If the city streets were in a better shape I might even use it in the city. This was the only problem I experienced today: Getting out of and into the city on the road bike. Many roads are in such bad repair… Potholes, drain pits, cracks, bumps and waves in the pavement felt at times so rough I really was quite worried about the bike. Without any suspension every little bump seemed to have a huge effect on the bike as well as me on the saddle. But fortunately the bike took it very well and didn’t fall apart. The streets became much better once I left Falls Road and entered Cross Country Blvd.

Overall it was a very pleasant ride, and I was in a good shape for it today. Next time I will try to leave earlier and make it a longer trip, maybe up to 35 miles or a bit further.

Date/Time:

08/10/2008 08:35 AM

Route:

Continuation of previous Falls Road/Kelly Avenue route(s). Kelly Avenue turns into Cross Country Blvd, which I continued until its end. Then I turned left into Fallstaff Rd. Next right into Park Heights Avenue, then second left into Seven Mile Lane. I continued straight. Seven Mile Lane becomes Colonial Road after crossing Reisterstown Road. At the end of Colonial Road I turned right into Deerfield Road. Then I continued straight until the end of Deerfield Road, turned left into Milford Mill Road. I continued straight and turned right into Scotts Hill Dr, right before 695. [Google Map]

I should have continued straight, cross 695 and make a right into Scotts Level Road. But it was time for me to return anyway. After a short break I returned the same route back, via Falls Road and North Charles St.

Length:

approx. 25.5 miles, 2h 15min

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way. Got busier on the way back, but still good enough to ride.

Weather:

warm but pleasant

Bike:

Windsor Wellington 3.0 road-bike with 700x23c Maxxis Xephyr

Heartrate:

Then something interesting happened. After I climbed that hill I didn’t feel any pain anymore…the road continued with a slight incline, but I had no trouble continuing my ride. The road was very nice, traffic was very easy, it actually felt as pleasant as a flat route. I finally began to enjoy this ride and thought that I could continue like this for the next hour. I decided to continue this route for a while, have a short break and return. This trip was almost like swimming in the ocean, having to fight some waves before you get into calmer waters. Once I passed these first hills it became a really nice ride.

The return felt much easier, too. Rewarded by a fast and long decline I felt energized enough to handle the uphill segments on Falls Road. I definitely want to try this route again and ride further, perhaps 25-30 miles, perhaps with the road bike once I get used to it.

Date/Time:

08/03/2008 08:34 AM

Route:

Followed my last route again on West University Parkway, left onto West 40th Street toward the Rotunda, right onto Evans Chapel Road right before the grocery store, then left into Roland Heights Avenue, immediate right to Lawrence Avenue, at the end onto Woodheights Avenue and then finally a right onto Falls Road right before the intersection of Falls Road and West Cold Spring Lane. I continued straight on Falls Road, then left turn to Kelly Avenue which becomes Cross Country Boulevard. Continued straight for a while, then u-turn and followed same route back to Falls Road. Continued straight on Falls Road, turned left onto North Charles Street. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 17.5 miles

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way.

Weather:

quite warm but bearable, not too humid

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

07/13/2008 07:42 AM

Route:

When I looked at the map after riding Falls Road back on the 4th of July I found that if I had continued just a few meters further I would have reached the Robert E Lee Park I once visited a long time ago to take some pictures. I had no idea this park could actually be reached by bicycle. I followed my last route again on West University Parkway, left onto West 40th Street toward the Rotunda, right onto Evans Chapel Road right before the grocery store, then left into Roland Heights Avenue, immediate right to Lawrence Avenue, at the end onto Woodheights Avenue and then finally a right onto Falls Road right before the intersection of Falls Road and West Cold Spring Lane. I continued straight on Falls Road passing the Mt. Washington bike store and making a right into Robert E Lee park. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 12.7 miles

Traffic:

Traffic was manageable and felt easy most of the way. Only one short segment on Falls Road, I think between Cliffhurst Road and Clarks Hill, felt a bit uncomfortable as far as traffic was concerned. The road became more narrow, and although there was a speed limit of 25 mph, traffic continued with at least 35-40 mph. Measures to control the speed there would be desirable. But most of Falls Road still felt relatively safe to ride.

Weather:

warm but pleasant wind, not too humid

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

07/04/2008 09:45 AM

Route:

A few days ago I discovered somebody’s route from Baltimore to Frederick to Washington DC back to Baltimore on Bikely.com. I also found a route from Frederick to Hagerstown. I was very excited by the idea to ride from Baltimore all the way to Hagerstown. When I studied the satellite pictures I found that these routes really appear to be safe, low traffic, leading through quiet country roads, some even off the roads — and with a length of roughly 76 miles I thought this could be a nice day trip. Some of the pictures along the route, like this one at Panoramio, reminded me a bit of my old college town Furtwangen. This could be a really beautiful route.

From what I can see there are only two or three areas that may become difficult. The first may be to get out of Baltimore on Falls Road. I have never ridden on Falls Road except the lower part from Clipper Mill Road to Penn Station, which is really nice — but I am not familiar with the upper part of Falls Road beyond West Cold Spring Lane yet. Would it be safe to ride the bike in traffic? The second problem area may be connecting the route to Frederick with the second route to Hagerstown. The segment between these two routes looked a bit crazy to me on the map, and I’m not sure yet which path could be a good and safe one to link both of them together. The third and probably the most difficult part could be the climbs between Frederick and Hagerstown, maybe even more along the entire way. Would I have enough steam left to climb a mountain after riding 50 miles? I’m just a normal guy with his mountain bike…not a Tour de France champion :)

Before I attempt a ride of these proportions I decided to explore the Falls Road situation first. This was my goal for today. I followed the route from North Calvert Street, left to West University Parkway, left onto West 40th Street toward the Rotunda, right onto Evans Chapel Road right before the grocery store, then left into Roland Heights Avenue, immediate right to Lawrence Avenue, at the end onto Woodheights Avenue and then finally a right onto Falls Road right before the intersection of Falls Road and West Cold Spring Lane. I continued straight on Falls Road for about another mile and then decided to return on Falls Road all the way near Penn Station, following the bike route arrows (as in my previous route) until they disappeared. I didn’t really intend to ride along the Tour dem Parks route today, so I had no further directions or notes with me. [Google Map]

After this ride I have come to the conclusion that Falls Road could be a good way to leave the city. Traffic never felt threatening, dangerous or out of control to me, and there was enough room for me to ride and cars to pass by on their other lanes. I think continuing on this route could be doable. Today, however, I was not at all in a good shape — I already was exhausted when I got up and rode on University Parkway. Riding further uphill to the Cold Spring Lane intersection took a lot out of me, and the last series of hills on Falls Road just gave me the rest. The heat and humidity didn’t help there, too. I never had problems riding routes of 40 miles or more and think a route of 76 miles or so should work, too. However, the terrain around Mönchengladbach and the Netherlands is flat, but this route out of Baltimore might be more like a 76 mile long uphill climb. Of course I don’t know yet if this route continues somewhat flat before it’s time to climb the mountains in Frederick and Hagerstown. No matter what, this will be a challenge for man and material — and I will have to work on my hill-condition before I can really begin to think about attempting the full length.

Length:

approx. 12.4 miles

Traffic:

easy going all the way

Weather:

post-rain, warm and humid, not very pleasant

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation: