Potomac Pedalers Back Roads Century

[consularrider]

I actually have really enjoyed the four times I have ridden the PPTC Back Roads Century and found the actual event well organized, I just didn’t like the tone of the emails they send each year, and what I considered bad advice (riding two abreast is legal most of the time, and riding in a position that allows a car to pass without changing lanes can easily get you killed). I have been a PPTC member for seven years now and did a few of their rides when we first moved back to the area in 2007. Since then I have found other groups which match my riding style better so I do only two or three a year now (including the Back Roads and Hains Point New Years).

[Raymo853]

@sethpo 94241 wrote:

New plan:

1) Run stop sign (safely)
2) Not have ID
3) Get arrested by idiot sheriff
4) Sue sheriff for various civil rights violations
5) Use proceeds to pay for ticket and buy new bike

1. Have the sheriff break your jaw for telling him your plan
2. Sue and get a huge payout that almost covers your medical bills and rehab
3. See the sheriff get away with just having to quit and then become a consultant back to the next sheriff
4. Learn it is better to be happy than right

Sorry but you can not expect for cops on the sheriff to know nor follow the law. And you put yourself in great risk of physical harm by crossing paths with them in a confrontational manner.

[Steve O]

@Raymo853 94279 wrote:

1. Have the sheriff break your jaw for telling him your plan
2. Sue and get a huge payout that almost covers your medical bills and rehab
3. See the sheriff get away with just having to quit and then become a consultant back to the next sheriff
4. Learn it is better to be happy than right

Sorry but you can not expect for cops on the sheriff to know nor follow the law. And you put yourself in great risk of physical harm by crossing paths with them in a confrontational manner.

I love this country!

[Raymo853]

@Steve O 94282 wrote:

I love this country!

We still enjoy more freedoms than the far majority of people alive today or alive at any time in the past.

[Subby]

Did the ride, got the t-shirt, ate the steak burrito at the end. And the tomato sandwich and salted steamed potato in the middle.

Pretty much the PERFECT day for riding a century on country backroads. Seriously. I could not have asked for better. Clarke County police officers were out and about and to my untrained eye, it saw at least two cyclists getting tickets (one for sure). Interestingly, the stupid mouthbreather that buzzed me at about 45 mph did NOT get a ticket. HMMMM.

Anyway, the first half of the ride (in West Virginia) was breathtaking. The second half was pretty incredible, too, although Clark and Warren Counties seemed a little more trafficy this year. The best pitstop ever award goes to the one at mile 78 – tomato sandwiches, bluegrass band, bikenetic work tent. Could have stayed there for a while.

Anyway, I would give the ride a solid A.

[dasgeh]

@Subby 95035 wrote:

Pretty much the PERFECT day for riding a century on country backroads. Seriously. I could not have asked for better. Clarke County police officers were out and about and to my untrained eye, it saw at least two cyclists getting tickets (one for sure). Interestingly, the stupid mouthbreather that buzzed me at about 45 mph did NOT get a ticket. HMMMM.

You could always write the police and organizers thanking them for the wonderful ride, but pointing out the dangerous situation caused by that motorist and asking them to perhaps enforce Virginia’s new 3-foot passing law…

[mvk20]

@dasgeh 95036 wrote:

You could always write the police and organizers thanking them for the wonderful ride, but pointing out the dangerous situation caused by that motorist and asking them to perhaps enforce Virginia’s new 3-foot passing law…

I had a great ride, but it was not thanks to Clarke County “law enforcement”. I use quotation marks because their enforcement was selective at best. I was signed up for one of the group rides (which went out way, way too fast, dropped almost the entire group, and threatened to end my day prematurely). Our ride began with the Clarke County sheriff delivering a menacing message that we would be ticketed for anything and everything we did wrong, and even for a few things that aren’t always wrong, like riding double file. He informed us that people had places to go in their cars that day and not to hold them up. No welcome to Clarke County, no have a nice ride, and certainly no we’ll try to keep the roads safe for you.

I saw police hiding at about one of every four stop signs. I saw four cyclists given tickets for slowing to an absolute crawl (1-2 mph) but not coming to a complete stop. I heard reports of many more of these at rest stops. I’d be willing to bet there were no 3ft passing tickets given that day, nor many if any speeding tickets considering the vast majority of their officers were hiding at stop signs.

Yes, I saw a few GU wrappers on 100 miles of road. Maybe 10. For over 2000 cyclists, that’s not bad. I guarantee I saw 10 beer cans (most likely not from cyclists) for every GU wrapper. I saw nothing else other than a bunch of cyclists respectfully enjoying a beautiful day out on the roads.

It’s beautiful country out there, and it’s a nice ride. At the same time, I wonder if maybe that ride has run its course. I didn’t feel welcome at all, and that’s really a shame.

[Subby]

@mvk20 95041 wrote:

Yes, I saw a few GU wrappers on 100 miles of road. Maybe 10. For over 2000 cyclists, that’s not bad. I guarantee I saw 10 beer cans (most likely not from cyclists) for every GU wrapper.

Heh.

Clarke County was definitely not all that welcoming, but in my limited non-scientific subjective sample size it felt like WV drivers were super-cautious and respectful. No honks in WV vs. 3 in VA.

[sethpo]

@mvk20 95041 wrote:

It’s beautiful country out there, and it’s a nice ride. At the same time, I wonder if maybe that ride has run its course. I didn’t feel welcome at all, and that’s really a shame.

I’m with you. I won’t be doing this ride again.

The course was very lovely, but honestly it wasn’t *that* special compared to the rides I’ve done in Northern Maryland and no tomato sandwich is going to make up for the awful situation with selective police enforcement.

I’m also going to whine for a second about very long lines for water at several stops. I appreciate the effort that must go into organizing something like this and the volunteers are amazing human beings…but I get grumpy waiting 10-15 minutes to fill water bottles. That’s me. Grumpy.

[dasgeh]

@mvk20 95041 wrote:

It’s beautiful country out there, and it’s a nice ride. At the same time, I wonder if maybe that ride has run its course. I didn’t feel welcome at all, and that’s really a shame.

I take it back: I kindly worded letter to Clarke County politicians about how you will no longer be visiting and spending money in their beautiful county might be in order. What a shame.

[sjclaeys]

Overall, I had a great day riding the Back Roads Century. The weather was perfect and the scenery continues to be awesome. I purposely did not listen to the sheriff’s speech, knowing that it would put me in a bad mood. Yes, there were deputies hiding at various stops signs, including the first stop sign on the century route, and they were handing out tickets. This included ticketing where the route crossed Rt. 50 and a deputy told me while passing in the opposite direction to stop at the stop sign, which would have not allowed me to see traffic in either direction. On the other hand, I heard reports of several motorists getting ticketed in downtown Berryville for not coming to a complete stop. I agree that the ride has gotten too big for PPTC to handle. The lines to just get water and the diminishing selection of food each year attest to that. However, my sense is that PPTC leadership is not too open to any criticism, constructive or otherwise. I think that it is because very few PPTC members volunteer to help run the organization, so those left to do so feel put out. Regarding the good citizens of Clarke County, while I understand the inconvenience of sharing the roads with a bike ride one Sunday a year, I am frankly getting tired of sharing the roads of Arlington County with them every work day as they commute to and from DC.

[Rootchopper]

I only saw a couple of goo packets and much more trash that clearly was flung from cars. Local law enforcement was obnoxious (I saw four couples getting ticketed or talked to). The century course is absolutely fantastic, even for a plodder like me.

Two thoughts come to mind about Clarke County. Does the county get anything out of the ride other than a lot of people getting delayed going to their important Sunday morning business? You’d think the fact that this happens only once a year would make the locals a little more tolerant and welcoming.

The sheriff could have been much more helpful if he directed traffic rather than jumping out and playing “Gotcha!” Was he ever asked if he would be willing to be paid for directing traffic? I was buzzed by countless cars during the event. Clearly the 3 foot law is not enforced in Clarke County. Not to get personal, but the sheriff looked like something out of central casting.

Other than a couple of smiles from kids, everybody I saw not riding a bike in Clarke County looked miserable. This was not true of Jefferson County.

Often communities welcome big cycling events like Seagull or Bike Virginia. Does anybody in Clarke County want this event? If so, why aren’t they speaking up?

[mvk20]

@Rootchopper 95053 wrote:

Two thoughts come to mind about Clarke County. Does the county get anything out of the ride other than a lot of people getting delayed going to their important Sunday morning business? You’d think the fact that this happens only once a year would make the locals a little more tolerant and welcoming.

Other than a couple of smiles from kids, everybody I saw not riding a bike in Clarke County looked miserable. This was not true of Jefferson County.

Often communities welcome big cycling events like Seagull or Bike Virginia. Does anybody in Clarke County want this event? If so, why aren’t they speaking up?

Some great points here. What does the county get out of the ride? I paid my registration fee, bought the shirt and jersey, and unless I’m mistaken that’s the sum total of the money I spent on the event. Did any of that money go to the county or to any businesses in the county? If so, why are they so surly about it? If not, maybe that’s something that should be considered – having it be a bit more of a cash cow to the area. I for one would be perfectly willing to pay an extra $20 registration that went to local businesses providing stuff for the ride, especially if it made the ride a big party for the county rather than something they seem to wish would go away.

Agreed that things seemed perceptibly better in Jefferson County. I certainly did not see law enforcement harassing cyclists that weren’t doing anyone any harm, or hiding out in the hopes of doing so.

This was my first cycling event. I’m proud of myself for completing it, but I have to say the open hostility towards the event leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’d love to hear about events that are more welcoming and give one of those a try!

[americancyclo]

@mvk20 95059 wrote:

I for one would be perfectly willing to pay an extra $20 registration that went to local businesses providing stuff for the ride, especially if it made the ride a big party for the county rather than something they seem to wish would go away.

I would think that any business that wanted to support cyclists with a table, in kind donations, or sponsoring a water stop would make all their money back from all the cyclists, since they could be known as “The Only Best Bicycle Friendly Business in Clarke County”

[TwoWheelsDC]

You all should come do the Tour of Richmond next year instead (or this year, it’s in two weeks)…police actually stop traffic at intersections to let bikes ride through unimpeded, and the lead group (which is like Cat 1 pace) gets a police escort the whole way. And you get to ride your bike on a NASCAR track!

[Author]

Posts