Mud, Mud, Mud

That was the order of the day this weekend for my first reconnaissance ride on the C&O canal towpath. The towpath is a 184 mile off road trail between Cumberland Maryland and Georgetown in Washington D.C. The path is actually next to the canal which was originally used to float barges between those two centers of commerce with the help of mules and a series of locks. Most of the actual canal has been taken back by the forest now. The path is a combination of packed gravel and dirt, but much of it has been damaged by a variety of storms over the years resulting in widely varying degrees of bone jarring riding, which I discovered this weekend.

A locker room conversation with another 30 something, office working, family-man got us thinking of a one day canal attack...the whole 184 mile Monty in one day. I think I casually mentioned that I always regretted not participating in a one day ride that a bunch of guys did when I was working at a local bike shop just out of college. I always regretted not trying to do it so the idea for a sequel was born. I am a planner so the idea of some recon rides sounded good.

I hit the towpath around 7:00 on Sunday after a Saturday full of thunderstorms which drenched the path and turned a 10 mile section into a mud bog. The first 20 miles were spent hammering along in the big ring hitting on every cylinder. The mud bog section was a nightmare. Mud, then gravel, then hardpack, then mud, then gravel, then hardpack. On and on…ever try and maintain some speed through mud and 3 inches of gravel? I reached the turn around and took a break before heading back the 25 miles to my car. I hadn’t realized what a beating my knees and wrists had taken from the big gear, stop and start riding through the mud. The last 15 miles back through the mud bog were excruciating. All in all, I was pleased with the effort and felt good about the ride.

Here are some stats:

• 50 miles of beautiful forested riding completed
• 2 barn owls, 2 egrets, 2 huge woodpeckers, 3 deer, 8 ducks, 100 squirrels sent running for cover
• 2383 calories burned
• 1 pair of cycling gloves ready for the trash heap
• 1 pound of mud caked on my bike
• 1 night spent with Ben Gay and a heating pad
  

Here are some interesting C&O links:

• The National Park Service site about the canal
• The C&O Canal Associate website
• The C&O Canal biking guide