Patuxent River Rural Legacy Bicycle Ride – June 15th

[JustinW]

Did it last year – would have done it again had I been more aware. Nice ride, great support, some rolling hills but nothing horrible, attracts a variety of riders. One of the rest stops (towards the end) is right on the river, gorgeous views, with fabulous tomato sandwiches that taste “just right” at that point in the journey. Well worth it.

[Rod Smith]

Yes, I did last year and I’m gonna do again Saturday. Thanks for posting about it. I meant to but didn’t.

[Rod Smith]

Oxon Hill Bike and Trail Club member Dan Donahue, a front runner in our local Maryland challenge, invited Bike Arlington All Stars to this event and I am the worst team captain ever for not passing the invite onto you all. There aren’t any hills but there are some hollows. The descents precede the climbs. Short, sometime steep elevation changes happen as you cross the creeks and they do add up. but it’s a nice ride.

[Megabeth]

Tomato sammiches!?!? Bonus!

Once I figure out which jersey will be clean on Saturday, I’ll post what I’ll be wearing here so you can find me. I’ll also figure out what time I’ll be heading out and post that here, too, once I know.

[JimF22003]

I’ve done it a couple of times. Very nice ride, and if I recall some good grub at the end of the ride. Mmm hot dogs.

I wish they’d add a century option. I’d rather ride a bit longer when it’s a mainly flat ride. Will skip this year.

[culimerc]

I’ve done this ride a couple of times. There was one year where they took us through a road that was in DESPERATE need of repaving, but that was the worst thing. Really a great ride overall and Oxen Hill Bike Club run some of the better supported rides in the area. Their “Indian Head 100” in the fall is lots of fun too.

[consularrider]

Ok, it’s the afternoon before the ride and I am still on the fence about this one. Taking a look at the satellite view of the ride start area, it’s not clear what they do for car parking, use fields? Google maps wasn’t willing to recommend cycling directions from Arlington.

[Megabeth]

From the pics on their facebook page, it does look like parking is in a field…

[JimF22003]

Parking wasn’t a problem, that I recall. They did have signs you should follow to come in from the back way.

[consularrider]

Saw PeteD, Rod Smith, and Megabeth at the ride.

[Rod Smith]

Nice to see you Chris. I think I saw Megabeth hanging out around the registration tables. I think I know what she looks like. But I wasn’t sure. I could have asked but instead I just stared at her.

I was riding to the start, almost there when I made a last minute decision to go left on Croom Airport Rd. I’d read there was a two mile dirt road on the 13 mile route that I kinda wanted to check out. I figured I could ride that road on the way to the start. I stopped at the first rest stop for directions. I liked that road so much I rode it again after registering for the ride. It was challenging and I think I saw evidence of a fall in the deep sand that almost caused me to crash too.

On the return, I found two lost 61mi riders at the end of Croom Airport Rd, the bottom of a big hill. I explained where they were and we rode together up the hill. I pointed to the turn they missed but I’d already been to that rest stop so I kept going straight. I saw them a couple more times on the course and they were real friendly towards me because I’d helped them regain the route.

From there I followed the route with two side trips to pick up two of the sections I’d missed by riding straight to the first rest stop. I actually never rode the first two miles of the route until after the hotdogs and watermelon. The most exciting downhill and the steepest climb are on this part of the ride. So I rode everything eventually, all mixed up but in the right direction, except for about 1200ft of Croom Rd. between Mattiponi and Molly Berry Rds. This routing wasn’t the best idea but it worked out OK. Next year, I’ll use the dirt road to get there, but I’ll ride the route in the correct way.

[Megabeth]

Ha! Now that I think of it, I think I stared right back at you! I was wearing my WABA jersey yesterday.

It’s a nice ride. Well supported and the club volunteers were all nice and friendly. We started late b/c my friend was at the registration table so we were in the tail end of the 61 mile group. The tomato sandwich stop ran out of tomato sandwiches but the PB&J’s were divine. But, I had a tomato sandwich at the end and I can now see what all the fuss is about.

Beautiful riding and the rest stops were along the water so there were nice vistas down (and up) from them. I’d call the ride a combo of rollers and extended flat sections. Something for everyone.

No problems with parking, they did a fantastic job of directing people in and making use of the fields. The nature center is located in a beautiful spot. I’ll probably do this ride again next year and start a little earlier…

[Rootchopper]

I did this ride several years ago and kept the cue sheet. I found the cue sheet yesterday morning and drove over, not realizing that it was the day of this year’s ride. I started at 11. So if you saw a guy in an orange shirt on a long black recumbent that was me. Here’re are my impressions of the day (not including how my old cue sheet took me down a road that was closed for a bridge rebuild
http://rootchopper.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/big-nellie-naked
Also, did any of you hear rifles shots in the woods during the ride. It was near the road closure and totally freaked me out.

[KLizotte]

Funny writeup Rootchopper.

[Rod Smith]

Ah yes, the WABA jersey. As I was riding away I thought “Say, doesn’t she hang out with Mark Blacknell from WABA? That might have been a clue right there!” Haha.

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