White's Ferry - peaceonabike

September 16, 2020September 16, 2020

Brunswick Doublecross

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA

What a beautiful day. I had mapped out a 55-mile ride and loaded it on my Wahoo. Truth was, I didn’t need a map because except for a two-mile stretch of Va. Rte. 267 (Berlin Turnpike) from Lovettsville to Brunswick, Md., I have ridden all these roads before.

Well, not all roads. Twenty miles would be on the C&O Canal Towpath. Yes, on my Domane (road bike). I was comfortable riding the canal because six days ago I met my sister, Betsy, and her husband, Tom, plus friend, George, as they were doing a through-trip from Pittsburgh to D.C.

Betsy had texted me and said “They’ve resurfaced at least this part of the canal! .. no puddles, no roots, no rocks.”

When I met the crew last week, I had just ridden through a steady rain. Although it had quit raining when I met them, that led to a discussion about the surface. Between Point of Rocks and Whites Ferry, it is generally hard-packed. With the rain it looked, and rode, like asphalt.

When I mapped out this ride I thought about taking Md. Rte. 28 from Brunswick then connecting to Martinsburg Road and the familiar country roads I have ridden many times. These are the roads to and from Sugarloaf Mountain so they would be familiar territory.

But an alternative would be the C&O. The paved C&O. Well, so I thought.

It was a chilly late-summer morning. Just 55° (13° C) at the start. My cold-weather gear consisted of arm warmers. And that’s it.

I followed the W&OD to Purcellville then took Hillsboro Road over to Hillsboro. There were ZERO cars behind me today. There’s a major construction project in Hillsboro with a detour around the quaint town, and cyclists benefit by the detour.

From Hillsboro to Lovvettsville I followed Mountain Road. It was absolutely beautiful. I had mapped out an alternative for bypassing Lovettsville but that did not work out. I have to go back to the drawing board but I was comfortable staying on the roads I knew.

Actually, the drawing board is confused. Checking what I had mapped out and downloaded, what Wahoo was showing today was not the same. In Purcellville, it was supposed to route me onto Chestnut Overlook Drive but did not show that. Then on Mountain Road, it told me to go straight about 200 meters, do a U-Turn, and then turn on Brittain Road. And that was gravel so I ignored it. But it looks like I had mapped an alternative for bypassing Lovettsville but that never showed up either. Don’t make me lose trust in my Wahoo.

Horine Bldg (1910). The man is Dr. Arlington Grove Horine (1863-1956) owner of Horine’s Drug Store and Soda Fountain Shop. He was a surgeon with the B&O Railroad (1891-1903) and Brunswick’s mayor (1906-1914).

I jumped on the Berlin Turnpike (just the name of the road, it’s not really a turnpike). I came to a construction area and stop where the flagman held up a stop sign. We chatted briefly. He told me I was flying up the hill before I reached him. That was a nice compliment.

It wasn’t long to the bridge into Maryland and over the Potomac River to Brunswick. In Brunswick, I looked for Mommer’s Dinner, a quaint little restaurant where Andrew and I ate back in 2001. I did not see it and would learn that it closed. I can’t determine if it was this year or just some time in the last 19 years.

Crossing the B&O tracks, I came to the access road for the C&O Canal. And it was crap. I was expecting paved and this was a gravel road with many potholes. It was horrible.

Thankfully, it would last one mile, just to the entrance of the Brunswick Family Campground. And it was 19 years ago that Andrew and I camped one night here. We thought we found a great campground only to be woken up too early by the trains just 50 meters away through the trees.

But the canal path became much improved here. I could see, without the rain, that this was definitely a crushed limestone surface. Except for one detour around a bridge that was out, it would be 19 miles of glorious crushed limestone. Along the way, I passed many cyclists. All were much slower than me. Every time I looked my speed was 17-20 mph. Not bad on this surface.

Point of Rocks, Md. US Rte 15 connects Loudoun Co. Va. with Frederick Co., Md.

There was one guy I caught and surprised. He was probably around 40 years old. He had mountain bike tires but was making great progress – probably 15-16 mph. I called out “on your left” which surprised him. He looked back, a little surprised, probably thinking he was the fastest rider on the canal today. But I was on a road bike and he had fat tires. If we switched machines he would be way faster, I’m sure.

One week ago I was in a steady rain crossing the Potomac by ferry. Today was a gorgeous day. I arrived as the ferry was arriving from the Virginia side. I never stepped off the bike although I had to put a foot down for 4-5 minutes.

Leaving the ferry my legs felt good. There is a ramp here which is probably 15%. Almost always the lactic acid hits me here and I can barely pedal. Today I noticed no lactic. And although I was riding into a strong headwind and had 50 miles in my legs, I saw my time on this Strava segment was coming down. I would set a new PR. And I sort of smashed it.

It was a beautiful day. This is a ride I would love to do with friends. It can be done with road bikes. The canal section isn’t bad except for one mile in Brunswick but that shouldn’t be enough to discourage one from this ride.

I sort of smashed my PR. It is good for #1 overall for my age group but just 67th total (out of 2691)

Distance: 55.0 miles
Average Speed: 16.3 mph
Weight: 181

August 9, 2020November 19, 2020

A Most Satisfying Ride

POOLESVILLE, MARYLAND

Until November 2019, I was running the Garmin 510 bike computer which was not one of the newer ones capable of live Strava segments. I bought the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and slowly made a transition to running the Wahoo.

There was a learning curve for advanced features although the basic stuff of speed, time, and distance, were ready immediately. I rode through spring and then in late spring, upgraded to a paid subscription for Strava.

Before subscribing, I would check known segments after each ride. Sometimes I would set a new PR (personal record). Usually not. Nowhere was this more evident than in the summer of 2019 when I was chasing a segment in Prince William Forest Park.

Each day I would go to the segment and go full out for 45-50 seconds. Sometimes I thought it felt good. Other times I knew I didn’t have it. Then one day I got home and uploaded my ride and found I had the KOM.

Live Strava Segments are just that. As I approach a segment I am notified. Then the big GO! appears on my screen. Throughout the segment, I can see my progress.

Looking back on those Prince William Forest Park segments, I always went as hard as I could. So seeing that I was one second down may not have been enough to find that one second. But when I’m on the 3-5 or 10-minute segments, one can find the energy to push it a little harder to match the last time when you are getting feedback.

Live Segments have changed the way I ride. I do a lot of LSD (Long, Slow, Distance) rides. I also know that interval training is necessary to improve. Live Segments give me those intervals that require me to go hard.

Nowhere was that better shown than today’s ferry ride. The W&OD was crowded but I came to the Kincaid Climb just before Leesburg. I was worried about getting a good time here because there was a slight headwind and there were lots of people. If I had to slow while waiting to pass I knew I was toast. But bad luck avoided me and my computer said 1:38 which was down from my previous PR of 1:55. My actual Strava time was 1:39.

Without Live Segments, this is one I would normally just roll through with no effort. In fact, my last ten rides, before today, were: 2:27, 2:17, 2:43, 2:28, 1:55 (old PR), 2:18, 2:24, 2:31, 2:44, and 2:23. I went hard and was rewarded. It’s not great – I am 33rd overall but that’s out of 16,292 athletes. So in that regard, this old cyclist is in the top 99% – 99.8% to be exact. And I am number one in my age group.

I even hesitated to go for a PR on Kincaid. Part of me wanted to save myself for the next climb. And that, too, is the beauty of Live Segments. Had I seen that I was down even 5-6 seconds I probably would have just sat up and soft-pedaled to the end.

I was expecting to compete for four segments today. The ones that show on my Wahoo are the ones that I have selected (starred). I was on the shoulder of US 15 North when I got the GO for Sprint to the SHIP and don’t get TRUCKED. Instant feedback – I went through in 2:01, lowering my time from 2:12 three weeks ago. My Strava time was actually 2:02. But I was two for two. I was on a roll.

I came today to improve my time on the climb after leaving Whites Ferry. Three weeks ago I did this climb and had a PR (9:17). I waited at the top for my friend, Tim Casebere, at what I thought would be the “finish” line. I was actually short of the finish which was located over the top of the climb and about halfway down the next dip in the road.

When I got home I saw that I was second on the day – beaten only by Tim by three seconds. I laughed. I guess the clock was ticking while I waited. So I knew that if I simply didn’t stop at the top today I would improve my time on Climb Outta Whites Ferry. I went hard, saw that I was 45 seconds up, and then saw the PR on the screen (7:25). Wow! Almost two minutes. Note the “official” Strava time was 7:26 – I’ll still take it.

I was happy. I was riding well and I headed next over towards Edwards Ferry then back into Poolesville. There was one segment remaining, that I knew of. It was a climb on Martinsburg Road. And I was three for three and drenched with sweat. And it felt great.

I made my way over to Beallsville and decided if Rt 28 was closed five miles ahead (there was a bridge out at the Monocacy River two weeks earlier when I rode it) that I would take the road which now would be less traveled. It was closed ahead and as I hoped, I had no traffic for the next two and 1/4 miles to the turn onto Martinsburg Road.

Immediately I was smacked in the face with a GO! I was on Power Station Hill Sprint. I could see it wasn’t long and went through in 0:39 – down from my previous best, 1:07. (Actual Strava time was 0:38). I was four for four.

I turned on the beautiful concrete Martinsburg Road and again, GO! I got into a big gear and watched my advantage over my PR increase. I went through the Concert Grind up to Wasche Rd. in 2:28, lowering my PR from 3:14. (Actual time was 2:27.). I was five for five and knew at least one more segment remained.

The reason it was one more is that three weeks ago the Martinsburg Rd Spring Climb popped up while I was riding with Tim. My PR was 1:01 that day and I knew it was ahead. But would I have anything left after going five for five in previous segments?

These Live Strava segments have been wonderful but not perfect. Some that I have starred and are supposed to show up on my Wahoo, haven’t. And I had starred some segments before today and they did not show up as race segments. Yet. So I knew one remained but thought there could be more.

I hit the downhill portion of Martinsburg Road pretty hard then started up the climb. Then came the GO! and I dug deep. I finished in 0:45 which surprised me. And now I was six for six.

It was a good workout and I was prepared for more segments. I didn’t know how much more I could find if there were more segments to pop up. But that would be it.

Without Live Segments, I probably would have ridden “medium-hard.” But I never would have dug deep for six segments on this ride. I can’t see not being a premium member of Strava simply for this benefit. It has changed my riding for the better.

In the end, I had 17 PRs on this ride. For some of those I wasn’t even aware of but I got them because I went hard on the segments. Because of Live Segments.

The Remaining PRs

Trailside School to Catoctin Circle (17:47)
N. Kind St. from North St. (2:16)
1/2 Sprint to the Ferry (3:37)*
Jerusalem to Darnestown (6:46)
109 to Dickerson on 28 (6:34)
Martinsburg Road (11:56)
ElmerSchoolRd2 – Whites Ferry (6:38)*
Run to Whites Ferry (3:36)*
Whites Ferry Last Sprint (2:37)
Come to Think of it I Did Just Get Off the Ferry (5:58)
Belmont Ride to Clairborne Bridge (2:49)**

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*These are starred segments in Strava but did not show up on my Wahoo to race. But I still did OK.

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**I didn’t know this segment existed but two dicks went flying by me at the light at Catoctin Circle. It was a red light that another cyclist and I was waiting for. Just as it turned white (for pedestrians and cyclists), they had a head of steam and went flying by us dangerously close. I thought what dicks but then I caught them. I wanted to follow but they passed a couple of people dangerously close. When it was finally clear, I went by never to look back at them. I kept my speed up simply to get away from them. No one likes to ride near dicks.

Miles: 43
Average Speed: 16.5 mph
Weight: 194

November 27, 2016February 14, 2017

Sunday Morning

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA

Car problems led me to drive to Purcellville to meet Andrew who was in Pittsburgh. I did not plan to bike home simply because it was very cold in the morning with ice on the roads.

As it warmed up I decided it would have been a good day but I wasn’t prepared, either nutritiously or mentally. Nor did I have the clothing I needed for four plus hours on the bike in the cold.

Instead, I decided I would ride to Leesburg, spin a little on the W&OD, and Andrew could pick me up once he got to the car.

I tried to avoid Rte 9 as much as I could and decided not to take Hillsboro Road over to Purcellville. Instead I would ride to Round Hill but still have the sketchy portion of Business Rte 7 to Purcelleville to contend with. There is no perfect way to Purcellville but this trading one mile of Rte 9 for one mile of Rte 7 seemed like a fair deal.

At Purcellville I found my old friend, the W&OD. At Hamilton I jumped off the trail and onto the road before coming back at Clarks Gap. When I reached Leesburg I went exploring.

I turned on Catoctin Circle to see where it would lead. It lead me to a back entrance to Movern Park. I knew the main entrance was off U.S. 15 so I went through the park. The roads weren’t in great shape, potted and dirt, but no traffic.

It was easy from here to ride to Whites Ferry. I passed the stately home that overlooks the Potomac and saw it was For Sale. I guess $3.0 million but it’s a bargain at $2.4 million. Buying it now.

Back in Leesburg I jumped on the trail until I heard from Andrew. I then returned to Leesburg and picked up U.S. 15 South and told him simply to look for me. My cell phone died so I figured we had one chance to get it right. We did.

It was a nice ride on a Sunday morning. A beautiful Fall morning.

August 4, 2016October 9, 2016

White’s Ferry Loop

RESTON, VIRGINIA

The White’s Ferry is a classic loop ride in the D.C. area. At least I’m calling it a classic. It was a beautiful morning and I was “wheels down” before 7:30 a.m. in Reston. I took the W&OD trail to the Custis Trail and stopped at the Marriott Key Bridge in Rosslyn.

I joined up with Laura Drake, a 26 year-old ultra marathoner (think 100 mile runs) for the loop ride. Her boss at Revolution Cycles was supposed to join us but apparently treasured sleep more than miles. However, Laura said he might try to catch up to us.

We headed across the Key Bridge into Georgetown then up McArthur Boulevard and River Road through northwest D.C. into Potomac, Md. River Road wasn’t bad but it’s a moderately to heavily traveled road. There is a bike lane which comes and goes and the traffic was a bit angry. Damn cyclists for being in their exclusive neighborhood.

Out past Seneca traffic thins out a bit eventually becoming a back county road. Hard to believe this was still Montgomery Co. We followed Edwards Ferry Road to Whites Ferry Road to Whites Ferry. My mind wondered if Edwards and White were major competitors back in the day and hated each other. In any case, White won because his is the only ferry still standing.

C&O Canal at White's Ferry — C&O Canal at White’s Ferry

We stopped at White’s Ferry for a quick lunch in their cafe. We met a guy on a hybrid just getting back into riding. I know we were both thinking he probably needs to upgrade his bike but were just glad he’s reconnecting. We had a nice conversation before he headed down the towpath and we crossed the river.

White's Ferry, Maryland side — White’s Ferry, Maryland side

This was Laura’s first time crossing, her first look actually, at the Ferry. I couldn’t tell if she was overly excited or not. Two dollars for cyclists. We got to Leesburg and she suggested we ride to Purcellville for ice cream. With a dog at home, I did not budget time for a 100 mile ride and so we passed on the Purcellville extension.

White's Ferry, Maryland side, looking at Virginia — White’s Ferry, Maryland side, looking at Virginia

We picked up the W&OD and it was like meeting an old friend. We knew it well and rode it back to Reston. I bailed here, content with my 80 miles, and Laura went back to Arlington, and probably rode hill repeats later in the day.

It’s a nice loop. On a weekday (this was) I would be careful about ending up on the street portion (D.C. / Potomac) during rush hour. But, other than an angry driver or two jealous they had to work, this was a very good ride.