Ride Reports June 2007

Straight Shot to Emmitsburg
May 3, 2007 by Charles Wilson

The morning was cool and cloudy with intermitent sun that later turned out to be a beautiful day as we rode north into Emmitsburg. As this was the ride leader’s first time in leading a ride, he had all the experts to attend and provide assistance along the way. From the starting point at Whittier Elementary School the following members of Frederick Pedalers started the journey in the cool temperatures: Brian King, George Ruszat, Mike Procario, Ray Gable, Isaac Miedzinski, Jeff Johnson and Chuck Wilson. Terry Eskuchen joined the group when we arrived at Opossumtown Pike. Terry stuck with us until the group reached Creagerstown Road, and she decided to let us continue. I believe that she did not want it to rain on us before we return from our trip. We met many other cyclists on the route that were enjoying their weekend in northern Frederick County.

After we all took a short break and had our share of junk food and for some, a good banana we all headed back to Frederick. We came upon a serious bicycle accident south of Mount St. Mary's. We only saw the remains of the bike and a police investigation going on. We pray and hope that he or she survived the crash. It was smooth ride back to Whittier Elementary School. No tough climbs, but rolling hills. As we rode into the Whittier parking lot it looked like rain was on our doorsteps. Thanks go out to John Munn for his mapping and navigation of this route. Thanks go out to all who attended. I will say that I learned a lot from this ride and gained lots of confidence.

(Editor’s note: The injured rider was from the Baltimore Bicycling Club. He was hit from behind by a pickup truck at high speed. The bicyclist did survive, but sustained numerous injuries.)

Basic Bicyclist Class
May 10, 2007 by George Ruszat

Fifteen enthusiastic cyclists showed up at Utica District Park on April 19th for the inaugural Basic Bicycling class together with eight club members taking on their roles as instructors and ride leaders. Classes continued on Thursday evenings for the following three weeks.

Each class was split into two parts with classroom time of approximately one hour followed by a ride on nearby roads to put into practice what was discussed in class. In the first class, the primary subject was safety including equipment and rules of the road. Week two focused on bike maintenance where everyone had the experience of repairing a flat tire. In week three, the subject was shifting, braking and riding techniques and week four was on training, nutrition and equipment.



During the four weeks, we gained additional participants and, unfortunately, lost a few. Class members who attended one or more classes were Catherine Badger*, Ed Botts, Jo & Mike Bowersox, Jennifer Eberhardt, James*, Lorraine & Al Joao (James being a high spinning, hill climbing 10 year old), Rebecca Mathesen, Annie Morrissey, Angela Mulloy*, Heidi Platt, Margaret Procario*, Barbara & Sheldon Shealer*, Janet Thomas*, Suzanne Weaver, Susan Weber and Diana Morgan. (* Attended all four sessions)

George Ruszat put together the class curriculum and was the primary instructor. Assisting were Brian King, Bill Smith, Kathy & Bob Dollar, Chuck Wilson and Mike Procario. The Frederick Pedalers have had positive feedback and will be planning on repeating the classes later in the summer. We have helped a number of cyclists become more comfortable with riding on the roads and have gained several new club members as a result.

Adams County Metric Century
May 13, 2007 by John Fauerby

When ride leaders Lynne Rosenbusch and John Fauerby arrived at the ride start, they found Jeff Johnson already riding his bicycle. Bill Preston arrived a few minutes later because this was the only ride other than his own on the RouteSlip.com website that started in Emmitsburg on Silo Hill Parkway and somehow that was a good enough excuse to show up.

The ride started promptly at 8:30. The day was sunny and a cool 50 degrees. John and Lynne started with tights and coats. Jeff was in bicycle shorts, already warmed up. Bill Preston had an umbrella and was attempting to catch the wind, but was having a hard time since we were headed into an ever increasing gale for the first half of the ride.

We took the usual route, but with extra meandering around the Gettysburg Battlefield on a route recommended by Crista. We went by the Devil's Den (photo stop), then turned left on an unmarked lane that halfway along had two road signs with different names less than a tenth of a mile apart. We saw a horse tour and were worried what was going to happen when we rode past the dozen or so horses. But by the time our meandering reached their vicinity, they were far enough off the road to not notice us.

The orchards were a beautiful green with partially hidden white blossoms. We really had to look for the blossoms. We missed the blossom peak by a week. The views across the valleys to the mountains were clearly spectacular.

We stopped for a snack at the Arendtsville Getty. As you remember, last fall, we saw two shirtless and sockless boys teach a younger boy how to ride a bicycle. On this ride, the two older boys were not present, but the shirtless and sockless younger boy was riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk while his girlfriend was admiring him and secretly trying to figure out how to steal his bicycle so she could ride too.

While leaving Fairfield, we spotted a soar plane that took our minds off the task of slowly climbing the second longest climb of the day. Bill Preston was studying the routeslip elevation profile for most of the ride while not repositioning his umbrella to catch the wind and suddenly exclaimed, "The first half of the ride was below 600 feet and the last half except the last 13 miles is over 600 feet. That is so symmetrical!". This was the first time that we have heard Bill say anything while actually riding his bicycle.

We were all happy and in good spirits when we finished the ride at 3:42. Lynne measured exactly the same distance as routeslip had predicted. Jeff was a little low since his odometer had a short that needed tapping every so often. John was lower since his sensor was too far from the magnet to pick up the pulses when going slowly up hills. Bill forgot to reset his odometer at the beginning of the ride and couldn't remember what his starting mileage was.

Jefferson-Adamstown-Buckeystown
May 19, 2007 by Mike Procario

The forecast on Friday night was for a gray and cool day with a good chance of rain, but when I awoke at 7:30 AM it was cool in the fifties and clear. I geared up with leg warmers, long sleeve jersey, and a jacket and headed off to ride start. I met Frederick Pedaler regulars, George, Chuck, Jeff, Ray, and John. We were joined by two newcomers, Joe and Eric. It looked like another stag ride, but before we could leave we were joined by the Terry and Beth looking to check out their new bikes on the hills.

This ride starts off slow covering many miles of flat countryside before the hills. It is an opportunity to get loose and have some conversation before the hard work hits. That was not to be the case today as we hit some stiff headwinds. The trip down Elmer Derr road was particularly bad. Even going downhill did not help.

Everyone handled the hills successfully. The hotshots flew up them. Others just kept grinding to the top. At least I was not the last one up. I was hoping that Brian would be there so we could see him climb Park Mills to Flint Hill on his single speed, but we had a substitute. Eric was riding a single speed, and I did see him tacking back and forth across the road on the really steep part.

We had a few mishaps along the way. There were two instances where riders failed to unclip successfully at a stop. Only their pride was hurt. Ray broke a spoke on his front wheel on the descent from Marlu Ridge, but he finished the ride. After we left the Flint Hill General Store we got mixed in with a group of Potomac Pedalers. Jeff thought he was following Eric and missed our turn on Flint Hill Road. George tracked him down, we met at the bottom of Flint Hill Road. Jeff discovered his error when he noticed that "Eric's bike" has grown a cassette and derailleur.

As we approached town, George, Terry, and Ray informed us that they would go straight on New Design Road into town and not return to the ride start. Beth also planned to detour before the finish, so I was losing track of who was still riding. At the last turn I did a check and discovered that we had lost Chuck. Jeff and I went on a search and rescue mission, but did not find him. When we returned to the school parking lot, there was Chuck in his truck. He had found his own way back while we were looking for him.

Overall it was an enjoyable and somewhat eventful ride.

DC Randonneurs 400 KM Brevet
May 19, 2007 by Bill Smith

This past Saturday (May 19), my buddy Alex, along with about thirty other deranged, clueless fools rode 250 hilly, windy miles - in one day.

We left the Frederick route 40 Holiday Inn at 4 am. Our route took us west on Route 180 to Brunswick, then over the Potomac on route 17 into Virginia. At this point it was still dark; the sky was mostly clear and it was chilly - about 46 degrees. The planet Jupiter shone brightly in the west.

On the first page of our four-page cue sheet (a total of 198 turns!), the following statement appears under the "Emergency Phone #s" section: "tired is not an emergency". In other words, "you're on your own, pardner". Not very reassuring, is it? So I brought Brian King's cell phone number with me.

Then we rode on to Lovettsville and Round Hill, watched a gorgeous sunrise and reached the first "controle" at Airmont VA. A "controle" is a place (usually a store) where we get our brevet cards punched to prove we were there. Some of you may remember Rose Ruiz - she caught a subway train years ago on her way to "winning" the New York marathon. Alex and I could not locate a subway train, so we kept pedaling westward over Snickers Gap and then north past Charles Town and to Shepherdstown at mile 74. The controle there was at the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop, where some really delicious food awaited us.

Then came what I thought was the most difficult part of the ride - northwest to Hancock at mile 111. We rode 37 miles almost directly into the wind, and the terrain was such that we were always going up or going down - there was nothing resembling flat until the last few miles to Hancock. We feasted at the Sheetz (motto: no matter what you get here, you'll still get gas) where I spoke with a local who made this observation about all of us "Randonneurs" (long-distance, self-supported cycling folks): "You're all OLD."

Then the hills got steep. To the north of Hancock are numerous steep climbs, none of which were easy. To climb them required straining our legs and knees - I pedaled up them in my 38 front chainring and 26-tooth rear cog at about 4-6 mph. At 130 miles we passed a camp store that is marked on our cue sheet as being the last food for 48 miles. We also had a mountain to climb (Cove Gap). Stopping here was mandatory for us. We ate and filled up our bottles. At this point, I cannot speak for Alex, but I was very tired. Four weeks of insomnia has its way of affecting a person in a bad way. I was getting sleepy as well (I had been awake since 2 am). Our average speed was down to about 13.9 mph at this point. And the ultra-caffeinated GU and Clif Shot gels I was downing were not much help in keeping me alert.

The best part of the ride came after our Cove Gap descent. From about mile 134 to 178 we were treated to a tailwind - mostly. This eastward progress took us past Mercersburg and Shippensburg to Newville PA. Interestingly enough, it was still not raining, despite a forecast of afternoon and evening showers. (It almost always rains when Alex and I are in Newville). There were dark clouds in the eastern sky, though. The controle in Newville was exceptional – unmatched in brevet history. It was at the "Log Cabin Inn" just south of town. It was a beautiful little place, set at the top of a steep hill (of course) with a large yard and pool out back. There was a lovely spread of lasagna, cookies, rolls, salads, cookies, pastries, drinks, cookies and sports drinks (did I mention the cookies?). This place was so nice – I really could have just remained there until morning and finished the ride on Sunday.

Our average speed had "shot" up to 14.5 by Newville, but to get to Gettysburg at mile 210 we had to go through Michaux State Forest and over the mountain there. The sun set just before we reached the store in Arendtsville (203 miles done). The last descent on PA Route 234 was very scary, as my eyes were tired and sore from all of the road grit and pollen stirred up by the strong westerly winds. And it was dark. Just before I reached a curve at 43 mph, both of my eyes watered over. I kept blinking in an unsuccessful attempt to clear them. I slowed a bit and just made sure to ride about three feet to the right of the double-yellow line. (This was really scary – I thought that I was going to crash.) Then we followed two other riders on to Gettysburg - they had very bright headlights, so it was very easy for all of us to see. As we reached the battlefield my cell phone rang. I answered it, expecting to hear my wife's voice asking where we are. I was surprised to hear Sheldon Shealer's voice. We spoke about two minutes, until I needed two hands on my handlebars to stop at a downhill traffic light. Is it a good idea to have a cell phone conversation while riding a bicycle in the dark? (Sheldon was planning on riding this brevet, but needed emergency gall bladder surgery just two days before.) In the western sky the clouds parted, revealing the moon and the planet Venus, close enough to kiss each other.

We refueled at the controle in Gettysburg (the 7-11 on Washington St) and then headed south through town onto PA134. I have memorized the route from Gettysburg to Frederick, so reading our cue sheet was no longer necessary. At night, that is a wonderful thing – I dislike trying to read the cues by my dim little handlebar light. We turned onto Barlow Rd – shortly thereafter our two faster companions went ahead leaving Alex and me on our own to negotiate by our own dimmer headlights. Sirens sounded in the distance – eventually as we approached Four Points we could see flashing red lights on US15 near Mount St. Mary’s – some crash on the highway, probably. Behind the scene we could see the Grotto, shining like a beacon in the night.

We reached Thurmont just before midnight – 233 miles past and seventeen to go. I was struggling trying to stay awake and downed another caffeine-laden GU gel. There was no iced tea to be had – all of the stores were closed (WAWA, where are you?). My butt was very sore at this point – I really wanted this ride to be over. As a matter-of-fact, there were numerous times on the ride where I could easily have packed it in. Having a partner to ride with is a huge help in this way – we each keep the other going. We were also riding more and more slowly. From Four Points down to Thurmont had been against an increasingly strong headwind. I remember pedaling downhill on Old Kiln Rd, towards Roddy Rd, at 11 miles per hour. It was very frustrating.

From Thurmont to Frederick was just a long, slow grind. Those last seventeen miles took us almost an hour and a half. As we began the descent from Bethel Rd down Yellow Springs Rd we came upon our two better-lit and faster friends. They had arrived at that point a minute earlier (it is likely that we caught up to them because we never needed to stop to look at or turn over our cue sheet (I memorized the route). They flagged us down and stopped us before we ran into the demolished car in the roadway. A drunken driver had lost control, gone off the road, glanced off a tree and back onto the roadway. The car was destroyed. I could see that the airbags had deployed. There was glass everywhere – I could not find a spot of roadway that was not completely covered by broken glass and car parts. We could hear the police, fire and ambulance responders off in the distance. The driver was off in the grass – he was not injured – at least not badly. We carried our bikes across the stretch of debris-laden road and finished the ride. We thought that if any one of the four of us been faster by 1-2 minutes, we’d have been in the path of this misguided missile. In fact, on our initial approach to the crash scene, when I had seen the mess in the highway, I became emotional with the thought that someone, either the driver or a bicyclist, had probably been killed. It sucked from me what remaining energy I had. This scene will remain photographed in my mind for a long time.

We rolled into the Holiday Inn, 250 miles behind us, at about 1:15 am. We feasted on a couple slices of pizza and talked to the other riders still there. I wanted to crawl up in the corner and go to sleep, but instead I biked home; including my ride to the start I rode 258 total miles. I think that I stood for half of the fifteen-minute ride home. At that moment, if you asked me if I’d ever do the ride again, I would have said no. Today I say no. Next year I’ll probably do it again.

(Preliminary reports put the elevation gain of this route at 13,000-14,000 feet.)