66 miles, 1 gear

Joe and I participated this weekend in the 2nd of Washcycle's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Around DC a.k.a WAGBRAD II. This 51 mile ride starts at Jones Point Light House, the Southernmost tip of DC and traces the perimeter of the District of Columbia. We literally ride around DC. There were about a dozen riders, including Dave, the gracious organizer and author of DC's premier bike blog, The Washcyle, but I was the only one stupid enough to attempt the ride on a single fixed gear.

The first 30 miles went great, and I felt sure after refueling for lunch that I was ready to finish the trip. But then we hit Southern Ave., which was full of the most ominuous and monstruous hills I have ever seen in DC. My muscles were sore, and I was doing all I could to zip down one hill only to dash up another on my single gear. This fact combined with reoccurring references to a hill "much worse than these" near the end of the trip ultimately convinced me to bail out at around mile 40.

But Joe and I could not be deterred, and we decided to return the following morning to the complete the trip. The rest of Southern Ave. didn't seem so bad after a long nights rest. At the end, we ended up on a tiny trail behind an elementary school that dumped us out into a field. "I feel like we're in Costa Rica," I quipped only seconds before we were forced to dismount and carry our bikes over a small stream. A few yards ahead we came to an intersection to which the cue sheet warned, "this can be considered the ending point for those who are not obsessive. The remainder of the ride is hilly and far from the Boundary." I guess we're obsessive because we kept on going and the last hill really wasn't that bad (not as bad as those on Southern.)

In the end, it was worth it. The finish line was the Wilson Bridge with a dedicated bike lane and a truly breathtaking view of DC. The perfect way to end an epic ride, and also a good excuse to snap a few photos.







For lack of oxygen or water or something, we were feeling a little delusional at this point and decided to just bike the rest of the way home. All in all, I calculate we rode 66 miles in 2 days. Not bad, if I may say so myself. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go lather my crotch up with lotion and take a long overdue nap.