A few of us got together to ride up on Catoctin Mountain. The plan was for a fairly easy ride for Julie to try out her new bike. Joe had done a scorching 75 mountain miles on his fixed gear the day before, and it was also Jay's first ride coming off an injury.
Me? I just like taking it easy.
Overcast skies were waiting for us at the ride start, but the forecast said only a 30% chance of rain. The forecast was wrong, as a light drizzle accompanied us most of the ride, with real rain in a few spots. No worries. The plan ws to get the most difficult climb out of the way first, and we did. Joe and Jay on fixies crushed it. Way to go! Followed by a good descent and back roads to find the gravel.
During the descent of the only road on the ride I hadn't crossed of my list, I remembered that I hadn't turned on the GPS. Oops. At the bottom of the hill I turned it on and we continued.
Along Manahan Rd. I felt the rear tire going wobbly, indicating a flat. Typically, the rain started to pick up as well. I suspect that the 28s I'm running just aren't robust enough for a guy my size to ride the roads I ride on them. The tire are a pain to get back on the rim too. Joe helped and we were soon rolling again.
I was plenty nervious about another flat, but came through OK. At Foxville-Deerfield Rd. we turned back south, and the rain picked up a bit. This road is a climb the whole way, but the grade wa slight, and the overhanging trees dispersed the rain pretty well. Fenders are nice.
The rain was slacking off as we continued the climb up tower road and back along the ridge. Tower also has a gravel section, but it was fine even wet. Soon we were at the last climb, another gradual grade that gets you up there without too much pain, and back at the parking lot.
Nice Ride!
| Joe, Julie and Jay wait for the GPS genius to turn his on. |
| Typical roads in rural Frederick County. |
| Along the gravel, post flat tire. |
| Today's Map. The dots indicate the route we followed prior to my remembering to turn on the GPS. Doh! |
Roads Completed .
| Road Name | ADC Map Grid | Subdivision | |||
| OLD CATOCTIN | RD | 6-C-5 | N/A |