By Jason Fraley
News-Post Staff

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"It's inspiring," club president Bill Smith said. "I wouldn't be surprised if, after watching it on TV, people get out on their bikes. You feel faster. Even if you're really not, you feel faster."

They must have felt really fast on the club's latest ride Saturday knowing that, at the same time, Mr. Armstrong was once again leading the pack in France.

"I even said about the time we got to Smithsburg and started climbing over the mountain that it was probably about the time Lance was starting up," Mr. Smith said.

Joining Mr. Smith on the ride were club member Laura Chaffiotte, of Frederick, and non-member David Olney, of Myersville. Mr. Olney learned of the club while shopping at Wheel Base in Frederick and found Saturday's ride through the club's Web site.

"I thought that it'd be fun to ride with a group," Mr. Olney said. "I've been riding for a while on my own, and this looked like the perfect combination of distance and hills."

He said the difficulty of his rides has increased the last few years thanks to watching Mr. Armstrong.

"I've been inspired by Armstrong's performance in the Tour de France the last few years to take on routes I normally wouldn't take," he said.

Saturday's route took the three cyclists from Frederick west to Hagerstown, north to Smithsburg, east to Thurmont and then back to Frederick.

They met at Monocacy Middle School at 6:15 a.m. and returned around noon with 60 miles under their wheels and just two stops to their credit. Mr. Smith suggested that the early departure accounted for the small turnout.

"My kids just stopped watching cartoons about 10 minutes ago," Mr. Olney said after the ride. "But it was neat to be outdoors that time of day."

The group began the ride with a sunrise backdrop and said the weather and scenery were perfect the rest of the morning.

"There were a lot of old stone houses and farmhouses, wildflowers ... especially Old Forge Road in Washington County. It was spectacular," Ms. Chaffiotte said.

"(The area) is really good for cycling. The terrain is great. There are flat lands, mountains, some rolling hills, and once you get out of town, the traffic isn't bad," Mr. Smith said. "Maryland does a great job with the roads. They're nice and smooth and good for your butt."

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is in the process of improving the area's biking routes by adding bicycle signs and pavement markers to various roadways.

Such markings exist on Md. 31 and Md. 806, and additional ones are planned for U.S. 40, Md. 28 and Md. 140, according to SHA spokesperson Kellie Boulware.

The road conditions factored into one club member's decision to live here.

"In 1971, I came to a rally here in Frederick that was very successful. Everyone said what wonderful terrain was here," Dan Lufkin said.

A year later, Mr. Lufkin was offered a job in Rockville and decided to settle in Frederick because of its bicycling reputation. He didn't waste time in finding the Frederick Pedalers Club.

"I joined as soon as we got the furniture moved in," he said.

Biking can be addictive like that.

"As George Bernard Shaw said, 'It's half mechanics, half poetry,'" Mr. Lufkin said. "And you can talk while you bike. You can just cruise along and talk while you look at things."

Good conversation, combined with the small number of riders, turns each Frederick Pedalers trip into a social occasion.

"We can do up to 100 miles a day, but mostly the idea is social," Mr. Smith said. "When you get into a nice intimate setting like the Frederick Pedalers, it's so easy to get to know people."

"Having fewer members, you get to know the members better," club vice president Brian King said. "There's more camaraderie, and people do maintain friendships outside the club."

The club currently has 50 memberships, but Mr. Smith estimated there are around 90 members total, due to family memberships. Families can purchase a membership for $20 a year, while individual memberships run $15 per year.