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First ride in MD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Got my first ride today here in the NoVA/MD/DC area...first ride since July actually, and it felt GREAT. Been busy with training and work (just started working for the guv'mint again); it was great to get outside and see what the east coast has to offer. (just moved back east from California...) Autumn weather...rocks...roots...trees...(hardtails hurt!)

Thoroughly enjoyed riding today. Tried out Gambrill, because it seemed to be the easiest place to find with the best-marked trails...wanted to avoid all frustration. I found enough by trying the black trail first...those rocky/log climbs were a bit much at first, even if the trail was double-wide.

But after getting on the yellow, green, and red trails, life improved considerably...little less trials-techy, and a lot narrower. Had a blast. Doesn't get much better than wooded, rocky singletrack. Looking forward to sampling the techy stuff I've heard about at Watershed, the smooth fast stuff at Schaffer, and whatever else you guys can show me.

My schedule will return to sane (weekends off, regular hours) on 31 October, so I'll be up for riding if any of you are. Should be in the area until next June. Won't have the DH bike, unfortunately, but I also can't risk an injury at this point, so maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

So yeah, again...feels great to be back in the saddle, and hope to see you all out on the trails sometime soon.

-Mike
 

Stiff

Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
346
0
Miss Washington DC
Pedal: Elizabeth Furnace, by far, is the best pedally riding within 2 hrs of DC. Maybe within 3. Long descents, rocky but not insane. Actual real-life epic mountain biking 1 hr from DC. Imagine that.

Shuttle and small hits: Frederick watershed (need guidance and DJ rules apply) and Gambril State Park.

Farther afield: Sherando has long descents (for the east) that funnel down fun rocky singletracks to a mtn lake. Could be shuttled but long turnarounds. It's about 2.5 hours from DC, in VA.

Harrisonburg area has some good fun tame but long descendy trails - Confederate Breastworks for example. XC bike friendly but you can still get on it. Elizabeth Furnace is better.

Everything flat around DC is, sadly, lame. Most punters ride Patapsco, Schaeffer, and so on and they're all boring. For me vert or nothing, no matter the kind of bike; your mileage may differ. Actually I did have fun once at Schaeffer, but the beer is better than the farm.

Diablo Freeride Park is 4-5 hrs away and is open weekends through Halloween. This weekend is a race. Should be a hoot.