April 9th celebration and April 10th kickoff

Photo by JoLinda Thompson

We are celebrating on April 9th with a pot-luck dinner in Ocean City, MD on Saturday around 5:00pm.  The next morning we will kick off with a delightful ride through the Eastern Shore to Tall  Pines Harbor Campground in Sanford, VA.  Starting time will not be too early since the ride is only about 50 miles.  The campground has travel trailers for rent if you decide you want to continue with us to Kiptopeke State Park which has lodges and a yurt to rent.  We are driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel then biking to Chippokes Plantation State Park for a one-night stay.  We will take the Scotland Ferry to Jamestown and head West toward the mountains.  Please email privately if you are interested in attending the celebration on Saturday or joining us for the first few days of the ride.

Breakin' in the New Bikes

Ever since I made the decision to embark on this adventure, my biking friends told me I should use a touring bike instead of a hybrid.  I finally decided to look into it and spent many hours thinking about the pros and cons.  Once I determined I would make the switch, I decided to go to a shop that is well known for customizing bicycles and working closely with clients to ensure that the bike best fits the rider's needs.  I spent many anxious filled hours discussing my concerns with the fine folks at College Park Bicycles. My sincere thanks go to Charles, Chris, Igor and Darnell for patiently listening to my obsessive concerns and  convincing me that switching to the touring bike would provide significant benefits on the ride.  They switched out parts, added shims and explained the mechanics of the touring bike so I could adjust my approach to riding.  Vincent, on the other hand, loved the first touring bike he sat on and says he will never go back to riding a hybrid!! 

We picked the bikes up last weekend and have managed to get about 6 hours riding in already.  As I expected, the body position is quite different and I will have to build up some stronger muscles in  my back and neck.  I do think the  lightness of  the bike and the aerodynamics will be well worth the trade off in the long run.  So far I have only been able to increase my speed to about 12 miles per hour instead of 10 miles per hour, but that still equals significantly less time in the saddle for long distances.