Ride Report - 28 April 2007 (Washington DC USA)

by Chris Kaftan

Gail Edwards breezes through MacArthur tunnel at the C & O Canal.

Taking a lunch break at Great Falls in Maryland.

Group Picture (left to right): Shane Bowers, Summer Crider, Janie Golightly, Ralph Fernandez, Gail Edwards, Mark Burke, Chris Kaftan, Mike Golightly, John Schnickle

Janie Golightly (Wink,wink!)

On the rest the of the ride after lunch break, the group rode on hard pack gravel for approximately 10 miles before hitting smooth pavement.

Mike Golightly

John Schnickle on his recumbent bike.

Chris Kaftan watches Mark testing the recumbent bike at the College Hall parking lot.

With the temperature in the 60s and the sun peeking through the clouds at the halfway point of our April Club Ride, the ride to Great Falls was nothing but spectacular.

Our largest group in several months, consisting of Shane Bowers, Mark Burke, Summer Crider, Gail Edwards, Ralph Fernandez, Mike and Janie Golighty, Sean Hourihan, Chris Kaftan, and John Shickle rode through Washington, DC on the banks of the Potomac up to Georgetown and into the southern part of Maryland en route to the Great Falls area. The peloton was mixed with varying skills and ages, but nonetheless, all of us cycling enthusiasts. Both John and Mike featured recumbent bikes, and we were in awe of their endurance as they traversed the hills and gravel of the 40-mile ride to and from Gallaudet.

The first one-fourth of our ride was pretty smooth with several small hills. Once we entered the quiet MacArthur Boulevard in the countryside, we were hit with several hills that left us out of breath, but we were hit with immediate relief with a downhill sprint to the entrance of the C & O Canal National Park, where the rushing rapids of the Potomac can be witnessed by nature lovers.

Two days of rain made the falls brown and angry and we stood in awe of the roaring waters, even laughing at a picnic table caught in between rocks, apparently thrown in or swept away from a flood. After a long break where we discussed the upcoming May 6 Five Boro NYC ride, we proceeded to go down the towpath of the C & O Canal along the banks of the Potomac River. By then, the sun was shining brightly.

The gravel on the towpath made our arms feel like jelly, and we felt much better once we rode onto smooth pavement on the Capital Crescent Trail towards Georgetown. Once we entered Georgetown under the Whitehurst Freeway, we stood in the sun, watching high school rowing squads prep for their crew races on the Potomac, and even watched a father try to control his wily toddler.

With only six and a half miles to reach Gallaudet, the group pedaled through the streets of Washington towards Union Station and to Gallaudet where our vehicles were parked. Upon our arrival, you could see the exhausted, but happy faces on all the riders, some who had not ridden since late fall or early winter.

From the beautiful spring flowers to the rushing rapids of Great Falls to the geese and turtles in the C & O Canal and the tourists and athletes in Georgetown, our April Club Ride was a delightful event!

See you all in May!

-Chris Kaftan