Road rides for the D.C. crowd

[Kalidurga]

The weekend before Thanksgiving is looking good for me. If you go out then, mind if I join? If it's Sunday, I might bring a friend who is also interested in getting in on some women's group rides if that's ok (she lives in DC closer to MD than I do).

The more, the merrier-- though my merriment might be diminished by lack of breath from keeping up with you guys. I could do a short ride on the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, but I need to leave that afternoon open for family visiting from out of town.

[HillSlugger]

The more, the merrier-- though my merriment might be diminished by lack of breath from keeping up with you guys. I could do a short ride on the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, but I need to leave that afternoon open for family visiting from out of town.

I assume we're talking the 18th or 19th? I should be available. Let's hope the weather stays warm enough for comfortable riding.

Are we talking road or trail? It looks like I'm keeping the hybrid (at least for now) so I'm good to go on either.

Kali, what time and length of ride would work for you?

[Kalidurga]

I assume we're talking the 18th or 19th? I should be available. Let's hope the weather stays warm enough for comfortable riding.

Are we talking road or trail? It looks like I'm keeping the hybrid (at least for now) so I'm good to go on either.

Kali, what time and length of ride would work for you?

I'm working on the 18th, so I could do the 19th. I haven't made firm plans with the family yet and they don't seem to mind me being sweaty, so if we did something like our C&O ride (start @ 9:30, done before 1:00) then I could just go straight from there to meet them. I think aicabsolut said she only has a road bike, so I assume a road ride. We could either do the Peach Tree Loop again, or look for something else on the site Regina posted recently.

Sound good to you, aic? Anyone else interested?

[HillSlugger]

They've finally created a Mid-Atlantic region for the places to ride (thank you, thank you). We should make sure to post all future rides there. How about we propose the Sunday-before-Thanksgiving ride there?

[Kalidurga]

They've finally created a Mid-Atlantic region for the places to ride (thank you, thank you). We should make sure to post all future rides there. How about we propose the Sunday-before-Thanksgiving ride there?

Consider it done. Anyone interested in this ride, head on over to that forum.

[divingbiker]

Next Sunday is the 5th, right?
I'm planning on doing a Ride Like a Girl mountain bike ride at Schaeffer with MORE (Mid-Atlantic Offroad Enthusiasts) that day.

Regina, were you at the RLAG ride today? I looked around but didn't see anyone that looked like your picture. I rode with the beginner/casual group.

[7rider]

Regina, were you at the RLAG ride today? I looked around but didn't see anyone that looked like your picture. I rode with the beginner/casual group.

Ohhh...
I am SO bummed. I did not go. I have a pinched nerve or something in my neck that causes pain and pins-and-needles all down my arm into my right hand. It's aggravated by riding (and using the computer), so I'm under doctor's orders to not ride and minimize computer time. I was hoping a week or so of downtime plus Advil and prescription muscle relaxers would help, but stupid me raked leaves all day yesterday and I was in major pain last night. So I opted out of the ride.

How did the ride go??? One of these days I'll get to a RLAG ride....

Regina

[HillSlugger]

Kali and I met up at Rileys Lock and headed out on the Peach Tree loop. The big problem was that we didn't have a cue sheet with us She never printed it out and I left mine sitting at home on the kitchen table Luckily, Tam seems to have driven all the back roads of Montgomery county and was able to navigate almost perfectly from memory. We did make a few wrong turns and the 25 mile route turned into 27.5 miles.

Tam did GREAT with the traffic but suffered on the hills (she said she was so busy worrying about the hills that she mostly forgot all about the cars). The route was a bit hilly for a first time road ride for someone with little hill experience, but she never quit. I think if we do ride on the weekend before Thanksgiving we'll need to find a route that's a little bit flatter.

[divingbiker]

Ohhh...
I am SO bummed. I did not go. I have a pinched nerve or something in my neck that causes pain and pins-and-needles all down my arm into my right hand. It's aggravated by riding (and using the computer), so I'm under doctor's orders to not ride and minimize computer time. I was hoping a week or so of downtime plus Advil and prescription muscle relaxers would help, but stupid me raked leaves all day yesterday and I was in major pain last night. So I opted out of the ride.

How did the ride go??? One of these days I'll get to a RLAG ride....

Regina

Sorry to hear of your neck pain. Stop raking leaves!

If the success of a ride is measured by how dirty your bike and clothes get, then it was a very good ride. I fell several times, usually when hitting rocks or roots on uphills or coming out of streams. One time I slid in a rut and hurt my ribs pretty badly, so my neighbor and I headed back to the parking lot after that. I think we went about 7.75 miles.

There were a LOT of people on the trails--MORE's two groups of women and a big simultaneous men's ride, plus lots of others riding on their own--so I'm not sure I'd go back there on a day when there was an organized ride. But the trails are really nice and the terrain is varied, and it's very well marked, so even a directionally-challenged person like moi could find her way home.

I don't think mountain biking is an old woman's sport, but it sure is fun.

[7rider]

Was that your first time at Schaeffer? About how many were on the RLAG ride?
I'm glad you had a good time, in spite of the painful falls. Yeah, that about sums up mountainbiking!
I've been to Schaeffer a few times and like it. I still find it plenty challenging and am never bored with it (I have a hard core mtb friend who likes to ride really tough stuff, so when I try to ride with him, it's like "Nice hike. Why'd I bring this bike along?" ) I don't think I know that area well enough to go alone, however, even if it is basically just a loop. I can't find my way out of a paperbag sometimes!
My DH was going to ride that MORE Dude ride, but went much later in the day, instead. He said it was pretty crowded and he had a blast. But...he tried riding this log at the end, and the bike slid off one side of the log, and his body when off the other, and he smacked his face into the ground! He's all black and blue and has a nice shiner under his eye on the cheekbone. Sigh. He worries me sometimes.

p.s. Was checking out the MORE forums. Are you posting on that - i.e., discussing ribs? Also, did you see that group shot? Where are you in it?

[divingbiker]

Was that your first time at Schaeffer? About how many were on the RLAG ride?

p.s. Was checking out the MORE forums. Are you posting on that - i.e., discussing ribs? Also, did you see that group shot? Where are you in it?

Yes, that was my first time at Schaeffer, and only about my 6th time mountain biking, so I have a lot to learn. I've only ever ridden with the two women who live across the street from me, and we've gone to Fairland off Route 29, since it's close to us, and once up to Rockburn (?) in Ellicott City.

Just looked at the MORE forum and saw the picture. I'm in the red jacket and red helmet on the right side of the picture. My neighbor is in front of me. It says there that there were 23 women; most of them were on the "moderate" ride, as opposed to the beginner/casual ride.

That's not me posting over there. Apparently someone else has bruised ribs also, but they have narcotics. I want some, too!

Mountain biking is so much fun, I just wish it weren't so darned painful! Your husband will have a good story to tell at work tomorrow.

[Kalidurga]

What, you guys missed our old "home" or something? Get yer butts over to our new forum

The only time I've ever mtb'd was at Schaeffer and the only thing I remember about the ride is:

"Hey, look! A deer!" *POW*, right into a tree... That, and having to walk the bike over every log and stream. I love the culture of mtb'ing, but I think that when I'm out in the woods I'm too busy looking around to focus on what's in front of me to be able to pedal a trail. (Wow, was that a run-on sentence or what?)

[divingbiker]

What, you guys missed our old "home" or something? Get yer butts over to our new forum

Sor-ry! Just thought I'd finish up the old business over here in Southeast. I guess if I were a little more clever I'd have figured out how to move the quote from here to the new forum, but I was lazy.

I promise it won't happen again!

[7rider]

We're just beating this post to death, Kali!
I'd ask you about Fairland, DB, but perhaps I'll take it to Mid-Atlantic!