C&O Canal: Anybody wanna ride in September?

[Kalidurga]

Anyone up for a C&O ride some Sunday this month? Let me know when & where, and I'll be there

[divingbiker]

Sure, that would be fun. I've only been on the C&O once, and though I think I remember seeing road bikes, it seemed better suited to mountain bikes and hybrids. What do you ride? (I just bought a new mountain bike yesterday (yay!), and I also have a hybrid and a road bike, so I'm covered. Just don't know what works best.)

[ladyfish]

Maybe we could plan a mini TE bike ride on the C&O. There are several of us out here.

I was also wondering about the bike to ride on the C&O. Keep me in mind if you plan a ride.

I've never ridden the C&O but my son's scout troop is planning a trip in a few weeks, so I may go along with them.

[Kalidurga]

Sure, that would be fun. What do you ride? (I just bought a new mountain bike yesterday (yay!), and I also have a hybrid and a road bike, so I'm covered. Just don't know what works best.)

I was also wondering about the bike to ride on the C&O. Keep me in mind if you plan a ride.

I used to ride a hybrid, but now I have a cyclocross bike. Depending on which section you're riding, you definitely want a bike that can handle rolling resistance and vibrations.

I'm open for just about any Sunday this month or next (except 10/1). If anyone wants to meet up with me, just feel free to post a location here or shoot me an e-mail. If folks are interested in plannning a group-type ride, how does Sunday 9/24 sound? Edit: Oops, there's a 'cross race that day, too. How does Sunday 9/17 sound instead?

[emily_in_nc]

I did Bike Virginia a few summers ago, and part of one day's ride was on the C&O Towpath. It had rained hard a couple of days prior, so the path was still quite muddy in low spots. I was riding my Terry Isis road bike with skinny (23c) tires. NOT RECOMMENDED if it has rained at all recently there!!

After fishtailing all over the place and almost falling several times, I finally had to get out and walk part of the way. Silly me had Speedplay X-2 cleats and NO coffee-shop caps. My cleats got encrusted with mud, so when I finally got back on the bike, I couldn't clip in at all and had to ride on top of the pedals for some distance.

I noticed all the fat-tire riders passing me and going the other way seemed to have big s***-eating grins on their faces, or at least that's how if felt at the time...

Definitely, if you have one, a hybrid, mountain bike, or fatter tires on your road bike is the way to go on the C&O (hey, that rhymes!!!)

Oh, and it's a gorgeous ride. I hope to do more of it one day - but on my mountain bike!!

Emily

[Selkie]

Emily's right. A road bike won't cut it on the C&O. It's gravel closer in to the city and becomes dirt with lots of tree branch speedbumps, rocks, etc. as you head west. A 'cross or mt bike or a hybrid works best.

I'd join you but this is a busy time---next week is the PPTC metric and then a few weeks later, the Seagull.

[Kalidurga]

I did Bike Virginia a few summers ago, and part of one day's ride was on the C&O Towpath. It had rained hard a couple of days prior, so the path was still quite muddy in low spots. I was riding my Terry Isis road bike with skinny (23c) tires. NOT RECOMMENDED if it has rained at all recently there!!

After fishtailing all over the place and almost falling several times, I finally had to get out and walk part of the way.

I noticed all the fat-tire riders passing me and going the other way seemed to have big s***-eating grins on their faces, or at least that's how if felt at the time...

Yeah, I've had some fun rides on the towpath both during and after rain. It's the only time I can feel like a rough'n'tumble mtb rider, plowing through the mud and going home a total mess I did fall once. Trying to ride along the raised edge of a mud pit, rear tire slipped, I extended my hand to catch my fall (as you're not supposed to do, of course), screwed up my elbow and ended up wearing a sling for a few days. And I wore one of those big s***-eating grins the whole ride!

Mickchick, I hope we can get together on the towpath at some point this fall or next spring. I'm really interested in checking out your custom 'cross.

[Selkie]

You betcha. By the way, the new 'cross bike rides like a dream. I'm so glad that I went w/campy components! Of course, now I don't want to get the bike dirty since it's only been on the "clean" streets of my neighborhood. It's still nice and brand-spanking new looking. haha. Sometime in Oct will be good and that will be a lovely time of year to head out on the C&O.

[Kalidurga]

Sometime in Oct will be good and that will be a lovely time of year to head out on the C&O.

Excellent, we'll get that new bike dusty for ya . I'm going to a 'cross race (or the She Got Bike fest) on Oct 1 and Daylight Saving Time ends on Oct 29, but other than that any Sunday in October should be good. I even planned my vacation out in western MD/PA for Monday - Friday so my weekends are wide open.

That leaves Oct 8, 15 or 22. Anybody (divingbiker, ladyfish?) want to pick a date and a section of the towpath so we can all put it on our calendars?

[divingbiker]

October 15 works best for me. (I get back from a week in Belize late at night on October 7, and October 22 is the Buff Betty adventure race, which I think I'm going to do with my neighbors.) I don't know much about the towpath so I don't have any preference as to which part of it we ride, but I know there's a nice parking lot off Riley's Lock, near Seneca Creek State Park I think. This should be fun!

[7rider]

October 15 works best for me. (I get back from a week in Belize late at night on October 7, and October 22 is the Buff Betty adventure race, which I think I'm going to do with my neighbors.) I don't know much about the towpath so I don't have any preference as to which part of it we ride, but I know there's a nice parking lot off Riley's Lock, near Seneca Creek State Park I think. This should be fun!

Ooo, this sounds like fun. Can I join in? I'd love to see some of the folks I've been reading about.
Sept. 17th would be out -- it's - ahem - my b'day, so DH and I will be doing...I don't know....something, I hope!
Oct. 15th is after the Seagull, which we're theoretically training for (I suppose we'll need to increase these 28 mile rides by...oh, a lot!).
I would probably take the mtb out. That hasn't seen dirt in a very long time!
Let me know when and where!

[Kalidurga]

So far, we have two votes for Sunday, October 15, so I'll add mine and make it three. Hey Suzanne, I haven't seen tulip on the forum recently, do you think she'd be interested?

I personally like getting on the towpath farther out west, but Carderock and Great Falls are the closest to the Beltway which could be more convenient if anyone comes from Virginia. Riley's Lock, which divingbiker mentioned, is definitely a nice spot and shouldn't be crowded with boaters/jetskiers by mid-October. Any other suggestions?

[Selkie]

I'll put it on my calendar. I'm all for starting farther out -- the less crowded the better. I'm sure that once Tulip sees this, she'll want to come if she isn't too busy. If I'm not mistaken, she'll be doing the Seagull, too.

[HillSlugger]

I don't think my road bike can handle this. Let me know when you want to do an TE/DC area road ride!

[7rider]

There's been a lot of discussion on the other forum regarding this ride, and it's wavered from this, to a road ride, to a non-riding social event.
Are we thinking 1 event, 2 events, or all 3 (I'd be up for all three myself, if I could make them. Any time I can get to ride bikes or talk bikes is a good time for me!)?
Is this October 15th ride still in the works for the C&O?? Hope so.