Aug 03 2010

Great Allegheny Passage & C & O Canal Towpath trails

I’m starting to prepare for my September bike trip from Connellsville, PA to Washington D.C. This trip is going to be longer and more complicated than previous ones. It will entail about 300 miles on the Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Canal Towpath trails. It will also involve four states and the District of Columbia.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/08/03/great-allegheny-passage-c-o-canal-towpath-trails/

Jul 30 2010

Great Allegheny Passage & C & O Trail tours

I am in the middle of planning a trip on the Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Canal Towpath trails. 


And it’s a lot of work (and time). 

For those of you who want to save the time and hassle of doing all the trip planning yourself, there’s a company called Mountainside Bike Tours that will take care of most of the planning for you. They can arrange shuttles, lodging, and dining as well as give advice for each leg of the tour.

It takes a lot of the guess-work out of a trip when you can rely on the locals/professionals to take care of the important details. It leaves you time to relax and enjoy the ride.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/07/30/great-allegheny-passage-c-o-trail-tours/

Jul 28 2010

Sit-Up Cycles

I was just introduced to a whole new world of bicycling when I visited a blog called Sit-Up Cycle.

Not only did I learn about a great new category of cycles, but I also learned about a movement for liberalizing helmet laws. Some people are in favor of eliminating the mandatory helmet laws for certain groups of cyclists. Part of their argument is that the mandatory helmet laws may discourage some people from cycling and that isn’t a good thing when we’re trying to encourage as many people as possible to ride bicycles as an alternate form of transportation.

Another topic discussed in the sit-up cycle blog was bike share schemes. I am truly amazed how this concept has blossomed in the past few years. It seems that nearly every major city has come onboard w/ this great idea.

And finally, I learned that, although they aren’t exactly the same, there are a number of different names for what I call a cruiser bike: Some other names include sit-up cycle, comfort bicycles, and shopping bikes.
Any way you look at it, there is definitely a movement to make bikes more comfortable and more accessible to the general public.

Good on ya mate!!

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/07/28/sit-up-cycles/

Jul 27 2010

Medicine Bow Trail

If you’re allergic to moose, then you may want to take your epi-pen on this ride.
There is some prime moose territory located on either side of this trail.
And while you may see plenty of four-legged critters beside the path, you probably won’t see many of the two-legged variety. We were there on a Sunday in the middle of summer w/ beautiful weather and other than a couple horsemen, we didn’t see any other trail users the entire trip.
Unfortunately, our trip was cut short by an unexpected detour at Foxpark. (See photo #10)
So what was intended to be a 42 mile ride (21 each way) ended up only being a little over 26.
A couple important notes: Although this trail has a nice gradual incline/decline, its surface changes greatly at about the halfway point. The first 11 miles is a pretty well maintained gravel path. As you can see in the first few pictures.
After that, it becomes fairly overgrown and poorly maintained for a couple miles. Then you get to a sign that says the trail is closed for a while due to a legal dispute over the trail right-of-way near Foxpark.
For the above reasons, I would seriously consider a mountain bike w/ very sturdy tires for this ride. Although we had no problems with flat tires, I think the likely head for goat-heads or other types of thorns rises exponentially the further from the Pelton Creek trailhead you get.
Another warning to heed about this trail is the lack of facilities of any kind. I liked the remote qualities of the trail, but it is definitely less maintained and developed than many other rail-trails. There are no drinking fountains or resting spots. There is a well-maintained restroom facility at the Pelton Creek trailhead, but such facilities are few and far between.
Reaching the trailhead can be difficult also. If you are accessing the trail from its south end (definitely recommended), you will take highway 230 from Laramie. You will pass the small community of Mountain Home. From there you will continue south until you get to the Wyoming/Colorado border. You will take U.S. Forest Service Rd. 898 (I never saw a sign saying that rd. #.) which is right at the border. Turn right on that road. It is a well maintained/improved gravel road.  You will know you took the correct road when you reach the Pelton Creek trailhead just a couple miles down the road, on your right. Make sure you use the facilities here, because you won’t see many others further down the trail.
On our trip, there were some aspen trees over the trail just a few hundred yards into the ride (see picture #3 in the carousel) but they will probably be removed soon.
Enjoy the solitude and say hi to the moose in the pond near mile 6. 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/07/27/medicine-bow-trail/

Jul 25 2010

Black Hawk Bike Ride

Ooooooooohhh!!!  I stuck it to the man today.

Okay, it was an extremely minor “stick it to the man,” but a SITTM nonetheless.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, there’s a ban on bicycle riding in Black Hawk, Colorado.

Well guess where I rode my bike today. Woooo Wooooo!

Actually I started my ride in Black Hawk, CO (take that, MAN) and ended in Louisville, CO. Door to door, it was about a 50 mile ride. No biggy for some of you hard cores out there, but a borderline butt-kickin’ ride for me.

I don’t normally like riding on the road. If I had my druthers, I’d stick to all trails. But every once in a while, I’ve got to see how the other half of bikers live.

There was a super wide shoulder on highway 119. Then, I took Gap Road which was mostly gravel, not a great idea on a road bike, but not too bad. If you want a good workout, I suggest both hwy 119 coming out of Black Hawk (uphill big time) and Gap Road. Gap Road is steep up, then down, then up, then….

Once I got to Twin Spruce Road, it was mostly downhill.

Then I got to highway 72. It’s a busy road on weekends and there’s no shoulder. Rushing Roulette we’ll call it.

Highway 93 doesn’t have much of a shoulder either and it’s extremely busy all the time.

Why am I sharing all this? Maybe just to show all you road bikers that I’m willing to risk my life on your roads. Now it’s your turn to try some epic trails. After my experience today, I can’t imagine you going back to roads.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/07/25/black-hawk-bike-ride/

Jul 22 2010

London Bike Sharing

My favorite place is London, and my favorite activity is bike riding.

So imagine my pleasure to find an article about a new bike sharing program in London, England.

According to the article, the program will be bigger (at least more bikes) than the one in New York. That’s saying a lot, because the New York bike sharing program is pretty humungous.

I am really glad to see cities jump on the bandwagon of supporting and promoting bicycling among residents and visitors. It is good for health, environment, economy, and well-being. Oh, did I forget to mention it’s a lot of fun, too.

I have only one word of advice to all of these cities. Don’t forget the bike paths. Having loaner bikes, bike lanes, and fancy pamphlets is a start, but bike trails are essential. Many of us are still uncomfortable biking on streets, no matter how many bike lanes you have. It only takes one careless driver or rider to cause and accident and very possibly a death. Raised bike lanes such as the ones they have in Scandinavia are better, but still not as good as pedestrian and bike paths.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/07/22/london-bike-sharing/