Poolesville (or...?) ride, Sunday 11/19

[aicabsolut]

Whew! I'm glad it's not steeper than the other one (I asked a former Ironman competitor what would make a good beginner, low traffic route in that area. She warned me about the dangerous steep downhills but failed to mention most of the steep inclines! ).

Looks like you could add a bit on to the lower left hand corner of that alternate route. The 25 miler would be ok with me, though, considering that I'm not in as good shape as I was about a month ago when I did the Cville loop. But I don't know what the intersectoin/traffic situation is like around Poolesville. I trust the rest of you to make a fun decision.

I really need to get off my butt and get a computer, and one w/ an altimeter.

[Kalidurga]

Looks like you could add a bit on to the lower left hand corner of that alternate route. The 25 miler would be ok with me, though, considering that I'm not in as good shape as I was about a month ago when I did the Cville loop. But I don't know what the intersectoin/traffic situation is like around Poolesville. I trust the rest of you to make a fun decision.

Ack, that Charlottesville route gave me an asthma attack just looking at the elevation profile!

There's a very little bit that could be added on the lower left of the Poolesville 22 mile route. Instead of making the right on Mt Nebo at mile 16.5, you can continue straight on River Road. Where the road bears right at that little triangle, though, is a curvy hill that I've sometimes had to shift my car down into second gear to get up. I dunno if I wanna ride it. The other option is to make a left at Edwards Ferry Rd at mile 18.95, swing down and check out the view of the river (remember that from our C&O ride, Nicole?), then back up to pick up the route again. Either of those probably adds just over a mile. Starting at Riley's instead of in Poolesville also adds almost a mile.

As I pleasantly learned this past weekend, there apparently aren't as many drivers like me out in that area as I expected so the traffic is no big deal. We'll see the most cars in Poolesville (which is a tiny little town) and on the 5 mile stretch of River Rd (where there's a 50mph speed limit but it's fairly wide). And that area is soooo popular with cyclists that I guess folks out that way are used to us.

[aicabsolut]

Well that route gave me a few panic attacks when I thought, "Am I going to have to walk? How do I stop and unclip uphill without falling? I can't walk. Must keep going. I'm going to die. Whew! Made it. Oh no, there's another one." There is one section that my friend calls the "racecourse section" because you can get in a big gear and really fly. It just about makes all the torture worth it.

If there's decent parking at Rileys Lock, then that sounds like a good start point to me...Shortens the drive time a little too getting out there. And yeah, would be good not to cycle up a hill you have to downshift to get up in your car!

Totally O/T question, but your comment about River Road got me thinking.. If you were in a city where cycling isn't too common but the only long routes with not too much stop and go are on some pretty major causeways with 45-55 speed limits (usually meaning cars are going at least 60-65), would you ride them? (nevermind that one of them has a drawbridge that probably means walking across for the grooves). Would it matter if it was 2 lane or 4 lane (easier passing)? And mostly flat? I'm trying to think about what I could do when I go home to coastal Georgia over the winter holidays.

[HillSlugger]

Well that route gave me a few panic attacks when I thought, "Am I going to have to walk? How do I stop and unclip uphill without falling? I can't walk. Must keep going. I'm going to die. Whew! Made it. Oh no, there's another one." There is one section that my friend calls the "racecourse section" because you can get in a big gear and really fly. It just about makes all the torture worth it.

If there's decent parking at Rileys Lock, then that sounds like a good start point to me...Shortens the drive time a little too getting out there. And yeah, would be good not to cycle up a hill you have to downshift to get up in your car!

Starting at Rileys Lock will add about 2.6 miles total and about 150 feet of climbing right off the bat, before your legs have had a chance to warm up. It's doable, but not much fun. Check it out.

Totally O/T question, but your comment about River Road got me thinking.. If you were in a city where cycling isn't too common but the only long routes with not too much stop and go are on some pretty major causeways with 45-55 speed limits (usually meaning cars are going at least 60-65), would you ride them? (nevermind that one of them has a drawbridge that probably means walking across for the grooves). Would it matter if it was 2 lane or 4 lane (easier passing)? And mostly flat? I'm trying to think about what I could do when I go home to coastal Georgia over the winter holidays.

I have no problem (mentally) cycling on two-lane roads with a double yellow in the middle, or even limited riding on a four-lane divided road, providing that it's pretty continuous without a lot of busy intersection, active business driveways, etc. Of course, many riders have no problem at all in commuter traffic, etc. It's all about what you can deal with.

The issue of flat vs hilly is firstly an issue about ease of the biking effort and secondly an issue about visibility: how easily you can be seen by motorists. A flat but winding road may be more dangerous than a straight but hilly road.

[Kalidurga]

Starting at Rileys Lock will add about 2.6 miles total and about 150 feet of climbing right off the bat, before your legs have had a chance to warm up. It's doable, but not much fun.

So, we get the worst out of the way right in the beginning. aicabsolut can either spin her way to the top of the killer hill with Nicole, or stop with me at the turnoff to Montevideo to take a breather before finishing it.

I guess this means we're now officially doing a 27 miler on the 19th?

[aicabsolut]

So, we get the worst out of the way right in the beginning. aicabsolut can either spin her way to the top of the killer hill with Nicole, or stop with me at the turnoff to Montevideo to take a breather before finishing it.

I guess this means we're now officially doing a 27 miler on the 19th?

Good lord that looks rough. Umm... whatever y'all want to do....I'm sure I could find the other possible parking locations. BTW, my name is Catherine.

[HillSlugger]

I guess this means we're now officially doing a 27 miler on the 19th?

The Poolesville loop is about 22 miles. If we add Rileys Lock we're nearing 25 miles.

We could still start from Poolesville HS and maybe add some distance where you've mentioned. It would not be much further to the start for you or me, but it would add considerably for Catherine.

I knew that starting hill was an effort but I didn't realize how big an effort until I saw it all by its lonesome like this. Let's give up the big ride and just do hill repeats

I guess I'd favor a less strenuous route where we'll have a better chance of staying together and biking with less stops. I really didn't mind waiting for you except that my legs kept tightening up.

[aicabsolut]

It takes my muscles ages to warm up, and they do tighten up quickly at a stop too, so some way of sticking together sounds like the best plan. I'm going to have a pretty long drive anyway, because I'm going to grab my friend who lives waay off in NE DC on the way, because she's less experienced driving around here and I'm spending all this time online with the maps. But the drive can be done. Are there any other convenient shopping centers, post offices, schools, along the loop?

My main goal out of joining this ride is to be able to just get on and go for a decent amount of miles without all the slowdowns of intersections and multiuse trails. I need to work on endurance, while my trail riding often feels like spin class with lower heart rates.

[aicabsolut]

The issue of flat vs hilly is firstly an issue about ease of the biking effort and secondly an issue about visibility: how easily you can be seen by motorists. A flat but winding road may be more dangerous than a straight but hilly road.

True..I hadn't thought of that. I was mostly thinking about pace difference and visibility coming over a hill, and how much time an approaching car has to pass, particularly when those "hills" are really bridges with no shoulders...not that a few mph on my part would make a lot of difference when they're going 50+.