Final Thoughts — The Wheels Keep Spinning

That's me at the end of the DC2PGH ride happy to be home!

I’ve had a couple days to decompress from this whirlwind trip from DC to Pittsburgh. I’ve caught up on my e-mail and wrote a sweet wrap up of the entire trip for my magazine Pittsburgh TEQ. (I’ll post it once it’s published in November.) Reviewing my blog for the TEQ article helped put the whole thing in perspective. So did a few frosty pints and some hotdogs at D’s when I got back that afternoon!

It boils down to a couple of things. Maybe more.

I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get paid to ride my bike while touting my second passion — Pittsburgh’s tech community– all along the way. The technologies I showcased were pretty awesome. Folks couldn’t get enough of my SenseWear Armband counting calories or watching me take Gigapan pictures. Others were surprised that my Cannondale came from Bedford, Pa., and that the Transitionslenses in my glasses were developed at PPG. Even more were stoked at my remote podcasts via TalkShoe.

Most of all, this trip really drilled in my head how much I love cycling. I’ve always been a bike snob and that will never change. The trip softened my snobbish exterior of high-end bikes, fancy parts and gear, fast average speed and a sprint to the finish. After a few days, I was concerned about having bacon three times a day and soaking in the beautiful scenery. On the section from Cumberland to Confluence, I was in bad shape. Blasted by a cold and driving wind, my snobby side would have me riding in the drops gritting it out to the finish. This time, I stopped for pizza! And pumpkin-shaped cookies. I talked with some other riders and Rockwoood locals. That’s a seachange for me! Relaxing while riding my bike? Who knew?

Better yet, this trip made me realize just how stunning our region is. There’s so many places like Rockwood to explore. Lots of pizzas to eat. I’m considering touring bikes for my wife and me, so we can load up and explore all the great trails in SWPA. I’m not worried about how fast we’ll go, what kind of parts are on my bike, etc. I’m just going to pedal and soak it all in.

I encourage everyone to do the same! Check out the friendly folks at Venture Outdoors. They can help ya.

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Day 5: Little Orleans to Cumberland — Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head

Google Earth view of Cumberland, MD.

On paper what looks like a miserable day in the saddle turned out to be the highlight of the trip so far. I ate a light breakfast as I have turned into the freaking “baconator” over the last couple of days ingesting at least two pounds of the greasy crap. When you’re burning 5,000 calories a day as the Body Media SenseWear Armband has been reporting, I haven’t cared too much. But let’s just say enough is enough.

 

Geoff and I departed camp paying a quick homage to Bill’s Beer Tavern (still not sure of the real name) with a salute. We weren’t on the trail more than 15 minutes before we found ourselves in a paceline with a couple riding a tandem. We were going full-tilt down the bumpy C&O at 20 mph. We were a freight train of clacking gears. The effort lasted about 3 miles before the tandem dropped out. Before we knew it, we made it to the Paw Paw Tunnel with a light drizzle tinkling on our helmets. We snapped a few pictures and marveled at the 6 million bricks lining the 3,000 foot long tunnel. Riding through it felt like a Kennywood ride. I was a little freaked out as the the path is about 4 feet wide with a flimsy wooden handrails and the walls arched close by overhead. Once you get your bearing, it became pretty interesting and we popped out the other side in no time.

 

That’s when the fun began. The rain starting driving into us with authority — pelting us, but beading up off my Cannondale rain jacket. My X4 cyclocross bike laughed and gave the sky the finger as I found my wicked 46X18 gear combo and the 25 mile pull to Cumberland started.

 

Geoff and I navigated some of the nastiest trail conditions imaginable. Even the potholes had potholes. The faster we pedaled the trail seemed to even out. We beat the refreshment vehicle that was to meet everyone at Old Town. I fired back three chocolate covered donuts stashed in my bag and Geoff scarfed a granola bar. I turned on the Hold Steady’s “Stay Positive” and made it into Cumberland averaging just about 16 mph all the way.

 

I’ve never been so happy to see civilization! The local bike shop Cumberland Trail Connections hooked us up with a sweet bike wash and Wendy’s offered  a spicy chicken sandwich. Made it over to the Queen City Creamery for frosty strawberry shakes. Better yet, I have blazing-fast connectivity, so I’m catching up on posting photos and my podcast.

What a great day. My equipment was flawless. My PPG Transition lenses kept the glare and rain from being an issue. I did a Talkshoe podcast today with the greatest of ease. Who can complain

Tomorrow, we climb Great Savage and start tour decent into PA!

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Day 2: A Tale of Two Trails! Riding to Harpers Ferry

Some old house in Harpers Ferry. Ain't she purty?

Trip: Rockwood Manor to Harpers Ferry, WVA

 

 

 

Distance: 50 Muddy Miles

Riding Time: 4 hours

Trip time: 5.5 hours

Calories burned: 600, 4,600 for the day

Pollution Index: 17

 

You may have noticed that I stated 50 Muddy miles in the distance log. We rolled out of Rockwood Manor (about 12 miles outside Georgetown) with threatening skies, jungle-like humidity and miles of muddy canal towpath to come!

 

For sure, today was a not ride for the beginner or the weak of heart. Mile upon mile of towpath was just littered with puddles and soft soil. My approach to survive was to go into my full cyclocross mode. I averaged 18-20 mph for about 10 miles, cutting a line right down the middle. Wow, what fun. I was soaked and covered in sandy mud. I felt like a kid having a ball. My bike was a razor tearing through the towpath. No worries. The Cannondale X4 was made for nasty conditions and this was as nasty as it gets. I’m so happy that I mounted some SKS fenders. Kept the slop off my back side.

 

Geoff and I ran into a few issues with flat tires. Geoff has a history of flats on epic rides for some reason and this day proved no different. He flatted out four time before the half-way mark at Whites Ferry. It took three shots to get the microscopic piece of shrapnel out of his tire! I froze my index finger to the to the CO2 inflator and tore some skin off. Ouch!

 

 Geoff was pretty disgusted just before we magde the half-way point. Changing a muddy flat with mosquitos biting you is not fun. About a mile down the trail, we ate lunch and filled up our water bottles. A handful of Skittles alleviated our frustration.

 

After finishing up lunch and crossing a road to get back on the towpath, the trail changed like you’d never believe. There was hardly a puddle in sight. Smooth double track meandered along the deteriorating canal. Trees hung and swayed like old men with lots of stories to tell. It really became beautiful and the areas souther charm started to warm our hearts. We slowed our pace to 14-15 mph and enjoyed the rythm of our bikes crunching under the drying mud. We talked to a few riders along the way and before we knew it, we were crossing an old railroad trestle into Harpers Ferry. Felt like I stepped back into the Civil War. What an amazing and beautiful old town. Tomorrow we’re off to see Antietam.

 

Small side note. I couldn’t take pictures during the ride as I feared the impending downpour would ruin my camera. I took a bunch of pics in Harpers Ferry. I posted one. Upload times are insane here as Internet access is painfully slow.

 

I did whip out the Gigapan camera and took a bunch of shots of the Potomac an Shenandoah rivers converging. I will upload them at the end of the trip!

 

Podcasts coming soon, too. Logistics are killing me!

 

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Day 1: DC2PGH Takes off with a Short, Soggy Start, but We’re Having Fun

Day one of our 335-mile journey started in Georgetown and went a whopping 12 miles to Rockwood Manor. I actually rode 16 miles as my riding buddy — Geoff Tolley — and I missed a key detour somewhere and took a more scenic route. We stopped by Great Falls a day early. Check out the pics on our Flickr list to the right.

 

The scenery and terrain are beautiful. The C&O canal was/is an engineering marvel. Hard to believe it was handmade nearly two centuries ago. The locks are truly magnificent.

 

After threatening rainstorms, extreme humidity and lots of gritty mud, we made it to our destination, ready for dinner. It was great having a short start. It allowed us to get our bearings together and figure out logistics.

 

Thank the good Lord for hotels. As I type this blog, the room is cool and the beer colder! I’m looking forward to 50 miles tomorrow to Hapers Ferry. We’re expecting a few showers. The Cannondale X4 cuts through the mud and grime like the proverbial hot knife through butter. Fantastic bike for this tour.

 

My BodyMedia SenseWear shows me knocking off 3,800 calories today. I burned about 200 riding. I look forward to providing a podcast tomorrow and more detail as we officially get some real time in the saddle.

 

 

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Trial Run Ride Report: Frick to Schenley Park

My spiffy Cannondale all loaded up and ready to go!

Gotta test out my equipment and mobile operations before I take off next week for my ride from DC to Pittsburgh with the Venture Outdoors 250 Bike Tour. I just completed a quick 12-mile loop from house in Edgewood through Frick Park, around Squirrel Hill and into Schenley Park and Back again. I took few photos along the way. I saw a huge black snake slithering through Frick and grabbed a pic of it. I took some pollution readings with my Canary sensor from Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. It read 20 Nx at my House, 24 Nx at Frick and 17Nx at Schenley. I have to get details from the folks at CMU to see exactly what it is measuring.

The beginning of Lower Riverview Trail in Frick Park...Ahh...

My BodyMedia SenseWear Armband shows me burning about 350 calories during my ride and I’ve burned JUst about 2600 so far today and it’s about 3:30 in the afternoon. I bet I burn more than 4000 today as I walk 4 miles to get pizza at Napolis for dinner tonite. My bike is all dialed in. I swapped out the tires for some Maxxis Raze 700X35 and they work great on gravel and road. The Cannondale X4 is really a fun bike to ride. I stopped by my favorite shop West Liberty Cycles to pick up a rain jacket and arm warmers for the ride. You have to stop by the shop if you’re a biker. Great folks there.

This was a freaking huge snake. It's half way in the grass here. Yikes!

Any how, this is a test to see how my mobile updating goes. I’ll have a streamlined report ready for my updates next week so you can grab info pretty quick. Here’s another shot at a podcast describing today’s ride on TalkShoe.

Tune in for more. Check out that snake!

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Bringing the Right Gear

When you’re pedaling 335 miles over 7 days, having the right gear is essential. Luckily, I’ll have access to laundry at least twice during the DC2PGH Ride so you won’t smell me riding into Point State Park on Oct. 4.

My basic kit will consist of Cannondale le Carbon shorts. Super nice chamois. I rode 11 hours in a pair for the Shenandoah 100 and they felt snappy as I rolled into the finish line… I’ve got an assortment of Pearl Izumi and Go Rocket jerseys. I’ll add Pearl knee, leg and/or arm warmers as needed. Sidi makes the best shoes going and I’ll sport a set of Dominators with DeFeet socks. Nice and cushy on the toes. Top it off with a Bell Sweep helmet and I’m ready to rock. I’m undecided on gloves. I’ve been getting a lot of numbness in my pinkies and gloves seem to make it worse.

All together, I’ll put about three full kits together (1 pair of Sidis and 1 helmet, though). I’ll also throw in a Cannondale rain-proof jacket for good measure. Not worried about the legs getting wet, but your core has to stay dry if you’re banging in the saddle for more than a couple hours.

I love prepping for stuff like this. Check back soon as I’m getting set up with the Gigagpan camera and BodyMedia Sensewear this week.

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Commuting on the X4

Just started throwing a leg over my blessed X4 and figured a great way to test its capabilities would be through commuting. This will definitely simulate a lot of the DC2PGH ride this fall.

For the past year, I’ve been doing my 15-mile, round-trip commute to the Pittsburgh Technology Council on a Windsor track bike set up as either a fixed 48X18 or 48X18 singlespeed. I typically ride to work a couple times a week and I cut through a lot of jammed up streets, a few parks and just about everything else in between. Lots of mixed terrain from fire roads, trails to plain old pavement.

So far, the X4 is great at handling the diversity of terrain. It feels snappy blasting through Schenley and Frick parks. Even handles well on technical singletrack trails. Crushed gravel paths are a joy with my Continental Twister tires and the Easton carbon fork mutes vibrations to minor squabble.

The bike feels pretty porky on pavement. I’m a little spoiled with my Cannondale System Six road bike, however, everyone knows cross bikes aren’t meant to be speed demons on the road. With about 4 commutes on the X4 under my rolled-up jeans, it’s been a pleasure so far. Especially since I installed a shorter stem to shrink the cockpit.

The bike accelerates great, is super stable on the rough stuff and requires a little patience on smooth roads. I really encourage everyone to learn more about commuting to work by bike. It’s a lot of fun, good for your health, better for the environment and just plain old makes you a happier person. Lemme know what you think…

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Cannondale Cyclocross X4 is Set for the DC2PGH Ride!

A job is always made easier with the right tool. Tearing up 335 miles of paved/unpaved, relatively flat terrain requires a bike that has stability and traction mixed with a ton of efficiency and comfort to boot. I can’t think of a better weapon than a Cannondale Cyclocross X4. I hate to admit it, but this will be my 21st Cannondale! (I only have 5 in my stable right now, so relax already! I’ve had 21 since 1995.)

Cannondale's top cyclocross machine: the X4!

As part of the DC2PGH ride this fall, my best friends at West Liberty Cycles and Cannondale gave me a special deal on a Cyclocross 4. Holy crap am I excited. This bike truly showcases the bleeding edge of technology and manufacturing right here in SWPA.

The X4 is a balls-out race bike. I can’t wait to hit the cross races this fall. I’ve owned a Surly Cross Check and Fuji Cross years back and they were nice enough. The X4 is going to make me feel like cyclocross champ Tim Johnson. There is way too much candy on this rig. From the Sram Rival drivetrain to the Cannondale Si carbon crank and Mavic wheels, my heart is a flutter just writing about it

I’m going to start putting the bike through its paces over the next couple weeks and will bring you a full report. The good, the bad and the awesome. Stay tuned!

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