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My first (and probably last) century--Cycle Across Maryland
This weekend I went to Princess Anne, Maryland for Cycle Across Maryland, an annual 3-day event. You don't really cycle "across" Maryland, instead you stay in the dorms at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and do day rides of various lengths in the surrounding area.
One of the best parts of the trip was meeting a great group of women, including withm (Martha) and her friend Bobbi (who rode across the country this spring with WomanTours). I also met six other great women and rode or ate or drank with them throughout the weekend.
But about the riding...The first day I only did 30 miles because I had to get back and cleaned up and drive a half hour to do a canoeing trip on the Pokomoke River. It is so flat on the eastern shore of Maryland, and the riding was easy. Here's a picture from that ride.
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As we were heading into the dorm to turn in for the night, Bobbi and Donna, another woman I met, decided to do the century the next day with me. The conditions could not have been better (or so I thought)--mid-80s, low humidity, flat course. But then it got windy, and the temperature approached 90, and there's not a lot of shade. In the end, we did 105 miles and it took all day long since we took frequent breaks. I had figured that it would take about an hour for each 10 miles, including breaks, and that's exactly what it ended up being. We actually rode faster than I ever have, but stopping for breaks took a lot of time. I have no desire to do another century, unless my speed improves to the point where I can do it in a lot less time. 10.5 hours on a bike is a very long time. The time went by fairly quickly talking to Bobbi about her cross-country bike trip. I really want to do that someday.
Today, despite having more than a bit of saddle soreness, I rode 38 miles to Pokomoke City, MD. I thought this rusty cruiser in the yard of an abandoned house was cool.
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So there you have it--173 miles in 3 days. (And with that I am now 14 miles ahead of LisaSH in Bikejournal.com. She doesn't know I'm chasing her, but I am...:p )
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Cycle across Maryland - Eastern Shore
It was fun meeting Janice at the CAM ride and I'm sorry we did not get more time to socialize but it seems our schedules just did not coincide. It would have been fun to trade bike/kayak/dive stories.
I did all 4 days of the CAM ride and racked up 200 miles. Thursday we had the "Two-Ferry" ride which took us on a great loop that of course included 2 ferry rides across the Wicomico River. What beautiful countryside, or should I say waterside views. I'm sort of a water person and really gravitate to anything on or near any kind of water at all, so it's a real treat for me to ride through these old towns full of watermen and oyster boats. I'm afraid I did not take any pictures though.... I should have.
I christened my new bike sandals - probably not the best idea to do this on a hot 40 mile ride. My feet complained all weekend afterward. But once I get them broken in, I think I will like them a lot.
Friday we rode to Crisfield - the crab capital of Maryland. I rode with a couple of friends, and two of us completed our first metric centuries. :) I wore my well broken in bike shoes. I confess, I did take one photo with my camera phone.
Saturday had us riding up to Salisbury and touring the Waterfowl museum. The ride was nice, but there were some glitches with the cue sheets and route markings. This eventually was corrected, but not before about 100 riders went 10 miles out of the way..... It was too hot for mistakes like that. Touring even small museums wearing bike shoes makes for a rough ride afterward when you have already burned up the soles of your feet breaking in new sandals.... :( It was a nice ride though, and we finally got a hill - riding on the overpass crossing Rt. 13. LOL.:)
Sunday was the best ride - to Pocomoke City. It was pretty hot, with winds in the 15-20KT range, but most of the route was on heavily shaded roads so the breeze was cool and comfortable. Pocomoke is a very old town situated on the river of the same name and the rest stop was in a park on the waterfront. So we rested on the dock over the river enjoying the cool breezes and watching the boats, birds, and marveling over a huge spider web. The ice and cool drinks were abundant, and the tomato sandwiches superb.
I found all the towns charming and the people (natives and cyclists alike) very friendly. We had no rain (last year it poured buckets each afternoon) and there were nice receptions two nights, and a very informative talk by Dr. Gabe Mirkin on training & cycling fitness. http://www.drmirkin.com/
The CAM event also offered some kayak or canoe trips like Janice did, nature tours, birdwatching outings and the like. It's an ambitious schedule but perfect for the families or more casual riders so they get a break from the saddle but for me I just go to ride my bike and catch up with friends. The last 2 years it's been based about an hour from my house so for me it's just too easy. The event does move around to different venues periodically, so no telling where they will be next year, but with 500-800 riders or more typically participating that is a factor in finding a host.
