The trails are almost complete at Cosca, we meet up with Allen, Allen's wife, Brian, and Matt to ride on the opening day. The trails were wet from the light rain the night before, but started at the new trail head by the tennis court. The new trail seems to be up hill both ways, but was a change. After riding the new section, we followed the newly cut trail connector to the old trails by the lake. Followed the old trails and took a break at the hill climb at the beginning of the lake.Barry

A cool, dreary December day, with the constant threat of rain, detered many from coming out for this 33 mile B ride, which started from and returned to the Starbucks in the Manokeek Shopping Center.  However, Ken Meredith and Chuck Coe joined me for a "winter training" ride where we all stayed together at a meandering, as opposed to hammering pace.  This route, which reverses the Manokeek to Accokeet - the Long Way, (has the same long straights) crosses 228 at the start; passes the Accokeek Fire Station; and then goes down Barrys Hill.  Therefore it has to go up Marshall Hall.  While there may be some debate, I personally prefer going up Barrys Hill rather than Marshall Hall.  We turned right at 210; down Chapmans Landing and then left on Hawthorne.  The rest stop was at Halfway Liquors and then we returned east on Hawthorne to Marshall Corner.  A left there to Middletown; left on 228 and then a return to the start. It did not rain, or even mist, and the roads kept getting drier as the ride progressed.  Only incident was before the start when the valve broke on the front tire of my road bike. Switched to the hybrid and forgot how heavy it was, but it does have fenders.  AMS of 15.0.    

Leader:  Darin King
Riders:  Blake Altman, Claire Chiamulera, Scott Walker
Metrics:  http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1055803
Picture:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.574852182530782.146969.147336598615678&type=1&l=ed9d5392fa

Well...it didn't rain, but we did have to endure a moderate amount of road spray.  No problem for these riders!  The actual riding part was fairly normal:  everyone took good turns out front and communicated well. 

Claire mentioned how she had never been on Mechanicsville Road without someone flatting.  Self-fulfilling words.  She suffered a flat...her first in over a year (I need to know her secret).  We all chipped in to get her rolling.  At mile 43, Scott incurred a pretty comprehensive shredding.  A boot barely contained it.  As we were debriefing at the end, Claire noticed she was flat again.  She threw up her hands and accepted a ride home (she normally bikes to/from the Charles County rides).

While cleaning up my bike, I extracted about 6 or 7 possibly-puncture-producing shards of rock/glass.  Glad that I switched to "winter" tires 2 days earlier!

It was a slightly depressing ride, but everyone seemed to be glad they toughed it out.

We joined the C/CC group at the Firehouse at 10:30 on what started as a gray, overcast day.  For some reason, folks were reluctant to leave, a pattern that repeated itself at every rest stop throughout the day.  But eventually we did get going, followed shortly by the C/CC group.  The group consisted of Holly Carr, Jan Tucker, Linda Bankerd, Jim and Jane Hudnall, Mike Bivens, Joan Oppel, Rita Zeidner and Rodeine West and leader Steve Palincsar.  At least, that's who signed up. 

We came down Barry's Hill Rd. "the back way" to Bryans Road, where we encountered some of Calvin's group coming down from Livingston.   Things got a little confused when Holly and I stopped just across 210 to wait for Joan and Rita, who were riding together off the back: the B/CC group followed by some of the C/CC group went off down the road while we waited, and possibly one or more of them followed the 46 mile group left on Pomfret, because when Holly and I arrived at Mattingly Park in Indian Head we found at least one rider who wasn't on the sign-up sheet waiting with the group.  By now, the sky had cleared, the sun had come out, and it had warmed up to the low 50s, turning into a spectacularly beautiful winter day: bright golden light, long slanting shadows, blue skies, just a perfect cycling day.

After a lengthy break, during which a couple of folks I didn't recognize realized they were running late decided to shortcut the route, we followed a straightforward route to Smallwood: Mattingly to 210, Strauss to Chicamuxen, Hawthorne to Smallwood -- probably the only truly straightforward, obvious route of the day -- where we found Reggie & Belinda's group posing for photos at the road leading to the Art Center.  They'd come, had a break, followed my suggestion for a tour of Smallwood (discovering parts of the park they never knew were there, along with some terrain irregularities Calvin insisted were "hills") and then paused for a photo op.  We joined them for a couple of photos, then went down to the marina for a break.

After another lengthy break we set about a very unobvious return: Sweetman to Bicknell to Pisgah Marbury, then left on Mason Spring back to Hawthorne and 210.  Some of us -- at least, of those of us still left (Mike, Jan and Rodeine having gone on ahead somewhere along the way) -- stopped at the McDonalds at Bryans Road for the "fifty cent senior coffee special."  It must have been very special, because they had to brew the coffee up special just for us.  And so, another long break.

Fully fueled, layers off, we flew down Marshall Hall and up Barry's Hill and back to the Firehouse just before 3, last to arrive but happy we'd taken the tour.  AMS somewhere in the high 13s, overall average including stops around 10.  According to ridewithgps, 1887 feet of climbing.  The route is here.  Photos from the ride are here

[Edit: Calvin sent the email announcing the ride, so I assumed he was leading C/CC group, but Reggie and Belina actually led.  Sorry about that; corrections have been made.]

Rider Leader: John Gorman

Riders: Charles Hill, John Arrington w/ their Guests Kevin Williams, Sharon Banks, and Owen Duncan ( I think they all ride more out of the Davidsonville and other AA County locations) 

 9:30am temps were below 40 w/ no wind, so yes it was chilly, but that's winter riding. The sun didn't come out until near the end of the ride.

The Route is one used by week day training rides out of the DAV lot, in Anne Arundel Cty.  L onto Rossback/becomes Paxtuent River Rd into Harwood Rd w/ a rest stop (bath rms) @ the Citigo RT 2/ (Solomon's Isl Rd).  Following southbound thru the traffic cir onto R -Md-422/Bayard R up S. Polling House Rd, L onto Polling House thru it's rural countryside rollers, R back on Bayard, R Sands up to L Paxt River looping back thru the initial roads taken southbound back up to Md-424. Options here are to turn R & back to the lot. Or as I extended, crossed back over MD-424 to Rossback/Rutland, L up Bell Branch, U-turn back L onto Rutland (circling in back of the Lot), R onto MD-424 and back to the parking lot.  1800 ft elvation.  (Initial downward is flat rollers, then some inclines, more climbing from mile 18 back to the start.)

We matched each others paces and/or waited for each other after hills/turns.

Unfortunately about mile 22 on one one rider had 3 flats within  several miles of each, we all pulled over and waited each time for the needed repair. After the 3rd one, myself and two others were advised to continue on, and one rider would get his truck to pick up the rider w/ the flat issues. After arriving back to MD-424,  1/2 mile from the start, the other riders went back to the start. I continued on solo to complete the 40miler. Upon my  arrival at the lot, all riders were accounted for.

Stats: 40.20 miles, 14.20ams (w/ turn coverage and lots of repair stops & recircling back ), riding time 2:50

This was the best day of the weekend and 13 people joined me for this ride (Darin King, Blake Altman, Ken Meredith, Keith Blackmon, Cathy Wilson, John Kady, Claire Chiamulera, Nancy Avitabile, Richard Edelman, John Giglio, Danzie Seaward, John Clark, and Jack Gardner who rode to the ride start from home in Upper Marlboro!).  The first split in the group occurred when Blake had a minor mechanical and the two of us were held back by a red light.  We had to chase (or at least Blake chased, pulling me along) to catch up to part of the group.  John C, Jack, Darin, Danzie, and John G were riding at a faster pace and we did not see them until the rest stop.  After the rest stop Nancy, Richard, Cathy and John K cut the ride short to ~39 miles.  Because there's no food and drink at the cue sheet rest stop we always take a break at the High's which cuts off about 2 miles from the ride.  Blake and I made this distance up at the end by doing an alternate loop back to the parking lot which added ~ 3 miles.  I thought this was a better way back to the start as we avoided having to make the left turn from Davidsonville Rd into the parking lot and crossing 4 lanes of traffic.  Ride leader finished with an ams of 17.1

Ride Leader: Jon Agazzi

Leaders: Jim and Jane Hudnall

Best of Brandywine had the best-so-far day of the week for a bike ride:  lots and lots of sun and “mild” temperature of 42 at ride start – mild that is for a December day.  A fairly large crowd showed up, including a few people who usually don’t get to ride on Thursdays:  Roger Cubbage, John Early, Jerry Finan, Phil Greer, Jane and Jim Hudnall, Darryl Lowery, Ken Meredith, Larry Peed, Tom Roberson, Mike and Regina Saizan, Loretta Troen, Jan Tucker.  For the record, Darryl, Ken and John all biked to the ride start. 

We did a 32 mile route, Bassford Excursion to Gallant Green and to the welcoming Moreland store for a rest stop, where it is always warm and sunny at the front of the store. 

A couple of miles after the rest stop, the ride broke into 2 groups, with your trusty ride leader leading the back group of 6 riders.  Unfortunately, Tom R had to stop with a loose bottom bracket.  After waiting, circling back, discussing, best plan of action was determined to be to continue on to the cars and drive back for Tom.  Fortunately, a bike angel on his way home – also known as Larry Peed, showed up as Tom waited at the side of Cedarville Road.  Larry loaded Tom and bike in his truck, and they arrived at the parking lot just a few minutes after the rest of us.  Fast riders were long gone.  Beautiful day and great ride.

Joan Oppel

Photos at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.573366676012666.146691.147336598615678&type=1

Route at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1988552