C&O Canal ride near Frederick, Sun 7/1

ZenC and I are planning to hit the C&O this Sunday for a ride to Harper's Ferry. We're going to meet at The Bike Doctor in Frederick around 11am. The plan then is to head over to either Brunswick or Shepherdstown (Point of Rocks would also be a good option) to begin the ride.

- Point of Rocks to Harper's Ferry = approx 10 miles each way

- Brunswick to Harper's Ferry = approx 5 miles each way, so we could continue on to Dam No.3 or Dargan's Bend boat launch to add some miles, then turn around and cross the river to Harper's Ferry on the way back

- Shepherdstown to Harper's Ferry = approx 12 miles each way

Anyone interested in hoofing it up to Frederick and joining us?

Looks like you're stuck with me :eek:

Ladies--I think the heat/humidity is supposed to be gone by the weekend, so you should have some good riding weather!
I need to get extra wheels w/'cross tires so I can join you. LOL. Of course, I need a kick in the butt to get me to venture outside the beltway, too.

Tossing it about.......thinking....thinking.......

Can I get directions to the shop just in case? I only know ValueCity in Frederick cause I'm usually driving right thru to the mountains

dingster, the Bike Doctor is less than a mile from Value City. If you get off 270 at exit 31A and head north on 85, the Bike Doctor is in the Evergreen shopping center on the left. It's the same shopping center as Gold's Gym, Common Market and Burger King, right before you get to Wal-Mart. Here's a map. Very easy to get to, which is why I've been going there so much lately.

Velobambina, this would be way outside the Beltway, but it's oh, so pretty out by Harper's Ferry. The river and mountains are just gorgeous. It could be a terrific day trip!

I'd love to join you but I will be out of town.

See you at Rosaryville on the 4th.

There's gonna be ice cream....ice creeeeeeaaaaaaam

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Originally Posted by zencentury

There's gonna be ice cream....ice creeeeeeaaaaaaam

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Well, that's almost tempting...
But alas, at 11 a.m., I plan to be done with my ride and back in the air conditioned bike shop - perhaps gnoshing on a hamantashen from the deli next door and sipping a cup o' joe.
Tam and her darned late starts!
Have fun!

Oh, I didn't notice the start time. I plan to be on the road by about 8...I've got to get a couple of longish road rides in this weekend if I have any chance of doing a century in two weeks.

hijack--Tam, I did the fitting with Tom last night. I'm getting smaller, narrower handlebars (Salsa Poco 38s) and a shorter, slightly higher stem. He has to order the parts so I won't make the changes till after Cycle Across Maryland. I also got a new pair of shoes, which are noticeably stiffer. And I got some Rock and Roll lube. :)

Yes, I am glad I've found someone who doesn't seem to mind starting a ride at a time of morning when I'm fully coherent ;)

Well, Zen, it might be just you and me, after all.

Hi,

Sounds like fun. Here are some questions :) --- sorry to be so anal.

1. Is the C&O Canal paved?

2. What's the total mileage of the ride? (I know you've put some mileage, but I was unclear if the first one was driving distance to the ride start) - Can you tell I don't ride out there much.

3. Is it possible to meet at the ride start instead of Bike Doctor?

4. What approx. speed are you ladies riding?

THANKS! 11am is the perfecto start time - I have puppy duty in the morning.

I'll have to let Kali or Zen answer your questions, but I wanted to welcome you to Team Estrogen and to the DC-TE group. When you get the chance, please go to the "Getting to know you" thread in the Open Topic (cycling related) forum and tell us a bit about yourself.

Where are you from?

Nicole

Hi Nicole,

Thanks for the welcome - I will go to the Open Forum and do that now. In the meantime, I'm from Westminster - so very close to Frederick but still not all that familiar with the area. I mostly ride from home or from Oregon Ridge.

I'm looking forward to participating in this group and maybe finding some new women to ride with.

Susan O.

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Originally Posted by Whip

Hi,

Sounds like fun. Here are some questions :) --- sorry to be so anal.

1. Is the C&O Canal paved?

2. What's the total mileage of the ride? (I know you've put some mileage, but I was unclear if the first one was driving distance to the ride start) - Can you tell I don't ride out there much.

3. Is it possible to meet at the ride start instead of Bike Doctor?

4. What approx. speed are you ladies riding?

THANKS! 11am is the perfecto start time - I have puppy duty in the morning.

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Whip, it'd be great to have you along! In answer to your questions:

1) The C&O Canal towpath is dirt/crushed gravel/rock with the occassional tree root or mud puddle. If you find dingster's "Lordy Lordy" thread in the main forum, there are some links to various sites about the C&O Canal.

2 & 3) ZenC and I haven't nailed down exactly where we're starting and how far we're going to ride. Since it's a rough surface, it can get a little tiring (just ask dingster!) so I'd guess we'll do approx 20-25 miles. Zen, did you have any preference? And, once we decide where we're starting you could certainly meet us there. If you private message your phone # to one of us, we could call you when we leave Bike Dr. The reason we're meeting there is that I'm having my brakes adjusted before the ride.

4) I ride the towpath at approx 13mph when I ride alone. With others, I've done rides with an 11mph and a 9.5mph average, and they were both fun. The faster you go, the less you can chat, so that definitely influences speed. I'd guess this will be a pretty leisurely ride, since one of the main goals is ice cream ;)

If you've got any more questions, just let us know!

My preference is for the longest mileage since it's all flat.
Speed will probably be at the low end of the range since the towpath is likely to be more populated on a Sunday afternoon.
I'm very flexible, though.

Ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zencentury

My preference is for the longest mileage since it's all flat.

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One of the cool things about the towpath is that you can get on it, ride as far as you feel like, then turn around and head back. Mileage becomes a matter of endurance and whim. We can always ride past Harper's Ferry, then stop and cross over the bridge when we get to it on the way back.

At this point, I guess the question is how far we want to drive to start the ride. From Frederick to Point of Rocks is probably the quickest drive and there's plenty of parking either next to the boat launch or at the train station. Brunswick's a little farther and also has ample parking, as well as a Sheetz and a great coffee shop (you can tell what's important to me on a ride, can't you? ;) ). Shepherdstown makes a great starting point, but it's definitely the farthest drive from Frederick.

What starting point will give us the most additional riders (if any)?
Point of Rocks? I need to look at a map.

Point of Rocks is very easy to get to from Md or Va, though it is a far drive for some people. It's right along Rte 15 on the Md side of the Potomac. So in Md, just drive to Frederick and get on Rte 15 south and take the last left turn before the bridge over the river (approx 15-20 minutes from Frederick). Coming from Va, go to Leesburg and get on Rte 15 north and take the first right turn after crossing the bridge (more than 20 minutes from Leesburg, I think). Once that turn's been made, you'll immediately see a sign for a right turn to the C&O Canal. Parking can also be had at the train station farther down the road past that sign.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info on the ride. I think I have to pass because it's a pretty long drive for me and I have to work a little tomorrow. I'm going to post another ride opp though!

Susan O.

Sorry you can't make it, Whip. There will certainly be other rides, though, so hopefully we can meet you on another one.

Zen, we're still on for 11:00am at the Bike Dr, right?

I did the C&O this weekend as well but from the other end and ended at Harpers Ferry before turning around. I definitely started bonking about 4 miles to the end of our 24-mile loop and we had to stop so I could eat something. That trail can definitely take it out of you as it's not the smoothest. Hope you ladies had a great ride!

you're telling me! It ain't no road ride! See my post here http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16883
and here http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16904

Why didn't you join us, though? Too late for a start time?

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Originally Posted by F8th637

I did the C&O this weekend as well but from the other end and ended at Harpers Ferry before turning around.

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Where'd you start, F8th? If you started near Shepherdstown, you definitely went through a rough patch on the way to Harper's Ferry. It's much smoother on the stretch that Zen and I rode.

Glad you got to enjoy such a beautiful day along the river, too!

My husband and I started at Pennyfield Lock near the mansions in Great Falls since that's where we ended last time. We were suppose to have two other friends with us at 9:30 am but they bailed on us and we just decided to hit the trail later and we got there around 1 PM. I had a hard time actually being fully awake most of the morning.

Forgive me, I meant Edwards Ferry not Harpers Ferry.

I would have joined you had my husband not wanted to ride. You guys started a bit of a ways from me. That's my lame excuse for not joining you. ;) The cold treats looked yummy though!

Yeah, Point of Rocks is definitely a haul from northern VA. Makes for a nice day-trip, though, if you're ever in the mood for one.

Pennyfield to Edward's is a nice stretch, too. Pretty much anywhere on the C&O is a guaranteed great ride. You went right through the Riley's Lock/Seneca area, which is where we've started a few TE-DC road rides.

The hills in that area looked like SOME workout. I was on my hybrid and he was on the mountain bike. I enviously drove by those on road bikes on the way there and back. One day that will be me!

Hills? Where?
You mean on the road, right?
Hills on the canal?
I'm confused.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Hills? Where?
You mean on the road, right?

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On the road. The hills on the roads through that area are the ones that almost did me in a few weeks ago. Regina rides 'em like they're just little bumps, though :rolleyes: And they're nothin' like the Catoctins.

I definitely meant on the roads.

Speaking of roads (kinda), I finally took my 'new' old Lotus Challenger tourie/roadie on the W&OD. I'd only ridden it to the Metro and back before. I think I'm in love with riding a tourie/roadie! The speed and rolling resistance are addicting! I never thought I'd want to race before but whoa the thrill! Needless to say, I'll be taking her out more often. ;)

The W&OD is another place I love to ride. Have you been out between Leesburg and Purcellville yet? Just beautiful. And just enough long uphill grade to be challenging without causing cardiac arrest ;)

Let me know when you want to do a W&OD ride. I live like 2 miles from Mile Marker 7. I have not gotten that far West yet. I've only gotten to Herndon. I actually work out that way and commute in sometimes. This was my first time taking my husband West on the W&OD and we only made it out to Vienna but I figured it was a good way to break in/test the tourie. It was a bit crowded today but I'd say it was a good ride. Now I just need to get my back muscles use to riding in this new, lower position. :D

I actually grew up riding the W&OD. We lived in Falls Church when I was in elementary school, and I used to ride my bike along the W&OD to get to a comic book shop on Route 7. Then, when we moved out to Reston and then to Herndon when I was in high school, I rode it out there. Now, though, I don't go farther east than Goose Creek. Waaaay too crowded for me down thataways.

Would Leesburg be too far west for you to start a ride?

Yeah, it can definitely get crowded. Leesburg is not far at all for me and I'd love to ride that end. We should do it some day.