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Ride Reports

Ride Leaders are encouraged to post reports on their rides. Members can comment on ride reports and anyone can read the reports and comments. Instructions for posting a report

You must be logged in to post a ride report. To log in, enter your Email and Password in the upper right corner and click the "Login" button. If you need a password, click Forgot Password. After you login, you will see an "Add Post" button.

Click the “Add Post” button. For the Date and Time, enter the date and start time of the ride

For Subject, enter the Month/Day - Ride Name - Class and number of miles; for example: “6/30 - No Deale Ride - B 45 miles”.

In the Body box, enter your ride report. You can enter it directly into the text box using the word-processor features on the tool bar. After you enter the report, click the “Post” button at the top or bottom of the page and your ride report will be posted on the web site. As the author of the report, you will be able to edit or add to the report.

For a good article on Ride Reports and adding photos to Ride Reports, see pages 7 and 8 of the March 2018 "Spoke-n-Word" .

Here is suggested template for the body that you can copy (control-c) and paste (control-v) into the body of your ride posting.

Leader: 

Members: 

Guests: 

Route: 

Weather: 

AMS: 

Mechanicals/Mishaps: 

Report: 
 


  • Sat, November 25, 2023 10:00 AM | Ron Altemus (Administrator)

    Leader:   Ron Altemus

    Members:   Denny Miller, Janell Saunders, Patricia Sanders at the end of Fenwick with the Potomac River and Hallowing Point in the background.



    Route:   Regular Tour de Accokeek route to Mathews then a tour of Bryans Road neighborhoods (South Hampton, Bryans Village, and Timber Ridge).  Descent of Marshall Hall Rd to an out and back on Fenwick continuing to a rest stop at Marshall Hall boat launch.  Return included an out and back on River, the climb up Barrys Hill, another out and back on Old Marshall Hall Rd skirting Moyaone Reserve concluding with Accokeek Rd/Livingston Rd to the firehouse.

    Weather:   temp range of 38 to 43; plenty of sunshine; 6-7 mph breezes out of the northern quadrant

    AMS:   low 11s

    Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

    Report:   with the coldest start temperature since mid February, there were a few cancellations prior to the ride.  Those that did show up had to spend a bit of time figuring out what would be the appropriate attire to combat the chilly temps.  Fortunately, once we got moving heading south, we had a tailwind and it didn't feel quite as cold as in the parking lot at the firehouse.

    The neighborhoods that have sprung up in the Bryans Road area continue to grow with new roads and townhouses increasing the size of the developments.  Probably next year, we'll be able to offer an extended extended version route to include these new roads.

    As always when doing this route, the views and scenery change with the seasons.  Pomonkey Creek was visible from several different locations on Fenwick, and Crosswake House, near the end of Fenwich, was also easily viewed.  Two large pigs were present on a farm off of Marshall Hall Rd near Moyaone Reserve while sheep and goats grazed further down the road.

    Today's ride was Denny's longest and we all gave him a bit of support when needed.  A most pleasant ride with a congenial group.

  • Fri, November 24, 2023 10:00 AM | Randall Schoch (Administrator)

    Leaders - Jackie & Randy Schoch

    Members - Ron Altemus, RL Randy,  Donaro Gardner, Susan Altemus, and Gene Villiva.

    Route - IHRT

    Weather - Cold (40's), sunny, and very breezy.

    AMS - Varied per/rider.

    Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

    Report - It was a cold and breezy morning so not a very large turnout of riders. Jackie was not feeling well so she didn't come. Not many others on the trail except for the squirrels. There were several dogs walking their masters. A King Fisher Bird was spotted. With the leaves off the trees, we saw several hornets' nests. Ron took photos of the nests pictured below:

    Near the Port Tobacco Creek pond

     Between MM 11 and Middletown Rd (squirrel nest in center; wasp nest to right)

    We had a nice visit at the White Plains Rest Area. The rest rooms at the rest area are closed for the winter but the port a' let's are still available at the regular places. We were glad to finish the ride and get our vehicles warmed up. See you next Friday. 
  • Thu, November 23, 2023 10:00 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Catherine Ade, Ray Luckenbach

    Guests: none

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41622486

    Weather: Sunny, 15 mph wind with gusts up to 20, temperatures in the 50s that felt significantly colder until around noon.

    AMS: 10.6

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

    Report: A windy ride through a largely empty District of Columbia.  We encountered some kind of DC Turkey Troy on the way to the Capitol, and there were some people and cars out, but not many.  There was only one coffee vendor open at Union Market, and Eastern Market was closed for the holiday.  We had a nice ride, as expected: the National Arboretum is always a nice place to ride.

  • Sun, November 19, 2023 10:30 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Rest stop at Goose Bay

    Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Sarah Clement, Janell Saunders, Donaro Gardner, Ken Meredith, Sabine Hentrich, Ron Altemus, Harry Kidd, Patricia Sanders, Tom Short, Linda Bankerd

    Guests: One registered for the ride but didn't show up

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44986801  37 miles, 1327' elevation gain

    Weather: A cool, sunny and windy day.  Temperatures ranged from 49-50 at the start (and much colder feeling in the shade at Livingston Rd) to 59-60 by early afternoon.  As nice as the sun and the temperature were, it was the wind that really caught your attention.  The National Weather Service forecast called for 7-8 mph winds, but Weather Underground actually recorded 12-15 mph winds with gusts up to 22, and that's what it felt like: very much like yesterday but a little cooler and not quite as windy.  Still, it was a very pleasant day for a ride.

    AMS: 12.8

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: Today we had two. 

    Arriving at the Goose Bay rest stop, Linda Bankerd had a rear shift cable failure.  It's bee several years since we've seen these, and I'd grown complacement and thought perhaps Shimano had solved this problem.  Alas, no -- and today's frame design with internal cables has made things worse than they used to be: the expedient repair of using the broken shift cable to hold the rear derailleur on a middle sprocket is no longer possible, since you no longer have access to the broken cable.

    So Linda had to struggle on, stuck in a high gear and having to walk all the hills.  Tom Short stayed with her and sent the rest of the group on, planning to revise the route to return on Bicknell as the flattest of all the possible ways to return.

    On Poorhouse just before we reached the Pisgah Store, Sabine

    Fixing a Flat at Pisgah Park

    mentioned she heard a strange ticking sound coming from my tires.  We were less than a mile from the rest stop at Pisgah Park, so rather than stop by the side of the road trying to see if anything looked odd, I elected to keep on riding.

    I checked my tires as soon as we arrived at Pisgh Park, and found a chunk of glass sticking out of my front tire.  As flat fixes go, this was a relatively easy one: remove the wheel, remove the tube, replace the tube,pump up the tire, replace the wheel and you're good to go.  And I had company, too: although most of the group chose to stop at the Pisgah Store rather than at Pisgah Park, Sabine and Ron were with me.

    In practice it's seldom as simple as it sounds.  My tires on my rims make for a fiendishly difficult remove and reinstall, and Ron and Sabine got to see the fight for the final foot of bead and the deployment of the Ultimate Weapon, the Kool Stop Bead Jack.

    Actually, this time it went rather well.  It was a lot worse before I learned to use a Schwalbe tire lever and an old leather toe strap to anchor one side of the bead.  Although my pump wasn't playing nicely with my replacement tube, Ron had his pump and it worked very nicely.  I was glad for the help and the company.

    Report:  It's always fun riding to Goose Bay.  The terrain is great no matter which way you go, the folks at the store are always welcoming,

    Sabine's photos of the Goose Bay Marina

    and it's a nice place to gather and socialize.  It was a lot of fun to have so many folks turn out for a Sunday ride, and I think everyone had a good time, once you make allowances for the broken shift cable and the flat tire.

  • Sat, November 18, 2023 10:00 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Ron Altemus, Joan Oppel, Janet Shipko, Dave Van Amayden, Don Haller, Bill Silva

    Guests: none

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32953101  42 mi, 1534' elevation gain

    Weather: Sunny, 58-59 degrees all day and windy: 15-16 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 25 mph.

    AMS: 12.7

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

    Report: It sure was windy today.  The wind made it feel colder than the actual temperature, even though the sun was warm when we were sheltered from the wind.  The riding was harder if it had been calm, but it wasn't the brutal, exhausting wind we had on that ride to Leonardtown a few weeks ago.  This was Don and Bill's first visit to the area, and they seemed to enjoy it.  We don't ride Mechanicsville Rd too often so the smooth fresh-looking blacktop on the road and the shoulders was a pleasant surprise.  I think of Bob Howell, who originally designed this ride, every time we ride down to Wicomico Shores Landing and Old Chaptico Wharf.  Thanks, Bob; I wish you'd have been riding with us today.
     

  • Fri, November 17, 2023 10:00 AM | Gene Villiva

    Leader:  Gene Villiva/Ron Altemus

    Members:  Ron Altemus, Susan Altemus, Donaro Gardner, Leesha Saunders

    Route: IHRT

    Usual Friday Morning Ride, 19.62 miles.  Leisurly ride ,with wind from the south about 10 miles per hour.  Partly cloudy skies with occasional sun.  Leaves were littering the trail.  Leesha decided to go back at the 6.8 mile point because of pain from a previous dance injury.  One wildlife sighting.  Donaro pointed out a black snake on the trail.


      


  • Thu, November 16, 2023 10:00 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Walt Roscello, Ron Altemus, Patricia Sanders, Harry Kidd, Joan Oppel and Anonymous User

    Guests: none

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42241189 36.5 mi, 1828' elevation gain

    Weather: The Capitol Weather Gang gave it a 9/10 today and I agree; a thoroughly lovely day, only by a bit of chill at the start keeping it from a full 10.  The National Weather Service forecast predicted 55 at the start rising to 67 degrees with light winds.  The 55 was spot on, but by 2 pm it was actually 71.  Clear skies, bright sun, a splendid day to be out riding.

    AMS: 12.1

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

    Report: We had a friendly, chatty group today.  It was great seeing Patricia Sanders again and she seemed to be recovering very well recovering from her crash earlier this year.

    Turning off Martin onto Molly Berry, we saw a sign warning of the closure of Molly Berry December 11, an update from the earlier projected 11/27 date. What the sign didn't say (and what we should be aware of) is that Molly Berry Rd will be closed between Croom Rd and Van Brady Rd from Dec 11 for the reconstruction of a bridge over Mattaponi Creek, which will take approximately 12 months.  [Official notice]  There are quite a few routes we won't be able to use for most of next year.

    We rode down Mount Calvert Rd across some very rough washboard and visited the historic site, then rode back up to Duvall and down Croom Airport to a rest stop at the Pavilion at Patuxent River Park. 

    After the break we rode up the wonderful smooth new pavement on Croom Airport, then took Duley Station to Bellefield, where Joan filled us in on the Washington Post story about the runaway zebras owned by Jerry Lee Holly, former owner of historic Bellefields.

    After that unscheduled break we continued on to Van Brady, Molly Berry and up North Keys, then turned onto Cross Road Trail and took it to Cherry Tree Crossing, Old Indian Head and North Keys back to the park.

    We could hardly have hoped for a more enjoyable experience or a nicer day in mid-November.

  • Mon, November 13, 2023 10:00 AM | Joan Oppel (Administrator)

    Leader: Joan Oppel

    Members: Ron Altemus, Steve Palincsar, Harold Datz and Rita Zeidner

    Route: We headed down Bumpy Oak and Rose Hill, over to Chapel Hill and took Locust Grove to cross 301. Springhill Newton and Glen Albin brought us into La Plata and the Dash In, then Quailwood and Hawthorne to Marshall Corner. We took the Indian Head trail from Pomfret all the way back to Hawthorne for the quiet and then Lower Wharf and Chapman's Landing.   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26630265

    Weather: Bright sun, low wind, 45 degrees in the Bryans Road parking lot but felt chillier, ending at 55. Once we started riding, the bright sun made for a quick warm up.

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

    Report: Monday turned out to be a great day for a ride. Some of us shed layers over the course of the route as the sun warmed everything. The route worked out well, a little climbing, a little descending, mostly quiet roads with a few busy ones. Our group was very social today with lots of chatting. Tomorrow has significant winds so this was an ideal choice for early in this week.

    And here's the guy who takes a lot of photographs - but is rarely in the pictures:


  • Sat, November 11, 2023 9:30 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Joan Oppel, Steve Perakis, Ellen Goodwin, Sabine Hentrich, Rick Hagen, Lisa Petersen, Paul Hamilton, Walt Roscello and Ron Altemus

    Guests: none

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42828112  51 miles, 2166' elevation gain for the main group; around 45 miles for Joan, Ellen and Ron, who modified the route to shorten it.

    Weather: Sunny, 40 at the start rising to the high 50s through the course of the day, with 3-6 mph winds from the north.

    AMS: 13.1

    Mechanicals/Mishaps: None

    Report: It was an interesting drive getting to Friendship Farm Park: fog, quite dense at times, in all the low-lying areas on Indian Head Highway, followed by a spectacular autumn leaf display on Mason Spring between Pisgah Park and MD-6. 

    It felt quite cold to me at the start, cold enough to trigger a small winter asthma attack until I started breathing through my balaclava, and an excellent opportunity to take out my winter gear and re-learn exactly how it all works.  I haven't adapted to the cold yet, set to late-late summer; a few more rides like this and I'll be adapted and temperatures like today's will feel balmy.

    But that's me.  Others in the group seemed just fine with summer riding gloves while I started out with warmest winter gloves, and there was a mix of headgear ranging from nothing to ear bands to wool caps to wool cap plus balaclava.  One of the secrets to late season riding is finding out what works for you.  Everybody's different: when it's 60 degrees I wear summer gloves with light weight glove liners, while others will be happy with just summer gloves and still others will be wearing lobster mitts.

    Joan, Ellen and Ron were riding a route modified to shave off a half dozen miles, and their first shortcut came at mile 3.5 so most of the time we were two independent groups, one of three and one of seven.  We met briefly at the first rest stop at King James Church,  Joan's group leaving as mine was arriving.

    We saw them again on MD-6 just before we reached the end of the road.  I couldn't quite make out what Joan said as she passed, but it sounded like "disappointing."  When we arrived at the end it was indeed a disappointment. There was a barricade up around 100 yards from the

    end of the road, bracketed with "No Trespassing" signs.  I poked my camera above the barrier and took a picture of the Forbidden Zone.  It was sad for those of us who remember being able to ride all the way down to the end with its view of the Potomac and the Osprey nest.

    We went on down Riverside, up Holly Springs, back down Maryland Point, and then onto Smith Point which was just spectacular.  The trees made a lovely display, reds and oranges interspersed with splashes of green and the narrowness of the road, trees all around us and above us, making it feel as though we were riding on a narrow track through the forest.

    We found Joan's group taking a break on Smith Point and joined them, staying after they departed, then rode the rollers on Riverside through Purse State Park to the second official rest stop at the Nanjemoy Store.  Once again, we lingered at the store after Joan's group left but caught up with them and passed them on Jacksontown.  We turned on Sandy Point and then on Riverside, continuing on MD-224 as it turned onto Chicamuxen.

    On the descent down to Reeder Run we passed a police car and a passenger car in the ditch that had a blown out tire, then continued on to Smallwood Park. 

    Sabine got separated when we made the turn into the Park and her GPS directed her onto old Sweden Point Road down to the barrier, where her GPS lost the plot entirely.   Eventually she made her way back to Smallwood Church and from there back to the park on her own, arriving a few minutes before the rest of us.

    We don't usually have spectacular autumn leaf displays in the DMV, certainly nothing like the Berkshires or the Shenandoah Valley, but what we saw today on the ride and on Mason Springs on the way to the ride was exceptional.  It was a beautiful day, and a great ride.

  • Thu, November 09, 2023 9:30 AM | Stephen Palincsar (Administrator)

    Ride Leader: Steve Palincsar

    Members: Sarah Clement

    Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41441592  35.1 miles according to my Garmin, and we know how they lie; 2183' elevation gain.

    Weather: Partly sunny, breezy, high 50s at the start rising to the low 70s by early afternoon.  Another lovely day for cycling, with almost nobody doing it.

    AMS: 12.3

    Mishaps & mechanicals: none

    Ride Report

    Interesting riding up and down Milltown Landing, Magruders Landing and Whites Landing and Croom from Milltown Landing on down to Tanyard, which is where those 2183' of climbing come from.

    A quiet ride, just me and Sarah.  We saw very little traffic on the route, although the Belway and MD-5 had lots of (pre-holiday?) traffic.  There's a notice out that Molly Berry will be closed on or about Nov 27.  I'm guessing it's for repaving, although the section between Croom and North Keys certainly doesn't need it.

    Many would say this was a perfect day for riding.  I can't help but wonder why it was just the two of us.


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P.O. Box 81  
Oxon Hill, MD 20750-0081

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