During the cold and snowy days of January, my wife and I thought a multi-day bike tour with our middle school aged sons would be a fun way to spend spring vacation. Unfortunately weather during the last full week of March in the Washington, DC area can be quite unpredictable. A cold and damp forecast nixed the idea of spending a few days riding at the Delaware and Maryland seashore. Since we live in the midst of a wonderful network of trails, we settled on a micro tour (a s36o - credit card style to a motel- if you will). The only questions were: How far could we and the boys ride after a winter of little riding? Would the weather give us a 48 hour window of reasonably dry and not too cold temperatures? (Other commitments crept in and limited us to two days of adventure.)
We departed Tuesday morning around 11am after waiting for the temperature to rise into the mid 30s. We recruited a third teenager, a family friend who had ridden the GAP trail with us last summer. Our first stop was Bethesda, MD. Despite only having biked 6 miles from our house and temperatures in the upper 30s, the boys wanted ice cream. I opted for a hot cup of coffee. Departing Bethesda we rode 8 miles on the Capital Crescent Trail which gradually descends into Washington, DC; we found a good pizza place on the waterfront in Georgetown. Despite temperatures still only in the upper 30s, the boys enjoyed a second ice cream before we crossed the Key Bridge into Virginia. I always experience a bit of awe crossing the Key Bridge. From its span you can take in the beauty of Georgetown, the Potomac River, the Kennedy Center and the Washington Monument. I knew we had a climb, but I was not prepared for the steepness and length of the first climb on the Custis Trail (http://bikewashington.org/trails/wad/custis.htm) as it passes the Key Bridge Marriott. After four hilly miles the Custis trail connects to the WO&D Trail (http://bikewashington.org/trails/wad/wad.htm) The boys experienced several drivetrain mishaps on this stretch. My adolescent sons do not shift with much finese or forethought. So I tended to several dropped chains and one chain wedged between the smallest cassette cog and the frame (not sure how that happened as I could not make it happen again after freeing the chain). I wasn't complaining as these stops provided me with needed rests from the hills. Once on the WO&D we had a lovely ride through the Virginia suburbs. Without leaves on the trees, the view into the neighborhoods is expansive and interesting. After Vienna, VA the trail takes on a slightly rural feel as it heads toward Reston. Between Vienna and Reston, an approaching cyclist called out my name. I enjoyed catching up briefly with Howard who was commuting home on his gorgeous Rambouilliet. The goal had been to ride to Leesburg, but the late start, dropped chains, ice cream eating and leisurely pace left us running out of daylight. After 37 total miles of riding we found a motel in Herndon, VA and ate a fine meal at an Outback Steakhouse next door. Wednesday morning was damp and cold; we delayed our departure until 10am. Just a few sprinkles remained, and we enjoyed a brisk ride back to Vienna for breakfast. The weather warmed slowly, and we had a great time retracing yesterday's route home. The Custis trail was much easier coming the other direction, toward the Key Bridge, and we had no drivetrain problems. Over the final miles, my wife and I agreed that we were glad we went ahead with the trip. The colder temperatures had given us doubts. Most importantly the boys had a great time! I so enjoy enjoy seeing my sons cycling ahead of me as we pedal along. One of the boys rode my 1977 Motobecane Super Mirage on which I installed Soma Sparrow bars. I was unnecessarily concerned about the original 27 inch wheelset surviving a teenage boy. The only casualty was the Motobecane's front derailleur; it was bent and twisted after eating a pant leg. Fortunately I quickly converted the bike to a 1x5. Pictures from the trip are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk9xLRaW -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
