WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - Spokes Magazine

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JULY 2009 

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IN THIS ISSUE [ OUR FAVORITE RIDES + UNDERGROUND RR + WORLD NAKED RIDE + MORE ]

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SITTING NEXT TO MY NEIGHBOR LESLIE at the community 

pool this past weekend, my heart skipped a beat 

when she said “so what did you guys think about that 

biking weekend?” 

Leslie, her husband Jim and their kids Abbe and 

Owen, very athletic but not totally crazy about 

cycling the way I am, joined us for the family friendly 

Kent County Spring Fling, hosted by the Baltimore 

Bicycling Club, a few weeks ago, and I wasn’t totally 

sure how much fun they really had. Throughout the 

weekend they seemed to enjoy themselves but you 

know, you never really know. 

About six months ago, against my better judgement 

I really encouraged them to sign up for this event. 

They attend a week-long karate camp every summer 

with their two children (our kids ages), and I thought 

they’d enjoy a biking weekend as well. 

When you enjoy something as much as my wife 

and children and I enjoy this biking weekend on 

Maryland’s Eastern Shore, you sometimes lose objectivity. 

For me, it’s a chance to see and ride with folks 

I only see once a year at this event, and I’ve garnered 

lots of new cycling friends as a result. 

So when our neighbors surprised us and signed up, 

I was a bit anxious. What if the idea of sleeping in a 

college dorm room with their two kids and eating in 

the college dining hall, walking down the hall to the 

community girls or boys bathroom, and riding with a 

bunch of goofy kids and families, wasn’t as much fun 

for them. 

Even though I practiced karate for years, a while ago, 

the idea of taking my family to a week long karate 

camp isn’t something I’d entertain (and I know my wife 

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PEOPLE ASK US 

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wouldn’t do it). So, here I was inviting our neighbors to 

something that might not just be their cup of tea. 

Anyway, when Leslie asked me this question at the 

pool, I told her it was always the highlight of my summer 

and I really enjoyed the time having non-stop fun 

with my family. It really gave us time to bond before 

the craziness of summer took hold. 

Anyway, after I answered, I asked “did you guys enjoy 

it, I mean don’t say so to make me feel good, I won’t 

take offense…?” 

“Oh my gosh yes. We’re in for next year!” she 

responded. She happily went on to ask how could 

anyone not enjoy themselves, waking up in the morning 

not having to worry about anything but getting 

the day started with a walk to the dining hall. From 

then on the day was planned out for you. By the time 

you went to bed, you’d eaten a lot, ridden your bike a 

bit, lounged on the Eastern Shore’s sandy bay beaches, 

danced under the stars, gone swimming in the college 

swimming pool, and spent a lot of time getting 

to know and have fun with your kids. 

Doesn’t get any better than that, we both agreed. And 

she said they would certainly be back next year. 

That’s just great! However, I will admit, I worried for a 

moment Leslie would add: “by the way there still were 

some openings in the karate camp later this summer.” 

Happy trails, 

Neil Sandler 

Editor & Publisher 

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THE 

Fifty cyclists enjoyed the World Naked Bike Ride in 

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Touring • Racing • Off-Road 

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GRAPHIC DESIGN 

Studio 22 

www.studio20two.com 

page 26 

JULY 2009 

EDITOR & PUBLISHER 

Neil W. Sandler 

neil@spokesmagazine.com 

CALENDAR EDITOR 

Sonja P. Sandler 

sonja@spokesmagazine.com 


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8 8 8 - 2 8 2 - B I K E � w w w . G A P t r a i l . o r g

OUR FAVORITE RIDES 

Editor’s Note: Those of us who write for Spokes are frequently asked about our favorite 

places to ride. So here are our collective responses. We give you our favorite local rides, plus 

our dream bicycle vacations. If you wish to share yours with us and our readers feel free to 

contact the editor at neil@spokesmagazine.com We always like to learn about new places to 

ride, and you, our readers, are undoubtedly the best resource for tips. 

RON CASSIE 

TriSpokes & Commuter Connection Columnist 

For me, the first section of the Mount Vernon Trail, 

the 7-mile stretch from Georgetown to Old Town 

Alexandria, has served many purposes over the years. 

I have taken first dates on this ride, pedaled it with 

my daughter, trekked it with buddies to go spend a 

Sunday watching football - and raced it as part of my 

job when I was bike messenger. 

Every time, a blast. For different reasons, of course. 

The first time, I rode the trail, I’d asked an attractive, 

bright, athletic woman I’d met at the Washington 

Sports Club in D.C., if she cared to go along for a 

Sunday morning ride. We met at Kramer’s Bookstore 

Cafe in Dupont Circle for coffee, orange juice and 

bagels and then spent the whole day riding down to 

Old Town, shopping, going through the Torpedo 

Factory, and eating a big lunch. 

I’ve got to admit, working as a bike messenger, being 

on the bike, definitely gave me the feeling I had the 

home court advantage. We dated for a long time and 

are still friends seven years later. That’s a good ride. 

NEIL SANDLER 

Editor 

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a totally social 

animal. Family members swear I’d stop and talk to 

a dead dog in the middle of the road if no one else 

was around. So it should come as no surprise that my 

favorite place to ride has always been the social rides I 

6 July 2009 

Not long after, when my daughter Sarah was maybe 

11, I took her - “forced” in her words – on the trail. 

Best part, absolutely, was sitting with her watching the 

planes comes in to Reagan National Airport. If you 

haven’t been to Gravelly Park before they come in 

like the Starship Enterprise after making a hard right, 

seemingly a hundred feet over the Potomac. 

As bike messenger, I had one client in particular that 

regularly needed documents delivered to the courthouse 

in Alexandria off Duke St. What a kick. 

Middle of the day, maybe 2 p.m., business expected 

to be a little slow for the next hour, and a call comes 

from a Capitol Hill for rush job to the courthouse. 

Fifteen winding miles there and back along the river. 

The sun is shining. Can you get there, in out of the 

courthouse, and back in under an hour? 

Let’s roll! 

Usually, there’d be a serious cyclist or two stealing an 

afternoon workout on the quiet trail at that time of the 

day. Expensive bike, gear, spandex, etc. Had to blow 

those guys away in my cut-off shorts, toting a heavy messenger 

bag to boot. At least, I could in those days. 

My friend Rich and I used to make the jaunt on fall 

Sundays to watch football and eat pizza at a great Old 

Town sports bar called Bugsy’s with a million TV’s. 

The ride back at dusk would be fine, but then it was 

right to bed. 

Okay, and the other memorable date down the Mount 

Vernon Trail to Old Town was with an Italian opera 

singer named Lucia. For real. 

She packed a picnic lunch and kept making us stop to 

look around at the flowers, ducks, and children playing 

soccer along the way. We had ice cream in Old Town. 

On the way home, stopping again, we watched the 

sun begin to set on the water, sending a rainbow of 

colors downstream. 

“A Puccini moment,” she called it. 

used to do almost daily in Rock Creek Park, especially 

on the weekends and holidays when parts of the roadway 

are closed to traffic. 

Okay, there’s better scenery, better roads and certainly 

less traffic lots of other places in the mid-Atlantic, 

but it is still possible to get away from it all on the 

hilly sections of Rock Creek Park just north of The 

National Zoo, and speaking of zoos, where else can 

you stop by for a quick visit to the incredible wildlife 

at the zoo (the pandas have always been my favorite) 

while out for a spin? 

But all that being said, my favorite reason for listing 

Rock Creek Park as my favorite is the social component. 

Even when out on your own, you can ALWAYS 

hook up with fellow cycling enthusiasts, at any possible 

level of riding. Poke along with the tourists, 

or hook up on one of the local racing club training 

rides. There’s always someone to BS with in The Park. 

As for my dream ride. I always hold out there the 

dream that someday, somehow, I will get to travel to 

New Zealand and get to see the incredible natural 

wonders from the seat of my bike. 

JOE FOLEY 

Columnist – SingleTrack 

My favorite riding in the mid-Atlantic is at Douthat 

State Park, just north of Clifton Forge, Va. The park 

is nestled in a valley with the Allegheny Mountains rising 

from the eastern and western shores of a 50-acre 

lake. Many of the parks’ 40-miles of trails are a legacy 

of depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps work 

projects and for a mountain biker, Douthat is an natural 

amusement park. 

From the western shore of the lake rises Middle 

Mountain. The ridge rises slowly at first, housing a 

network of singletrack that winds through the lower 

slopes, ranging from the swoopy Huff’s Trail and 

Locust Gap to the rocks of Blue Suck Falls. The trails 

quickly turn upward as the infamous switchbacks of 

Stoney Run take you up to Middle Mountain trail, 

which rides the top of the ridge. From there you can 

take a quick detour down to Tuscarora Overlook for 

a great view of the park and then continue along the 

top of the ridge. This is classic East Coast ridge top 

riding, following the ridge as it rises and falls with the 

mountain dropping off quickly to left & right. You 

can return to the park on Salt Stump or continue 

north, out of the park, into the neighboring national 

forest lands until the trail drops you off the ridge several 

miles north of the park. 

While the eastern side of the park doesn’t have quite 

the same elevation as the western ridge, it does have 

Brushy Hollow. Once you’ve made your way almost 

to the top of the ridge you traverse south along the 

very aptly named Mountain Side trail as it hugs the 

side of the steep hollows along the ridge and slowly 

climbs towards the start of Brushy Hollow, a nearly 

four mile singletrack downhill back. Starting with a 

series of tight switchbacks, Brushy Hollow trail quickly 

turns into a mountain bike roller coaster, zipping left 

and right across the spines that drop off the sides of 

the ridge until it finally settles down into a hollow 

where it crosses back and forth through a stream bed. 

For an extra challenge and extra thrill, try taking 

Mountain Top instead of Mountain Side while you’re 

riding to Brushy Hollow. The climb is brutal, but the 

downhill back to Mountain Side is worth the extra 

effort. 

My dream ride is Fruita, Colorado. I’ve actually come 

pretty close to riding in Fruita, but a poorly timed 

broken collarbone (is there ever a well timed injury?) 

forced me to back out of the trip. Home to the 

eponymous Fruita Fat Tire Festival, held every year in 

April, and to more miles of mountain biking that you 

can imagine. From the lunch loops just outside town, 

to the IMBA epic “The Edge Loop” in the Book Cliffs, 

to the 142-mile Kokopeli trail that stretches from just 

outside Fruita to Moab, Utah. Fruita has no shortage 

of trails that I’d love to get my tires onto.

BRENDA RUBY 

Feature Writer & SpokesWoman Columnist 

The ingredients of my favorite ride EVER? Skee-ball, 

homemade root beer, and whoopie pies! Where is this 

magical place you wonder? Lancaster, Pa. 

I’ve always enjoyed riding up there--maybe it’s the 

novelty of it since I hardly ever get the chance--but I 

was enchanted the first time I rode the Lancaster Bike 

Club’s Covered Bridge Ride, held each August. The 

friendly people, the well-groomed Amish farms with 

their beautiful, sturdy workhorses in the fields, all the 

bikes outside their churches on Sunday...there’s so 

much to appreciate. 

But the only problem with Lancaster in August is 

the same problem around here in August...the heat 

and suffocating humidity! Every time I did that lovely 

Covered Bridge ride I kept telling my friends that we 

need to come back when it’s not 100 degrees--literally, 

it was 100 degrees one year. We were dying!! 

You can easily organize your own weekend since the 

Lancaster Bike Club generously has cues available 

KEVIN BRUGMAN 

Columnist – Family Cycling 101 

As the Family Column Writer, it should not surprise 

anyone that my favorite ride is at Chincoteague/ 

Assateague Island. My family has been going down 

there for 14 years and it was the first place we took a 

family vacation. 

We have fallen in love with the 3 mile wildlife loop on 

Chincoteague Island. As anyone with children knows, 

riding with children requires more than just putting 

in miles. While many folks find this a ride boring, we 

find it a chance to ride together, look for nuances in 

the wildlife, and check for any escaped ponies. After 

on their website, but for a few years I’ve joined the 

Baltimore Bike Club on their Weekend in Lancaster 

held at the end of September. Little did I know the 

first time I did this that we would encounter the largest 

street fair Pennsylvania has to offer. The only thing 

I love more than a good fair or festival is biking to 

one and the Ephrata Fair was a delight to discover by 

bike. 

After our impromptu game of skee-ball along the 

carnival midway, our route took us on to encounter 

the Green Dragon Farmer’s Market and Auction, also 

in Ephrata. It was huge and you could find anything, 

from homemade Amish culinary delights (whoopee 

pies!) to furniture. I didn’t know it at the time, but 

it’s been going every Friday since 1932. 

Our final surprise of the route took us past a roadside 

stand with more homemade Amish goodness. 

And free tastes of ice-cold root beer! 

There were definitely a few hills here and there but 

somehow all the unexpected delights made me forget 

all about them-- glorious scenery, skee-ball games for 

a quarter, lunch at a farmer’s market, and capping 

the ride with homemade root beer and whoopie pies. 

Yeah, life can’t get much better than that. 

And now that I’ve declared it to be my favorite, I had 

better get in my registration for this year’s ride! 

As for my dream ride, how to choose? I’ve always 

wanted to do a Bike and Barge tour in Amsterdam, 

but that seems a little sedate. I’ve studied Italian on 

and off for years in the hopes of one day going, but 

would the difficult terrain tip the delicate beauty vs. 

exhaustion balance? Ireland’s out because my seriously 

sunny vacation there a few years ago would all 

but ensure constant rain. And how could I top biking 

from a friend of a friend’s chateau in France, with 

meals on the porch under a lovely wisteria canopy? I 

always say the place I’d go back to in a heartbeat if it 

wasn’t a solid 28 hours of travel away would be New 

Zealand. I’ve been lucky enough to go once and the 

other-world beauty combined with the beauty of the 

people made a lasting impression on me. The scenery 

is at once lush and rugged and seeing as how the 

sheep outnumber the people the only traffic jams 

you’d encounter would probably put a smile on your 

face. As their popular expression says, “no worries.” 

we have ridden several times around the loop, we will 

head across the island on the Black Marsh Trail to 

the Woodland trail to look for some Delmarva Gray 

Squirrels or go up to the overlook to see if any of the 

Assateague Ponies are there. After that we may get on 

the road and ride down to the Sea Shore visitor center 

to see what has been added to the touch tank or if 

they have any new Sea Horses in the fish tank. 

It is where both my sons gained confidence in their 

riding abilities. They realized that they could ride 10, 

15 or even 20 miles when they were less than 8 years 

old. This is the loop that Jonathon learned how to 

properly ride in a pace line of three riders. It is also 

where Jonathon really learned that you could take a 

bad fall and you just get back up and ride. 

To be an enjoyable location for a family, there has to 

be more than just being on the bike. In addition to 

the riding, we enjoy the entire island life style. The 

beach is a completely undeveloped allowing plenty 

of places to swim, boogie board, kite flying and sand 

castle building. We can ride down to the beach and 

look for shells in the early morning. 

Downtown there are several good local restaurants 

that serve children a multitude of foods from the 

standard hamburgers and chicken strips to allowing 

them to try local oysters, shrimp and clams. If you are 

adventurous, you can always go down to the water’s 

edge and throw out a chicken neck tied to a string 

BRUGMAN continued on p.8 

ERYN WILLARD 

Art Director 

Having only a year and a half of regular mountain 

biking under my belt, my excursions to date have 

only been local (minus one ride during a trip to 

Hawaii). However, that isn’t to say that my local area 

is anything to shake a stick at. The Frederick watershed 

is known throughout the region and beyond to 

be a playground for those of us on two wheels. It has 

surely been a great training ground for me. 

It’s my husband Chris’s “fault” that I began mountain 

biking, and it didn’t start out pretty. I tackled a loop 

in the watershed atop a hardtail with toe clips the first 

time I followed him through the woods. Let’s just say 

there was lots of fearful screaming and head jiggling 

going on behind him as I made my way across the 

rocky trails... So what brought me back? 

The challenge brought me back a second time, and 

it’s what brings me back on a weekly basis now. This 

ain’t no C&O Canal. The watershed contains a network 

of trails and fire roads that can be ridden in 

WILLARD continued on p.8 

LISA A. KILDAY 

Contributor & TriSpokes Columnist 

My favorite ride in the mid-Atlantic is around my 

hometown of Alexandria, Va. Because I am a native of 

Alexandria, I have biked up and down every hill and 

street in the city. As a kid, I spent my summers on my 

bike riding criteriums around Episcopal High School 

and Ft. Ward Park, although we just called them loops 

back then. At Episcopal and Ft. Ward, the roads are 

basically car-free and practically within shouting distance 

of my parents’ home. 

KILDAY continued on p.8 

July 2009 

7

8 July 2009 

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BRUGMAN continued from p.7 

and catch a supper of crabs and then stop at the fresh 

produce stand and get some fresh sweet corn and 

have a supper fit for a king. 

Our dream ride on the eastern seaboard is to go up to 

Prince Edward Island and explore the island from the 

Confederation Trail that spans the entire island. Being 

on a long narrow island you are never far from the 

ocean and there is so much history on the island to 

see. The scenery, while not mountainous, offers a wide 

variety of scenes and the small local villages promise a 

hospitality that we would like to become accustomed 

to. This seems to the perfect local to go tandem riding 

with the family and spend time together. 

KILDAY continued from p.7 

While most people think of Old Town when they 

hear Alexandria, the quaint section is charming, but 

it is too flat in my opinion and often crowded due 

to its popularity. The ‘real’ city of Alexandria has 

some challenging hills and a few quiet streets as I 

found out on a true single speed. As I got older, I was 

allowed to bike down to the neighborhood where my 

grandparents lived near the King Street Metro called 

Rosemont. On more than one occasion, I telephoned 

my mom to pick me and my bike up because I did 

not want to climb up King Street’s gradual incline of 

5% or Braddock Road’s short but steep 10% incline. 

Sometimes, I still wish that I had a phone-a-friend 

option when doing hill workouts off Russell Road, or 

in the Park Fairfax and Shirlington areas. 

I cannot leave out the popular Four Mile Run, 

W&OD, and Mt. Vernon Trails of Alexandria. 

Technically, the WO&D trail starts in the Shirlington 

section of Arlington, but it connects to the Four Mile 

Run Trail via an overpass across I-395. Short sections 

of the Four Mile Run Trail and the WO&D Trail run 

parallel to each other and periodically merge. The 

Four Mile Run Trail is next to a creek, which drains 

into the Potomac River. This section of the Four Mile 

Run is not always scenic but serves as a useful shortcut 

for cyclists to Miles 5-45 of the WO&D or to the Mt. 

Vernon Trail near the National Airport. 

As for the Mount Vernon bike trail, it is a practically 

perfect bike ride except that it's relatively flat and 

only has one hill near the estate. The route from Old 

Town to Mt. Vernon can be a bit overcrowded and 

the path is a little bumpy due to overgrown tree roots. 

However, on the Mt. Vernon Trail, you may be able to 

see Bald Eagles, our first president’s distillery, and Ft. 

Hunt Park all from your bike, which makes a pretty 

good ride. 

If I could bike anywhere, I would take an epic trip 

across Eastern Europe to Turkey and somehow end 

up in Israel. My previous travels to Croatia and Greece 

are fueling my wanderlust to follow the Simplon 

Orient Express’ route through Serbia, Bulgaria, 

Albania, Macedonia, and Turkey. This dream bike 

route would be across two continents and focused on 

the history of the medieval Crusades. The trip would 

probably be about 4,000 miles and would stop at castles, 

churches, mosques, vineyards, and volcanoes. 

I have never had a chance to explore the Middle East 

but would be willing to bike through Syria, Lebanon, 

Jordan, and Israel because I will bike anywhere with 

stunning scenery and ancient monuments. Biking 

in Eastern Europe and the Near East is not as crazy 

as you think. I have been told that there are many 

undiscovered areas with people who are very friendly 

towards two-wheeled tourists. 

The epic journey would be my own Cycling Crusade 

across Eastern Europe and the Near East. As necessary, 

I would take a trip on a ferry, which would provide 

much needed rest from my bike trip. My reward 

would be meeting the wonderful people of the varied 

8 July 2009 

regions, learning exotic non-Anglo and non-romantic 

languages, and enjoying the delicious food of each 

culture. My final destination of the epic trip would be 

near the border of Israel and Jordan where I would 

retire my bike and treat myself to a well-deserved float 

in the extraordinary Dead Sea. 

WILLARD continued from p.7 

loops, out-and-backs or end-to-end across Catoctin 

Mountain (if you’re feeling really froggy). Wherever 

you ride, though, expect to be tested. 

The mix of terrain keeps things interesting. In the 

course of one loop, you can cover rocky downhill (see 

aforementioned head jiggling), creek crossings, narrow 

singletrack and quad-burning climbs. 

The climbs are my favorite challenge. There’s something 

about climbing a hill. My husband hates them 

(although he conquers them with ease), but I relish 

the challenge. Stating the obvious, I’m not a fan of 

the rocky decent. Give me a hill to climb, and I’m all 

for it. I gauge my progress on certain hills throughout 

the riding season, noting how far I make it each time 

before taking a short breather, or how winded I am at 

the top compared to the last ride. 

I mentally encourage myself while taking on these 

heart-pumping ascents. I get a little thoughtful when 

I ride lately, too. I think of things like, “If you can 

run a business, you can handle a little hill on a bike.” 

“Think about how you’ll feel when you reach the top 

– keep going.” Once I get there, heaving and needing 

to stretch my legs, accomplishment washes over me. 

Biking a hill as a metaphor for running a business? 

Sure, I take my little “victories” with me for back-up 

when I’m having a rough day in the office. Instead 

of compartmentalizing these things I do to “feed” 

myself, they’re mixed together to make a stronger me. 

Can’t argue with that. 

I love mountain biking. I also love pasta. So when I 

read Steve Casimiro’s travel log (www.adventurelife. 

org) on his trip to the Dolomite Mountains, Italy 

replaced Moab as my dream mountain bike trip. The 

idea of seeing Northern Italy from the seat of my bike 

(rather than the window of a tour bus) sounds like 

two vacations in one to me. 

The mountain sport culture is rich in the Dolomites, 

and as such, the area has a well-established trail system. 

Rifugi, the inns along the trails, are a chance to 

eat a traditional meal and get some rest in a real bed. 

Talk about a reward after a day-long workout! 

Reading about the crazy amounts of climbing I’d have 

to do on a west to east trip across this region is mostly 

what attracts me to it. Crazy, yes, but remember that 

sense of accomplishment I mentioned earlier? Couple 

that with the food, scenery and good company, and 

it’s a dream vacation. 

From the photos I’ve seen, the landscape varies from 

wildflower fields to rocky peaks, unmarked trails to 

waterfalls. Moab might have to wait... 

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SENSORY OVERLOAD AT BIG BEAR 

by Danielle Chmielewski 

As a newcomer to the cycling community, I traveled to Hazelton, 

West Virginia, June 13-14 for this year’s 24 Hours of Big Bear 

not as a race participant, but as a fan...for two teams of friends, 

each at opposite ends of the experience spectrum. 

Team People’s Meat Racing has been in existence for nine years. 

Conversely, Team Fatdumb just finished their second race, with 

two new recruits. All together, both teams and their entourage 

totaled 24 people. Twenty-four people joined together for 24 

hours of racing, cheering on teammates, sitting around a campfire, 

and sharing a love and enthusiasm for mountain biking. 

With 24 people at our campsite, there was always someone 

going out for a lap, coming back from one, and a surplus of supporters 

to encourage the riders around mile three, on which the 

trail was visible by way of the edge of the campground. 

Since it was my very first year experiencing this event, I was on 

sensory overload most of the weekend - tracking through mud, 

feeling the heat from campfires, watching the LeMans style 

start, hearing event founder Laird Knight’s voice over the loudspeaker, 

and yelling my lungs out in support of my teams. 

I was in awe of the pro solo riders, who, in many cases, did 

more 12.7 mile laps in less time than it took some entire teams 

to do. Equally as inspiring were the young kids who participated 

in the 24 minutes of Big Bear; they were fearless and courageous 

in their own right - and much more than I can say for my 

few weeks of experience on my new road bike. 

From rookies to returning riders, amateurs to pros, women in 

pink plaid skirts and knee-socks to white polyester Elvis suitclad 

men, the 2009 24 Hours of Big Bear brought 174 teams and 

their followings together for a weekend of biking, comradery, 

and spirited fun. 

Next year I’ll be 24...perhaps that’s a sign to test the trail. 

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AIR FORCE CLASSIC DRAWS THOUSANDS 

TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA 

A full-weekend of road racing attracted thousands of avid 

spectators to the streets and scenic byways of Clarendon and 

Arlington, Va., May 30-31. Dubbed the U.S. Force Classic, the two 

days of races consisted of much more than the two featured pro 

races. There was a Sunday morning fun ride, with nearly 1,000 

recreational cyclists taking to the race course before the racers 

later that day. And on Saturday hundreds of kids participated in 

a number of kids fun races also on the race course. 

On to the main events, thousands of spectators watched in awe 

in the streets and cafes of downtown Clarendon, Va., May 30, as 

pro road racer Chad Gerlach (Team Amore & Vita) held off the 

hundred plus rider field in a solo breakaway that lasted over 60 

laps, about an hour and a half. On several occasions, with the 

audience going wild, Gerlach nearly latched onto the back of 

the huge field. 

But alas, he was caught, only to join seven other riders in a 

final breakaway. The sprint finish saw Alejandro Borrajo (Team 

Colavita-Sutter Home) almost blow the victory by raising his 

arms in victory a moment too soon. Though he won by a tire, he 

was almost beaten by a hard charging Kenneth Hanson (Team 

Type 1) who unsuccessfully threw his bike to the finish line. 

In the women’s race, Erica Allar (of Team BMW-Bianchi) broke 

from the field in the final lap and powered her way to a clear 

victory. She was the only member of her team in this event. 

On Sunday afternoon it was Hanson’s Team Type 1 teammate 

Shawn Milne who made all the correct moves. He caught on 

to a 15 man breakaway with about a lap and a half of the eight 

mile circuit remaining and then patiently waited to unleash his 

sprint at just the right moment. Second place went to Charles 

Dionne of the Fly V Australia team, with third to Scott Zwizanski 

of Baltimore-based Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast. 

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11

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 

BIKING INTO HISTORY by MIKE WEINGARTEN 

We turn left off of our route, down a small side street that goes nowhere, and dismount our 

bikes. In front of us — the Ohio River, a half-mile wide and flowing swiftly — this is the 

landmark that we’ve been anticipating. It is the same landmark that countless people of a 

much different era had also anticipated, but with more extreme emotions of fear and hope. 

12 July 2009 

THIS WAS LATE MAY 2007. My wife, Joan, and I were 

two and a half weeks into our first independent, selfsupported 

bicycle tour. We were in the process of 

learning the wonders of cycle touring — the adventure 

of living on the road, of seeing new places from 

a perspective much more intimate than through a car 

window, and meeting interesting, curious, and wonderful 

people all along the way. We were also biking 

back into a tumultuous chapter in U.S. history: we 

were riding the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route 

(UGRR). 

The product of a partnership between Adventure 

Cycling Association and the University of Pittsburgh’s 

Center for Minority Health, the 2008-mile 

Underground Railroad Bicycle Route runs from 

Mobile, Alabama to Owen Sound, Ontario, passing 

through the mid-Atlantic states of New York 

and Pennsylvania. It is an active memorial to the 

Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine 

routes by which African-American freedom seekers 

attempted to escape for many years before and during 

the Civil War. 

In its short existence, the route has captured the 

imagination of many: for the history and heroism it 

recalls, and for the promise it holds today for those 

who want to explore that history, and have an engaging 

biking experience in the process. Adventure 

Cycling Association produces detailed maps for the 

route, guiding cyclists through the beauty of the 

South, Northeast, and part of Ontario, and offering a 

rich list of historical points along the way. 

Joan and I began our ride in Mobile on a street corner 

that had been, in pre-Civil War days, the site of 

a slave market. It was an appropriate and thoughtprovoking 

starting point. While a typical downtown 

intersection in a picturesque city in today’s world, 

the historical markers brought that other time to life. 

Located a few blocks from Mobile Bay, where slave 

ships would come in, this was the place where many 

Africans, having already survived the horrific ordeal 

of a trans-Atlantic passage in the lower holds of ships, 

were sold as property. As we began our journey north, 

we could not help but think of them, and the many 

freedom seekers among them who took flight from 

their captors and made desperate and arduous trips 

north for freedom. 

A network of safe houses and “conductors” located 

along many different pathways (as opposed to any 

single route) comprised the actual Underground 

Railroad. And while the Underground Railroad 

Bicycle Route follows a distinctly mapped route north, 

it touches many of the landmarks that freedom seekers 

used to make their escape. 

From Mobile, the route works its way through the 

rural and friendly-small-town South, across gorgeous 

countryside and over surprisingly challenging 

hills. It traces Southern rivers — the Alabama, the 

Tombigbee, the Tennessee, the Cumberland — flowing 

north toward the Ohio, the watery demarcation 

that once separated “free” and “slave” states, and one 

of the most critical objectives for those on the run. 

Some of the most dramatic activity occurred along 

this river as freedom seekers tried to negotiate their 

way across, and slave catchers and law enforcement 

tried to stop them. 

As we rode north, day after day, we came to appreciate 

the scope of the harrowing journeys that these

courageous souls had made. Of course, we were riding 

touring bikes, rolling on paved, signed roadways, our 

essentials stashed in our panniers, food and shelter 

mostly certain, cell phones available for emergencies 

— a far cry from the dangerous, secretive, nighttime, 

bramble-filled paths that were taken in that other 

time. It took us 2 1⁄2-weeks to reach the Ohio River 

from Mobile. It took them the better part of a year. 

After reaching the Ohio in Smithland, Kentucky, the 

UGRR follows the river eastward for 500 miles, crossing 

it a few times, allowing the rider to sample from 

a number of historically significant communities 

and sites along the way. For example, in New Albany, 

Indiana, directly across the river from Louisville, 

Kentucky, you can visit the Carnegie Center for Art 

& History, an outstanding museum dedicated to this 

period in history. Its interactive displays give you a realistic 

feel for the activities, moods, and politics of the 

time, as well as the extreme physical dangers for those 

on the run, and for those providing them assistance. 

Further east, in Washington, Kentucky, near Maysville, 

there is a community of historic structures dating 

as far back as the late 1700s, including the former 

home of Marshall Key, nephew of Chief Justice John 

Marshall, and father of a college friend of the then- 

Harriett Beecher. On a visit there, Harriett witnessed 

a slave auction, which made a lasting impression on 

her and years later found its way into her book, Uncle 

Tom’s Cabin. 

Across the river in Ripley, Ohio, stands the home of 

staunch abolitionist Rev. John Rankin. Located high 

on a bluff overlooking the river, a lantern burning in 

its window served as a nighttime beacon to freedom 

seekers, guiding them to the safety of Rankin’s house. 

At the base of that hill, on the river’s edge, is John 

Parker’s home and metal shop. A former slave who 

had purchased his freedom, Parker helped many with 

their secretive and dramatic crossings to the Ohio side. 

The UGRR continues on past Cincinnati (our hometown) 

with a spur leading to the wonderful National 

Underground Railroad Freedom Center. From 

Cincinnati, the route heads north again, across Ohio, 

much of the way on a glorious system of bike trails. 

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Before this trip I’d always assumed that freedom seekers 

reaching the northern states were free. Not true, it 

turns out. Life was still incredibly dangerous for them. 

The federal Fugitive Slave Act required that captured 

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RAILROAD continued on p.14 

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July 2009 

13

RAILROAD continued from p.13 

slaves be returned to their owners, and slave catchers 

were active across the region, encouraging people 

with cash rewards to turn in escapees. Hence, the 

Underground Railroad network continued to be critical 

for safe travel in the North, and for many, Canada 

became the ultimate objective. 

In Northern Ohio, we visited Oberlin, with its strong 

abolitionist heritage, and Ashtabula, an Underground 

Railroad terminus point from which freedom seekers 

were ferried across Lake Erie, into Canada. The 

bike route continues through the delightful lakeside 

resort town of Conneaut, Ohio, across the northwestern 

tip of Pennsylvania, and into the wine country of 

northwestern New York. Here we rode through the 

flat, expansive fields of grapes, with Lake Erie as our 

constant companion. Roadside stands strained under 

piles of fruit, and wineries proffered their goods for 

those wishing to take a travel break. The Chautauqua 

Institution, the famous conference center and resort, 

lies near Barcelona, New York, about 12 miles off of 

the route, and around the Buffalo area, there are a 

number of Underground Railroad museums and safe 

houses to be explored. 

From Buffalo, we crossed the Niagara River into 

Ontario, and officially went international. Once in 

Canada, the bike route travels another 300 miles, passing 

Niagara Falls, running through the Ontario coun- 

14 July 2009 

tryside, and skirting the major cities of Hamilton and 

Toronto. The route ends in Owen Sound on the shore 

of the Georgian Bay. Founded in the 1850s by fugitive 

slaves, Owen Sound celebrates its heritage every year 

during its Emancipation Celebration Festival. 

The day that we completed our ride, we stood there 

in the park, celebrating with satisfaction what we had 

achieved. But in reading the displays, and thinking 

back upon what we had seen, we could not help but 

also celebrate the incredible journeys made by those 

brave freedom seekers, and the actions of the heroic 

characters that assisted them along the way, often at 

great personal risk. Riding the Underground Railroad 

Bicycle Route is a modern day cycling adventure, but 

it is also an active tribute to the past. 

Read about the route in more detail on Adventure 

Cycling’s website: www.adventurecycling.org/routes/ 

undergroundrailroad.cfm

More resources for riding the Underground Railroad 

Bicycle Route can be found at http://www.adventure 

cycling.org/ugrr. Here you will find links free day trip 

maps for the Ripley, Ohio area, Route Highlights, 

and more. 

TREK • Seven 

Look • Mirraco 

Surly • Raleigh 

Castelli • Hincapie 

Northwave • Louis Garneau 

SRAM • Shimano • Campagnolo 

Bontrager • Mavic • Rolf • HED 

Web Extras 

Author Mike Weingarten and wife Joan 

Watch “Biking Through Black History,” a short, four-segment 

video on the creation of the route, or check out 

photos from Adventure Cycling’s 2007 inaugural tour. 

Read the recent New York Times piece on riding the 

Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. 

www.thebicycleplace.com 8313 Grubb Road, Silver Spring MD 301-588-6160 

July 2009 

15

TRAIL TOWN PROGRAM EXPANDS 

TO MARYLAND 

The Trail Town Program and the Maryland Department of 

Planning are pleased to announce the expansion of the Trail 

Town Program into Maryland. Through an agreement with the 

Department of Planning, Bill Atkinson, Principal Planner and 

Dave Cotton, Regional Planner will divide their time between 

planning department and Trail Town Program duties. 

The director of the Trail Town Program, Cathy McCollom 

said, “We are delighted to be able to effectively leverage our 

resources with those of the Maryland Department of Planning 

under the capable direction of Dave and Bill who are familiar 

with the communities, visitor expectations and business development 

opportunities in Maryland. 

We are also grateful for the Appalachian Regional Commission 

grant that allows the Trail Town Program to expand into the 

communities of Cumberland, Frostburg and Oldtown over the 

next two years.” 

The Trail Town Program, an economic development initiative in 

the communities that border the Great Allegheny Passage rail 

trail, was created in 2007 to realize the economic potential of 

the trail. The Program works with communities to better connect 

to the trail, expand and attract sustainable businesses and 

to capitalize on the economic impact of the rapidly growing 

trail user market. 

The Trail Town Program, with offices in Greensburg, PA, operates 

as an initiative of The Progress Fund, a non-profit lender 

specializing in business loans and technical assistance to tourism-related 

small businesses. 

Bill Atkinson and Dave Cotton will operate from their existing 

offices in Cumberland. Atkinson said, “Coordinating with the 

successful Trail Town Program will benefit all Allegany County 

businesses by bringing new collaborations and opportunities 

Laurel 

Bicycle 

Center 

14805 Baltimore Ave. 

Laurel, MD 20707 

301 953-1223 

301 490-7744 

Monday–Friday: 10-8 

Saturday: 9-6 

Sunday: closed 

www.bicyclefun.com 

16 July 2009 

for regional connections. The visitor rarely notices municipal 

boundaries and seeks a borderless experience. The cooperation 

between Pennsylvania and Maryland in marketing and 

maintaining the Great Allegheny Passage and the surrounding 

towns is a model for trails across the country. ” 

The addition of Oldtown represents the Trail Town Program’s 

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first work beyond the Great Allegheny Passage. Oldtown borders 

the C & O Canal Towpath which joins the Great Allegheny 

Passage in Cumberland and offers a continuous trail experience 

to Washington D.C. Other communities bordering the Canal 

Towpath have expressed an interest in the Trail Town Program 

and have begun the first steps toward participation. 

“Trail Towns is a great program that dovetails with the smart 

growth goals of the State and our department,” said Matthew 

J. Power, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of 

Planning. “This is a great fit for MDP, for Cumberland, Frostburg, 

the region and for Maryland.” 

The Trail Town Maryland Program had previously completed 

needs assessments in Cumberland and Frostburg to prioritize 

projects. Based on those assessments, a Sign Committee was 

created to address signage needs; including a comprehensive 

business directory and safer crossings at Baltimore Street. An 

electronic business directory/visitor kiosk opened at the trail 

access area in Frostburg on May 1 and posted 1,400 hits in the 

first two weeks of activity. Future work in Frostburg will include 

a marketing plan to challenge trail users to “conquer the hill” 

into Frostburg. 

For more information on the Trail Town Program, contact 

Cathy McCollom, Director, at 724-216-7420 or 

cmccollom@progressfund.org. The Trail Town Program web site 

is www.trailtowns.org and contains information on business 

opportunities along the Great Allegheny Passage. 

Anyone interested in starting or expanding their trail business 

in Allegany County Maryland should contact Bill or Dave at 301- 

777-2161.

AVAILABLE AT THESE DEALERS: 

DELAWARE 

BETHANY BEACH 

BETHANY CYCLE & FITNESS 

778 Garfield Parkway 

(302) 537-9982 

VIRGINIA 

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(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 


19 Catoctin Circle, NE 

(703) 777-6126 

RESTON 


Reston Town Center 

(703) 689-2671 

STAFFORD 


100 Susa Drive, #103-15 

(540) 657-6900 

VIENNA 

SPOKES, ETC. 

224 Maple Avenue East 

(703) 281-2004 

WOODBRIDGE 


14477 Potomac Mills Road 

(703) 491-5700 

MARYLAND 

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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 

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York & Warren Roads 

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COLLEGE PARK 

COLLEGE PARK BICYCLES 

4360 Knox Road 

(301) 864-2211 

COLUMBIA 

RACE PACE 

6925 Oakland Mills Road 

(410) 290-6880 

DAMASCUS 



(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 


5732 Buckeystown Pike 

(301) 620-8868 

WHEELBASE 

229 N. Market Street 

(301) 663-9288 

HAGERSTOWN 


35 N. Prospect Street 

(301) 797-9877 

MT. AIRY 

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4540 Old National Pike 

(301) 831-5151 

OWINGS MILLS 

RACE PACE 

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SALISBURY 

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1404 S. Salisbury Blvd. 

(866) 758-4477 

SILVER SPRING 

THE BICYCLE PLACE 

8313 Grubb Road 

(301) 588-6160 

WALDORF 


3200 Leonardtown Road 

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WESTMINSTER 

RACE PACE 

459 Baltimore Blvd. 

(410) 876-3001 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

GEORGETOWN 


3411 M Street, N.W. 

(202) 965-3601

DEPARTMENTS 

18 July 2009 

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Bozzone Completes Double: Adds Eagleman Title 

Atop Columbia 

At the Columbia Triathlon in May, 24-year-old 

Terenzo Bozzone of Auckland, New Zealand, won 

in dramatic fashion, catching 20-year-old Andrew 

Yoder of Columbia, Pa., over the last mile and a half. 

Bozzone posted a time 10 seconds ahead of secondplace 

finisher Yoder. 

Sweeping the second of the two most popular, longrunning 

and competitive Maryland triathlons in 

back-to-back months, at the Eagleman 70.3 Ironman 

Triathlon June 14 in Cambridge, Bozzone instead had 

to fight off Richie Cunningham of Brookline, Mass., 

over the last mile and a half. He won the 1.2-mile 

swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1 run in 3:51:11. 

On the women’s side, Mirinda Carfrae, 28, a native 

of Australia, bested Natascha Badmann, 43, a sixtime 

former Ironman Kona world champion and 

twice Switzerland’s Sportswoman of the Year, won in 

4:16:52. 

Carfrae beat Badmann by three and a half minutes. 

No one else was within eight minutes of either athlete. 

Desiree Flicker, formerly of Potomac, Md., took third. 

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“I do like Maryland, it’s hot and humid, which I love, 

and I stayed with a great host family for the second 

year here,” Bozzone told SPOKES. “But, yeah, these 

were two competitive races. I got off the bike with 

a four-minute lead and my legs struggled a bit. I 

thought four minutes was going to be enough. Then, 

I looked over my shoulder and saw Richie weaving 

his way up and, to be honest, I was quite surprised he 

caught up. That was the kick in the pants I needed.” 

Cunningham, rocking a 5:37 pace over the 13.1 mile 

run, easily the best split of the day, cut three and a 

three-quarters minutes off of Bozzone’s lead, finishing 

16 seconds out of first place. 

Carfrae, on the other hand, had to reel in Badmann, 

an extremely strong cyclist regaining her form after a 

bike spill at Kona last year, two miles into the run. 

With the introduction of the Ironman 70.3 series in 

2006, Carfrae captured the St. Croix and Baja titles 

early in the year, going on to win a bronze at the 

Ironman 70.3 World Championships in the same year. 

In 2007, she came in second in four half-Ironman 

distance triathlons before winning the 2007 Ironman 

70.3 World Championships in world record time. 

With four 70.3 wins in 2008, Carfrae has clearly 

claimed the 70.3 distance as her own. She said just 

competing against Badmann, who has won five 

Eagleman titles, four in a row from 2004 to 2007 

and owns the course record, was all the motivation 

needed. 

“Having a good bike split was the key for me,” said 

Carfrae, who posted the eighth-best swim, third best 

bike, and top running split. “I think maybe Natascha 

passed me at about mile 40.” 

Remarkably, exactly a week ago, Carfrae won 

Connecticut’s new Rev 3 half-Ironman Triathlon, finishing 

a minute ahead of Badmann, who took third. 

“Two days ago, I thought doing this race was hopeless,” 

Carfrae said. “It’s been a pretty good seven days.”

Out-of-towners dominated the pro results, only 

Flicker, sixth-place women’s finisher, Laurel Wassner, 

formerly of Gaithersburg, and Lindsey Jerdonek, of 

Washington, D.C., had mid-Atlantic connections. 

However, numerous local amateurs won or placed 

among the top of their age groups. 

Shandra Richardson, 29, of Gainesville, Va., won 

the 25-29 age group – qualifying for a spot at the 

World Championships in Kona in July – and was the 

fourth place finisher overall. Her husband, Robert 

Richardson, took 12th in the 35-39 age group, with a 

personal-best 4:28:37. 

Both have qualified and raced at Kona in the past; the 

couple’s goal again this season. 

“Winning my age-group and qualifying was the No. 1 

goal,” said Shandra Richardson, adding that last year 

her and husband went to Lake Placid to compete to 

earn spots for Hawaii. 

Two years ago, the Richardsons, who met training, 

opened Rip Tide Swim and Tri (riptideswimandtri. 

com) in Gainesville. Shandra, who also coaches swimming, 

manages the store fulltime while Robert works 

his daytime IT job for now, at least. 

“We’ve survived the recession, but I don’t think that’s 

happening soon, and I like my job, but maybe that 

will happen someday,” said Robert Richardson, who 

wakes up at 3 a.m. to start training before reporting 

for work at 6 a.m. 

The couple has one child, Madison, 2, and baby-sitting 

grandparents who allow them to train cycling 

together on the weekends. Next, it’s back to Lake 

Placid to get Robert qualified for Hawaii. 

“It’s really been a blessing for us to go to Kona together 

as a couple,” Shandra Richardson told SPOKES. 

Another local athlete, Lucas McCollum, of Frederick, 

Md., won the male side of the 25-29 group, posting a 

fast 4:12:05, three full minutes over his closest rival, 

Dave Smith, of Virginia Beach. McCollum missed his 

first goal – a 4:10 mark – but hit his second as top 

amateur in his age group. McCollum, a former college 

pitcher at Jacksonville State, was the sixth amateur 

overall. 

Unlike Bozzone, McCollum, was coming off a disappointing 

experience at Columbia. But he bounced 

back with the best average bike speed, averaging 25.3 

miles per hour over the 56-mile ride, of any amateur. 

He also delivered the best run split in his age group. 

Sick with an upper respiratory illness at Columbia, 

McCollum had to drop out of the race. 

“This race was my top priority and I’ve been working 

on my speed,” he said. “And did taper off (my training). 

Everything went as planned, except the secondhalf 

of the bike, it was pretty windy – that’s probably 

where my two minutes went.” 

McCollum noted getting off the bike after the blazing 

split, was almost as much fun as winning the age group. 

“To come back to rack in transition and not see any 

other bikes there is a great feeling,” he said. 

McCollum said he’s got the Spirit of Morgantown 

tri and the Savageman event in Cumberland on his 

schedule later this summer. He’s also pointing, however, 

to Kona. 

“Both are good training races,” he said. “Savageman is 

one of the toughest triathlons around. Your legs feel 

like they do after a full Ironman after that bike course.” 

Omar Nour, 30, of Washington, D.C., was the second 

overall amateur, and second in his age group, finishing 

in both cases with an outstanding time of 4:08:47, 

behind Mark Rochen, 34, of Downington, Pa. 

Nour said a couple of years ago, before training for 

his first triathlon in 2007, the Nations Triathlon in 

D.C., of course, he weighed 220 pounds – at least 40 

pounds heavier than the 6-foot- athlete goes now. 

“I was sitting with some friends smoking shisha (a pop- 

ular Middle Eastern tobacco smoked in a hookah) and 

they said they were signing up for a triathlon,” said 

Nour, who crossed the finish line grinning and dancing. 

“I was like, ‘What is that?’ They told me, first you 

swim, then bike, then run. I said, ‘Okay, sign me up.’" 

A former high school swimmer at Georgetown Prep, 

Nour had been racing on a “second or third-hand” 

Cannondale until finally getting on a new Felt for 

Eagleman. 

“I got it fitted, and I told them to fit me in the most 

aggressive position possible and I’ll make my body 

adjust,” Nour said. It worked, he posted the secondfastest 

amateur bike split, average just 0.1 mile-perhour 

behind McCollom. Nour credits his brother 

Diaa, with providing valuable training and racing 

TRISPOKES continued on p.20 

July 2009 

19

TRISPOKES continued from p.19 

reports – as well as assuming more of the workload 

at their IT company – so he can train. And Dour said 

Nation’s tri founder Chuck Brodsky has also served as 

a strong mentor/resource. 

Recently, the still-new-to-the-sport Egyptian-born 

Nour got a surprising call: Egypt athletic officials 

are launching an International Triathlon Union 

squad and want him to participate. Who knows? The 

Olympics could be in the future. 

“I’m only 30 and endurance athletes don’t peak until 

they’re 35 so there’s hope,” said Nour, an American 

citizen. “I love the United States and would love to 

represent this country, but that might not be possible. 

We’ll see.” 

George Altieri, who won this race a couple of times 

in the mid-90s, now works for the Columbia Triathlon 

Association with race director Robert Vigorito. Altieri 

said that more than 1,700 athletes “got into the 

water.” Although, he added, that number was down 

from recent past events. 

“We had the same number of registrations, that wasn’t 

affected, but we had more no-shows,” said Altieri, 

blaming the economic downturn. “People register 

20 July 2009 

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early. Then, I think as the race grew closer they got 

more cautious about spending money to travel (for 

out-of-state competitions).” 

The other big difference this June was the weather. 

Temperatures at last year’s Eagleman soared over 100 

degrees on race day, pushing many athletes to the 

brink of exhaustion. Amazingly, Altieri said, there 

were no medical crisis. 

“I can’t tell you how many pounds of ice we went 

through, but we had more than 200 athletes require 

I.V.’s,” he said. “No emergencies, however.” 

This year, the Easton Ice Company truck, seemed 

barely needed. A thundershower cooled things off 

a little the night before. It was slightly humid in the 

early morning; then, as temperatures rose during the 

day, the humidity receded, making for near-perfect 

race conditions. 

Along with Easton Ice Company, several other local 

groups turned out to support the event, including 

the Dorchester Ruritan Club, which stayed busy selling 

fresh hamburgers and real potato French Fries, as 

well as Christ Episcopal Church, selling coffee, bagels, 

hot dogs, sodas and snow cones all day long. 

More than a dozen triathlon clubs, including the 

Richmond Triathlon Club, Reston-area Tri Club, the 

TriRats, the Annapolis Iron Crabs, D.C. Triathlon and 

mid-Maryland Triathlons clubs, the Virginia Beachbased 

Final Kick triathlon club turned out. 

Marty Stiegmann, 49, of Glen Allen, Va., and a 

Richmond tri club member for the last decade, 

took fifth in his age group in 4:30:48. He said the 

Richmond tri club has been booming in recent years 

with more than 500 members. 

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He noted that Richmond hosted the National 

Duathlon Championships earlier this year and has 

hosted the World Duathlon Championships in the past. 

“It’s a great sports town,” said Don Rogers, 42, another 

Richmond tri club member. 

“With a lot of great venues to train,” Stiegmann 

added. 

Another Richmond athlete, Karl Kahsar, 21, was the 

third overall amateur, in 4:09:36. And Linda Fournier, 

51, also of Richmond, captured the women’s grandmaster 

title in 5:15:27 

William Wren, 61, of Arlington, won the grandmaster 

title in 4:59:10. 

On the flip side, Hunter Lussi, 16, of Kensington, 

Md., and Hannah Lowell,18, of Catlett, Va., won the 

17-19 age groups in 5:18:35 and 6:26:21, respectively. 

Alyssa Godesky, 24, of Baltimore, won the 20-24 age 

group in 5:19:10. 

Kristen Andrews, 28, of Bethesda, won the 25-29 age 

group, in 4:44:43. Brian Shelden, 39, of Washington, 

D.C., won the 35-39 age group in 4:15:01. 

Cris Carpi, 50, of Alexandria, won the 50-54 female 

age group in 5:16:03. Herb Spicer, 54, of Frederick, 

won the 50-54 male age group, in 4:21:42. Barbara 

Mathewson, 60, of Virginia Beach, captured the 60-64 

title in 5:35:26. 

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COLUMNS 

Going Big in Your Own Back Yard 

Every now and then you get that yearning for a really 

big ride, something that tests your fitness, your skills, 

and your will, something that is, in a word, epic. 

The epic ride has a different meaning for everybody. 

For a new rider it might be riding every trail in a park 

in a single ride or tackling some real backcountry 

riding instead of riding at the local park. For the seasoned 

rider it’s more likely that an epic ride will be 

an all day affair with mileage nearing the triple digits. 

Whatever you’re looking for, what an epic ride doesn’t 

need to be, is far from home. In fact, there are a lot 

of epic ride possibilities right around the major population 

centers of the Mid-Atlantic. 

Living in the suburbs means you probably don’t have 

large expanses of backcountry riding out your back 

door. Quite often, though, you do have a number of 

parks with great trail networks within close reach, so 

you can use those parks to make an epic ride where 

none seemed possible before. By combining smaller 

parks and back roads, you can often make a ride that’s 

as challenging as any backcountry epic right in the middle 

of the suburbs. With the exception of the Southern 

Traverse, the rides that follow are just to get you started, 

ideas that you can take to make your own rides. 

All epic rides require careful preparation. Whether 

you’re in the backcountry or in the suburbs plan on 

the carrying plenty of food and water, extra tubes and 

spares, a basic first aid kit, and of course, make sure 

you have backup plans for when things go wrong. 

Some of the rides I’m going to mention here don’t 

have specific routes to follow or easy convenient maps 

to download. Make sure you’ve got a good map of the 

area -- I’ve tried to mention them here where they’re 

available -- and make sure you plan your route, and 

know where there are bailout points and where extra 

food and water is available. Even in suburban parks, 

cell phone coverage can often be spotty, so don’t rely 

on them. 

The Hoyles Mill Connector 

With the completion of the Hoyles Mill Connector 

trail running between the Schaeffer Farms trail system 

and Black Hills Regional Park in Montgomery County, 

Md., an accessible epic was born. With one trailhead 

opposite the Schaeffer Farms parking lot, and the 

other just outside Black Hills Regional Park, the connector 

trail through Hoyles Mill Conservation Park 

has joined these two parks with a mix of singletrack 

and gravel roads (and a little asphalt) to create an 

multi-park ride in northern Montgomery County. 

As epic rides go this one is fairly easy to do. After a 

spin around the Schaeffer Farms trails, head up the 

gravel road from the parking to towards Schaeffer 

Road and pick up the connector trail immediately on 

the other side of the road. Follow the singletrack until 

it drops you off onto the paved trail that surrounds 

the SoccerPlex and make a left. Follow the soccerplex 

trail for a short distance until you see the singletrack 

start again on the left. 

After a couple more miles of singletrack you’ll make 

a left when the trail ends at Hoyles Mill road and follow 

that to a right on White Ground road. After a few 

hundred yards on White Ground road you’ll see the 

official trailhead for the Hoyles Mill trail on the right 

and rejoin the trail as it weaves around the edges of 

fields ending at the intersection of Clopper Road 

(MD 107) and Clarksburg Road (MD 121). 

Cross Clopper road carefully and follow Clarksburg 

Road across the bridge. Look for the trail to start 

on the right soon after the end of the bridge. This 

22 July 2009 

SINGLETRACK by JOE FOLEY jfoley441@gmail.com 

section of trail features some great swooping turns 

around the banks of Little Seneca Lake. You’ll briefly 

rejoin the road, but keep a lookout as the trail soon 

starts up again on the right and leads you through to 

Black Hill Road into Black Hill Regional Park. Make 

a loop in Black Hill and the reverse these directions 

back to Schaeffer Farms. 

For more information on the Hoyles Mill Connector, 

see the MORE website at http://tinyurl.com/hoylesmill 

The Big MoCo Loop 

When the Hoyles Mill Connector ride just isn’t long 

enough, why not add in some of the other great parks 

in northern Montgomery County. With Little Bennett, 

Seneca Creek State Park, and the Seneca Greenway 

trail the possibilities are almost endless. This ride can 

vary from 35 to 60 miles depending no how many 

of the parks you ride and the routes taken between 

them. There’s no set loop here, so start with a map 

and your imagination, pick which parks you want to 

ride, and look for safe, low-traffic backroads to connect 

them. 

A typical ride will start and end with a loop of the 

trails at Schaeffer Farms, take the Hoyles Mill connector 

to Black Hills, then use the roads to get to Little 

Bennett, and then on to the Seneca Greenway trail 

heading towards the Clopper Lake area of Seneca 

Creek State Park. Since the Greenway is closed to 

bikes on the western side of MD 355, you have to 

switch to roads to get into the Clopper Lake area 

and the from the backside of Clopper Lake back to 

Schaeffer Farms. 

In the future you’ll be able to cut more of the road 

riding out of this loop. According to Dave Magill, 

Schaeffer Farms trail liaison for MORE, “by late next 

year or the year after the Big MoCo Loop ride should 

have even less road and more trail mileage than it 

does now. Seneca Creek park management, working 

with MORE, TROT and MCRRC, is proposing a 5 mile 

connector trail between Schaeffer Farms and the trails 

at Clopper Lake. MORE will lead the construction 

and expects approval in time to begin building the 

new trail this fall. And TROT will take the lead on a 

proposed new spur trail that would connect Schaeffer 

Farm almost all the way to the C&O canal, giving a 

new off-road way to get to the Big MoCo Loop.” 

The Fairfax Cross County Trail 

Weaving its way 33 miles through Fairfax County, the 

Cross County Trail, or CCT as it’s more commonly 

known, allows adventurous riders to link together 

popular parks like Riverbend at its northern end, 

down through Colt’s Neck, Lake Fairfax, Wakefield, 

Accotink, and soon the new Laurel Hill Park at the 

Former Lorton Prison site in the south. 

Weaving its way through the stream valleys that have 

escaped development, an attempt at the full CCT isn’t 

for the faint of heart. While some of the southern portions 

of the route are paved or cinder trail, the northern 

half through the Difficult Run watershed feature 

less than a half mile of paved trail in 15 miles. Since 

the route is a composite of many trails and is not fully 

signed, make sure to have good maps and directions 

before setting out on this ride. Information on trail, 

maps, and cue sheets are available from Fairfax Trails 

and Streams at http://tinyurl.com/fairfaxcct 

The Patapsco Thru Trail 

Linking the Avalon and McKeldin areas of Patapsco 

Valley State Park, northwest of Baltimore, the 

Patapsco thru trail is a work in progress and a challenging 

ride. 

The thru trail, shorthand for just about any route 

winding its way through the 32 miles of park in 

the Patapsco River valley between the Avalon and 

McKeldin areas, started as a glimmer in the eye of 

riders like former Baltimore, and now Frederick, resident 

Joe Whitehair. 

As Whitehair and Pat Miller said in the MORE newsletter 

last year: “...start in Avalon, head north/west to 

McKeldin, make your way back repeating as little as 

possible while trying to ride as much singletrack as 

you can find.” 

There’s now a concerted effort on the part of the 

park management and MORE to create a blazed 

singletrack route along the full length of the trail, and 

now it’s possible to do 80-90% of the ride on singletrack. 

If you’re going to give this ride a try then make 

sure you’ve got a copy of the Patapsco Valley State 

Park (Complete Guide) Trail Map that’s available 

from the Maryland DNR website at http://tinyurl. 

com/dnrmaps and take a look at this description of 

the Route put together by Whitehair at http://tinyurl. 

com/thrutrail 

The Southern Traverse 

For those who don’t mind a little travel, the Southern 

Traverse, a ride on that takes riders up to and along 

the ridge of Shenandoah Mountain just south of 

Harrisonburg, Va., is a certified IMBA epic ride and is 

certain to not disappoint. 

While the Appalachian ridges of the George 

Washington National Forest certainly don’t lack for 

epic ride opportunities the Southern Traverse is a 

true gem. Featuring 10 to 15 miles, depending on 

your route, of classic East Coast ridge riding, this ride 

is one not to be missed. The epic route starts with 

a fire road climb from the trailhead that takes you 

1500’ up to the top of Shenandoah Mountain. From 

there you ride south along the ridge, rolling up and 

down for 10 miles of uninterrupted singletrack before 

a long downhill drops you on a dirt road back at the 

base of the ridge. From there you can ride the road 

through the valley back to your car. 

If you want to avoid the road ride, you can pre-position 

a shuttle vehicle at the end of the downhill. 

There’s a bailout near the end of the ridge, at 

Jerkemtight Road, and only one intersection to worry 

about, also at Jerkemtight. 

For those looking for even more riding, you can 

extend the ride by climbing Georgia Camp Hollow 

SINGLETRACK continued on p.25

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COLUMNS 

Growth: A Pleasant Dilemma 

“Look it is a family with little children! Have you met 

the other family with the two little children, they have 

a boy and a girl”. That was the response we got when 

we first went to the Kent County Spring Fling nine 

years ago. There were not many families with children 

and we tended to start clustering together. 

Over the years we have seen a growth in the number 

of families coming to this and other biking events. 

When we first started coming, there were only about 

five families that were coming with about nine children. 

Last year there were 31 and this year there 

43 children attending between the ages of 3 and 

16. This has been by small gains every year. Three 

years ago I talked Neil Sandler, the publisher of 

SPOKES with his wife Sonja and two children, Emma 

and Nathan, into attending. This year he talked a 

neighbor with two children into attending. We also 

had a family that had read about the Spring Fling in 

SPOKES attend for the first time this year. And not 

only is it parents with their children, there are a number 

of cases with three generations of grandparents, 

parents and grandchildren attending. As confirmed 

by the increasing numbers, the family friendly atmosphere 

generated by Frank and Kathy Anders and the 

sponsoring Baltimore Bicycling Club encourages families 

to continue to attend year after year. 

One of the interesting things was the change in some 

of the family riding styles. When we first started on 

the Spring Fling, most of the children that had out 

grown the trailers were either on tandems or taga-long 

bikes. While I continue to see many of the 

families with tandems, I am seeing more young riders 

like Jeremy. That has created a pleasant problem for 

TANDEMS = 

Sharing 

24 July 2009 

WHY RIDE A TANDEM? 

It’s sharing the fun and experience with 

a partner, a child, a parent, or a friend. 

Sharing exercise, sharing adventure, 

sharing the joy of accomplishment, and 

creating a shared memory. 

We sell and rent tandems because we’ve 

shared these things and found that bicycling 

can be even more fun when it is shared. 

We’re fi ghting “oil addiction” with 

human powered transportation. 

Join the fi ght – park your car and 

ride your bike. 

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FAMILY CYCLING 101 by KEVIN BRUGMAN kbrugman@cox.net 

the family rides at the Spring Fling: too many riders 

for a single group ride and an increased difference in 

capability. There is the original family ride led by two 

families, one leading and one trailing which had over 

30 riders. A second family ride led by Gordon Peltz 

and assisted by Bill Hester was started for families with 

younger riders on their single bikes. After an instructional 

class on Saturday morning, they led a 14 mile 

casual ride. There were 26 riders including some 

riders as young as 6 and 7 on their singles as well as 

some on tandems. 

Riding is not all that this event offers for families. The 

city wide official events include boat races, parades, 

festivals and a tea party. This is not a tea party with little 

sandwiches and delicate cups of finely steeped tea. 

This is a Boston style tea party with scuffles between 

the British and the Colonials and things being tossed 

off the ships into the river. Chestertown. Md., proudly 

celebrates the lesser known second tea party of the 

Revolutionary War. After the incident in Boston, the 

British decided that their cargo ships were no longer 

safe in the Annapolis harbor so they sailed them 

across the Chesapeake and up the Chester River to 

Chestertown. Unfortunately for the British merchants, 

they soon found their cargo floating back down the 

Chester River back towards Annapolis helped on its 

way by the citizens of Chestertown. 

The boat races on Sunday afternoon generate a lot of 

interest for the young and old alike. There is always 

a question of whether some of these boats will even 

float let alone zip around the short course. This year’s 

entrants included some conventional styles as well 

as the children’s favorite caterpillar that ate its way 

through the week, trailer home on pontoons, and an 

out-house with a customer. There were even two that 

had some form of bike power. Unfortunately none of 

those won but it was still fun to watch. 

In the evenings there are other activities for the 

young and old alike. There is a desert bar every night, 

and what child, young or old does not like ice cream 

or cake? Then on Saturday and Sunday evening there 

is a dance to finish the night off. While this occupies 

the time of many, there were also big grassy areas that 

were just right for different ball games and Frisbee. 

For the older teens there were lots of quiet areas just 

off the main thorough fares but still near all the other 

activities where they could congregate. 

It is also interesting to see the interaction of the folks 

without children watching the children grow and 

become active cyclists. One cyclist that had watched 

our children grow up at the bike rally was heard to 

playfully grumble about “Things are getting bad when 

the family ride is passing us by!” As he said that, the 

child that was in a trailer nine years ago, was leading 

the ride at a respectable pace and ended the ride with 

Jeremy in a five mile burst averaging over 18 mph ride. 

Jeremy was just eight years old when we met his family 

six years ago. He was on his single but could ride a 

full 20 mile ride. He would be the youngest rider on 

the family rides and all the adults would be watching 

out for him, taking turn riding behind him. Many of 

the kids, my boys included, who were just a year or 

two younger were admiring him for being able to ride 

on his own.

Last year I was without a stoker for a ride at the 

Spring Fling and Jeremy volunteered to stoke for 

me. We got a late start on the ride but with Jeremy’s 

power on the back we soon caught up. It was Jeremy’s 

first time on the tandem and he was having a blast. 

That was when I found out that while the other kids 

were admiring him, he was envious of them being on 

the tandem. I would not be surprised that when he 

becomes a dad, one of the first things he does for his 

children is to buy a tandem to go riding with his children. 

He was already talking about the possibilities of 

riding with younger relatives on a tandem. 

This was the year that my oldest son’s bike riding 

seemed to explode. He has been a strong rider for 

some time. When he was eight, he was doing 30+ 

miles and he has done some short tours with me over 

the past couple of years. While he is a strong stoker, 

he prefers the independence of the single. This 

year he was eyeing his mother’s bike and thinking he 

could ride it. I countered that he was only 12 and still 

had some growing to do. With that admonishment, he 

threw his leg over the bike and took off, once again, 

proving me wrong. So for the rest of the weekend, 

he rode his mother’s bike, his mother rode my single 

and I was left to happily ride the tandem with my 

younger son. 

Being on a full size road bike seemed to invigorate 

Jonathon. He was out in front on all of the rides, 

and asking for more miles. On the Sunday picnic 

ride, he and his mother did an extra 12 miles with 

an adult group to expand his limits. The time with 

Jeremy allowed him to really push himself to see just 

what he could do. As some of the other adults, other 

than Mom and Dad, started riding with him, they 

convinced Jonathon that he needed to try clipless 

pedals. So now that is the next item he wants to try. 

Surprisingly as a 12 year old, he fits into my size 12 

cycling shoes, so clipless pedals are probably not far 

away. 

One of Jonathon’s other goals has been to captain the 

tandem. He did try to get on the front of the tandem 

but quickly realized that he was not tall enough to 

stand over the top tube on the tandem. Fortunately 

for him, there were several folks with Bike Friday tandems. 

He quickly talked his way on to a friend’s Bike 

Friday. The big question was whether little brother 

would get on the back. A month earlier in a friendly 

game of touch football Jonathon had broken Jason’s 

arm so there was not a lot of trust in the relationship. 

After watching Jonathon tool around the parking lot 

a couple of times, Jason said “Let’s Go!!” and away 

they went. Starting was a little touch and go to begin, 

but that is normal as any new tandem team will attest. 

Soon they were whizzing around like a veteran team, 

which they probably were. 

After we rode our Monday morning ride with several 

other families on a farm ride with obligatory stops to 

see the cattle, we finished packing up and said good 

bye to many friends that we only see once a year but 

often e-mail or share holiday cards with. For the new 

friends that came for the first time, all planned on 

coming again next year confirming the family friendly 

atmosphere. 

For those planning on attending in 2010, the Spring 

Fling is held every year over Memorial Day weekend in 

Chestertown, MD. Registration generally opens early 

January and generally sells out by mid April and it 

seems to sell out earlier every year. For more pictures 

from this and previous year’s events go to the BBC web 

page for the Spring Fling to see the picture galleries. 

http://www.baltobikeclub.org/index.pl/kcsf 

SINGLETRACK continued from p.22 

trail to the ridge. This gets you almost 5 extra miles 

of riding on the beautiful ridge trail before joining 

the regular route at the top of the fire road climb. If 

you’re looking into the longer route, you’d be wise to 

leave a car with extra food, water, and supplies or to 

use as a shuttle at the end of the final downhill, as this 

ride is almost 70 miles and 8-10 hours of riding when 

done as a complete loop. 

The 19th annual Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival 

October 16-18,2009 

�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 540 416 1267 or Fax 540 885-0269 

For ride details, see the IMBA website at http:// 

tinyurl.com/imbatraverse and make sure to have a 

copy of the National Geographic Trails Illustrated 

Staunton/Shenandoah Mountain map (#791). 

If you’re interested in either route, I’d suggest talking 

to the guys at Shenandoah Bicycle Company in 

Harrisonburg before you head out. They’re great at 

helping with directions and you can pick up a copy of 

the Trails Illustrated map. 

July 2009 

25

DEPARTMENTS 

World Naked Bike Day 

The signs said “Waterboard SUV’s,” “No dependence 

on foreign oil,” and “The Earth is the Lord’s.” But it 

was hard to keep to eye on the signs. 

This was World Naked Bike Ride day. 

About 50 bicycle activists, and what appeared to be an 

equal number of supporters, and well, onlookers – all 

with cameras – met at Franklin Park at 14th and K St. 

in Washington, D.C. Saturday afternoon, June 13, for 

the popular fourth annual event. 

The ride itself, not a long affair, but a raucous one, 

traveled from the park past the Capitol building and in 

front of the White House for the annual group photo. 

Startled tourists, quickly composed themselves along 

the route, snapping unexpected mementos from 

graduation and the family trip. 

Okay, full disclosure here. In much of Europe, it 

is safe to assume (and there is evidence in photos 

online) that World Naked Bike Ride day jaunts are 

actually genuine birthday suit treks. In D.C., the permitted 

rides, simply come very, VERY close. Think, 

strategically placed socks for the guys, Red Hot Chili 

Peppers-style, and thongs and pasties, for the women. 

However, the idea gets across. 

As Roger Paul, one of the organizers told SPOKES, 

the nudity is designed to draw attention to the 

“nakedness” bicycle commuters feel on the road 

everyday because of the lack of attention paid by 

motorists. 

“We share similar frustration in trying to ride bicycles 

in a car centered culture,” Paul said. 

For better or worse, the Washington, D.C., indecent 

exposure law, according to local World Naked Bike 

Ride day leaders, has been interpreted to mean that 

only one’s sensitive body parts needs to be covered, 

permits in hand, the ride has gone along free from 

interference from the police. 

Chris Baacken, 24, who works for a small non-governmental 

agency that works on refugee resettlement, 

and Sarah Grignon , 21, a local student, took turns 

body painting each other in the park before the ride. 

“Well, it sounded like a lot of fun,” said Baacken, who 

added she commutes to work by bike. “And it’s a good 

way to get bicyclists to get noticed by people who 

drive cars. There is not enough respect on the road.” 

“Getting doored really stinks,” Baacken added. 

J.T. Stinson of the District’s Shaw neighborhood, did 

26 July 2009 

COMMUTER CONNECTION by RON CASSIE ron_cassie@yahoo.com 

not want to mention exactly what he did for a living, 

but stressed he was riding in his briefs to promote sustainable 

transportation not nudity per se. 

“You can see what my sign says, ‘Waterboard SUV’s,” 

Stinson said. “I am here to help encourage sustainable 

transportation policies. I’m a very strong advocate for 

pro-bike, anti-car policies.” 

Stinson, in fact, is also a very strong cyclist. He commutes 

by bike 110 miles each week to Andrews Air 

Force Base. 

“Year round, rain or shine,” he said. 

Stinson told SPOKES that he’s working on creating a 

new D.C., bike coop in Shaw, currently in the beginning 

stages, getting together with friends to repair 

bikes for free on the weekends. 

A little history. The World Naked Bike Ride was 

launched in 2004 to help coordinate a large international 

bike ride between many different activist groups 

across the globe. The world’s first international Naked 

Bike Ride in 2004 was between the WBNR group and 

Manifestacion Ciclonudista in Spain, where the ride 

remains hugely popular in numerous cities. 

Prior to 2004, Manifestacion Ciclonudista and Artists 

for Peace in Canada, independent organizations, 

were organizing similar naked bike rides, with similar 

messages of protesting oil and auto dependency. This 

year, World Naked Bike Ride day was expected to 

attract participants in at least 70 cities in 20 countries. 

Everywhere, including D.C., as Paul noted, the dressing 

code is “bare as you dare,” and no one is excluded 

or chided for wearing clothes, be it bike shorts and 

T-shirt, or whatever. Customs, bike decorating, body 

painting are encouraged. 

The event is basically good-natured fun, albeit with 

a serious message. According to its website, WNBR 

focuses on promoting cycling because “shifting to a 

car-free lifestyle is one of the most powerful things a 

person can do to make a real difference in reducing 

negative environmental impacts on this planet.” 

“Our message to the world is one of simplification, 

human harmony and love. For a future to exist for 

tomorrow’s generations, we have to stop wasting the 

life blood energy of the Earth, stop fighting and killing 

in the name of consumerist wealth accumulation 

and learn to love and respect all life on this planet,” 

said Conrad Schmidt, founder of The Work Less Party 

and Artists for Peace and WNBR and organizer for 

WNBR Vancouver, B.C. 

“We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as 

the best way to defending our dignity and exposing 

the vulnerability faced by cyclists and pedestrians on 

our streets as well as the negative consequences we all 

face due to dependence on oil, and other forms of 

non-renewable energy,” he explained. 

While some may scoff at such radical advocacy, 

Stinson believes it effective. 

“I think more and more people are biking and 

becoming aware of how convenient it is to be a 

cyclist,” he said. 

Stinson has also witnessed how one relatively small 

action can lead others to act. 

“I’ve been biking to work for three years and when I 

started, I was only one (at my work),” he said. “Then I 

got another guy into it. And then another started and 

now we have five of us who bike to work every day. 

“That’s five cars off the road, the way I look at it.”

��this year’s 

�� 

It’s Coming Just 

Around the Corner! 

�� 

�� 

�� 

�� 

�� 

��26-27 Columbia, MD 

�� 

�� 

Register for updates at �� 

www.ulmancancerfund.org 

�� 

�� 

��

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

Griffi n Cycle 

28 � July 2009 

4949 Bethesda Ave. 

Bethesda, MD 20814 

(301) 656-6188 

www.griffi ncycle.com 

JULY 5 – DELAWARE DOUBLECROSS 

The White Clay Bicycle Club’s popular annual 32 mile 

double crossing of the state of Delaware, along with 

a 62 mile metric century option. Starts and ends at 

Middletown, Del., High School. For details contact 

Jeff Phillips at doublecross@whiteclaybicycleclub.org 

JULY 13-18 – RAINSTORM 

Challenge yourself with five century rides over five 

days. On day six, join the Ride Across Indiana to ride 

160 miles back to your point of departure. Stay in 

Indiana State Park inns along the way, with catered 

meals designed for athletes. If you’re a recreational 

rider hoping to reach new fitness goals, a triathlete 

in search of intensive time on the bike, or an ultra 

marathon cyclist, this tour is for you. For more information, 

see www.triri.org , email triri@triri.org, or call 

(812) 333-8176. 

JULY 19-25 – FANY RIDE 

The Great Big FANY Ride will spin five hundred miles 

Across New York – for it’s 9th annual ride. Explore 

Niagara Falls, visit farm stands near the Erie Canal, 

sample wines at Finger Lake region vineyards, ride 

over 100 miles without a traffic light in the Adirondack 

Mountains, and arrive in Saratoga Springs. SAG support, 

marked roads, cue sheets, luggage transfer to 

overnight campsites, optional bus to parking at start/ 

finish. In honor of each biker the FANY Ride makes 

a donation to the Double H Ranch – a camp for children 

with chronic illnesses. No pledges are required. 

www.FANYride.com (518) 461-7646 

JULY 25 – RIVER TO RIVER RIDE 

Pedal Pennsylvania is hosting The River to River 

Heritage Corridor Bicycle Tour, which starts and ends 

in Souderton, PA. The rides take cyclists between the 

Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. This year’s route will 

Road, Hybrids, Mountain, Kids 

Parts & Accessories for All Makes 

Trailers & Trikes 

Family Owned – In Bethesda for 38 Years 

feature Montgomery County to start the day followed 

by Bucks County. Most of the route is along lightly 

traveled roads adjacent to Route 113, taking cyclists 

through small towns with farms, churches and businesses 

that date back to the 1700s. Most of the ride 

offers rolling terrain, but there are a few climbs along 

the way. Cyclists can ride routes of 25, 50, 75 or 100 

miles; all routes are loops. Proceeds benefit Heritage 

Conservancy, a regional leader in natural and historic 

preservation. For details contact (215) 513-7550; www. 

rivertoriverride.org 

JULY 26 - AUG. 1 – BONTON ROULET 

This legendary event is a festival on wheels through 

New York State’s Finger Lake region. Limited to 500 

riders, visit dozens of wineries, quaint shops, beautiful 

lakes, and plenty of historic sites. For details call (315) 

253-5304 or log onto www.bontonroulet.com 

AUGUST 8 – CUMBERLAND VALLEY CENTURY 

The Cumberland Valley Cycling Club again hosts 

this very popular (over 300 riders last year) tours of 

Washington County, Md. Rides include a 26, 63 and 

100 miler over low traffic roads going over stone 

bridges and by green, picturesque farmscapes. Rides 

start in Boonsboro, Md., about 1.5 hours from D.C. 

and Baltimore. Great food! Portions of the proceeds 

go to San Mar Children’s Home (last year over $2,000 

was contributed). For details, or to register go to www. 

bikecvcc.com 

AUGUST 23 – RESTON CENTURY 

Starting and finishing at the Reston, Va., Town 

Center, this 27th annual tradition offers rides of 34, 

65 and 103 miles. Fully supported by the Reston 

Bicycle Club complete with a post ride party. For 

details log onto www.restonbikeclub.org or email 

info@restonbikeclub.org 

FEATURING BIKES FROM: 

To be listed, send information to Spokes, 5911 Jefferson Boulevard, Frederick, MD 21703 or e-mail: neil@spokesmagazine.com 

For a more comprehensive list check out www.spokesmagazine.com. 

Ride with Professional Cyclist, Floyd Landis! 

Save-A-Limb Ride 

Metric Century – 30 Mile – 6 Mile Family Fun Ride 

Benefits the 

Save-A-Limb Foundation 

Register Online Today! 

www.savealimbride.org 

Sunday – September 13, 2009 – 8:00am – 2:00pm 

Oregon Ridge Park – Hunt Valley, MD 

Picnic, Fitness Fair, Kid’s Carnival & Fun 

SEPTEMBER 5-6 – SEVEN SPRINGS 24 HOUR 

CHALLENGE 

In its 10th year, the Subaru 24-Hour Champion 

Challenge combines recreational fun and a challenging 

adventure, while creating good-natured competition 

for teams of friends, co-workers and individual 

racers who compete for prizes and glory. The goal is 

to complete as many laps as possible on the 12-mile 

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., course in 24 

hours. Competitors can race as a part of team or on 

their own. The race begins at 12 p.m., Sat., Sept. 5, 

and ends at 12 p.m., Sun., Sept. 6. Endurance, teamwork 

and the ability to have fun are required! For 

more information and to register call (866) 703-7625 

or visit www.7springs.com. 

SEPTEMBER 11-13 – TOUR DE CANAL 

Since its inception in 1997, this event has raised more 

than $1.5 million to fund promising research and 

services for those who suffer from Alzheimers. 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’s your chance to do the canal with support. For 

details log onto www.alz.org/nca or call (800) 728- 

9255, or (703) 359-4440. 

SEPTEMBER 12 – AMISH COUNTRY BIKE TOUR 

Tour the bucolic farmlands of Delaware’s flat Amish 

countryside in this popular 23rd 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! 

Friday night kayak tour. Funds go to prostate cancer 

research. Kent County Tourism (800) 233-5368; or 

register at www.visitdover.com Ask for free bicycling 

map of the area. 

SEPTEMBER 12 – SKIPJACK BIKE TOUR 

Cycling past some of the most beautiful wildlife, 

harbors and marshlands on the Eastern Shore of 

Maryland on rides of 15, 30 or 75 miles from Deal 

Island Harbor in Princess Anne, Md. Sponsored by 

the Deal Island/Chance Volunteer Fire Co., the rides 

begin at 7:30 a.m. T Shirts for All Riders, 3 Rest Stops, 

EMS Available, SAG Wagon and of course the unforgettable 

brownies. 

For additional information visit www.visitsomerset.com 

or www.dealislandmaryland.com 

SEPTEMBER 13 – 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 clip-

Great Gear For Cyclists... 

ping 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 

SEPTEMBER 13 – 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 19 - 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. Ride day registration is from 7 - 9 a.m. Visit www. 

paxvelo.com or email riderunrow@yahoo.com. 

WEDNESDAYS AT WAKEFIELD MTB SERIES 

Mid-summer evening, June 24 to July 15 - 4-race 

mountain bike race series at Wakefield Park, 

Annandale, Va. With 21 categories, including 10 

junior categories for males and females in 2 year 

increments ages 18 and below. Three races each 

night: Younger Juniors (5:30), Beginner, Jr, Masters 

(6:00), Sport, Expert, Clydesdale (6:55). Fun, Fast 

Singletrack. Benefits Trips for Kids Charity. Pre-register 

for series at www.BikeReg.com, Info at www. 

potomacvelo.com, Jim Carlson jcarlsonida@yahoo. 

com; (703) 569-9875. 

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 a weekly road bike 

ride, leaving from the shop Mondays at 6 p.m. 

Proper riding attire required. Averaging 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. 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. 

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 

COLUMBIA TUESDAY ROAD & IRONGIRL RIDES 

Spirited Tuesday evening road rides, 25.5 miles (or 18 

T O 

U 

R 

D 

E 

C A 

N 

A 

L 

for Iron Girl Triathlon participants) from the parking 

lot of Princeton Sports, 10730 Little Patuxent 

Parkway, Columbia, Md. Ride is same as that used in the 

Columbia Triathlon (25.5 mile) or IronGirl competition 

(18 miles). Weather permitting. Call (410) 995-1894 or 

email ttomczak@princetonsports.com for details. 

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. 

SEPTEMBER 11 - 13, 2009 

Choose from 3 rides: 

184 miles ~ 100 miles 

20 mile memory ride 

Get Involved! 

alz.org/nca 

800-728-9255 • 703-359-4440

COLUMNS 

...a look at women’s cycling issues in the 

mid-Atlantic 

We Can Do It! 

Congratulations to all of us mountain biking women 

who have conquered the trails, raced the races, and 

own bikes that match our counterpart mountain biking 

men! We deserve a big pat on the back! 

These days there is no doubt that women are a part 

of the mountain biking scene. Not only are there 

numerous organized women’s rides and clinics; such 

as the Maryland “Girlie Rides” and the “Ride Like a 

Girl Rides,” but women riders can be seen taking over 

the parking lots at trail heads on most weekends and 

turning out in large numbers at the local XC and off 

road adventure races. We also grace the covers of the 

most popular cycling magazines, decked out in the 

most fashionable mountain bike apparel, while riding 

some of the hottest XC bikes on the market. Way to 

go Girls! 

However, while we have made our mark on the sport 

as legitimate riders we are slightly behind in giving a 

helping hand when it comes to building and maintaining 

the trails that we have come to love. The Mid 

Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE) maintain and 

build hundreds of miles of trails in Maryland, DC, 

and Virginia. MORE is the local nonprofit mountain 

biking club that organizes hundreds of rides throughout 

the year as well as advocates for new trails while 

building on and maintaining the current single track 

we ride. 

MORE schedules annual fall and spring trail work 

days at every park it maintains, which adds up to 

30 July 2009 

SPOKESWOMEN by ANNE MADER 

more than 3000 volunteer hours a year. However, only 

about 10-15% of those hours are put in by women. So, 

while there are many women out there who are definitely 

giving back (some give a tremendous amount), 

there are still some who need to get a shovel and get 

out there. Anyone who rides the trails should take 

a little time each year to give back, and we are not 

the exception. Trail work can be a great way to meet 

other riders. It can also be a great family event- bring 

the kids and teach them that trails don’t just appear. 

Hours and 

hours of volunteer 

service go 

into every trail 

you ride. 

So, while we 

are in the heart 

of the summer; 

ride, ride, 

ride! But when 

it starts to get 

cooler, check 

out MORE’s 

fall and spring 

trail work calendar 

on their 

website at www. 

more-mtb.org 

and give back 

to the trails you 

ride this summer. 

Let’s show 

those guys what 

we can do! 

Speaking of 

giving back, 

have you ridden 

the trails at 

Fountainhead 

Park lately? If 

you have, you 

may be aware 

that the trails 

are in dire 

shape and in 

need of some 

TLC! MORE 

has been maintaining Fountainhead for over ten 

years. 

This amazing trail system is a mountain biking gem 

in Fairfax County however, due to an increase in 

ridership and the way the trails are built these trails 

are becoming increasingly unsustainable. As a result, 

MORE and the Northern Virginia Regional Park 

Authority hired IMBA Trail Solutions to create a trail 

plan that will help rehabilitate the trails and build a 

sustainable trail system. 

The rehabilitated trail system will provide a more 

diverse trail for beginners to advanced riders. The 

plan suggests a stacked loop system with skills areas 

and an increase in mileage from seven miles to 12- 

15 miles. A stacked looped system is very unique and 

provides an opportunity to create levels of difficulty 

the further one gets into the trail. As a result, the 

trails can have increasingly more difficult trail sections 

because riders will have trail options depending 

of their skill level. This also increases educational 

opportunities along the trail- so those of us who need 

to learn certain skills will have the opportunity to 

learn these skills before moving on to the next trail 

section. 

Trail features and armoring will also create a trail system 

with unique features that enhance sustainability 

while providing an amazing riding experience for all 

mountain bikers. MORE and the park are very excited 

to get this project underway. A website has been specifically 

set up for this project at www.fountianhead 

project.org. 

The Fountainhead Project is a huge undertaking for 

a small nonprofit like MORE. Not only does MORE 

want to create a more sustainable trail system the 

club also wants to maintain the challenging legacy 

of the Fountainhead trails. As a result, the price tag 

for this project 

is larger than 

many other 

trail building 

projects. 

Fundraising has 

been underway 

for the 

Fountainhead 

Project for a 

couple of years 

and it will take 

a few large 

fundraising 

efforts to complete 

the entire 

project. 

However, 

thanks to the 

generous contributions 

of 

trail users and 

funding from 

Trek Bicycles, 

REI, and Team 

IMBA/SRAM; 

the first 

phase of the 

Fountainhead 

Project will be 

underway this 

fall! 

MORE hopes 

to use the first 

phase of the 

project to showcase 

what can 

be done at Fountainhead to create sustainable, fun, 

and challenging trails. 

However, the Fountainhead Project will only be successful 

if volunteers step up the plate. This is where 

WE can make a difference! It just so happens, that 

Rosie the Riveter is helping to get the word out about 

the Fountainhead Project. So it is only appropriate to 

use this opportunity to call women riders into action! 

MORE will need all of the volunteers it can get to 

help out with this project. 

Volunteers will be needed to haul, shovel, lope, and 

cut new trail. A little muscle power is important, (not 

a problem for us women mountain bikers) while trail 

building knowledge is not necessary. By volunteering 

you will be adding to the legacy of mountain biking 

while giving back to the trails you love. You will also 

gain an appreciation of what it takes to build and 

maintain the trails you and thousands of others ride. 

Keep an eye out on the Fountainhead Project website 

for trail work dates, or sign up for updates on the site. 

If you can’t make the Fountainhead trail work days 

check out the MORE trail work calendar for other 

options. We can do it!

ONLY FROM 

SPECIALIZED. 

AND ONLY 

AVAILABLE 

HERE. 

VIRGINIA 

ALEXANDRIA 

SPOKES, ETC. 

1545 N. Quaker Lane 

(703) 820-2200 

ASHBURN 

SPOKES, ETC. 

20070 Ashbrook 

Commons Plaza 

(703) 858-5501 

BELLE VIEW 

SPOKES, ETC. 

1506 Belle View Boulevard 

(703) 765-8005 

FREDERICKSBURG 


1907 Plank Road 

(540) 371-6383 

HERNDON 

A-1 CYCLING 

2451 I-3 Centreville Road 

(703) 793-0400 

MANASSAS 

A-1 CYCLING 

7705 Sudley Road 

(703) 361-6101 

VIENNA 

SPOKES, ETC. 

224 Maple Avenue East 

(703) 281-2004 

WOODBRIDGE 


14477 Potomac Mills Road 

(703) 491-5700 

MARYLAND 

ANNAPOLIS 

CAPITAL BICYCLE, INC. 

436 Chinquapin Road 

(410) 626-2197 

BALTIMORE 

PRINCETON SPORTS 


(410) 828-1127 

BEL AIR 

CONTES OF BEL AIR 

5 Bel Air South Parkway 

(410) 838-0866 

COLUMBIA 

PRINCETON SPORTS 

10730 Little Patuxent Parkway 

(410) 995-1894 

FREDERICK 

THE BICYCLE ESCAPE 

RT. 26 & Monocacy Boulevard 

(301) 663-0007 

HYATTSVILLE 

ARROW BICYCLE 

5108 Baltimore Avenue 

(301) 531-9250 


GEORGETOWN 

BICYCLE PRO SHOP 


(202) 337-0311

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - Spokes Magazine

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