Mid-Atlantic cycling events for 2013

[ny biker]

Two signs that spring is just around the corner: the sun is setting after 5:00 pm again, and the folks at the Oxon Hill Bike Club have started to update their website's Bicycling Events page for the new year.

It's not complete yet, but always fun to peruse so you can start planning.

http://www.ohbike.memberlodge.org/eventcalendar

A couple of rides to note:

The Ride to End Hunger in Calvert County (Maryland) on April 27 is always a fun ride through a beautiful area.

http://endhungercalvert.org/bike/

Paul's Ride for Life, also on April 27, starts in Reston, VA and benefits the Washington Regional Transplant Community.

http://paulsrideforlife.org/

The Six Pillars Century on May 4 takes place mostly in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which I know is a popular destination for many folks here.

http://www.6pillarscentury.org/

The Capital to Capital Bike Ride starts in either Richmond or Williamsburg on May 11.

http://virginiacapitaltrail.org/cap2cap-ride/

They've only posted rides through May so far, but I'm sure there will be more good ones added soon for the rest of the year.

[ny biker]

Adding some adventure races:

Brake the Habit
Saturday March 16, 2013
Black Hill Regional Park, MD
6 Hours of Mountain Biking, Trekking, Paddling, Navigation

Adrenaline Rush
Saturday May 11, 2013
Front Royal, VA
Mountain Biking, Trekking, Paddling, Navigation
4-6 and 12 Hour Race Options

Buff Betty
October 19, 2013
Venue TBA
Women-only and designed for new adventure racers
4-6 Hours of Biking, Trekking, Paddling, and Navigation

Info for all three races at http://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/.

[IFjane]

Also coming on May 18th: The 26th Annual Tour de Madison, this year with a theme: "The Vineyards of Madison County".

Online registration is open. Check out the website for latest updates and a link to registration: http://tourdemadison.com

Last year's event was the biggest ever with over 380 participants. This year promises to be better than ever with drawings for wonderful prizes from our sponsors, great food and fun. Hope to see lots of you there!

[tulip]

Bike Virginia is June 21-26. This year it's in the Blue Ridge Mountains. bikevirginia.org

[rubysoho]

Has anyone done the Tour de Cure ride from Reston, VA? It will be June 1st this year. I signed up after having such a great experience riding the TdC down in NC.

ETA: Date correction... it is June 2nd (thanks ny biker)

[ny biker]

Has anyone done the Tour de Cure ride from Reston, VA? It will be June 1st this year. I signed up after having such a great experience riding the TdC down in NC.

I did it a couple of times but it was a long time ago. I was actually talking to someone about it today. I'm usually out of town for vacation around that time but this year I might be able to do it. Though they haven't announced a date yet for the Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride, and if that is also June 1 I would choose that ride.

I would expect a fair amount of it to be on the WOD trail, particularly on the return to Reston. But longer distances should also see a fair amount of road riding. I know the Reston Century has some very hilly portions on the full century; I don't know if the TdC uses the same roads.

BTW I notice the Seagull Century is October 5 and registration opens online on Wednesday, May 15th at Noon.

Update: here's more on the Tour de Cure from Reston. It's actually on June 2. They have links to the different routes on Ride With GPS. It looks like the 82 and 108 mile routes have the most off-trail riding. The rest are largely on the trail.

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/A1WDC-DistrictofColumbiaMetroArea?pg=entry&fr_id=8619

[rubysoho]

Oops! Thanks for the date correction. I would have figured it out... eventually. I am signed up for the 108 mile ride. The TdC team down in NC was absolutely amazing and made my first organized ride (172 miles over two days) the best experience I think I could ever have for a first-time. I am looking forward to the Reston ride this year. I am also VERY happy to not be driving five hours the day before and day after, sleeping on a couch (joined up with college friends for the NC ride).

[ny biker]

Just announced... the 2013 Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride will be on Saturday, June 15. This is one of my favorite rides. The start/finish and all the rest stops are on the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland.

http://www.ohbike.memberlodge.org/events?eventId=627665&EventViewMode=EventDetails

And the Southern Maryland Fall Century will be on Sunday, September 8 this year. I expect to be volunteering at this one. BTW the food at this ride always gets great reviews.

http://www.ohbike.memberlodge.org/events?eventId=627669&EventViewMode=EventDetails

[7rider]

I did the Ride to See (http://www.ridetosee.org/) last August and it was great.
Cheap ($30), benefits a good charity (Lion's Charity Programs for vision health), was small (something like 200 riders), well supported by super friendly folks (on a first name basis with many of them by the end of the day), and the terrain was surprisingly wonderful for the Eastern Shore. I never knew there were rolling hills to be had out there. Oh, it passes through Rock Hall during their Pirates and Wenches Fantasy Weekend (http://www.rockhallpirates.com/) so you could practice your "Arrrgghh's" while stopping at a rest stop. Super fun and while it slowed down the pace a bit last year, added more than a little bit of fun to an already great ride.
I'll be there this year too and hope to see some of you!

[lovelygamer]

I have a couple of rides to contribute to on this thread:

The Ball and Chain Century July 21, 2013: The event features three courses: 42 mile, 60 mile metric and 100 mile century routes, starting at the Mid Del-Mar-Va Family YMCA in Salisbury, MD.

https://sites.google.com/site/ballandchaincentury/home

Wild Goose Chase Bicycle Tour for Women October 12, 2013 - October 13, 2013 This sixth annual one-day bicycle tour for women takes place in and around Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, in Cambridge, Maryland.

http://www.tourdorchester.org/event.php?eventid=714 (unofficial site)

[ny biker]

Registration is open for the Civil War Century on Sept 7.

http://www.civilwarcentury.com/

The number of riders is limited and this ride will sell out. Don't wait!!

[breeze]

Ooh, some great looking rides listed here!

I did the East End Brewing Keg Ride (http://www.eastendbrewing.com/2013KegRide) this morning (anyone else there?) and the weather was beautiful.

Coming up in August: Pedal PGH (http://pedalpgh.org/)- August 13. Three rides-- family ride (2-16mi), 25mi city tour, and metric century.

[ny biker]

The Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride is coming up on Saturday, June 15. Registration is $20.00 if you sign up now, and day-of-ride registration is $30.00.

http://ohbike.memberlodge.org/events?eventId=627665&EventViewMode=EventDetails

This is one of my favorite rides. It's in a really nice part of southern Maryland. The starting point (Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary) and all the rest stops are on the Patuxent River. I'll be doing the 62-mile route. You can also choose to ride 26 or 45 miles, or a 13-mile route that includes four miles of scenic, unpaved road on the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Driving Tour.

The route maps, elevation profiles and GPS files are here: http://ridewithgps.com/users/7576/routes.

[ny biker]

I have a couple of rides to contribute to on this thread:

The Ball and Chain Century July 21, 2013: The event features three courses: 42 mile, 60 mile metric and 100 mile century routes, starting at the Mid Del-Mar-Va Family YMCA in Salisbury, MD.

https://sites.google.com/site/ballandchaincentury/home

Wild Goose Chase Bicycle Tour for Women October 12, 2013 - October 13, 2013 This sixth annual one-day bicycle tour for women takes place in and around Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, in Cambridge, Maryland.

http://www.tourdorchester.org/event.php?eventid=714 (unofficial site)

I just got an email from Terry -- registration is open for the Wild Goose Chase Tour. IIRC, this ride will sell out pretty quickly.

Updates on some other rides --

The Civil War Century is closed -- they hit their maximum last month.

Registration is open for the PPTC Backroads Century on Sept 22. This ride usually sells out in advance. Do not wait if you want to do this ride.

http://www.backroadscentury.org/

The Bay Country Century is on Saturday, August 31, which is Labor Day weekend. It's in southern Maryland. I've never done this ride but am probably going to do it this year. I've done club rides that were based on the route used by this century and the area is really nice. Not many details have been posted yet for this ride, but the website is here.

http://abrtcycling.com/events/annapolis-bay-country-century

[ny biker]

Just wanted to bump this for anyone who might be thinking about signing up for any rides in September.

Registration is open for the Southern Maryland Century on Sept 8.

http://ohbike.org/century/index.htm

Choose from 16, 29, 43, 60 and 100 mile options.

Early Registration through July 31 is $20.
Registration from August 1 to September 6 is $30.
($40 on the day of the ride.)

I've volunteered at this ride twice and I saw many happy cyclists both times. Not sure yet if I'll be able to help out again this year, but I guarantee you will meet some very friendly people volunteering at the rest stops and post-ride picnic.


Also, for the PPTC Backroads Century on Sept 22, registration is still open. In the past few years they have filled up in advance of the ride date. Early-bird registrations ends July 31. I'm signed up to do the metric version for this one -- after all these years cycling in the DC area, it's my first time doing this ride.

http://www.backroadscentury.org/

[ny biker]

I'm hearing on the twitter that Ben King and Jens Voigt will be at the Save a Limb ride in Cockeysville, MD (north of Baltimore) on Oct 19.

http://savealimbride.org/SaveALimbRide/SaveALimbRideandFestival.aspx

I already have plans for that day and it's a bit of a drive for me. But it looks to be not far from the area where Coach Troy rides in his virtual reality DVD that goes around the Prettyboy Reservoir. So it's a nice place for cycling.