna. PG

Philly Tandem

There's a really good bike shop in Mt. Airy, Md., should you need anything. It's cleverly called "Mt Airy Cycles." Have a great trip, and remember to keep it fun, especially if it's your wife's first one, to make sure she'll like it. 50 miles a day can be a lot for someone only used to riding 20-30 miles. It sounds easy, until she's sitting on a seat for a lot longer each day than what she's used to. I'd consider a few "bail-out" plans if needed and keep them in the back of your mind.

ks1g

Sounds awesome! (Wish I could get my wife to do something like this.) Sounds like you've considered all the obvious issues. If she's happy, it'll be a good trip. Hydration/nutrition, or really nasty weather could be the more important factors than terrain (especially if she likes beating a challenge) or mileage/saddle time. As far as elevations, most of the bike mapping sites have elevation data, you could quickly plot your route on bikely, mapmyride, or ridewithgps and see what to expect. A quick call to Mt Airy Bikes might provide assurance on that part of the route.