# How's traffic on W&OD trail these days?



## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

Girlygirl and I were thinking of taking the W&OD out to Purcellville and back on Saturday instead of going to the WRR ride in Radford VA this weekend. I've heard that it's mad crowded now, and that it's tough/dangerous to get up a decent head of steam.

I don't really want to crawl the 45 mi. out into VA and then crawl back. How early would we have to leave to at least get a fairly clear ride out?


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Start before sunrise and you ought to be ok. You will want to clear mile 15 before 7am or you will get stuck in some fairly large groups of runners.

Coming back will be not so ok.

Why don't you go out the W&OD and come back on the Tow Path?

One of my favorite Yogi Berra quotes, *"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded". *


----------



## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

MB1 said:


> Start before sunrise and you ought to be ok. You will want to clear mile 15 before 7am or you will get stuck in some fairly large groups of runners.
> 
> Coming back will be not so ok.
> 
> ...


We might have to come back on the Tow Path. Right now the idea of a pre-sunrise start is looking pretty negative, but you never know.

May be that we just need to figure some other ride entirely. We got a nice book of area rides (Jim and Dave's Favorite Bike Rides or some such thing), and maybe we'll just pick something out of it. Trouble is, those guys are plainly nuts. Their level 2 (out of 5 levels) loop from Riley's Lock Park is nothing but rolling hills, and was enough to whack us for the rest of the day even though it's only 36 miles. We kind of fear the book since there are only three level 1 rides, and the only level 2 we've done was so challenging (what would level five be? 100 miles up a sheer cliff face?).

I'm probably going to regret asking this, but where would you go if you wanted to do an easy (read flattish) ride of about 75+ miles broken into two segments (possibly pre- and post-lunch)?


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*If you are willing to just go with the flow coming back on the W&OD.....*



bikeboy389 said:


> ....... but where would you go if you wanted to do an easy (read flattish) ride of about 75+ miles broken into two segments (possibly pre- and post-lunch)?


...going out on the Tow Path, crossing at Whites Ferry, eating in Leesburg fits your bill exactly. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=92799

There is also great riding in Southern Maryland (starting in the Davidsonville Park-n-Ride). A bit hillier but we do it fixed without any problem. Rose Haven is a lunch stop about 1/2 way through the ride. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=30224

There is also a sweet ride out of Frederick MD to Gettysburg "3 Sheetz to Gettysburg" aka Big Ring to Gettysburg. Pretty flat and you could cut it short and lunch in Emmitsburg for your 75 miles. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=45680


----------



## CimaGrappa (May 21, 2007)

*Easier rides*

Scott and Jim's fine book (all proceeds go to the Davis Phinney Foundation!) is all based on Scott's warped sense of reality.

Some of the rides that we like the best are out in Nokesville. They've got their challenges, but they don't start out as badly as Riley's Lock.

Really easy is the W&OD, but you've got to get out of Herndon early. I used to get out at 0700 from Herndon and head up West where the traffic is a little bit lighter. That's a good rule of thumb.

The S&J Vs are tough. We just did 3 of them on back to back weekends (Blue Ridger, Catoctin Climber, and Antietam), but we had Jim with us and our pictures are in the book.

The best guide is the overall climbing (ft / mile) it's your best guide to Scott's rating system. By that measure, Catoctin Climber is the toughest, even tougher than Blue Ridger because its climbs are more severe.


----------



## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

I never really had any issues leaving at 9 am'ish from my home, going to PurceeVille and returning 3-4:30'ish.




CimaGrappa said:


> Scott and Jim's fine book (all proceeds go to the Davis Phinney Foundation!) is all based on Scott's warped sense of reality.
> 
> Some of the rides that we like the best are out in Nokesville. They've got their challenges, but they don't start out as badly as Riley's Lock.
> 
> ...


----------



## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

Is that bridge fixed yet, the one that was washed out and damaged?

It's before the memorial to where the guy died.





MB1 said:


> .[/url]


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*A couple of weeks ago it was still out.*



bas said:


> Is that bridge fixed yet, the one that was washed out and damaged?
> 
> It's before the memorial to where the guy died.


The detour OTOH is very rideable (must add at least 10 yards to the ride and another 10 feet of climbing too  )..


----------



## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

CimaGrappa said:


> Scott and Jim's fine book (all proceeds go to the Davis Phinney Foundation!) is all based on Scott's warped sense of reality.


Thanks for reassuring us that we weren't total weaklings. It really seemed like that Riley's Lock ride would be outside the realm of rideability for anyone without at least a couple of years of fairly intensive riding (unless you took 4-5 hours to do it). We liked it, but it was pretty tough.

We're trying another one this weekend--flatter but longer, I think. We'll definitely keep in mind your tip about checking the ft/mi. ratings.


----------



## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

I just visited family up in Ashburn & rode the WO&D. I left on the trail towards DC around 11:00am on a saturday. Not a lot of "traffic", just some walkers who think they can walk 5 abreast. Bike traffic was nothing bad, you can get a ok pace going, but all the stop signs at road crossings break up the flow, though stopping is a priority at the intersections. The trail is very easy & flat, especially compared to SW Va where I normally ride. Sunday ride was from Ashburn to Purcellville, again, pretty easy even with a headwind. The best part is that going home east it is moslyt "downhill" with a tailwind....except for all the stupid walkers again walking 5 abreast. Don't people understand why there is a dotted yellow line down the trail? Arrggg to baby strollers as well.


----------



## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

capt_phun said:


> I just visited family up in Ashburn & rode the WO&D. I left on the trail towards DC around 11:00am on a saturday. Not a lot of "traffic", just some walkers who think they can walk 5 abreast. Bike traffic was nothing bad, you can get a ok pace going, but all the stop signs at road crossings break up the flow, though stopping is a priority at the intersections. The trail is very easy & flat, especially compared to SW Va where I normally ride. Sunday ride was from Ashburn to Purcellville, again, pretty easy even with a headwind. The best part is that going home east it is moslyt "downhill" with a tailwind....except for all the stupid walkers again walking 5 abreast. Don't people understand why there is a dotted yellow line down the trail? Arrggg to baby strollers as well.



Haha those bikers think they own the path and can go 20+ mph all the time.


----------



## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

no bas, we don't own the path but some of us do understand common courtesy & keeping to the right side of the trail. Its not even a matter of going 20mph, which is slow on that trail anyway, it is a matter of not having to brake every 10 seconds because three fat cows are walking abreast pushing baby strollers oblivious to the world and trail ettiquette.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*???!*?!!!*



capt_phun said:


> .... Its not even a matter of going 20mph, which is slow on that trail anyway, it is a matter of not having to brake every 10 seconds because three fat cows are walking abreast pushing baby strollers oblivious to the world and trail ettiquette.


Clearly you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.


----------

