Trial Run(s)
Routing one's way to New Hope is not an easy task. Between Arlington, VA (Washington, DC) and New Hope, PA are many highly urbanized areas, some bike-friendly and some not. These urban areas are surrounded by suburbanized areas that are sure to have some bike trails but probably not ones that provide a through route. And anyway, we prefer road riding on quiet roads.
Jerry has always been somewhat stymied trying to develop a bike-friendly route to Baltimore, especially after the MARC service added cars with bike racks. I had laid out a successful route to BWI, but it started in New Carrollton. He figured out a route eventually and led several bike rides up to Baltimore with the return by either Amtrak (folding bikes only) or, now, using the new MARC service with bike racks. So when Jerry posted a ride to one of our groups to follow that route, I signed up, and off we went (about ten of us).
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I call it the Washington to Washington (Monuments) Ride since it starts near the Washington Monument in DC and ends near the Washington Monument in Baltimore, right there on Mount Vernon Place. It's a decent ride and downright scenic in parts.
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The next "get ready" ride was up Skyline Drive! Mark (from my last two European tours) and I had signed up for the Ride the Drive event scheduled for April 23, but that was rained (and chilled) out. It was hovering in the low 40s that morning, and the top of the ridge is about 10 degrees lower than the valley where you start. So we passed and went ourselves the following week instead. That meant dealing with cars (the original event was car-free), but it was significantly warmer, and the sun was out most of the day.
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After that, the weather got cold again, and while we did some local runs in and around Arlington, I really wanted to get out and do a longer ride in a rural setting. So on Sunday, May 14, Mark, Jerry, and I rode an abbreviated version of the Patuxent Rural Legacy Ride (42 miles in lieu of the full 64!). Still, we got most of the hills in!
OK, I think we're ready! Let's go!
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