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

[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.

[HillSlugger]

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

[Whip]

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.

[Kalidurga]

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.

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!

[Zen]

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

[Kalidurga]

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

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.

[Zen]

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

[Kalidurga]

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.

[Whip]

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.

[Kalidurga]

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?

[F8th637]

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!

[Zen]

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?

[Kalidurga]

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

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!