Civil War Century

We didn’t get a chance to do any biking when were in Oregon last week. Little did we know that we’d actually have that chance once we got back home.

Why?

Because for most of today’s ride, we biked through cool mists. It was FOGGY. And COOL. It was, in fact, a lot like the weather we experienced in Newport, on the Oregon Coast. It sure wasn’t like Washington in late summer.

And that was just fine with me. Given a choice, I go for coolth every time.*

The Baltimore Bicycle Club’s Civil War Century is the only organized ride we do that is close to home. This means that we didn’t have to go stay overnight somewhere, or get up at some ungodly hour. We hit the road about 7 am, and arrived in Thurmont around 8:30. We were off on our bikes by 8:55.

Thurmont and it surrounds are nestled in the Catoctins, a series of low mountains that are more or less the precursor to the Appalachians. When you bike the CWC, you have a choice of mountains or hills. I am not an avid climber, nor am I capable, at the moment, of doing 70 to 100 miles of mountainous terrain. We opted for the 50-miler, same as last year.

This part of Maryland (and Pennsylvania, as the ride goes through Gettysburg) is beautiful. Absolutely lovely. Most of the roads are in good shape, though a number were not as smooth as I would have liked. But potholes were practically nonexistent. And, like I mentioned, we had lovely cool weather, with mists, for the first 30 miles or so.

We hit Emmitsburg early on in the ride. My husband observed, as we rolled down its main street, “Y’know, if this really were Oregon, there’d be about five espresso bars.” “Yep, and a winery, too,” I responded.

Actually, we did pass a little coffee shop. Alas, it did not have espresso.

I did this ride slower than last year. I’m not sure why. I just didn’t have it -- I didn’t feel weak or anything, but I wasn’t all that energetic, either. Maybe it was because I have cut my rations back a bit, in the wake of said Oregon visit. I had done two previous organized rides this summer -- the Princeton Event and the Delaware Double-Cross. I felt strong for both of these rides . . . perhaps because I had deliberately eaten more the day before, in preparation. This time, I did not. Maybe that was the difference, or part of it. I need to experiment a bit, to try and figure this out.

It also could have been my back and butt. I’ve had my favorite saddle installed on three of my bikes, and have been riding butt-ache-free for 3+ years, but recently, I have not been comfortable at all. I’ve been having sciatica-like pain and discomfort down my right leg and into my foot. This is made worse by sitting in the saddle -- I can’t seem to find the right spot for my right “sit bone” (the part of my pelvis that sits on the saddle), so I constantly squirm around.

Whatever it was that made me slower this year, it didn’t prevent me from finishing, although I was ready to stop around Mile 42 or so. Both my husband and I were flagging at that point, so we were both happy to make it to the end. Fifty miles of rollers, with a few serious hills thrown in, can be exhausting. There’s one particularly nasty hill just outside of Fairfield, PA, about 18 miles into the ride, that really took the stuffing out of me last year. I was ready for it this year, though. I took it slowly, shifting down into Full Granny. It’s a cruel teaser of a hill, gradually steepening and then briefly leveling out, only to get even steeper. I made it up, though, none the worse for the wear . . . and no “shakes” this year.

Unfortunately, my knee started to hurt again, just a little bit. Rats. It may be because I’ve not been doing the IT band-stretch-thing much. I’ll pick back up on that and see what happens.

The post-ride food was pretty forgettable (I'm not into cold-cut sandwiches), BUT the ice cream provided by Antietam Dairy is always a treat. I had a scoop of Loose Moose (aka Moose Tracks). Ahhh . . . just right. It had gotten a bit hot by the time we finished up, so ice cream hit the spot.

After the ride, we drove back home, showered up, and went to Rockville Sushi for dinner. Yum . . . I think post-ride sushi is becoming a trend with us.

*Yes, I know coolth is not a real word. But IMO, it’s the true opposite to warmth.

Comments

[Oldman]

how great to cycle thru gettysburg! was it the emittsburg pike! wow that had to be kewl