September 2008 - Spokes Magazine

Serving Cyclists in the Mid-Atlantic States SEPTEMBER 2008
FREE
Our
Olympian
IN THIS ISSUE [ BLOOD SWEAT & GEARS + YIN & YANG + IRON GIRL + CROSS SEASON + MORE ]

ON
COVER
THE
Bobby Lea, who learned to ride growing up in Maryland,
is the only Mid-Atlantic cyclist in the 2008 Olympics.
page 4
THERE’S A LARGE CARDBOARD BOX in our basement
that’s filled to the brim with maps I’ve collected my
entire life. They represent among my most valued
possessions, each one bringing back memories of an
adventure that mark milestones of my life.
Planning an adventure has always been one of my
truest pleasures, getting the best available map and
spending hours pouring over possible routes.
But this past weekend my life changed irrevocably.
While I’ve long used MapQuest and Google Earth to
locate the best route for car trips, I’ve been reluctant
to depend on them for bike rides…until now.
Planning a day trip from my home in Frederick to
my in-laws some 50 miles away in Winchester, Va., for
a picnic, I got on Google Maps and clicked on the
choice you have “car” or “walking.” I figured any walking
route would more than suffice for a bike ride.
Well, let me tell you, despite the only available option
of crossing the Potomac River over the heavily trafficked
Route 340, the route was wonderful, through
quiet neighborhoods and seldom used byways. At
one point I even bailed on a fellow cyclist I picked
up along the way, to follow Google’s bypass through a
quiet little town I’d never heard of before. The cyclist
I’d left remained on the higher speed roadway and
missed a wonderful opportunity to see a bit of country
Americana.
Earlier this year, I got a new car with built in GPS,
and route planning, and I’ve got to admit there are
few maps in my doorside pocket. There’s really little
or no need for maps.
I’m not sure how I feel about this development,
because the warm feelings I’ve always gotten from
plotting and planning an adventure. But I have to tell
you, more and more of my riding buddies are telling
me about their new GPS receivers, and how they can
now tell how much elevation gain they achieve on a
ride. That’s something I could never do before.
Ugh oh! Sounds like I won’t be heading down into
the basement to dig out maps much more if I get my
hands on one of those cool new GPS toys. I’m not
sure how I feel about that, but I must fess up, it was
nice spending more of my limited time riding than
worrying for hours about how to best get somewhere
without the traffic.
Happy trails,
Neil Sandler
Editor & Publisher
Touring • Racing • Off-Road
Recreation • Triathlon • Commuting
SPOKES is published monthly eight times a year — monthly March
through September, plus one winter issue. It is available free of charge at
most area bicycle stores, fitness centers and related sporting establishments
throughout Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and parts
of Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.
Circulation: 30,000. Copyright© 2008 SPOKES.
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SEPTEMBER 2008
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Neil W. Sandler
CALENDAR EDITOR
Sonja P. Sandler
GRAPHIC DESIGN
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September 2008
3

Our
Olympian
by RON CASSIE
in disciplines ranging from road racing to mountain
biking, BMX and track. And although Bobby now lives
near the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown,
Pa., he’s the only cyclist who competed in the China
Games hailing from mid-Atlantic region.
A track specialist, Lea competed in the single-points
race and the Madison two-person team event, nailing
down a spot on the U.S. squad in mid-June after a
dramatic-pressure-filled time trial win in Los Angeles.
“The racing didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped,”
Lea said via e-mail from Beijing two days after he
and his Madison partner, former Penn State teammate
Mike Friedman, finished 16th. Tandems from
Argentina, Spain and Russia went one, two and three
in the event.
“The Madison - is was what it was - it was ok for the
first half and then we ran into trouble,” Lea said. “We
just wish we could have not lost that last lap. But I
just tell myself that even though we were last - it was a
final - no heats so the system culls the countries (best
cyclists) pre games, so just being here was great.”
Three days before the Madison race, Lea grabbed
an early lead in the points race, but couldn’t hold
on. Ultimately, he dropped out. Spanish cyclist Joan
Llaneras won the men’s track points race, followed by
German rider Roger Kluge and Great Britain cyclist
Chris Newton.
“I went for broke - got the big early lap and big
points, but the last two months were not ideal for
training for lots of reasons,” Lea said. “So my fitness
was not where it should have been so I could not hold
it and blew up. But it was still an incredible experience
competing at the Olympics,” he continued. “My
goal was always to make the team, and I did that. So
in reality anything else is a bonus.”
Forty-four years ago, Bobby’s father went to the Tokyo
Olympic Games as an alternate oarsman on the U.S.
team. When his 6-foot 2-inch, 170-pound son captured
the four-man U.S. time trial competition in Los
Angeles on Father’s Day to earn a spot on the squad,
his dad said it was more thrilling to watch Bobby
make the team, realizing that he soon would be competing
in Beijing, than if he’d gotten the chance to
do so himself.
“Well, you know I get to go again and experience it
vicariously in a way that I never did in 1964,” Robert
Lea said. “It’s hard to believe when you’re young that
ON AUGUST 8, IN TANEYTOWN, MD., doctor Robert
Lea happened to be between patients when the phone
rang with an unexpected call from his son in Beijing.
“I saw this odd-looking phone number pop up, and I
thought I should answer it,” he told SPOKES. “It was
Bobby calling from the middle of the stadium at the
Opening Ceremonies. I was hearing the most amazing
cheering ever as the Chinese were introduced. It was
just fantastic.”
Cyclist Bobby Lea, 24, grew up in the small Eastern
Shore town of Easton, Md., and graduated from
high school there before his family moved to Carroll
County in the central part of Maryland just below the
Pennsylvania line.
Bobby, who later graduated from Penn State, won’t
bring home the gold, silver or bronze from Beijing; however,
qualifying and competing for United States in the
Olympics was already more than a dream come true.
Bobby had followed “and surpassed” the footsteps of
his dad, a former Olympic team alternate oarsman,
on the way to China. Only 24 men and women athletes
qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic cycling team
4 September 2008

you could go live it through someone else, but it’s
really true. And it’s better.”
Both Bobby’s mother, Tracy, and Robert, remain competitive
cyclists, winning numerous national master
championships between them.
Tracy Lea competed on the national circuit, and internationally
as well, in the mid- and late-1970s. Both still
ride and train six days a week throughout Carroll and
Frederick counties.
“Sometimes Bobby humors us and comes and joins
for a ‘slow’ ride,” the Olympian’s father said. On steep
velodrome tracks, cyclists can hit top speeds of 40
miles per hour, making races exciting and dangerous.
Unlike swimming, gamesmanship, strategy and luck
often determine the winner on any given day.
Lea said his son’s best medal hopes were probably
in the 40 K Madison, where Bobby was paired with
Friedman, his longtime buddy, dating back to his first
days racing as a teenager at Trexlertown.
Even if Bobby had beaten the odds and won a spot
on the podium in the highly competitive cycling
events, he actually still would not have been the first
Lea to earn an Olympic medal. Younger brother Syd,
a member of the grounds crew at Mount St. Mary’s,
won two cycling gold medals last year in China at the
Special Olympics. Syd was also competing at World
Cup events this month in Vienna, Austria, where his
parents visited him on their trip overseas.
Robert and Tracy Lea left just days before the Aug.
16 men’s points race to meet Bobby Lea and his fiancee
at the games in China. His parents waited until
the last minute to make travel arrangements “out of
superstition.”
“People asked what we were going to do, if we were
going to go to China, but I said, ‘I’m not talking
about that’,” Tracy Lea told SPOKES.
“I’m not jinxing it,” his mom told friends and family
in the days and weeks leading up to the qualifying
time trials. “He called with the good news June 16,
and on June 17 I was scrambling looking for accommodations.”
They found a room right near the track
and Fuji bicycles arranged to supply everyone with
bicycles during their stay. They planned to remain in
Beijing for a week after the competition to tour the
countryside.
Tracy said via e-mail from Beijing just a day after
Bobby’s second race that the family was having a great
time exploring the city by bicycle.
“The riding here is a bit wild,” she said, “there are
bike lanes on all roads, but the intersections are wild.”
Tracy explained that right turns at red lights are
legal in Beijing, but “no is no stopping on ‘right on
red.’” Her rule, she said, is always “to keep a Beijinger
between me and the cars as the first line of defense.”
She added that the Olympic organization has been
“amazing” and volunteers are everywhere willing to
help out. “The people here are really welcoming and
it is great to see a clean city,” she said.
Tracy said making the team has been Bobby’s dream
and that “as a parent seeing your son achieve his goal
is fantastic.”
However, for many first-time Olympians, she noted,
the emotion of being here can be overwhelming and
most need the next round for results.
Bobby is already planning for London, she said, and
the family has already talked about what he would do
differently to go for “the big results.”
One key, they believe, is not staying at the Olympic
Village the whole time and planning on the real preevent
training away from the main venue. Also, Tracy
said, they’d like to figure out how to make the team
with minimal federation politics and, possibly, hire
a personal coach to further reduce pre-Olympic stress.
Bobby’s introduction to Velodrome cycling began
almost as soon as he was born. Robert and Tracy
started taking him regularly to Trexlertown, Pa., for
the spring and summer seasons at the Lehigh Valley
Velodrome for their own races and never stopped all
the way through high school.
He took second in his first race at the national championships
for the 13- to 14-year-old age group and
kept progressing in both road and track disciplines.
“I thought that was pretty good,” his dad said. “When
he came back and won the 500-meter time trial after
that, I thought, yeah, maybe he would make the
Olympics some day.”
Bobby went on to win 30 collegiate national titles on
the road and in various individual and team track
events. He’s been competing professionally on the
road with various U.S.-based pro cycling teams and
has captured eight more national titles on the track,
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In 2007, Bobby also underwent successful surgery to
correct artery problems in his groin area, an issue
actually diagnosed by his mother, who suffered similar
issues as a young rider. He recovered and has since
won a World Cup silver medal in the Madison, while
paired with Colby Pearce, in Copenhagen in 2007.
“I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be successful
at the Olympics and now I am ready to go to London
and win a medal,” Bobby told SPOKES.
That is the Olympic spirit.
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September 2008
5

D.C. WELCOMES NEW PRO RACE
SEPTEMBER 21
The inaugural running of the ING Direct Capital Criterium
powered by CycleLife will be held September 21 on the streets
of Washington, D.C. Sponsors say top road racing pros from
around the world, including riders that raced in this year’s Tour
de France and Olympic Games are expected to participate.
The finishing straight of the race will end along Pennsylvania
Avenue, framed by the US Capitol in the background and D.C.
City Hall in the foreground.
“The heart of the District of Columbia is the perfect place to
stage a high profile professional race,” said race director Mark
Sommers. “The city administration and surrounding community
have been extremely supportive and have embraced the event
with tremendous anticipation and excitement. We look forward
to putting on a marquee event that becomes one of the nation’s
leading cycling races, as well as an annual happening that the
entire metropolitan region can enjoy.”
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, an avid cyclist and triathlete, said “Two
of my passions are this great city and the sport of cycling. I’m
absolutely thrilled to have both come together on such a grand
scale. Cycling is one activity that helps promotes a cleaner and
greener D.C. and has the great benefit of promoting a healthier
lifestyle to those who participate. These are things that all cities
can get behind and I’m proud that our City is leading the way.”
The event also coincides with the fall grand opening of race
sponsor CycleLife, a state-of-the-art urban cycling club located
at 3225 K Street, NW in Georgetown.
“It is a pleasure to partner with Mayor Fenty and ING Direct on
this exciting race,” said Michael Sanchez, CEO of CycleLife. “We
could not think of a better city to launch CycleLife. Thanks to
the Mayor’s leadership, Washington D.C. has the best to offer
when it comes down to commuter cycling and bike-friendly
paths. Our plan is for CycleLife to assist with this effort.”
Mayor Fenty's club DC Velo is organizing the race.
The event is organized and promoted by DC Velo, a local
cycling race organization. DC Velo has promoted many races
over the years, including the Grand Prix of Silver Spring race for
the past three years, which ran in the heart of revitalized downtown
area of Silver Spring.
The men’s professional race is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
and terminate around 1:30 p.m. Prior to the professional racers
category, there will be separate events promoting youth helmet
and cycling safety. The free children’s races begin at 10:15 a.m.
The first 300 children will receive free helmets and jerseys. The
two morning races include an age-graded race for category 1-4
racers 35+ and older beginning at 8 a.m. and an elite-amateur
race beginning at 9.
More information can be obtained from www.capitalcriterium.com
presents...
A Festival of Women’s Cycling
Sunday September 14, 2008
Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, MD
Join us for a full day of fun in celebration of women’s
cycling. Ride Baltimore’s scenic roads and then enjoy a
women’s-specific cycling expo, including fun activities,
informative exhibits and a cycling fashion show. The fully
supported rides are of varying lengths and are for women
only of all abilities. Trek will be on-site with their line of
women’s bikes for you to see.
Cost: $22 in advance (includes t-shirt, ride, lunch and expo); $30 day
of (does not include t-shirt)
Rides: Five spectacular routes through casual to challenging terrain
Pre-registration is suggested via www.active.com
or in-person at Joe’s Bike Shop at 5813 Falls Rd (410/323-2788)
for more info visit SheGotBike.com
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YIN & YANG:
Pennsylvania’s Blue March Lake
& Union Canal Trails
by TOM GIBSON
When I first moved north to Pennsylvania, I searched on the Internet for places to mountain
bike in my new home state. In one report, serious mountain bikers raved about a trail around
Blue Marsh Lake. After experiencing it, I can say it turned out to be all they claimed, and at
the same time, more…and less. Huh? Call it a diverse, contrasting experience — in simpler
terms, a yin and yang.
I found it hard to believe one body of water, innocent
little Tulpehocken Creek, could cause man to
fabricate two entities that would result in two such
vastly different mountain biking experiences. The
Blue Marsh Lake Trail is a mixture of single-track and
double-track trail that snakes up some of the steepest
grades you’ll find this side of Mt. Everest and undulates
with sharp, twisting turns.
On the other hand, I discovered when I looked on
the map of the lake an innocuous offering leading
off the map’s edge called the Union Canal Trail. This
is a towpath following the canal and serving up an
experience just the opposite of the lake trail -- a flat,
meandering tour through history. I would have to
experience both extremes.
It all centers around Blue Marsh Lake, six miles
upstream on Tulpehocken Creek from Reading,
Pennsylvania, northwest of the city. (Reading is
about two hours by car from the Baltimore beltway.)
Tulpehocken Creek flows into the Schuylkill River
in Reading.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed the lake
for the purposes of flood control, water supply, and
enhanced water quality for downstream communities
along the creek, with official dedication coming
in 1979. Recreation came as a byproduct. Formed by
a compacted earth-and-rock-fill dam near its eastern
end, the lake sports a swimming area with a beach,
picnic areas, and boat ramps.
The Corps of Engineers designed and built the trail
to increase the lake’s multi-use recreational opportunities,
with construction starting in 1980 and continuing
through 2002.
John Cave, chief ranger at Blue Marsh Lake, told
SPOKES that the project took the form of a work-inprogress.
Seasonal personnel and volunteer groups
such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and camping clubs did
most of the work. The Corps held a volunteer day every
year, and local people turned out to help with jobs such
as building bridges. They opened the trail in sections
with the 22-mile lower loop, which crossed the lake at
Church Road, coming first. The final eight miles were
completed in 2002 to form the northern loop, resulting
in the present 30-mile loop around the lake.
Easing into a new situation, I decided to try the Union
Canal Trail first. After driving to a parking lot at the
intersection of Palisades Drive and Rebers Bridge
Road about three miles from the lake, I started at the
trailhead there. The smooth gravel trail goes on a towpath,
once plied by mules in pulling barges, between
Tulpehocken Creek and the canal. Many people were
walking, some with strollers or dogs, and running.
I came to a set of locks made of stone and played with
one of the gates. Pushing on the long wooden handle,
I could swing the gate open and closed.
For a history lesson, the Union Canal was built to
link Philadelphia on the Delaware River with the
Susquehanna River. It ran about 75 miles from
Bicyclist near Wertz's covered bridge
Middletown on the Susquehanna below Harrisburg
to Reading on the Schuylkill River, which flows to the
Delaware in Philadelphia.
Spurred by the 1791 discovery of anthracite coal in
the upper Susquehanna Valley, Philadelphia engaged
in an intense rivalry with Baltimore for supremacy as a
shipping port. The canal was backed by Philadelphia
businessmen as a means to divert commercial traffic
from following the Susquehanna downriver to
the Chesapeake Bay, its more natural destination.
Construction began in 1792, but financial difficulties
delayed its completion until 1828. Called the “Golden
Link,” it provided a critical early transportation route
for the shipment of coal and lumber eastward to
Philadelphia. But the completion of the Lebanon
Valley Railroad in 1857 from Reading to Harrisburg
cut into canal revenues, forcing its closure in 1881.
In April 1950, the Lebanon County Historical Society
purchased part of the Union Canal, and today, a
restored portion of it along Tulpehocken Creek is maintained
by the Berks County Parks System at the Union
Canal Towpath Park in Wyomissing west of Reading.
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8 September 2008

I came to Wertz’s covered bridge at the Berks County
Heritage Center, which tells the story of transportation’s
key role in Berks County’s history, specifically
wagon manufacturing and the canal system. It’s an
interpretive complex featuring the Gruber Wagon
Works and C. Howard Heister Canal Center. The area
consists of an old farmstead dotted with several buildings,
and it also includes Melcher’s Grist Mill.
During construction of the lake, the Army Corps of
Engineers preserved the Gruber Wagon Works. Built
in 1882, it produced hundreds of wagons before it
closed in the 1950s. The massive building was located
at Mt. Pleasant within the project’s flood pool boundary
and had to be either removed or demolished.
They separated it into four sections and moved it to
a new site five miles away to serve as the focal point
of the Heritage Center. They give tours of the Gruber
Wagon Works and C. Howard Heister Canal Center
May through October. The Country Store and Snack
Bar occupied an old barn with an old barge nearby.
Next, I came upon Gring’s Mill Recreation Area,
which features an old concrete bridge with a dam
on one side and sluiceways, originally built to funnel
water to power the mill. Stone buildings stood on the
other side of the creek on a hill at a bend. I stopped
for lunch on a bench at the Veterans Outreach
Center, another park nearby, and watched as flocks of
Canada geese and mallards made a ruckus.
The trail stretches about five miles, making for an easy
ten-mile out-and-back trip. An interstate-looking highway
appeared near the end, and planes buzzed overhead as
they came into Reading airport nearby, both signs indicating
history had given way to modern civilization.
With the easy part under my belt, I next took a transitional
step to the grueling lake trail by trying Skinners
Loops on the south side of the lake. It consists of a
10-mile figure-eight arrangement with two loops, one
extending out a long peninsula and the other partially
along the main trail. Starting at the end of Lake
Road, I wheeled along the trail as it followed a knoll
overlooking the lake and made its way down to the
water. It consists of some doubletrack but mostly singletrack,
all smooth dirt with roots and rocks thrown
in to test your front suspension.
Rolling hills with occasional short steep sections were
the rule. Some sections of trail went through corn
fields, affording views of surrounding ridges, hills, and
the lake, while sections near the lake knifed through
woods. It made for a nice introduction to the lake
trail and gave me a peek at the daunting journey that
lay ahead the next day.
Because the lake area has no lodging accommodations,
I drove into Reading that night in search of a
hotel room and found one at a Comfort Inn at the
intersection of Fifth Street and Route 12. A Ramada
and EconoLodge stood nearby, and franchise hotels
can be found along Route 12 in the northwest quadrant
of Reading. Closer to the lake, along Route 183,
hotels await near the airport, including Airport Lodge
& Suites and Holiday Inn Express, and several restaurants
are located between there and the lake.
After a good night’s rest and the complimentary
breakfast at the Comfort Inn, I was fortified for a trip
around the lake on the trail. I parked at the visitor’s
center, which has information on the lake, including
maps and brochures, along with an overlook in the
back and bathrooms. While this is most convenient,
the trail can be accessed via numerous other trailheads,
as it is well marked with brown posts with white
directional arrows and mile indicators. Several other
bikers prepared for the journey as I did.
From the visitor’s center around the southern side of
the lake to the bridge in Bernville measures 18 miles,
and from there around the northern side back to the
visitors center 12 miles. I planned to ride clockwise
around the lake so I could conquer the steep parts first.
Blue Marsh Lake
With a few new cohorts, I pedaled through the stilling
basin at the base of the dam. Some parts of the trail
were dirt road through corn and winter wheat fields,
while other sections followed old asphalt roads going
to the lake. Many people were hiking, biking, or walking
their dogs, and a few equestrians maneuvered
their horses on the trail.
Along the south side, the trail earns its reputation
among serious stumpjumpers with its many ups and
downs and unforgiving steep sections. More than
one cyclist jumped off their bike and walked up here.
Many switchbacks add to the challenge, and the trail
often turns sharply as you head up or down a hill.
Several wooden bridges, sans rails and only about
three feet wide, cross small creeks flowing into the
lake, and some throw a sharp turn or hill just before
them, so you have to steer accurately. With its many
obstacles, dips, bridges, turns, and other pop-quiz
YIN continued on p.10
September 2008
9

YIN continued from p.9
challenges, the trail requires constant and quick shifting
of gears.
Then it happened. As I came to a long steep hill near
Blue Marsh Ski Resort, with its snow guns and chairlifts,
overlooking the river and Route 183 on the other side,
the bike threw me. Horrors. I had to walk part of this
because I found myself out of gas. I specialize in hills
and pride myself in (almost) never walking any, but this
Wertz's covered bridge
one did it. What a convenient time to stop for lunch.
According to my plan, the hard work was done. The
first half of the return trail on the north side of the
lake, after crossing the bridge at Bernville, proved
much easier. Flat and winding with occasional dips
and rises, it traversed through brush-filled fields and
golden fields of hay along the lake and Route 183,
which was busy with traffic. The second half became
hillier with steeps and bridges, mostly through woods.
Stopping for a view of the lake at milepost 27, I spotted
fishermen in boats on the water.
Soon, the long, grueling ride came to an end after a
five-hour sojourn. As an easier option, you can just
do the north side out and back for a 24-mile intermediate
ride. Or you can do the south side with a car
meeting you at the bridge in Bernville for a shuttle
return, making it an 18-mile expert ride. Throwing in
Skinners Loops adds to the options.
I rode in November, a time when bare trees afford
views of the lake. And with the brutal climbs the trail
serves up, you don’t want to attempt the full trail in
mid summer. But then again, that would be the best
time to come to the lake and swim at the beach, and
maybe cycle the easier trails at lower elevations.
But as difficult as the trail proved and as worn out
as I was at the end of the ride, I felt a sense of pride
knowing I had conquered all Blue Marsh Lake could
throw at me. The lake trail lived up to its billing, and
it showed a kinder side as well. The Union Canal Trail
seemed like a distant memory now, but I know it will
take its place in my mind in the future as a component
that gives Blue Marsh Lake a diversified cycling
experience.
For more information:
Blue Marsh Lake Project
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Philadelphia District
(610) 376-6337
Reading & Berks County Visitors Bureau
(800) 443-6610; (610) 375-4085
info@readingberkspa.com
www.readingberkspa.com
Berks County Heritage Center
(610) 374-8839
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SNAKE
BIT IN
BOONE
Misadventures
in Blood Sweat
and Gears by KEN JOST
Hundreds of miles from Boone, North Carolina, driving south on I-81 I began to notice the
unusual number of cars with bicycles on the roof or hanging off the back.
One station wagon had “Blood Sweat and Gears” painted on its windows as the driver
and passenger sped toward the century whose web page advertises a cumulative climbing
elevation gain in excess of 13,000 feet, including a climb up Snake Mountain which includes
an 18-20% grade near the top.
Cruising on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Seeing other cyclists heading toward a common destiny
lent the usual sense of solidarity that comes with
the gathering of a large pack of our kind in some offthe-main-route
place that has become a cycling magnet
for a weekend.
Boone has lots of hotels and good restaurants where
one can complete carbo loading before the ride. It is
a touristy town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains
in far west North Carolina not very far from the
Virginia border. It is about 400 miles from the D.C.
area, with Interstates and major highways all the way
there. Unfortunately, the area of recent motel growth
is extremely pedestrian-unfriendly, with no crosswalks
or “Walk” signs to get across major streets. We went
to dinner literally across the road from our hotel on
Saturday, and seriously considered driving there for
safety’s sake.
Packet pickup Friday evening was very well organized
with an unusual amount of ride-specific swag for sale.
There are BSG (Blood Sweat and Gears) hats, coffee
mugs, beer glasses, and jerseys. The jerseys, like
the shirt that comes with the ride, sport a drawing
of a cyclist riding a road that morphs into a snake
as it goes up a mountain, with the snake looking
out and about to strike from the shirt. This design
cleverly incorporates the biggest climb of the day,
Snake Mountain, the road sign signifying a twisty road
ahead, and the spirit of BSG, which is to climb.
The BSG century celebrated its 10th anniversary this
year, sending some 1,250 riders into the legendary
mountain roads surrounding Boone. It started in
1999 with 148 riders completing the ride, and grew to
an event involving 750 century riders and 500 whose
goal was 50 miles. Of those, 573 would complete the
century, and 457 finished the 50 mile journey.
Boone has a place in the heart of recent cycling lore.
After his bout with cancer, Lance Armstrong struggled
to return to form in the European peleton, and considered
abandoning the sport when things didn’t go so
well at first. Attempting to avert such a disaster, Chris
Carmichael arranged for Armstrong to ride with Bob
Roll in the environs on Boone, where Lance re-ignited
his love for cycling, and the rest, as they say, is history.
All that history, and the 13,000 feet of climbing,
promised an epic day of riding. And BSG delivered
big time. The day of the ride began with a 6 a.m.
drive from a hotel in Boone to the Valle Crucis
12 September 2008

Riders waiting for the starting gun
Elementary School where the ride starts and ends.
The mountains at that hour were unusually beautiful,
shrouded in fog. A large community park serves as a
parking lot for the day as the riders pour in for the
7:30 a.m. start. While rain was in the forecast for the
entire week-end, nary a drop fell the day of the ride.
There were horrendous thunderstorms on Friday, and
a steady rain on Sunday. We lucked out.
There is a mass start for all 1,250 riders doing either
the century or half-century ride. This is possible
because, as became evident during the ride, there is
terrific support for the ride from local law enforcement.
The small country road was basically closed
as the riders made their way through the timing
area (we were given chips to put on our ankles so
that every rider gets an individual time based on the
rider’s crossing the timing mats at the start and end of
the ride) and onto the road.
Setting off with such a big number was a bit nervous,
as the pack of riders was thick and only beginning to
sort itself out by speed, although the truly fast folks
were directed to the front of the peleton and started
first. The ride profile on the BSG website suggests
that the ride starts with some fairly serious climbing,
but it doesn’t. The first few miles are fairly flat, allowing
a decent warm-up before having to climb steep
ascents, and allowing folks to sort themselves out by
speed a bit. At 10 miles the century and half-century
routes diverge, and everyone is pretty well separated
into groups riding at similar speeds.
The century riders enjoy a fabulous piece of riding
on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unlike Skyline Drive in
Virginia which is entirely parkland and has climbs that
go on for miles, the Blue Ridge Parkway is constantly
rolling but lacking, where we rode, gut-busting-long
climbs. Parts of it were parkland, but the Parkway also
traversed farms. Bridge construction forced a detour
over a dirt road for a bit, but this was no problem,
and BSG had extra support there for any tires that
flatted. Oddly, the BSG website made a fairly big deal
about this detour going over dirt, but totally ignored
a later section of road that was dirt and gravel not significantly
different.
Overviews of the mountains were quite spectacular.
To get one picture I decided to cross the road and
get a shot of some cyclists with a mountain vista in
the background. Just as I crossed the centerline to get
where I needed for such a shot, a park policeman in
a police car came around the next bend and spotted
me. I got back into my lane, but it was too late. The
officer u-turned and tracked me down. Why did the
cyclist cross the road? Not to get a picture, but to get
a ticket! The process took at least 20 minutes, and 100
or more cyclists went by with wry grins on their faces
as I was busted. One asked if I was getting a speeding
ticket. Plus, no picture as I had wanted!
After that major faux pax, I got to rolling again and
passed some of the riders who had just gone by while
I was delayed. On a shift my front derailleur dropped
my chain. As I was fixing it one such group passed me
again, and I heard a voice say, “Boy, you’re having a
bad day.” It was not a bad day! The mix of a perfect
day of cycling with various misfortunes made it a memorable
day, with much that was both bad and good.
About 10 miles later coming down a fast descent I felt
as though I had been stabbed in the thigh. I don’t
know quite what I hit – certainly some sort of bee or
wasp – but I sure made it angry, and it retaliated with
a terrific sting. My right hamstring hurt the whole rest
of the ride, and when I got back to the hotel I had
what looked like a small target where it had stung me.
A rash lasted weeks.
My last misadventure of the day came about half-way
through the ride, and was the most serious. Again
coming down a steep country road, the pavement
turned to the right and revealed a 90-degree left turn,
still going downhill. The road ahead was visible, with
no traffic, so it looked easy to carry speed through the
The 18th annual Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival
October 17 -19, 2008
New rides for all skill levels from easy family rides to a challenging century
Enjoy spectacular cycling in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley
For more information and to register go to: www.shenandoahbike.org
Call 540 885-2668 or Fax 540 885-2669
Mist on the mountains as riders park
turn. The next thing I remember is being in the turn,
and knowing I couldn’t hold it. I saw the edge of the
asphalt where I knew I would leave the road, and hit
the brakes to ease the transition to the field with twofoot
tall grass. As I was bouncing through the grass,
I continued to slow, and then said to myself, “I’ve
never gone over my handlebars before, but here I
go.” Think Jan Ullrich in the 2001 Tour – when Lance
waited for him. It was that sort of tumble. I heard a
crunch as I landed, and thought, “I hope that was
my helmet crunching. Probably was or I wouldn’t be
thinking about that – or anything else.”
I then found myself standing up with my bike in front
of me, thinking it was great I could stand, and pretty
SNAKE continued on p.14
September 2008
13

SNAKE continued from p.13
good my bike was in one piece, and also good that no
one was around to see what had happened. I checked
out the bike, pulled grass strands from it and myself,
climbed back on and continued to ride, pulling
grass from my helmet as I continued down the road.
Fortunately, nothing worse than a stiff neck and sore
shoulder came of this – and a slower transit through
turns thereafter. I now have a new helmet.
At 60-some miles comes Snake Mountain, the longest
climb of the day. Snake Mountain definitely puts you
in an existential frame of mind - - “Why am I here?”
But the steep and difficult part of the climb is only
two to three miles, with long switchbacks in the last
mile, with the result that you can hear the cowbell
at the top for much of the hardest part of the climb,
which is quite encouraging.
BSG has a time cut-off at 82 miles into the ride. If you
don’t make that point by 2:30 p.m., you are directed
to a shorter route to the end of the ride, and don’t
complete a century. After Snake Mountain you have
14 miles to the cut-off. At the rest area atop Snake
Mountain I learned that I had 1 hour to cover those
14 miles, and my computer told me that I was averaging
13.9 miles per hour. I figured with the descent
from Snake Mountain (even at my now slower
descending speed) and no known mountains in the
next 14 miles, I should be fine. I went into time-trial
mode, and there was some climbing along the way,
but I made the cut-off with several minutes to spare.
Aside from my blunders recounted above, there are
several things about BSG that are striking. First and
most important: the beauty of the ride. The Blue
Ridge Parkway section and others offer breath-taking
views that include vistas of bluish mountains and
forests. Several miles run along the New River. Your
surroundings on this ride are always notable. Second,
BSG is more rolling than mountainous. Certainly
Snake Mountain properly claims to be a serious
mountain climb – it entails about 1,500 feet of climbing
– and there are several other steep climbs, especially
after Snake Mountain and the cut-off. But most
of the ride is rolling terrain, with constant climbs and
descents that are far more manageable, making BSG
less painful than Mountains of Misery or Mountain
Mama, mountain centuries in Virginia that sport
10,000 feet of climbing.
Vista on the decent of Snake Mountain
A third striking aspect of the ride is the support of law
enforcement. Other organized rides I’ve done have
perhaps a volunteer at intersections to stop cyclists
from entering busy roadways and getting run down.
BSG generally has law enforcement support at those
intersections holding up vehicular traffic to let cyclists
roll through safely! That was fabulous. And ambulances
were staged throughout the ride, so help was
nearby if needed.
The bottom-line here is that BSG is a beautiful ride
with fantastic volunteer and police support, and sufficient
food and drink along the way. The 13,000 feet of
climbing shouldn’t scare you away, though this is a difficult
mountain century that requires serious training
and left some folks walking or weaving on the steep
climbs. Even with all my self- and otherwise-inflicted
wounds, this was a great day of riding.
The BSG website is http://www.bloodsweatandgears.
org/. Registration opens on February 1 for 2009, and
is limited to 750 century riders. Registration does fill,
creating a bit of a secondary market.
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14 September 2008

DEPARTMENTS
TRISPOKES by RON CASSIE ron_cassie@yahoo.com
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
This month's SpokesWomen column has been combined
with TriSpokes so that we can bring you coverage of the
2008 Iron Girl Triathlon.
DEDE GRIESBAUER, 37, WON THREE collegiate national
championships when she swam at Stanford University.
And she twice competed in the U.S. Olympic Team
swim trials before heading to The Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania to earn her M.B.A.
She was never a cyclist; however, after business school
she decided to try and ride across country with her
boyfriend.
“I had the summer off until I started my job on Wall
Street and thought it’d be a lot of fun,” Griesbauer
told SPOKES.
“The biking stuck with me, but not the boyfriend – we
broke up in Montana.” Griesbauer, then in her late
20s, added running to her skill set, and in 1997, competed
in the Columbia Triathlon, her first multi-sport
race ever. Eleven years later, Griesbauer returned to
Howard County and won the third annual Iron Girl
Triathlon on Aug. 24.
Dede Griesbauer with her trophy.
Griesbauer, who now lives in Boston, broke the
course record as well, knocking out the 0.62 mile
swim, 17.5 mile bike and 3.3 mile run in 1:22:37. She
beat former U.S. Naval Academy triathlete Justine
Whipple, 23, who took second in 1:24:50, and Laurel
Wassner, 33, originally from Gaithersburg, but now of
Hoboken, N.J. Wassner grabbed third in 1:25:19.
In between her first triathlon in Columbia and last
month’s race, Griesbauer, spent eight years as an equity
broker in The Big Apple, training and racing when
her scheduled allowed. But by 2002, she was competing
more seriously and after qualifying for the Hawaii
Ironman event she “was hooked.”
Three years later, her coach, former world champion
Karen Smeyers, asked if she’d consider quitting her job.
“March 15, 2005 was my last day of work,” Griesbauer
said, sitting in the grass and smiling after receiving
her award from race organizer Robert Vigorito. She
turned professional and has now competed in 10
Ironman races overall. In 2006 won the Ironman U.K.
event. At the Iron Girl event, which continues to grow
and registered 2,200 participants year, Griesbauer
posted the second-best swim time, the third-best bike
leg and third-fastest running split for a convincing
victory. Nonetheless, the Iron Girl sprint distance is
hardly her strong suit.
“I’m definitely an endurance athlete and I once said
I wouldn’t do anything shorter than a half-Ironman
because I don’t want to embarrass myself,” Griesbauer
said. “I came here because it’s a good workout, this
course is tough and I wanted to turn it up a notch
(speed-wise). I’ve felt like I’ve been getting in a rut
doing everything at Ironman-pace and it can be hard
to break out of that.”
As far as the Iron Girl race itself went, she was happy
with her swim. Although she said she wasn’t pleased
with her wattage over the bike course, Geisbauer did
manage to put significant distance between herself
and Whipple and Wassner on the ride.
“I tried to hold them off on the run.” Which she did,
winning fairly comfortably despite taking a minute
longer than either chief rival to complete the 5 K
race around Centennial Lake. Perhaps more than
any other triathlon race on the Mid-Atlantic calendar,
however, crossing the Iron Girl finish line is about
more than the professionals who claim the prize
money or even the top amateurs.
The Iron Girl races have wildly surpassed registration
expectations, thriving as women of all ages set personal
fitness and athletic goals through triathlon “without
the guys getting in the way.”
Iron Girl age-group champs ranged from 14 year-old
Rebecca Dean of Ellicott City, who won the 12-15
age group in a remarkable time of 1:55:23 (but only
two minutes faster than 12 year-old Alicia Bazell of
Columbia) to Sadj Bartolo, 67, of Columbia, to 70-
year old Margaret Regina of Reston.
Britt McCormick, also of Ellicott City, was the top
masters finisher in 1:38:02, and 52-year old Christa
Johnson of Towson won the grand master division in
1:44:38.
Rebecca Newton, 32, of Lexington Park, Md. was the
top local amateur competitor, completing the course
in 1:30:32. Megan Knepper, 25, of Fairfax, and Janelle
McIntyre, 43, of Ellicott City, came in third and
fourth, respectively amongst the amateurs, highlighting
triathlete’s competitive ability across diverse age
groups.
Pat McNabb and Barb Van Winkle, both of Ellicott
City, swept the No. 1 and No. 2. spots, respectively, in
the large 55-59 age-group field.
At Iron Girl, several athletes mentioned the women’s
only race and venue that naturally generates camaraderie
amongst female athletes while reducing the
intimidation factor for women to “tri” the sport for
the first time. The men are designated to baby-sitting,
stroller duty, cheering and taking pictures which most
seem more than happy to oblige. Its role reversal and
everyone at the event, at least, seed to agree it’s a
good idea at least once a triathlon season.
“The race has just exploded,” said Bartolo, the former
president of the Mid-Maryland Triathlon Club and
a longtime competitor. Her husband, Bob, also Mid-
Maryland member, sported a T-shirt for the event that
read, “Real Men Marry Athletes.”
“For the ladies,” she continued, “there is a comfort
zone here, especially considering the large number
because it’s so well run.”
Bartolo was one of numerous athletes in the field who
commended Vigorito for putting tightly-run events
each season.
Chip Warfel, Mid-Maryland president, noted that several
of the club’s men, started at 5 a.m. to set up their
tent and begin laying out the coffee, bagels, fruit,
drinks and snacks.
16 September 2008

ones right at the top of podium” talked about after
the event.
“The whole triathlon experience has far surpassed
any expectations that I might have had, including
turning pro,” Geisbauer said. “I thought, maybe when
I turned pro, that may this might last a year or two
at most. Instead, it’s going surprisingly well, and I’ve
been enjoying it all along.
“This was my last race before Ironman Hawaii. I’ve
got seven weeks to train and see what I can do there
this year.”
Heading back to Centennial Lake and run transition area.
Julie La Fee, campaign manager for the Maryland
Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s
Team-in-Training program, said they had 35 athletes
competing, including about half who were first-time
competitors.
“The woman have been so friendly and helpful with
each it’s been amazing,” La Fee said. “They’ve been
training about 2-3 times a week together and it’s been
about getting everyone in the group to the finish line.”
La Fee also noted that the Team-in-Training group for
this event raised $96,000 in four months along with
preparing for the race.
Alicia Berg, 30, of Baltimore, said she was motivated
to do the race because of a friend who is undergoing
treatment for Lymphoma. She did much of her training
with Melissa Proctor, 29, also of Baltimore, and for
both it was their first triathlon ever.
“It was a great experience,” Berg said. “I knew it was
going to be hard and I’m a terrible runner, but I
was determined not to walk at all during the race.
They told us in our training to imagine that quitting
would be like it would be quitting on the person we
knew who was undergoing treatment and that’s how I
looked at it. I kept pounding the whole way.”
Proctor said she felt like she was well-prepared for the
race, highlighting a mandatory open water swim at
Gunpowder State Park and several cycling and running
trips around the course.
“I go to the gym and run a little, but I’ve never done
anything like this,”Proctor said.
The Annapolis Iron Crabs was another of several area
clubs on hand and they had about a dozen women
competing said Brie Lang, 30, and Jeanette Linder, 45.
For Lang, it was her second triathlon and she’s already
planning to compete next year in the longer Columbia
and Cambridge Eagleman triathlons. She said that for
women of any age, triathlons can be “very intimidating
for women,” and she found inspiration in both the
women much younger and much older than herself.
She called the Iron Girl event, “empowering.”
For Linder, it was her fourth triathlon, and her husband,
daughter and mother-in-law showed up in support.
She said that for many women, riding on razorthin
tires and at speeds much faster than they may
have been used to, along with the open water swimming,
can be daunting.
“But I think after you train and you do this, you think
‘What else can I do that I’ve never done before.’ It’s
a feeling of confidence, joy and the sense that one’s
boundaries or possibilities have been pushed out further.
It’s a feeling that nearly all the athletes “even the
Sign Up for Metabolix/Erickson Tri Team
The Metabolix/Erickson Tri Team will begin accepting
submissions for the 2009 season beginning September
1. The deadline for submission is October 15. All submissions
should be e-mailed to team manager Krista
Schultz at krista@metabolix.net and must include the
following: An up-to-date race resume through 2008;
A proposed race schedule for 2009; A personal statement
regarding training philosophy and how you
became involved in competing; Photos, either competing
or in tri attire (podium shots are fine).
Elite Tri Team members receive bicycle, wetsuits,
footwear/apparel and nutrition sponsorship. Travel
stipends and race reimbursements are offered to all
approved races. Erickson Retirement Communities is
a leading national developer of full-service retirement
communities and headquartered near Baltimore, Md.
Metabolix is a full-service wellness company that provides
an array of customized health and wellness programs
from clinical weight management to corporate
wellness programming.
Schultz recently took top honors at the Luray
Triathlon, finishing as the top Elite Female in a time
of 2:26:40 on a hilly and challenging course. After a
solid finish at the Steelhead Half Ironman two weeks
ago, Schultz returned to her strongest race - the
Olympic distance, in preparation for her Best of the
U.S. competition in October. Teammate Chris Martin
took top honors in the Elite Men’s Division at the
North East Triathlon in a time of 2:01:10 This performance
was on the heels of his recent sub-nine hour
Ironman last month at the Quelle Challenge Roth in
Germany.
A mother finishes with her son.
August 2008
17
September 2008
17

COLUMNS
SINGLETRACK by JOEL GWADZ gwadzilla8@yahoo.com
FAVORITE LOCAL RIDES
Friday was an unseasonably cool August day. It had
been a busy week and I had knocked out a good deal
of what must be done so I was granted permission
to get out of work a few minutes early. The day had
started with me loading up the family wagon with
various suitcases and two small bikes so that my wife
Lisa could head out of town for a weekend with her
parents. This long weekend away involved taking our
two young boys Dean and Grant. This gave me the
freedom to spend my time pretty much as I pleased.
When I was treated with the surprise of getting out of
work early I made my best effort to use this time wisely.
Out of work and on my bike I rushed home and
traded by commuter bike for my car and then tried
to beat the rush hour traffic out to The Family Bike
Shop in Crofton, Maryland.
Roughly ten days prior I had ordered the Niner Rip
9 from Jonathan at The Family Bike Shop. This righteous
dual suspension rig with five inches of travel
front and rear had been built and was ready for pick
up. My initial intention was to head to the shop on
Saturday morning on my way out to the trails, but this
unexpected window of opportunity presented itself…I
modified my trajectory.
With a little more than a swipe of the credit card I was
leaving with a machine which is pretty much a motorcycle
without an engine. It was a tad ironic that I was
buying a long travel full suspension bike from a man
I know from riding and racing single speeds with over
the past few years. It was also odd that I purchased
this righteous machine from a shop that operates
under the motto of GEAR DOWN. But that is how it
happened.
There was still some time before the sun set so I asked
for directions to Rosaryville State Park for what would
be my inaugural journey on my Glow-In-The-Dark
Niner Rip 9. In less than 30 minutes I had traveled
from Crofton and was at the trailhead of Rosearyville
State Park in Prince Georges County, Md. This nine
mile single lap ride at Rosaryville would be ride one
of a three day mini mountain bike epic which included
rides at Rosaryville, Schaeffer Farms and Patapsco
which has inspired me to share a short list of my
favorite trails in the Washington, DC area.
A Short List of My Favorite Mountain Bike Trails
in the Washington DC Area
This is a short list of my favorite and most frequently
visited mountain bike trails in the DC/Baltimore
metro area. The least difficult trails are introduced
first. It is important that people understand that there
is a difference between beginner mountain biking
and beginner biking. To begin mountain biking it
is important for the rider to be comfortable on the
bike on non technical terrain. This is a list of various
locations for off road mountain bike riding, not just
places to go for a bicycle ride.
Rosaryville State Park in Prince George’s County,
Md., may not the most technical set of mountain bike
trails but these wooded trails are still a great place to
get out on the bike. This nine mile loop of twists and
turns is a great place for the beginner mountain biker
as well as the advanced mountain biker.
The beginner will be able to gain confidence riding
the bike on this slightly limited technical terrain while
the more advanced riders will be able to obtain a solid
cardio workout while practicing riding this mountain
bike roller coaster at speed.
With all the twists and turns the sight lines are limited
so it is recommended to back off from race pace
as there just may be a hiker, a biker, or a horse right
around the blind turn. These are a great set of trails
to attack on your rigid single speed!
This trail is about flow! Personally I would much rather
spend a few hours repeating this loop three times
rather than hammering on pavement on the road
bike which is why these trails have become a popular
mountain bike ride location for me. The team work
of trail building crews and volunteers of IMBA: The
International Mountain Bike Association and MORE:
The Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts has created an
amazing network of trails at Rosaryville State Park.
Wakefield Regional Park in Northern Virginia is the
location of Potomac Velo Club’s midweek four race
summer training series Wednesday at Wakefield.
Similar to Rosaryville these are not the most technical
set of trails. A few more rock gardens and logs to cross
than Rosaryville, but similar to Rosaryville these trails
are about taking turns at speed and being able to
maintain that speed on short steep climbs and short
steep descents.
There are a good number of trail options where
the rider can try to follow the race course loops of
Wednesday at Wakefield or they can create a different
loop to suit their own personal rhythm. The trails at
Wakefield are also single speed friendly.
The trails at Wakefield Regional Park are also beginner
friendly, but do not let this beginner friendly rating
make these trails seem that they are unworthy to the
seasoned mountain biker. These trails are a hoot, a holler,
and a scream for mountain bike riders of all levels!
Wakefield Regional Park is also one of the few networks
of trails in the area that allows for legal night
riding! The trails at Wakefield are open to night riding
from dusk to 10:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday nights. Check the MORE website for information
on Night Group Rides at Wakefield.
Another set of trails in northern Virginia where people
can ride and race are the trails at Fountainhead
Regional Park. The Cranky Monkey Series as hosted
by EX2 Adventures hosts mountain bike races at
Wakefield Regional Park, The Quantico Marine Base,
and at Fountainhead Regional Park.
Fountainhead is similar to Wakefield in twists and
turns but the short steep climbs and short steep
descents are a little bit longer, no extended climbs but
what these climbs lack in duration they make up for
in steepness.
The trails at Fountainhead are a little more demanding
than the previously listed sets of trails. The
descents are not only steep and twisty but they can
also be rooted and rocky. These trails are slightly less
single speed friendly, but still a great place for the
single speed. While the Fountainhead Regional Park
as a whole is not open year round, the mountain bike
trails are open for use year round.
It is arguable which set of trails are more difficult
than the others. As difficult is in the legs, lungs, and
technical ability of the rider. Yet I still rank the trails
at Schaeffer Farms in Germantown Md. as being more
difficult than the trails listed above.
Schaeffer Farms would be best known for its pyramid
log crossings. Throughout the tight twisting wooded
single track of Schaeffer Farms there are countless
numbers of log pyramids of different difficulty. It is a
skill. To aid the beginner many of these log obstacles
have cheat routes that loop around. But once the skill
or rolling over these log pyramids is mastered the logs
are part of the draw to Schaeffer Farms. In addition
to the log crossings in the woods there is also a wide
open section that flanks wide open fields.
As a person who lives in the building clustered city
18 September 2008

these wide open fields are a great pleasure, the rush
gained from the ability to achieve some speed is flattered
by the views. When riding out here I really feel
as if I have gotten away from the city.
The trails at Schaeffer Farms just like the above listed
trails are classic east coast single track. Dirt trails twisting
in between a network of tight trees. At Schaeffer
Farms expect several stream crossings, some manageable
rock sections, areas with roots, and lots of trail
route options.
Schaeffer Farms is also Single Speed Friendly network
of trails! This is another great place for mountain biking
within an hour drive from downtown Washington, DC.
Also in the state of Maryland but headed the other
direction towards Baltimore are the trails of the
Avalon Region of Patapsco State Park. It amazes me
that so many great trails could be so close to the city
center. Never in a day at Avalon have I ever ridden all
of the trails within the park. Over the past many years
these trails have been improved through some well
thought out rerouting. The new trails flow.
This network of trails at Patapsco State Park are far
more diverse than any of the previously mentioned
set of trails. Expect stream crossings, rock gardens,
log obstacles, challenging climbs and heart pounding
technical descents. The climbs and descents are longer
than at the previously listed parks.
If you have not ridden Patapsco State Park in the
last few years…you have not ridden Patapsco. The
trail builders of MORE: The Mid-Atlantic Off Road
Enthusiasts have done great things in this park. It is
an amazing network of trails; fast, fun, flowing trails
that are sustainable and pleasurable. This set of trails
would only be single speed friendly to the advanced
single speeder.
Expect to hike your bike if you are not a talented
climber on your single speed. These trails are more
advanced than the other trails listed above, but still
approachable for the beginner mountain biker.
The last set of trails in this short list of personal favorites
is Gambrill State Park just outside of Frederick,
Md. Gambrill State Park is clearly the most technical
of the trails listed. Gambrill rocks because of
Gambrill’s rocks!
Adjacent the park is an area known as The Frederick
Watershed or The Shed. Gambrill is known for its
technical rock gardens. There is something about riding
at The Shed. It is technical and it is beautiful. It
hurts and it feels good.
The trails at Gambrill State Park call out for a different
level of focus. It is about more than legs and lungs
at Gambrill, but be sure to bring em…cause you will
need em. But the true test here is a rider’s technical
ability. Expect technical climbs and technical descents
with some gnarly rock gardens thrown in there in
between. These trails are not for the absolute beginner,
although you have to start somewhere.
Gambrill tops out this short list of local rides not only
as being the most technical of the trail networks listed
but also as my personal favorite within this list. One
of the great things about Gambrill is that its technical
demands prep local riders for what they expect when
they go further south into the Shenandoah or further
west to places like Colorado.
This is a short list of my favorite set of area trails. Over
the past many years I have seen these trails grow and
change. These trails are what they are due to the combination
of the mountain bike advocacy groups IMBA:
The International Mountain Bike Association and
MORE: The Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts. It can
not be stressed enough the importance of each mountain
biker to contribute to these organizations as well
as the trails. In addition to annual dues it is important
for mountain bike riders to contribute their time on
trail work days. Take a look at the MORE website for
more detailed information on these and other trails.
While you are on the page take a look to see what it
takes to join MORE and when they are hosting a trail
work day on your favorite set of trails.
MORE: Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts
www.more-mtb.org
IMBA: International Mountain Bike Association
www.imba.com
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September 2008
19

DEPARTMENTS
COMMUTER CONNECTION by RON CASSIE ron_cassie@yahoo.com
Maryland Bicycle Fall Forum
A variety of Maryland bicycle groups in conjunction
with One Less Car, the state-wide bicycling and pedestrian
advocacy organization have put together a fall
forum, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, from 6-9
p.m. at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (APL),
Parsons Theater, in Laurel, Md., just off Route 29.
The central topic to be presented and discussed is:
How can we make Maryland more Bicycle Friendly.”
Bill Kelly, chairman of the College Park Area Bicycle
Coalition, said the information sharing forum will
bring together elected officials and state and county
transportation planners to discuss bicycle transportation
needs.
The goal, he wrote in an e-mail inviting bicycling
activists from across the state, is to present a unified
message to the Maryland Legislative Session in the
2009 Session in Annapolis.
The date for the 12th Annual Bicycle Symposium in
Annapolis on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.
Kelly stressed the need to work together, as before, to
make Maryland more bicycle friendly. He added, he
expects the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Committee (MBPAC) to attend along with members
of the Bicycle Legislative Caucus.
Kelly noted, he’s received numerous responses from
elected officials and SHA/MDOT executives indicating
that they will attend. He hopes that a strong turnout
will show legislators and transportation officials
that there is a serious desire statewide in making
Maryland better and safer for bicycle transportation.
Kelly expects several hundred to attend, including
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sharing the joy of accomplishment, and
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We sell and rent tandems because we’ve
shared these things and found that bicycling
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We’re fighting “oil addiction” with
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Join the fight – park your car and
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bicycle advocates from Baltimore and Washington,
D.C., Prince Georges, Montgomery, Baltimore, Anne
Arundel and Howard Counties to attend. Kelly added
refreshments will be served and encourages everyone
interested in bicycle issues. For more info, contact
Richard Chambers at rchambers@onelesscar.org or
Bill Kelly at ws.kelly@att.net or (410) 480-1909. The
address is: The Johns Hopkins University Applied
Physics Laboratory 11100 Johns Hopkins Road Laurel,
MD 20723. Directions to the Parson Theater at APL:
For an online visitor web page with maps (area and
campus) and driving directions: see www.jhuapl.edu/
newscenter/visitor/default.asp Visitors after 5 p.m.
can park in any open parking. The should come in
the main entrance to the Lab off Johns Hopkins Road
(APL Drive) and enter the main Building 1 Lobby
(Lobby 1). The Parsons Auditorium is right inside the
entrance.
College Park Coalition Is 20
The Maryland Fall Bicycle Forum coincides with
the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition’s 20th
Anniversary.
CPABC was formed in the fall of 1988 by a group of
College Park residents and bicyclists who wanted a
better and safer place to ride and recognized that
with a well-informed, organized group of bicycle and
pedestrian people working together, they could make
a difference.
Kelly recalled that 12-15 people first met at the newly
opened REI Sports Store at 9801 Rhode Island Ave.
in College Park. He thought that with College Park
and the 50,000-person population of the University of
Maryland, that they’d “have a built-in group of advocate
cyclists.”
College towns like Davis, Calif., and Madison, Wisc.,
are noted for their great bicycle and pedestrian support,
Kelly added. However, he’s sorry to say, the
U of M never fully embraced their efforts, but that
nonetheless CPABC has worked with other agencies
with great success. Kelly also noted that the group
quickly grew to over 125 active CPABC members with
a dedicated core of 12 to 15 who became the driving
force in College Park and Prince Georges County that
greatly improved bike/ped travel in the busily growing
county of nearly 900,000.
CPABC has won over $5 million in federal funding
from ISTEA, the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991, to complete 26 miles of the
Anacostia Trails System. They’ve also helped garner
over $3 million to complete the six miles of
the WB&A Trail in Bowie behind the leadership of
CPABC board member Morris Warren, who passed
away earlier this year.
CPABC members over the years have met with elected
officials from the Governor to state legislators, and
with county planners and representatives from all
the cities in their entire area. They’ve also developed
relationships with park and recreation agencies, businesses
and schools. They’ve worked with “every person
who would listen to us,” Kelly said. They helped
form the State Highway Administration Bicycle
Advisory Committee, (with several CPABC members
serving for years), the SHA Bike/Ped Master Plan, the
MDOT Bike/Ped Director, brought ISTEA funding to
the county/state level, got better access for bikes on
the D.C. Metro and helped place bike racks on all the
1460 Metro Buses and CPABC helped in forming One
Less Car.
CPABC also recently published two Bike
Transportation Maps and were able to distribute
50,000 Bike Maps across the region.
Tour du Port Registration Open
Tour du Port
One Less Car event planner Charina Chatman
said she expected more than 700 bicyclists to make
the early bird registration for 2008 Tour du Port
and hoped 1500 cyclists would celebrate one of
Baltimore’s best events Sunday, October 5.
20 September 2008

The Tour is about participation and peddling not racing
in the popular annual bike ride/fundraiser for
the state-wide bicycle and pedestrian organization.
Now in its 15th year, the Tour du Part serves as the
primary fundraiser for One Less Car, and is one of
Charm City’s premier recreational events.
This year’s Tour du Port has been coordinated to
coincide with the 42nd Annual Fells Point Festival.
The Fells Point Festival, a two-day affair, runs from 10
a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and draws tens of thousands
of people each year to the historic Baltimore neighborhood.
“We’ve been reaching out to people in Delaware,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, billing as a big day to
visit Baltimore,” Chatman told SPOKES.
After the ride Tour participants can head off to the
festival (only 10 minutes away from Canton).
The 2008 event begins at the Canton Waterfront Park
at 3001 Boston Street, just east of the Inner Harbor,
and there will be a selection of ride options, including
a 45-mile route that will traverse the historic waterfront
sections of the working Port of Baltimore and
into North Point State Park in Baltimore County. Ride
options also include 15 and 22-mile bicycle routes
with cue sheets provided at registration.
Registration and pre-registration check-in runs from
7--8:30 a.m., but it’s important to arrive early for the
longer routes. By noon, all participants must complete
their route and be back at the Waterfront Park.
World Car-Free Day
Each year since 2000, in Europe, and spreading
around the globe, bicycle, pedestrian and mass transit
enthusiasts have been going carfree on Sept. 22 – a
date originally chosen to coincide with the European
Union-sponsored Mobility Week.
This year, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association
(WABA) is getting on board, and promoting World
Carfree Day in the Metro-area for the first time. On
their website, WABA is asking volunteers to sign an
online pledge to go carfree, or at the very least, do
the best they can Sept. 22, to limit their driving.
World Carfree Network’s main office and
International Coordination Centre, is located in
Prague, Czech Republic, and they promote World
Carfree Day as an annual celebration of cities and
public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution
of cars. Sara Stout, a Portland bicycle activist, helped
found the World Carefree Network, after attending a
bike conference in Prague in 2003. In July, she helped
the World Carfree Network sponsor the annual
Toward Carfree Cities conference, in Portland, attracting
more than 300 bicycle activists from 17 countries
to share information and, ultimately, foster plans for
alternative transportation.
“In Europe, Carfree day is a pretty big deal on Sept.
22,” Stout told SPOKES. “Dozens of cities participate,
and in London and Paris there will be street closures.
There have been carfree events in China and South
America in the past, and in Bogota, Columbia, it’s one
of the biggest days of the year.”
Stout also mentioned that in the U.S. cities like
Portland, Davis, Ca., Oakland, Durham, N.C. and Salt
Lake City have been participating for several years.
She estimated that perhaps as many as 25 U.S. cities
will have some type of carfree event planned – noting
that those places that have official support from their
cities tend to repeat the events year after year. The
idea, of course, behind the events is to showcase alternatives
to the automobile.
One Less Car's fundraiser
According to their website, carfree days were first
organized in Europe as early as during the oil crisis of
the 1970s, and several carfree days were again organized
in European cities during the early 1990s.
More details about D.C.’s planned activities will be
coming on the WABA website in the days leading up
to the event.
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September 2008
21

COLUMNS
FAMILY CYCLING 101 by KEVIN BRUGMAN kbrugman@cox.net
On Vacation
In the summer time, thoughts turn to swimming
pools, vacations and other ways to escape the heat.
So instead of finding a sandy beach and big umbrella
to shade me, I am in Flagstaff, Arizona, enjoying the
high desert.
When we first drove through Flagstaff, I thought that
I was in Portland, Oregon. There were bikes everywhere.
And not just mountain bikes, there were high
end road racing bikes, touring bikes, commuter bikes
with fenders and folks pulling kids in trailers. It seems
that there is an active biking community complemented
by a university population that uses their bikes
instead of having cars on campus.
To better understand the local biking community I
stopped in and talked with Bruce Wright, the owner
of AZ Bikes and Mark Shaw one of his staff. I was at
first rather skeptical of the feasibility of cycling year
round in Flagstaff, after all it boasts of being the
metro area with the second highest snow fall in the
nation. But Mark assured me that biking is a year
round activity and the locals are a hardy bunch. While
the road bikes may be put away, the biking population
does not fall by much as the mountain and commuting
bikes get brought out.
When I mentioned my surprise at seeing such a wide
variety of bikes in such a off-road biking paradise,
both Bruce and Mark pointed out that their highest
sellers were the commuter bikes. Currently they can
not keep commuting bikes in stock; they are selling
faster than they can get them. They have even sold
some of these bikes to the owners of local gas stations!
Their customers want a practical bike to get
where they are going and cut gas expenses.
Helping build a better biking environment is the
Flagstaff Biking Organization, FBO. Bruce explained
that while there has always been an active biking
community in Flagstaff, biking activism took off a few
years ago when a developer removed a popular bike
trail connector that had traversed private land. The
FBO has built active liaisons with the Flagstaff city
government and the National Forest Foundation to
promote biking both road and off road riding.
While much of their work is focused on adult activities
such as Bike to Work week and a Commuter Bike
Map of the city, they have also focused on FBO FUNn-Family
Rides. This summer they had a Father’s Day
bike ride and pancake breakfast. In July they took
advantage of not being on Day Light Savings Time
and had a Full Moon Ride. In September they will be
having another morning ride and pancake brunch.
To take advantage of the local terrain, they also have
a Youth Mtn Biking program with several rides or
races in August and more planned for the fall.
The FBO is also doing outreach to non-biking families
through its Safe Kids program where over 1,000
helmets have been distributed in Flagstaff to students
K-6 so far this year. They also have an active bike
rodeo programs having run six different bike rodeos
and health fairs reaching over 500 children where the
volunteers teaches kid safe riding skills while having
fun.
In 2004, FBO helped establish a local chapter of
the Trips for Kids Program in an effort to get more
kids riding bikes. Recognizing that not all kids could
afford a bicycle, Flagstaff Trips for Kids provides
children from many different challenging economic
backgrounds mountain biking opportunities, loaning
them a bicycle for the day and providing water
and snacks. Working with the Sierra Club of Phoenix,
inner city Phoenix children and African refugee children
living in Phoenix have been able to experience
the natural world through mountain biking, sometimes
for the first time, without the influence of gangs
or the danger of warfare.
Family Friendly Fall Events
Not to be out done in the Mid-Atlantic region, we
have some local rides that are very family friendly.
One of these is the Potomac Pedalers Century ride is
being held on Sunday, September 21st. There is a 25
mile family friendly option as well as a 50 mile option
for more experienced families. New this year is a pancake
and sausage breakfast being put on by the local
Boy Scout troop. The Century is keeping its famous
scenic route. Enjoy the peaceful country roads over
the Shenandoah River valley’s gently rolling terrain.
Ride through the rich historic land where a young
George Washington once rode as a surveyor for Lord
Fairfax. More information can be found on the PPTC
web site www.bikepptc.org
Another ride that has been growing for the past 15
years is the Baltimore Tour du Port hosted by One
Less Car on October 5. There are 15, 22 and 45 mile
options that should meet most family’s desires. This
year’s ride begins at the Korean War Memorial in
Canton Waterfront Park just south of the historic
Canton neighborhood in the City’s Southeast section.
Riders will enjoy Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and this
year the Tour will coincide with the 42nd Annual Fells
Point Festival. After they finish, riders can participate
in the festival (only 10 minutes away from Canton) and
enjoy street performances, great food and live music.
Don’t forget to bring your panniers because there
will be an international bazaar to go shopping. More
information can be found on the Tour du Port web site
www.onelesscar.org/TDP/2008/index.php
Starting its 16th year is the Between the Waters Ride
hosted by Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore on
October 25 in Wachapreague, Virginia. This ride is
on some of the quietist roads in the area. It is possible
to ride all day and not see more than a dozen
cars outside the seaside village of Wachapreague.
There will be rides of 25, 40, 60 and 100 miles with
rest stops every 7-10 miles for the 25 and 40 mile rides
and other than on the 25 mile ride, riders will enjoy
views of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake
Bay. This ride is great for readers from the Virginia
Beach/Hampton Roads area. For others there are
some hotels in the area, however we enjoy going to
Chincoteague for the weekend and enjoy some of the
activities there on Friday afternoon and Sunday. More
information can be found on the Between the Waters
web site www.cbes.org/events_biketour.asp
While I strongly encourage group rides and ride with
my family every chance I get, I also realize the pitfalls
of over doing any one sport. I have one friend whose
son was a champion runner all the way through high
school and one of the best on the East Coast; however
he burned out and does not enjoy running at all any
more. Another pushed his son to bike ride all the
time and now laments that he may be the only person
in the Netherlands without a bike, although I heard
rumors that may be changing.
We all need to experience multiple sports for multiple
reasons. Obviously one of the reasons is to avoid
burn-out. Watching the Olympics reminded me how
important cross training is. While observing the
runners, I could see that they had also spent time
doing weights. This summer both my boys took an
introductory course in historical swordsmanship and
my younger followed up with a course in Olympic
Fencing as well as a week at Chess Camp, all available
through the Fairfax County, Va., Park system. (Does
any one want to relieve me of my embarrassment of
being checkmated consistently by a nine year old?)
This summer on vacation they have been swimming in
the Great Salt Lake and hiking up and down the Zion
and Grand Canyon National Parks. The hard part was
driving through Moab with neither a bike nor time to
rent one to ride.
The mid-Atlantic region offers so many opportunities
to venture out in other activities that we now make
biking part of our repertoire of activities. The boys
are experiencing new activities that tax their muscles
as well as their minds. They are now happy to go
out on bike rides and do not feel forced. Jonathon
wants to ride the Northern Central Trail and the York
Heritage Trail again this year and maybe bring along
younger brother Jason on the tandem. The boys look
forward to riding with their parents and do not feel
that it is a burden to appease their parents. What a
wonderful way to get our children to enjoy life with
us. As I started with last month, “Our children are not
our future, they are now!”
22 September 2008

MY FAVORITE CYCLOCROSS RACES by JOEL GWADZ
IT IS AMAZING. Cyclocross is BOOMING! A discipline
of cycling which in the past was nothing more than
a cycling sidebar used as an off season giggle has
become a very intense focus of many cyclists. The
number of cyclocross racers is growing each season as
well the number of cyclocross races. Here will I try to
introduce a short list of some of my favorite cyclocross
races in the Mid-Atlantic in an effort to get those
uninvolved involved. This list highlights a few of MY
FAVORITES, which means that there are many other
great cyclocross races in the Mid-Atlantic worth checking
out.
Charm City Cyclocross: This early season cyclocross
event gets people’s heart rates going early. In late
September the people of C3-Sollay will be hosting
Charm City Cyclocross at Druid Park in Baltimore.
This course offers a wide variety of pain. The excitement
starts early with a short road climb as racers
fight for position for what has been a race deciding
bottleneck. Things then spread out where the racers
fight to stay in the game racing on off camber grass,
tight turns and switchbacks, a sand pit where some
try to slog through on their bikes while others dismount
and run. There are straightaways where racers
accelerate to maximum speed only finding themselves
decreasing speed for the next set of tight turns or the
next set of barriers. Barriers? Of course there are barriers;
racers get to test their abilities on both standard
eighteen inch barriers as well a set of double high
shin snapping railroad ties. It is a fantastic event! A
beautiful course right in the middle of Charm City!
DCCX: This is year two for DCMTB-City Bikes to host
a cyclocross race in the District of Columbia. This
cyclocross race in the nation’s capital is a Europeanstyle
cyclocross course with lots of transitions from
grass to pavement then back to grass again. The race
starts with a fast pavement sprint to a wide uphill section
on grass where the racers start to fall into position.
Steep sections with barriers force the run up
while some sections on the grass test the racers’ ability
to corner at speed. A slight grade uphill on a paved
path offers a chance for road tactics before turning
onto a fast section of hard packed gravel jeep road
that feeds onto a straight off camber hill straight away
that challenges racers confidence to hold their line. A
stretch of the course that people were really excited
about was a Paris-Roubaix-style path brick path where
the racers try and work the balance of maximum
speed while maintaining enough finesse so that they
do not risk a pinch flat.
The race is held on the private grounds of the Armed
Forces Retirement Home which is usually closed
to the public. The grounds of the Armed Forces
Retirement Home are a hidden treasure within our
nation’s capital that hosts four National Historic
Landmarks, including the Lincoln Cottage. It is said
that Abraham Lincoln withdrew to the Soldiers’
Home each summer to escape the heat in the White
House which is just three miles away. But most people
will not be visiting for sightseeing on this day, no
these people will be on the grounds for cyclocross.
Those who come to race will be treated to a fast
course that offers a variety of classic cyclocross challenges
that mix things up while maintaining a good
fast rhythm.
Ed Sanders Memorial Cyclocross Event: This cyclocross
event hosted by the National Capital Velo Club
(NCVC) in Lily Pons, Md. A memorial event for a
team member who died in a training accident has
become one of the area’s most popular cyclocross
events. The course twists and turns between manmade
canal-like ponds which during certain seasons
are filled with great blossoming aquatic plants. The
design of the course makes use of a wide variety of
terrain. Racers fight for position shoulder to shoulder
on hard packed gravel roads and on off camber grass.
Short steep run ups and some technical sections that
the road cyclists claim favor the mountain bikers. It
is pretty standard for there to be some mud on the
course even it has been dry. Last year there was a
short section of deep gravel that offered some challenges.
This race hosted by NCVC always brings out
some tough competition.
Capital Cross Classic: The people at Potomac Velo
Club put on a wonderful event on the grounds of
Lake Fairfax in Reston, Va. This course makes interesting
use of the surrounding variables. A paved start
sends the racers sprinting up hill only to double
back onto some swooping grass turns. The racers are
forced between the fast line and the safe line as they
race through some wide sections which pass over
exposed roots. Everyone tries to make up time on
the paved section along side the lake, which means
everyone is sprinting just to hold their position in the
pack. Once off the pavement the racers are forced to
choose between dismounting or riding up the steep
hill that takes a few turns through the woods. There
are some twisting descents which favor those that are
more comfortable riding their skinny tire bikes off
road. This is another spectacular cyclocross race in
the Mid-Atlantic.
Tacchino Ciclocross: Squadra Coppi hosts the
Tacchino Ciclocross just outside of Leesburg, Va
under a big sky on some wide open spaces. In the past
the course has been primarily grass with a short section
where the racers are forced to maneuver through
a section of large granite stones. The people at
Squadra Coppi really did a great job of making use of
the terrain, There are long painful grinds and short
steep sections where people have to decide to sprint
up or leap out of the saddle. It is a great event that
brings about the pain that people seek when racing
cyclocross.
These are just a few of my favorite cyclocross races
in the Mid-Atlantic. This year I hope to broaden my
vocabulary by sampling a few of the other cyclocross
race options. Some of the racers that are on my radar
include Cyclocross at Granogue and The Iron Cross.
Cyclocross is fun for the family and friends!
Unlike so many other disciplines of cycling, Cyclocross
is spectator friendly. After all, Cyclocross is the sport
that calls out for MORE COWBELL! The under hour
multi-lap race on a short track offers the spectators a
chance to traverse the course and cheer for the racers
as they attack the various sections of the course.
Not only are these races spectator friendly but many
of these races are family friendly in the fact that they
offer “lil’ Belgians races!” This is a chance for small
children to experience the pain which is cyclocross.
Go to Mid-Atlantic Cross Info for more information
on registration and directions to these and other
events: www.midatlanticcross.info
301.663.0007
September 2008
23
September 2008
23

DEPARTMENTS
BMX MID-ATLANTIC by BRIAN CARON coolbmx2c4me@aol.com
Good Ole Dads Return to their Roots
BMX racing has always been a family style sport since
it’s inception in the 1970’s. Motorcycle racing gained
popularity during the same time period and the kids
of the time period were anxious to get a taste of racing
too. Not every kid on the block was fortunate
enough to have a motorcycle and the means to travel
to a moto-cross track, but most kids did have access to
a bicycle.
The sport of BMX was born in Southern California
on some undeveloped land by a group of kids who
took the initiative to organize a type of racing to emulate
their motorcycle counterparts. The sport grew by
leaps and bounds in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s
but there were very few BMX tracks in the country at
the time. The BMX circuit during that time period
consisted of a select few major cities that were quickly
jumping on the latest craze and building their own
BMX tracks. BMX racing continued to gain popularity
and tracks began popping up in more places, but
by no means were they as prevalent as baseball fields
or basketball or tennis courts. Those kids interested in
BMX, mostly young teenagers, needed a means of getting
to these tracks to give BMX a try. Convincing their
parents to travel around to these tracks in order to give
BMX a try wasn’t always an easy task for these kids.
During the early days of BMX most of the competitors
consisted of kids who had fathers that had racing
in their blood and understood the drive and
motivation to race whether it was motorcycles, cars or
bicycles. Most of these dads in turn were responsible
for the development of stronger, lighter and innovative
bicycle frame and parts designs to give their kids
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Bill Gorsuch and his son Billy after the race.
an edge. Most of these upgrades were developed out
of necessity as there were no purpose built BMX bikes
at the time. There were very few parts that stood up
to the rigors of BMX racing, and it was not uncommon
for kids to break frames, forks, cranks and
wheels while racing BMX in the early 1980’s. In fact,
the BMX dads were responsible for developing the
tubular fork, tubular three-piece cranks, the double
clamp BMX stems, alloy race frames and many other
contributions to the evolution of BMX.
These days the BMX market is a multi-million dollar
industry with unique innovations still springing up
every year. With parts development left to the experts,
it leaves the BMX dads with nothing to do but give it
a try themselves. It’s not uncommon at today’s BMX
tracks to see a full gate of 30-50 year-old fathers racing
BMX. Some of these guys raced “back in the day,”
mainly the early to mid 1980’s when BMX exposure
was at it’s first peak.
We’ve had two racing dads get back into BMX after
a 20 year hiatus this month alone at our local track,
and now are racing competitively AGAIN! They line
up with the other “cruiser dads,” some of whom are
racing into their 50’s. Yes BMX racing is THAT old.
One of those riders who loved the sport in the 1980’s
and plans on passing along his passion for BMX to
the next generation in Bill Gorsuch. At 41 years-old
he’s in his third season of BMX racing aboard his
favorite race rig, the Standard Bykes 125r. That’s only
one of the four bikes that are hanging off the rack of
his SUV. The GRT (Gorsuch Race Team) consists of
himself, Josh his 17 year-old step-son, Billy his 12 yearold,
and soon to be racer Logan at just 2 years-old.
Living near the town of Clear Spring, Md., they call
Hagerstown BMX their home track but also travel to
Riverside BMX in Cumberland, Winchester BMX, and
NOVA BMX both located in Virginia. Keep in mind
he does all of this while working a full time job, an
hour plus commute to work each day, spending time
with his wife Lori, not to mention tinkering on one
of his many BMX bikes ranging from several Schwinn
Scramblers, 1984 Schwinn Predators, an 84 Hutch
Pro-Racer, an 88 Schwinn Sting, and parts to build
about 6 more! When he’s not shopping for parts to
complete a project bike on the internet he’s out on
the track honing his skills to stay competitive in the
40+ Novice class.
Gorsuch and his son Billy (aka Gomer) completed
the Maryland State points Series in 2007 and both are
competing in this year’s series as well. They both are
enthusiastic about BMX and always enjoy racing or
just hanging out in the pits spending time with other
people who share their interest in bikes. He’s also
anxious to get his youngest son off his training wheels
and onto the BMX track as well
His childhood hobby that began in the Charm City of
Baltimore where he grew up has carried on into his
adulthood. He’s been into bikes since he depended
on them for transportation around town. Today he
is less dependant on them for transportation but still
enjoys the hobby of collecting and building some
of his childhood dream bikes. Since he hails from
Baltimore, the home of Hutch bicycles, he considers
his favorite bike in his collection to be the 1986
Futuristic Black Hutch Trick-Star which was one of
the bikes that he used to ogle at as a teenager wishing
he had the means to own one. He couldn’t afford the
best of everything as teenager so he and his brother
made the most out of compiled used parts and saved
up for the cool new parts from Mt Washington bikes
when he could.
Bill has his hands full both on and off the track but
manages to keep it all together and still have fun.
When he’s not engulfed in bikes he enjoys speed skating,
playing guitar or heading off to see a rock concert
of some sort, reliving his youth through that as
well with songs from AC-DC, or Iron Maiden topping
his favorites list. You may hear some of those tunes
in the driveway too as he wrenches on his Mustang
GT or his Chevy pick-up, both 1980’s vintage as well.
Watch for Bill and his family at a BMX race near you,
as he’s still keeping it real after 30 years worth of riding
and no slowing down in sight.
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Her friendly, charismatic demeanor and her ability
to accept and feed off of constructive criticism
have helped her improve her skills throughout her
career. She represented Peru in the 1990’s at an
International BMX championship and hopes sometime
in the near future she will have the chance to do
it again.
She has been through several bikes during her career
and now has to choose between her Redline or SE
when race day rolls around. She prefers the look and
feel of the SE, probably due to her “old skool” roots
in the sport, not to mention that they are one of the
co-sponsors of the HBR Racing team which she is a
member of. In addition to HBR/SE, she is sponsored
by SixSixOne, and Fluid as well.
Although BMX has been a big part of her life, she still
enjoys other sports and past-times like track and field
events, other Adrenaline fueled extreme sports or
“Anything with wheels,” she says.
Being a super mom means more than just raising and
supporting four kids to Rocio. She strives to do her
best every time the gate drops so you better watch out
if you line up beside her at a local BMX race, or you
may feel the wrath of “Girl Power” at its best.
Other riders were not as lucky as Ken Hansell ended
up suffering a broken leg earlier in the day while
attempting a huge gap jump. Most of the other incidents
involved minor cuts and bruises and a few runins
with the local police. Everyone who attended and
competed had a great time especially those who scored
some free prizes for their efforts. Jamie Hess, owner of
the shop says that plans are in the works for the next
contest, noting he’ll try to “raise the bar” to keep the
kids enthusiastic and involved in the sport of BMX.
Your Turn
Maybe you know of a local shop, BMX track, or BMX
enthusiast that helps promote some facet of the sport
of BMX in the Mid-Atlantic region. I’m always looking
for suggestions and ideas for future articles that
include people, places and personalities that make up
or help promote BMX in our area, that includes all
disciplines of riding whether it racing or freestyle and
the person is 3 or 53. Email to coolbmx2c4me@aol.
com or call 301-582-1452 if you have ideas or suggestions
for future BMX related articles.
Groove’s Video Contest
Girl Power
Rocio Colon
The sport of BMX is by no means limited to male
competitors as more and more of their female counterparts
are giving BMX racing a try and moving
through the ranks, even going as far as representing
the United States in the newest Olympic Sport of
BMX racing.
Although Father/Son racing has become fairly commonplace
as BMX enters its fourth decade of existence,
the male/female ratio is still a bit lopsided
in favor of the males. At a recent race I attended at
Winchester BMX I noticed a BMX mom giving the
guys in the 30+ Cruiser class fits. Her name is Rocio
“RC” Colon and she currently resides in Manassas, Va.
Rocio was born and raised in Lima, Peru and began
racing BMX when she was just 10 years-old and her
brother took her to her first BMX race. She has always
been into bicycles since she taught herself how to ride
without training wheels, and actually has memories of
hopping on her bike unassisted and trying over and
over until she got the hang of it.
“I hit some walls, fell on the ground, hit a few hanging
plants and had vases fall on my head,” she recalls,
“but I learned eventually. My family remembers and
laughs about it all of the time. I wasn’t afraid to fall
or get hurt, instead it made me try even harder to
get better all the time”. She raced competitively from
1988-1994 in Peru and has recently returned to the
sport she loves. Her home track is NOVA BMX located
in Woodbridge, Va., where this 31 year-old mother
of four races on a regular basis.
As far as her family’s involvement in racing she said,
“So far my oldest son is the only other one in my
immediate family to race BMX on a competitive level.
My brother is now into mountain biking but has toyed
with the idea of getting back into the sport of BMX,
which he introduced me to almost 20 years ago.” She
likes the adrenaline rush and the excitement as well
as the family atmosphere that the sport provides adding,
“I love being a positive role model for my kids, as
well as other young adults at the track. I try to show
them that with self-discipline and perseverance you
achieve anything you put your mind to, no matter
what the circumstance is. This applies to BMX as well
as other sports and life in general.”
Joey Richards and Nate Horner, relaxing after
winning the Groove Merchant Video Competition.
The Groove Merchant Skate/Bike shop in
Martinsburg, W. Va., held an original and unusual
style of competition during the first weekend in
August. It was an all day affair to say the least. The
entries consisted of two-member teams armed with a
video camera, and their bikes. They were given three
hours to ride to different venues and locations (by
bike of course) and return to the shop in three hours
where their footage was viewed and judged by a panel
of judges and the other competing teams. It wasn’t all
business as the riders were treated to a huge Bar-B-
Que while the videos were being watched.
A total of 11 teams competed, including mobile spectators
which brought the total ridership to over 40 riders,
a great turn-out for this inaugural event. The big winners
of the day were Joey Richards and Nate Horner
that turned in some of the biggest, best riding footage.
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September 2008
25

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Griffin Cycle
4949 Bethesda Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 656-6188
www.griffincycle.com
Road, Hybrids, Mountain, Kids
Parts & Accessories for All Makes
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FEATURING BIKES FROM:
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SEPTEMBER 6 – 24 HOURS OF BOOTY
24 Hours of Booty, Inc., which runs the Official
24-Hour Cycling Event of the Lance Armstrong
Foundation and the only 24-hour road cycling charity
event in the country, will be hosting the 24 Hours of
Booty of Columbia, Md. on the “Booty Loop” at the
Gateway Business Park from noon, Saturday, Sept. 6 to
noon, Sunday, Sept. 7. A registration fee of $45 per participant
and minimum $150 fundraising are required
by August 22. Proceeds from the 24 Hours of Booty
of Columbia will benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for
Young Adults and Lance Armstrong Foundation. The
24 Hours of Booty is a non-competitive charity cycling
event that is geared for teams and individuals and is
open to participants of all ages and skill levels. For
more information, visit www.24hoursofbooty.org or call
toll-free at 1-877-365-4417.
SEPTEMBER 6 – AMISH COUNTRY BIKE TOUR
Tour the bucolic farmlands of Delaware’s flat Amish
countryside in this popular 22nd annual event. Nearly
1,400 riders participate in this tour. Loops range
from 15 to 100 miles. Food & entertainment. “Surf &
Turf” packages available for the entire weekend! Kent
County Tourism (800) 233-5368; or register at www.
visitdover.com Ask for free bicycling map of the area.
SEPTEMBER 6-7 – TOUR DE CANAL
Since its inception in 1997, this event has raised more
than $1.2 million to fund promising research and
services for those who suffer from Alzheimer. This
series of very popular rides, ranges from a challenging
but fully supported two day tour of the entire 184
mile C&O Canal beginning in Cumberland, Md., and
ending in Washington, D.C., to a 100 mile route over
the same two days, to a one day 20 mile memory ride.
Here your chance to do the canal with support. For
details log onto http://tourdecanal08.kintera.org or
contact Linda Hadley at linda.hadley@alz.org or by
calling (800) 728-9255, ext. 115.
SEPTEMBER 7 – SOUTHERN MARYLAND CENTURY
The Indian Head 100 has routes of 16, 30, 63, and
100 miles through the scenic Potomac Heritage Area
of Southern Maryland. Register and go 7-9 a.m. from
the Village Green in the Town of Indian Head, 20
miles south of the Washington Beltway. Fully supported
by the Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club. For
details, visit www.ohbike.org or call (301) 567-0089.
SEPTEMBER 13 – SKIPJACK BIKE TOUR
This first annual event, hosted by the Deal Island/
Chance Volunteer Fire Company, is a series of fully
supported road rides past beautiful marshlands, harbors
and wildbird sanctuaries. Rides begin and end at
the Deal Island Harbor. Rides, which run from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m., include 15, 30 and 50 mile routes. From
Princess Anne, Md., go 14 miles west on Rt. 363, right
after bridge at harbor. Pre-registration is $30 before
Aug. 30. Register online at www.visitsomerset.com or
www.dealislandmaryland.com
SEPTEMBER 13 – SURRY CENTURY RIDES
The Peninsula Bicycling Association hosts these popular
rides through scenic southeastern Virginia. Rides
begin at the Surry Athletic Field behind the Surry
Courthouse. For details contact Howard or Leslie at
(757) 356-1451 or email hbeizer@aol.com
SEPTEMBER 14 – SHE GOT BIKE!
A Festival of Women’s Cycling, She Got Bike was a
huge success last year. Held beginning at 8 a.m. at
Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Md., this is the
area’s largest women-only bike ride around – a full
day of fun and activities in celebration of women’s
cycling. You’ll ride Baltimore County’s scenic roads
and then enjoy a women’s-specific cycling expo, fashion
show, yoga class and a lecture on cycling training
and nutrition and more. The rides are for women
cyclists of all abilities and rides of varying lengths are
available. All rides are on mixed terrain – flat, rolling
and hilly – challenging, but fun and doable even for
beginners. Rides are for women; festival is open to all.
$22 (includes t-shirt, lunch, festival and complimentary
subscription to Lifestrength’s e-newsletter). Preregister
at www.active.com. For more information visit
www.SheGotBike.com.
SEPTEMBER 14-19 – SEPTEMBER ESCAPADE
A relaxed tour of central Indiana hosted by the state
park inns. This six-day tour will visit three state parks,
with two layover days that allow time for hiking,
browsing stores and art galleries, or more cycling.
Catered breakfasts and dinners are served in the inn
dining rooms. Bring a camera to capture the scenes
you’ll see along the way, from historic covered bridges
and barns to old stone carvings and unusual street
signs. For more information, see www.triri.org , email
triri@triri.org, or call (812) 333-8176.
26 September 2008

SEPTEMBER 20 – AMISH 100
Enjoy the quiet rural charm of St. Mary’s and Charles
County. Steeped in history and culture, the Amish
area of Southern Maryland is laced with quiet country
roads made for cycling. Donations support the Three
Notch Trail. Preregister by Aug. 31, 2008 to receive a
T- Shirt. Ride day registration is from 7 - 10 a.m. Visit
www.paxvelo.com or email riderunrow@yahoo.com.
SEPTEMBER 20-21 – RIDE IN THE HEARTLAND
Ride through the rolling countryside of Charlotte
County, Virginia, hunting grounds of the Saponi
tribes and final homes of Governor Patrick Henry
(18th century), Congressman John Randolph (19th
century), and Ambassador David Bruce (20th century).
Ride on our own “century” or “metric century”
bike routes, or choose from shorter rides of 11 to 33
miles. Meals, rest stops, SAG, optional camping spaces,
all routes marked and on paved roads. Century
includes Patrick Henry’s Red Hill and Staunton River
Battlefield State Park. Other rides visit either Red Hill
or the Battlefield Park. Contact ncarwile@hotmail.
com or (434) 248-6407. Details and on-line registration
at www.bikeheartland.org
SEPTEMBER 20 – CEDAR RIDGE RIDE FOR YOUTH
Includes a century and metric century bicycle ride.
Registration fees vary by ride, but include: lunch,
snack/drink stops, souvenir photos, “goody” bags and
dessert. For more information, visit www.cedarridge.
org or call (301) 582-0282 x122.
SEPTEMBER 20 – BIKE4BREAST CANCER
Bike4BreastCancer is partnering with the Harford
Velo Cycling Club and the Chesapeake Cancer
Alliance for the 6th Annual Harford County
Pink Ribbon Ride. The ride will kick off at the
Susquehanna Center on the campus of Harford
Community College in Bel Air, Md. Family rides of
4 miles and 12 miles, as well as a 25 mile, metric
century and full century ride are offered. Start time
is 7 a.m. for the longer rides with starts planned for
family rides between 7 – 9 a.m. All funds received
from this event will go to The Chesapeake Cancer
Alliance organization www.chesapeakecanceralliance.org.
For details contact Adele Snowman,
adelesnowman@hotmail.com
SEPTEMBER 21 – ING DIRECT CRITERIUM
The inaugural running of the ING Direct Capital
Criterium will be held on the streets of Washington,
D.C. Sponsors say top road racing pros from around
the world, including riders that raced in this year’s
Tour de France and Olympic Games are expected
to participate. The finishing straight of the race will
end along Pennsylvania Avenue, framed by the US
Capitol in the background and D.C. City Hall in the
foreground. The event is organized and promoted by
DC Velo. The men’s professional race is scheduled to
begin at 11:30 a.m. and terminate around 1:30 p.m.
Prior to the professional racers category, there will be
separate events promoting youth helmet and cycling
safety. The free children’s races begin at 10:15 a.m.
The first 300 children will receive free helmets and
jerseys. The two morning races include an age-graded
race for category 1-4 racers 35+ and older beginning
at 8 a.m. and an elite-amateur race beginning at 9.
For details log onto www.capitalcriterium.com
SEPTEMBER 26-28 – NORTHERN NECK RIVER RIDE
Virginia’s Northern Neck, “the Garden of Virginia,”
serves as the host for the Third Annual Northern
Neck RiverRide. Tour this special and unique peninsula,
located between the Rappahannock and
Potomac Rivers, with 700 cycling enthusiasts and
experience the heritage, culture and incomparable
scenery that this region has to offer. Celebrate
National Century Month with an English, metric, half
or third century along the scenic back roads of the
Northern Neck. Visit www.riverride.org for details and
to register online. For inquiries, call (757) 229-0507
or email info@riverride.org.
SEPTEMBER 28 – CANNONBALL CENTURY
The Fredericksburg Cyclists’ 11th Annual Cannonball
Century starts at Curtis Park in Hartwood, Va.
The ride, offering 35, 62 and 100 mile routes,
goes through flat to the beautiful rolling hills of
Faquier County. Support service provided by Olde
Towne Bicycles and a free lunch at the end of the
ride. Portions of the proceeds support the Friends
of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail and the
Fredericksburg Pathway Partners. Registration from
7-8:30 with routes opening at 7:30. Sign up on active.
com, bikereg.com or at www.bikefred.com. For details
contact Morgan Jenkins at (540) 372-7055 or e-mail at
morgkell@cox.net.
SEPTEMBER 28 – SAVE-A-LIMB RIDE
Friends and supporters along with doctors and
patients of The Rubin Institute for Advanced
Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore are clipping
into their pedals for this third annual event and
fund raiser to benefit the Save-A-Limb Fund. In addition
to bike rides (ranging from 6 to 60 miles), runs
and hikes, former Tour de France racer Bob Roll and
Tour de France veteran Floyd Landis will be on hand
to talk with participants. For details log onto www.
savealimbride.org or call (410) 601-2483
OCTOBER 4 – SEA GULL CENTURY
Acclaimed as one of the best run flattest centuries
in the country, the Sea Gull has become a full
weekend of Eastern Shore riding from Salisbury
State University. Rides are also offered on Friday
and Sunday, with the century (and metric century)
sandwiched in between. With upwards of 7,000 riders,
there is NO ride day registration. For details call
(410) 548-2772; email: seagull@salisbury.edu or log
onto www.seagullcentury.org
OCTOBER 6 – MARYLAND BIKE FORUM
Running from 6-9 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins Applied
Physics Lab in Laurel, Md., the goal is discussions
on how to make Maryland more bicycle friendly?
This session will serve to bring bicycle advocacy
folks together with elected officials and our state
and county transportation planners to discuss our
bicycle transportation needs, and present a unified
message to the Maryland Legislative Session in the
2009 Session in Annapolis. Hosted by the advocacy
group One Less Car. For more info, contact Richard
Chambers at rchambers@onelesscar.org or Bill Kelly
at ws.kelly@att.net or (410) 480-1909.
OCTOBER 11 – MONSTER MASH
The main fund raiser for Trips for Kids this race is
held on Northern Virginia’s most popular mountain
bike trail. Your blood will be pumping as you enjoy
the fast, fun, twisty single track of Wakefield Park.
There are races for every age and ability including
youth races. Awards will be given to the top finishers
in each race. All proceeds from the Monster Mash
MTB Race benefit Trips for Kids Metro DC, a nonprofit
501c(3) children’s health organization that
helps disadvantaged youth in the Metropolitan DC
area. The race is sponsored by The Bike Lane as part
of the Verizon Children’s Health Festival. For more
information visit www.tfkmetrodc.org or to register
visit www.active.com.
OCTOBER 17-19 – SHENANDOAH FALL
FOLIAGE FESTIVAL
Enjoy spectacular cycling in the beautiful Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia at this very popular 18th annual
event. Featuring all new routes on Saturday with rides
CALENDAR continued on p.28
OCTOBER 5 – TOUR DU PORT
One of the East Coast’s most delightful inner city fun
rides, the Tour Du Port provides cyclists with a largely
car free experience in and around the most scenic
parts of Baltimore’s inner harbor and Ft. McHenry
areas. Over 1,500 cyclists converge on Charm City
for this event hosted by One Less Car. Routes range
from 10 to 22 miles. Call (410) 235-3678, or email
info@onelesscar.org for details.
September 2008
27

CALENDAR continued from p.27
each day for all skill levels from easy family cycling
to a challenging century. Delicious food--Saturday
(lunch, afternoon apple dumpling social) Sunday
brunch. Saturday night dance. Sag support on every
route. Visit Grand Caverns (with discount on route),
and historic attractions in Staunton and the valley.
Family friendly and group discounts. Please check our
website www.shenandoahbike.org or call (540) 885-
2668, fax (540) 885-2669
RIDES IN OCEAN CITY
Looking to ride near Ocean City, Md., during your
visits to the beach? Join members of the Worcester
Wheelmen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Rides
go 30-40 miles averaging 15-16 mph. Meet 8:30 in
the parking lot in front of Happy Harry’s on Manklin
Creek Road near the south gate of Ocean Pines. No
one gets left behind. For details call Dutch at (410)
208-1497.
WEDNESDAYS AT WAKEFIELD
All Wednesdays are mountain bike race evenings at
Wakefield Park, along Braddock Rd in Annandale,
Va. Fun, fast, 1 hour races in the evening. Great
for new riders to try the sport, plus classes for good
competition for seasoned racers. 5:30 pm Junior
race with 6 classes for 14 and under. 6 pm race for
beginners, single speeds, 35+, 45+, 15-18 Juniors. 7
pm race for sport, expert, clydesdale. For details, log
onto www.potomacvelo.com or contact Jim Carlson at
jcarlsonida@yahoo.com.
Great Gear For Cyclists...
LUTHERVILLE WEEKLY ROAD RIDES
Dual Action
Knee Strap
Patented strap takes pain
relief from knee degeneration
and overuse syndromes to
a higher level. Provides
increased support and
stability. Sizes: Sm-XL
1-800-221-1601 • www.cho-pat.com
Lutherville Bike Shop will lead two weekly road bike
rides. Both rides will leave from the shop at 5:30 p.m.
Proper riding attire required. Easier Ride: Monday
nights at 5:30 p.m. 14-16 mph Approximately 30 miles
A scenic road ride through Loch Raven Reservoir and
surrounding areas. We keep the hills to a minimum
and invite all riders to the sport. Racers recovering
from the weekend are welcome as well. We’ll ride as a
group and no one will be left behind.
Fast Ride: Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. 18+ mph
Approximately 40 miles A fast ride through Loch
Raven Reservoir and northern Baltimore county. This
is a hilly ride with sprint points to keep the heart rate
up and the competition fierce. The goal of this ride
is to ride fast and ride hard. Great for racers training
during the season. We will set a few designated wait
points. Call the shop for details (410) 583-8734. www.
luthervillebikeshop.com
THURSDAY EVENING FREDERICK RIDES
A 15-19 mph road ride out of Frederick Bike Doctor,
5732 Buckeystown Pike, just off Route 355. Meet every
Thursday at 5:30 p.m. for a 25 mile +/- ride. No one
will be dropped. Beginning May 1 the ride time will
change to 6 p.m. Rides cancelled if roads are wet, it
is raining, temps are below 40 degrees or winds are
20 mph or above. Contact (301) 620-8868 or log onto
www.battlefieldvelo.com for details.
DC CYCLING CHICKS
Women’s only bike rides for beginners or those interested
in casual rides. DC Cycling Chicks offers weekday
and weekend bike rides. Visit http://bike.meetup.
com/340 or contact Susan Schneider at (202) 403-
1148 for details.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT MT. BIKE RIDES AT LOCH RAVEN
Lutherville Bike Shop will lead a weekly mountain
bike ride every Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. from
the shop. The ride will leave from the shop and go
through Loch Raven Reservoir. Distance and speed
will vary based on rider skill level. Call the shop for
details (410) 583-8734. www.luthervillebikeshop.com
SPIRITED SUNDAY ROAD RIDES
Join the folks of the Bicycle Place, just off Rock Creek
Park, every Sunday morning (beginning at 8:30
a.m.) for a “spirited” 36-40 mile jaunt up to Potomac
and back. This is a true classic road ride that runs
year round. While the pace is kept up, no one is
left behind. No rainy day rides. The Bicycle Place
is located in the Rock Creek Shopping Center, 8313
Grubb Road (just off East-West Highway). Call (301)
588-6160 for details.
28 September 2008

BALTIMORE SATURDAY RIDE
A fun but spirited group ride through Baltimore
County every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Depending
on turnout there are usually 2-3 different groups of
varying abilities. When the weather doesn’t cooperate,
we will have the option to ride indoors. Call Hunt
Valley Bicycles at (410) 252-3103 for more information.
BIKES FOR THE WORLD - Collection Schedule
Bikes for the World collects repairable bicycles in the
United States, for donation to charities overseas, for
productive use by those in need of affordable transport.
Note: $10/bike donation suggested to defray
shipping to overseas charity partners. Receipt provided
for all material and cash donations. Bikes for the World
is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist
Association, a 501 c 3 non-profit charity. Collections
will take place rain or shine. For further info, visit www.
bikesfortheworld.org or call (703) 525-0931.
Bicycles may also be dropped off for Bikes for the
World during store hours at selected bicycle retailers:
Bikes of Vienna, 128-A Church Street, Vienna VA;
Bob’s Bike Shop, 19961 Fisher Avenue, Poolesville MD;
Race Pace, 8450 Baltimore Natl Pike, Normandy
Shopping Center, Ellicott City MD;
Pedal Pushers, 546 Baltimore & Annapolis Road,
Severna Park MD.
Please remember to leave a $10 donation (check preferred,
payable to “BfW”) with each bike; BfW will mail
you a receipt good for tax purposes.
$10.00
BICYCLING CLASSES
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR PRIVATE
PARTIES
Details: NO PHONE ORDERS. Ad listed in next
issue. Limit of 25 words. Add 50¢ per word over.
Print or type message, including classification.
Send to:
Spokes Classifieds
5911 Jefferson Boulevard
Frederick, MD 21703
Allen Muchnick, a League of American Bicyclists
Cycling Instructor, will teach Road-1 (Cycling with
Confidence), LAB’s essential, comprehensive, and very
practical 9-hour cycling skills course; Bicycling 101, a
3-hr classroom presentation derived from Road-I; and
two three-hour bicycle maintenance courses (one lecture/demonstration
and one all hands-on) through
local adult education programs in Northern Virginia.
All classes meet on weekday evenings from 6:30-9:30
p.m. To register, contact the local course sponsor in
advance; either the Falls Church Community Center
(703-248-5077), Arlington Adult Education (703-
228-7200 or www.arlingtonadulted.org ) or Fairfax
County Adult & Community Education (703-227-
2377 or 703-227-2250 or www.fcps.edu/adult.htm) .
For questions about the instruction, contact Allen at
muchnick@capaccess.org or 703-271-0895.
HELP WANTED
LASSIFIEDS
MECHANIC/CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE (PT)
All American Bikes in Damascus, Md., is looking for
cycling enthusiasts to share their passion with others.
For more information, stop by our store (www.aabikes.
com) or email matt@aabikes.com.
BIKES FOR SALE
ROAD BIKE – Bianchi Eros, men’s 23 inch frame, 21
speeds, excellent condition, all original, early 1990’s
model. $225. Cash. (301) 797-1713.
CUSTOM MADE ROAD BIKE – Top quality components,
56 cm, 21-speed. Black with chrome trim. Frame-Raleigh
531 steel. New was $1,200. Asking $425 OBO. Contact Jeff
at (410) 526-4850.
PINARELLO – 54cm; aluminum frame; carbon fork,
seat stays; 10-speed Campy Record group; Eurus wheels;
beautiful pain; excellent condition. $2000 firm. Call (443)
506-5587.
WOMEN’S REFURBISHED MOTOBECANE - Leaf green
French, 52 cm. Original components. 2 chainrings x 5-
spd. Cro-moly frame. Very good shape. $199. Call Dutch
(410) 208-1497.
RALEIGH RELIANT – men’s 3 chain rings X 5 spd, 54
cm, road bike. Made in England. Very good condition.
$199. Call Roelof (410) 208-1497.
LIKE LANCE'S – Full Dura Ace Trek Madone 5.9SL,
custom paint. 58cm full carbon frame & fork.
Complete with Race X Lite Carbon Bars, seatpost and
Race X Lite aero wheels, upgraded triple chain ring.
Less than half of new, asking $2,200. (301) 371-5309
Join Us for the
1st Annual
Biketoberfest
FREE Event! • 10am-4pm
Sunday, October 19, 2008
occoquan regional park, va
Details available at www.revolutioncycles.com
DON'T MISS THE CHANCE TO:
See and touch the latest
equipment from the big names
in cycling, including Trek, Orbea,
SRAM, Shimano, Thule, Bontrager
Apparel, Mavic, GORE, CycleOps,
Tifosi, Sidi and many more!
Sample over 80 demo road and
mountain bikes as well as hybrids
for city and path riding.
See the latest in cycling gear
and what’s new for 2009 at
the fashion show.
Hear tech talks and product
presentations.
Rain or shine!
Platinum Sponsors:
Presented by:
www.revolutioncycles.com
September 2008
29

COLUMNS
THE ROOKIE +1 by MATT COOKE youvebeencooked@yahoo.com
GOING FIRST CLASS!
Hello my favorite readers ever at Spokes! I got back
from the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah last night and
I am going to try and do the experience justice right
now. I have to say the name Larry H. Miller because
number one, he is the main sponsor and number two
Health Net-Maxxis stayed at his son’s homes this year.
These two homes were better than any hotel I have ever
seen or been in. The homes were next to each other
and absolutely gigantic. There was a home theater, a
pool with a slide, and a stocked fridge so we were pretty
comfortable. His sons were awesome too. Greg told
us stories one night of him driving ungodly speeds in
the round the world car race, the Gumball 3000, while
standing around his Ford GT supercar. Another night
they had a big barbecue for the whole team.
As for the racing it was brutal like always. Other than
the course one of the things that made the racing so
hard is that several teams are folding next year one of
them being the massive Toyota United. That means
nearly 30 riders on the market who are competing for
many less spots than are available. So you can imagine
how hard guys are racing if they want to stand out to
a potential employer. Combine guys desperate for a
EXPERTISE…
CUSTOMER SERVICE…
VALUE…
Celebrating Our
22nd Anniversary!
Enough Said?
No, Not Enough…
We want to say a lot
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In business for over 20
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country for six of the hottest
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and SPECIALIZED.
There’s an experienced
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rid you of all your bicycle
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and an enthusiastic team of
professionals that will help
you achieve your cycling
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Proud Sponsor
of The National
Capital Velo Club
ALEXANDRIA 703.820.2200
ASHBURN 703.858.5501
BELLE VIEW 703.765.8005
VIENNA 703.281.2004
Check out www.spokesetc.com for a complete list
of the products we carry, directions and store hours.
job and starting racing at over 5000 feet and it made
for one hard week.
Stage two was the first place I got to shine. There was
a 5k climb straight out of the blocks and it was my job
to get to the top with the leaders. Not only was it what
the team needed and wanted but also it was what I
wanted to do which is a great feeling. With a few guys
already off the front, I attacked at the bottom of the
climb which may have been a little premature because
it was so long but I was just excited to ride hard so
that is just what I did.
Some guys came up behind me a few minutes later
and I suffered so much hanging onto their wheels
and was making the sounds that have become a
trademark for me, which pretty much go like this
“Aghhhhh! AGHHHH!” but I did hang on and went
over in the small lead group so really who cares what
I sounded like. I was stoked to be in a small group but
unfortunately Toyota which only had one guy present
chased it down and the field came back together for
the most part.
On the final climb I made the same mistake I made
at Cascade when I tried to go with Levi Lepheimer. I
went into the red when I stood to go with an attack. So
that makes it twice I’ve done that. If I make the same
mistake just one more time I will be very mad at myself.
I got popped there but still came in with the second
group and just collapsed on the grass next to my teammates
Phil and Rory. That was such a hard day.
The next night there was a nighttime crit where I slid
out in a corner as I was trying to go off the front. I am
now missing lots of skin on my left lower leg and cursing
myself for taking the corner too hot and taking
a risk I didn’t have to. But the truth is I wanted to be
aggressive and I didn’t want to sit around waiting for
the race to come to me. I must not have been hurt too
bad because the next in the next morning’s 100 mile
road race I was the lone Health Net guy in the move.
The truth is, the cuts did hurt and I was doing was
quite a bit of silent cursing all day long. Either way I’m
happy I was in the move even if I did want to wring the
necks of some of my breakaway companions.
I leave for US Pro Nationals in one week and then the
season is pretty much over unless I try to drag it out
with the idea that I could get some last minute results
to bolster my resume. Or maybe I will have to come
back to DC for jury duty, that sounds like fun.
30 September 2008

PINK IS THE
NEW YELLOW
2008 GIRO D’ITALIA CHAMPION
FEATURING: THE WIDEST BB IN THE INDUSTRY, NO CUT SEAT MAST AND GRAND TOUR RIDE COMFORT
TREKBIKES.COM | © 2008 TREK BICYCLE CORPORATION
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AVAILABLE AT THESE DEALERS:
DELAWARE
BETHANY BEACH
BETHANY CYCLE & FITNESS
778 Garfield Parkway
(302) 537-9982
VIRGINIA
ALEXANDRIA
SPOKES, ETC.
1545 N. Quaker Lane
(703) 820-2200
ARLINGTON
REVOLUTION CYCLES
2731 Wilson Boulevard
(703) 312-0007
ASHBURN
SPOKES, ETC.
20070 Ashbrook Commons Plaza
(703) 858-5501
BELLE VIEW
SPOKES, ETC.
Belle View Blvd.
(703) 765-8005
BURKE
THE BIKE LANE
9544 Old Keene Mill Road
(703) 440-8701
FREDERICKSBURG
OLDE TOWNE BICYCLES
1907 Plank Road
(540) 371-6383
LEESBURG
BICYCLE OUTFITTERS
19 Catoctin Circle, NE
(703) 777-6126
STAFFORD
REVOLUTION CYCLES
100 Susa Drive, #103-15
(540) 657-6900
VIENNA
SPOKES, ETC.
224 Maple Avenue East
(703) 281-2004
WOODBRIDGE
OLDE TOWNE BICYCLES
14477 Potomac Mills Road
(703) 491-5700
MARYLAND
ANNAPOLIS
BIKE DOCTOR
160-C Jennifer Road
(410) 266-7383
ARNOLD
BIKE DOCTOR
953 Ritchie Highway
(410) 544-3532
BALTIMORE
MT. WASHINGTON
BIKE SHOP
5813 Falls Road
(410) 323-2788
BETHESDA
GRIFFIN CYCLE
4949 Bethesda Avenue
(301) 656-6188
COCKEYSVILLE
THE BICYCLE CONNECTION
York & Warren Roads
(410) 667-1040
COLLEGE PARK
COLLEGE PARK BICYCLES
4360 Knox Road
(301) 864-2211
COLUMBIA
RACE PACE
6925 Oakland Mills Road
(410) 290-6880
DAMASCUS
ALL AMERICAN BICYCLES
Weis Market Center
(301) 253-5800
ELLICOTT CITY
RACE PACE
8450 Baltimore National Pike
(410) 461-7878
FOREST HILL
BICYCLE CONNECTION EXPRESS
2203 Commerce Drive
(410) 420-2500
FREDERICK
BIKE DOCTOR
5732 Buckeystown Pike
(301) 620-8868
WHEELBASE
229 N. Market Street
(301) 663-9288
HAGERSTOWN
HUB CITY SPORTS
35 N. Prospect Street
(301) 797-9877
MT. AIRY
MT. AIRY BICYCLES
4540 Old National Pike
(301) 831-5151
OWINGS MILLS
RACE PACE
9930 Reisterstown Road
(410) 581-9700
ROCKVILLE
REVOLUTION CYCLES
1066 Rockville Pike
(301) 984-7655
7/18/08 3:31:55 PM
SALISBURY
SALISBURY CYCLE & FITNESS
1404 S. Salisbury Blvd.
(800) 499-4477
SILVER SPRING
THE BICYCLE PLACE
8313 Grubb Road
(301) 588-6160
WALDORF
BIKE DOCTOR
3200 Leonardtown Road
(301) 932-9980
WESTMINSTER
RACE PACE
459 Baltimore Blvd.
(410) 876-3001
WASHINGTON, D.C.
GEORGETOWN
REVOLUTION CYCLES
3411 M Street, N.W.
(202) 965-3601

20 th Annual
Sea Gull Century
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Tour Maryland’s picturesque Eastern Shore on
this nationally acclaimed bicycling event.
Beginning and ending on the Salisbury
University campus, the Sea Gull Century
winds through the coastal towns of the
Delmarva Peninsula.
Some of the best SAG stops in cycling!
Optional Rides: Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
Ride and All-You-Can-Eat
Crab Feast Rides
All for a Good Cause:
Habitat for Humanity, Team in Training,
Salisbury University Scholarship Fund
and Local Civic Organizations
www.salisbury.edu
www.seagullcentury.org
Register online at: