C&O Canal ride in October

[Kalidurga]

Just in case folks from the MD/DC/VA area haven't checked out the Southeast forum in Places to Ride:

Some of us are putting together plans for a TE group ride on the C&O Canal, possibly on Sunday, October 15. For details, check this thread: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=9893

:D

[ladyfish]

I'll check my calendar. Sounds fun.

[HillSlugger]

I don't think my road bike can handle this. Let me know when you want to do an TE/DC area road ride!

[Kalidurga]

I still haven't grown big enough balls to handle cars on narrow roads :rolleyes:
I either need to get out there and get comfortable with that, or maybe we could do the Capital Crescent or Mt. Vernon trail for a TE/DC road ride.

[HillSlugger]

I still haven't grown big enough balls to handle cars on narrow roads :rolleyes:
You need to get over being nervous. There are already too many balls in the world! ;)

I either need to get out there and get comfortable with that, or maybe we could do the Capital Crescent or Mt. Vernon trail for a TE/DC road ride.
I think the trails around here are more crowded and dangerous than the rural roads of upper Montgomery county. We were in an accident the first time my friend took me on the Mt Vernon trail (she needed 7 stitches). I've never had a problem on the road.

Different strokes for different folks. :)

[Kano]

I still haven't grown big enough balls to handle cars on narrow roads :rolleyes:
I either need to get out there and get comfortable with that, or maybe we could do the Capital Crescent or Mt. Vernon trail for a TE/DC road ride.

Now where was that web site where you could buy some? You could hang them on the back of your saddle, and then those narrow roads would never be a problem again! ;)

(they work for the Georgia pick-up truck guys!)

Karen in Boise

[Selkie]

I agree. The Mt. Vernon Trail on weekends is terribly crowded and dangerous. It's narrow, especially south of Old Town, and very curvy, hilly. I rode down to Mt. Vernon, using the trail, one Saturday. Left the house at 5:30am and it was OK on the way there. The way back to Arlington was the pits--too many Team in Training platoons hogging the trail who refused to move to the right, plus other joggers/walkers (IPOD wearers included) and either maniac male cyclists going too fast or hybriders weaving all over the place!! How about the National Arboretum? It's on NY Avenue in DC.

Capitol Crescent isn't that long and there are gravel areas -- I think in Bethesda (my husband loves that trail). I think it's mostly hill, too.

[Kalidurga]

Now where was that web site where you could buy some? You could hang them on the back of your saddle, and then those narrow roads would never be a problem again! ;)

Karen, when you find that site, let me know. It would be hysterical to catch people's reactions to something like that. ;)

I used to ride the Mt Vernon trail mid-day during the week and found it a great ride, though I did stay away from the airport as much as possible. With the increase in people working flex-time, though, I've noticed that all of the places I've always gone for biking/hiking/etc during the week are now almost as crowded as on the weekend. While I know it's wrong to begrudge everyone else their enjoyment of these places, my inner curmudgeon gets a bit peeved over having to share. Which is why I love the C&O so much :D

Re the Arboretum: Despite having grown up around DC, I've never been there. Could be a beautiful spot for a ride, I'd think.

[7rider]

You need to get over being nervous. There are already too many balls in the world! ;)

I think the trails around here are more crowded and dangerous than the rural roads of upper Montgomery county. We were in an accident the first time my friend took me on the Mt Vernon trail (she needed 7 stitches). I've never had a problem on the road.

Different strokes for different folks. :)

I heartily agree with this one. (which is not to say that roads aren't without their own hazards)

I try to avoid MUTs if I can help it - especially on the weekends. I've done the Capital Crescent at 6 a.m. and it was okay. But generally they can be crazy, insane places. I've never been on the Mt. Vernon trail.

I'm up for a jaunt out to the nether reaches of the C&O Canal, however, with this TE group. I recall that last December (maybe it was December of '04), I was out there and it wasn't too bad. We left from Riley's Lock and headed out of town from there. Once we get beyond the normal reaches of mom's with babies and into some of the more rugged stuff, it was okay (on a mtb).

I'd totally be up for a dedicated road ride, however. I know my routes around Montgomery County into Howard County, but jaunts out Poolesville way would be fun if some folks know some routes.

[divingbiker]

I've done a 40-mile loop from Riley's Lock to ****erson and Poolesville several times. It's hilly. (Just ask Tulip. Where is she, by the way?)

[divingbiker]

Uh, that's D i c k e r s o n. Too funny.

[Kalidurga]

I've done a 40-mile loop from Riley's Lock to D i c k-erson and Poolesville several times. It's hilly.

See now, I love driving those roads. Buuuut, when I consider pedaling them, I tend to assume that everyone else drives at the same speed I do. Granted, I watch for bicyles as I'm flying along, but not everyone else does that.

[HillSlugger]

It sounds like we are too diverse a group to find a ride that would appeal to us all. Instead, would anyone be interested in getting together for a lunch or dinner to meet? Perhaps we could find a nice outdoor venue for a pot luck. If this sounds like a good idea we can start a new thread to propose it.

Nicole

[7rider]

I've done a 40-mile loop from Riley's Lock to ****erson and Poolesville several times. It's hilly. (Just ask Tulip. Where is she, by the way?)

I think I've done that route once or twice about 5 years ago. I've also done rides leaving from the Poolesville High School I don't recall an outrageous amount of traffic, but McMansions and developments have been popping up like mad all over, so who knows what 5 years can do to an area. I just don't know the route(s) well enough to offer to lead a ride.

[Kalidurga]

Poolesville is one area that has thankfully escaped the McMansion invasion (for the most part, so far). I'm not up to the Brookeville/Damascus/Howard County roads yet, but I could probably do Poolesville. River Road out past Riley's Lock gets very little traffic.

Getting together for a non-biking thing is a fun idea, Nicole. An autumn picnic could be great. Carderock or Great Falls are the first places that pop into my head as far as a central, easy-access locations, but I'm sure there are other spots that are possibilities. Want to start a thread in Off-Topic Non-Cycling?

[divingbiker]

I was going to post the cue sheet for the D!ckerson-Poolesville ride, but I can't figure out how to put spaces between the columns. The forum software apparently takes out multiple spaces so everything runs together and it's not readable. I'd be happy to post it if anyone has any ideas about how to make it retain spaces or accept tabs.

Anyhow, I'd be up for C&O ride, road ride, picnic, whatever.

[HillSlugger]

I was going to post the cue sheet for the D!ckerson-Poolesville ride, but I can't figure out how to put spaces between the columns. The forum software apparently takes out multiple spaces so everything runs together and it's not readable. I'd be happy to post it if anyone has any ideas about how to make it retain spaces or accept tabs.

Anyhow, I'd be up for C&O ride, road ride, picnic, whatever.
You can create a ride in routeslip.com and then post the web address for it.

[divingbiker]

Sorry, but I really don't want to take the time to figure out how to use routeslip.com...

Maybe I can scan it in at work and post it as a picture, but come to think of it I haven't figured out how to do that either. I'm feeling a bit web-challenged right now.

[HillSlugger]

Sorry, but I really don't want to take the time to figure out how to use routeslip.com...

Maybe I can scan it in at work and post it as a picture, but come to think of it I haven't figured out how to do that either. I'm feeling a bit web-challenged right now.
Send the info to me, I guess by PM, and I can put it together.

[divingbiker]

Since it's a dreary Saturday morning, I fiddled with routeslip.com and think I figured out how to enter the D!ckerson/Poolesville route. Hope this works.

Caveats: For some reason, it thinks there's a spot in the middle of the route that's at 0 ft elevation. That big downhill that the elevation chart shows doesn't exist. Also, though I did my best to follow the road very closely to get the distance right, it ended up 0.4 miles shorter than the cue sheet I have, so keep that in mind when looking at the cue sheet from routeslip. It says 39.3 miles total, mine says 39.7.

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=8127

[Toni]

I'm at work, but was laughing so hard I had to find this (I see WAY too many of these in Houston)..
http://bullsballs.com/

[HillSlugger]

Since it's a dreary Saturday morning, I fiddled with routeslip.com and think I figured out how to enter the D!ckerson/Poolesville route. Hope this works.

Caveats: For some reason, it thinks there's a spot in the middle of the route that's at 0 ft elevation. That big downhill that the elevation chart shows doesn't exist. Also, though I did my best to follow the road very closely to get the distance right, it ended up 0.4 miles shorter than the cue sheet I have, so keep that in mind when looking at the cue sheet from routeslip. It says 39.3 miles total, mine says 39.7.

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=8127
I map all of my routes in Routeslip. It's calculated distance and climbing are very sensitive to what zoom level you are on, how many points you use, and exactly where they get placed. I've mapped the same route more than once and gotten differing values.

The route you mapped looks like it's on "real" roads. Is this the trail route you've been talking about?

[divingbiker]

The route you mapped looks like it's on "real" roads. Is this the trail route you've been talking about?

I don't recall that' I've mentioned a trail route, other than chiming in on the discussion of riding the C&O. The D!ckerson/Poolesville ride is definitely on roads, not a trail, but there's so little traffic it may as well be a trail.

[HillSlugger]

I don't recall that' I've mentioned a trail route, other than chiming in on the discussion of riding the C&O. The D!ckerson/Poolesville ride is definitely on roads, not a trail, but there's so little traffic it may as well be a trail.
You are right, I'm getting the two threads confused.

That erroneous "zero elevation" point looks like it is adding about 600 feet of climbing to the route that probably isn't really there. That would make the climbing closer to 1200 feet. Does that sound about right?

Has a date for this ride been proposed? I'm up for it!

[Kalidurga]

I'm at work, but was laughing so hard I had to find this (I see WAY too many of these in Houston)..
http://bullsballs.com/
No way... I thought Kano was joking, but I should have realized that someone, somewhere, would have actually created such a thing. Ladies, I promise you, I will not be riding around with fake balls attached to my saddle. Thanks anyway, Toni. ;)

I love driving the area of your Routeslip, divingbiker, those are some very fun roads for a car. As a matter of fact, as I was cruising (ok, flying) along the backroads yesterday on my way to a hike along the Seneca Greenway near Riley's Lock, I passed a group of about 6-7 male riders on Montevideo Rd. That's a seriously narrow road, and these guys were all in the middle of the lane as they headed up a hill and around a bend. I ended up driving along behind them at 10-15mph because there was no room to pass. That's my concern: On some of these roads that are so narrow that there's no center line, what do you do if a driver comes up behind you who's not as considerate of road riders as I am? With all the hunters who drive those roads, I'm sure there's a chance of some dude in a pickup getting impatient to pass. Or, as in the situation yesterday, what if a car came around that bend at normal speed and suddenly found a bunch of riders in the middle of the narrow road, going half the driver's speed?

I know I sound paranoid, but I've heard drivers complain about bikes on the road (my own father has threatened to run over bikers who ignore the stop signs at road crossings along bike trails), and I don't wanna be the one they decide to get their frustrations out on. There are parts of that route I'd consider riding, but other parts I would just not be comfortable on. I think I'm going to stick to the C&O and rail-trails for the rest of this season, and make road riding my goal for next year.

[Selkie]

Kali -- I don't blame you. I think, if you ride defensively on the trails, you will be fine. I usually ride on the Custis & W&OD, and through trial and error, I've found riding times when the traffic is lighter & traveled mostly by the fellow trail-savvy types.
Even though Arlington is supposed to be "bike friendly" on the roads, there are so many "tourists" from Fairfax/PW/Loundon Counties on the weekends who drive like they are in the 'burbs, not the city, that I won't ride on the roads outside my neighborhood.
All that said, I avoid riding the trail south of the Key Bridge Marriott for the reasons I cited in an earlier post. UNLESS I can get out extremely early and avoid the worst of the dorkus oblivii who don't know trail etiquette.

[Kalidurga]

"Dorkus oblivii"... I love it ;)

I've been riding the C&O from Riley's Lock all the way out to Cumberland and other suburban/rural rail-trails for years, and I've never had anything worse than extreme annoyance in dealing with fellow trail-users. The only reason I have for wanting to expand beyond those trails is that, aside from the W&OD in Loudoun County, there are no hills. To be a well-rounded, strong rider, I need to do hills. For hills, I need to take to the road. I can get a bit of road/hill training at Antietam (http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=8205) and Gettysburg (http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=8206) Battlefields (anyone wanna join me at one of those spots?), but once I get used to the hills then those routes won't be long enough for me. By that point, I'd better be willing to deal with auto traffic. Blah...

Wow, we've had a bit of thread drift here, haven't we? :D

[divingbiker]

Really, it's not bad at all on the roads on that route I posted. The worst part is on River Road right at the beginning, but even then there's not much traffic. And if you stay way to the right, car drivers don't seem to get too irritated. You WILL get your hill work in!

Maybe I'm more willing to tolerate traffic since I commute into DC on a busy, narrow street every day, but it seems like trail riding to me.

[HillSlugger]

For some reason, it thinks there's a spot in the middle of the route that's at 0 ft elevation. That big downhill that the elevation chart shows doesn't exist.

http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=8127
The website admin has fixed the erroneous elevation for that point. The climbing is now stated to be about 1500 feet.

I'm game for riding it with you, although the longest ride I've done is 35 miles and that had much less climbing. I'm not quite as sluggish on hills with the new bike but I still struggle some.

Are you available this weekend? Please let me know.

Thanks, Nicole

[divingbiker]

Saturday would work for me, but not Sunday. I am slow slow slow, especially on the hills, but it's still fun.

[HillSlugger]

Saturday would work for me, but not Sunday.
I can make Saturday work for me too. I prefer to ride early, say meet at 9am? Doing the full 40 miles? Is there any provision for 1 or 2 more rest stops?


I am slow slow slow, especially on the hills, but it's still fun.
I'm fairly slow on the hills (hence my screen name) but decent on the flats. I can probably do an overall average in the 14's.

[divingbiker]

OK, Saturday at 9 it is, at the Rileys Lock parking lot. Anyone else want to join us?

And of course, we can ALWAYS take more rest stops. There just won't be a porta potty or a store to buy water etc like there is at D!ckerson.

I'll pm you my phone number in case something goes awry. I look forward to riding!

[7rider]

This is a road ride, right?
Unfortunately, I can't make this saturday. Have fun! Take pictures!
I am still planning on doing the TE Group's October 15th ride on the C&O canal, departure time and meet locale TBD.

[HillSlugger]

Yesterday Divingbiker and I met at Rileys Lock for our 40 mile ride through Poolesville. We have nearly identical bikes, her's is a 2005 Specialized Sequoia Comp and mine is a 2006 Elite. She was even able to explain the "trim" function of the front derraileur.

The ride started out with damp roads under a cloudy sky with gusty winds and very high humidity. A little way in the skies lightened and the roads dried out, but the winds and humidity stayed throughout the ride. We road the last 5 miles with occasional drops of rain.

This became my longest ride ever, but Divingbiker set a nice, moderate pace and I finished with my legs still feeling strong, but with my arms and shoulders starting to ache (still getting used to the new riding position).

The RouteSlip.com ride profile for this ride showed what looked like a really long, nasty hill right after the rest stop but it turned out to a huge distortion of reality. Overall, the route turned out to be a very doable 40 miler, even with the winds.

Thank you Divingbiker for leading me through the route. It was fun to have someone to talk with.

[aicabsolut]

Hey,
I'm a newbie and getting used to my first time on a road bike and with clipless pedals. I'm not ready for traffic yet--not quick enough with my reactions. And I have an issue stopping on pavement without slipping off my carbon-soled/Keo-cleated foot when I put it down.
I'm so far riding a fairly short part of Mt Vernon which is scary on the weekends, but not as scary as getting to the trails through Georgetown!

So when I get a little more skilled, I'd love to go on some rides with people who know where they're going! (or meet up for dinner) I don't think my bike can handle C&O though.

I just moved to DC over the summer (I lived in upper NW, but now live in Foggy Bottom), and I may only be here for the year. I've got lots of friends in the area, but only one other who likes to bike, and her hybrid is a lot slower than my road bike, which makes things difficult.

[7rider]

Hey,
I'm a newbie and getting used to my first time on a road bike and with clipless pedals. I'm not ready for traffic yet--not quick enough with my reactions. And I have an issue stopping on pavement without slipping off my carbon-soled/Keo-cleated foot when I put it down.
I'm so far riding a fairly short part of Mt Vernon which is scary on the weekends, but not as scary as getting to the trails through Georgetown!

So when I get a little more skilled, I'd love to go on some rides with people who know where they're going! (or meet up for dinner) I don't think my bike can handle C&O though.

I just moved to DC over the summer (I lived in upper NW, but now live in Foggy Bottom), and I may only be here for the year. I've got lots of friends in the area, but only one other who likes to bike, and her hybrid is a lot slower than my road bike, which makes things difficult.

Hi! Welcome to D.C.! I think everybody here is probably from "somewhere else", so welcome!

RE: Sliding on the cleats...I've had luck trying to make a habit of putting my heel down first when I unclip. My shoes have a little rough patch on the heel which doesn't slip on pavement like the cleat does.

[HillSlugger]

So when I get a little more skilled, I'd love to go on some rides with people who know where they're going! (or meet up for dinner) I don't think my bike can handle C&O though.

I just moved to DC over the summer (I lived in upper NW, but now live in Foggy Bottom), and I may only be here for the year. I've got lots of friends in the area, but only one other who likes to bike, and her hybrid is a lot slower than my road bike, which makes things difficult.

I would love to see us set up a semi-regular TE-DC road ride, perhaps once a month. If we could get a fairly regular group we could then take turns being the group leader and picking the route.

I've asked the forum administrator to add a Mid-Atlantic section to the "Places to Ride" forum. If they agree, hopefully it will make it easier to organize this sort of thing.

[Kalidurga]

I've asked the forum administrator to add a Mid-Atlantic section to the "Places to Ride" forum. If they agree, hopefully it will make it easier to organize this sort of thing.

You read my mind, Nicole, I was thinking of doing the same thing. I just don't think of our area as being southeast.

Ok, then, if you guys are going to start a regular TE-DC road ride thing, can I ask that you take me under your collective wings and ease me into road riding? I'm not used to traffic, I've had little practice on hills, and my 'cross bike is probably heavier than your road bikes, but I wanna learn to do roads.

I'll definitely continue to suggest C&O rides for those of us who enjoy a natural trail from time to time, though. Gotta have that variety!

And, welcome to aicabsolut!

[Squeaky]

I'm in the DC area and would love to get in on this. I have a couple of people I ride with and maybe we could join you or you could join us. Right now we're getting ready for the Seagull Century. Is anyone else doing that?

[Kalidurga]

Hi Squeaky,

There's also been discussion of this here (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=9893). I believe a few folks mentioned in that thread that they were riding in the Seagull.