October 2-day light tour

[Catrin]

I've decided to take on a little 2-day light credit-card tour sometime in October. There, I have said it publicly :)

It seems a wonderful way to cap off the season! I have no idea right now where I will go, but I've plenty of time to decide!

[Trek-chick]

That is awesome..I'm sure you will have a great time. I hope to one day do some tours on my Trek 520 (reason I bought it). Let us know where you decide to go once you figure it out.

[Tri Girl]

The first step in admitting you have a problem, is to admit it publicly. ;)

Sounds like fun!!! October will be a great time to go, too, and like you said- a fitting end to the season. You KNOW we want all the juicy details when you decide where you're going!

[Catrin]

The first step in admitting you have a problem, is to admit it publicly. ;)

Sounds like fun!!! October will be a great time to go, too, and like you said- a fitting end to the season. You KNOW we want all the juicy details when you decide where you're going!

I really like the idea of an end-of-season goal, LAST year it was a brevet that I couldn't do because of injury (and it was beyond me anyway for my first year). THIS will be fun and certainly doesn't seem to be too much for me - and will encourage me to not over-do it this year so I can actually DO it :o :D

[kmehrzad]

I'd like to ride the GAP in the September/October timeframe. That'd be a great way to cap the season. I'm planning on riding from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD over a long weekend, staying in either motels or B&Bs. Interested in coming along?

Divingbiker and I have talked about doing that together, completing the C&O canal towpath ride we did last October.

Something to keep in mind ...

[Catrin]

I'd like to ride the GAP in the September/October timeframe. That'd be a great way to cap the season. I'm planning on riding from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD over a long weekend, staying in either motels or B&Bs. Interested in coming along?

Divingbiker and I have talked about doing that together, completing the C&O canal towpath ride we did last October.

Something to keep in mind ...

hmmmm, will keep this in mind. If I have the finances at the time to do it and I can get some practice riding on limestone between now and then it just might work :D Let's revisit this later in the summer!

[fallstoclimb]

kmehrzad, do you mind talking a bit about your experience on the c&o canal? i'm thinking about doing this but i have no equipment. i'm thinking it might be nearly as cheap to stay in hotels along the way since i don't have the camping equipment but even then i assume i'll need to carry a small pack. i know the surface is crushed gravel so i assume one would want to use a hybrid and not a road bike on it, right?

[owlice]

fallstoclimb, yes, use a hybrid on the C&O. I did the C&O a couple of years ago; here are two threads I started, the first about the prep (lots of good suggestions from folks here, which I really really appreciated!!) and the second about the ride itself:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=33287
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=33697

Catrin, define "light" in this context, please! :) For me, a good two-day trip would be from ... oh, Catonsville, MD, I guess it is, to York, PA, overnight, then back. It's 40 miles in one direction on the Northern Central Railroad/York Heritage trail. Might not be long enough for you, though!

[Catrin]

Catrin, define "light" in this context, please! :) For me, a good two-day trip would be from ... oh, Catonsville, MD, I guess it is, to York, PA, overnight, then back. It's 40 miles in one direction on the Northern Central Railroad/York Heritage trail. Might not be long enough for you, though!


Fair question, knowing me :o ;) Am hoping to ride the GAP with Kmehrzad in the fall if all of the planets align properly. If that doesn't happen, I am thinking that - depending on where I would go - something in the 40-50 mile range a day would be nice depending on the route I chose. This would allow a nice leisurely pace and no pressure to not stop the bike if I see something I want to stop and look at.

[kmehrzad]

kmehrzad, do you mind talking a bit about your experience on the c&o canal? i'm thinking about doing this but i have no equipment. i'm thinking it might be nearly as cheap to stay in hotels along the way since i don't have the camping equipment but even then i assume i'll need to carry a small pack. i know the surface is crushed gravel so i assume one would want to use a hybrid and not a road bike on it, right?

Hi, DivingBiker from TE and I rode the C&O in October. It was a wonderful time of year, good weather, cool temps in the morning that warmed up nicely throughout the day. We rode approximately 60 miles each day for 3 days and went from Cumberland, MD (mile 185) to Washington, DC (mile 0). DivingBiker pre-arranged B&Bs along the way and it worked out perfectly. We brought our own food for breakfast and lunch and had dinners in town at night, and we carried our gear in panniers. The trail surface is quite rough, you'd definitely need a hybrid. The trail is bumpy with imbedded rocks, exposed roots, and ruts left from other cyclists during wet rides. I don't think I'd do the ride if I had to camp, especially if you were to go in the summertime. Even though it's shaded, the mosquitoes are very bad since you have water on one side, if not both, during most of the trip. I've ridden portions of the C&O during warmer months and was attacked by mosquitoes when I stopped for just a few minutes.

Catrin - I still owe you a response and will get back to you shortly.

[fallstoclimb]

Thanks guys! Sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but I'm eager to hear first-hand from people who have done the C&O. owlice, it sounds like you had a lot of fun!