This weekend was my C&O canal tour. I made a decent go of it, but did not finish. Started in D.C. Friday morning. Made it to Antietam Creek Campground(70 mile marker) last night. Total ride distance with stops for Friday was 76 miles. Rode to Shepherdstown, WV this morning and decided to call this one off due to weather and a lack of planning to account for the weather. Here are my takeaways:
1. I had a blast riding the uninterrupted trail. It’s very scenic with tons of places to pull out and read about history.
2. 35mm+ tires are a requirement imo. Luckily I switched to 50mm right before the ride and I’m glad I did. Parts of this trail are very bumpy and the downed walnuts and paw paw fruits are a hazard for small tires.
3. I should have realized that cheap ‘waterproof’ panniers would not actually be waterproof. I woke up this morning after a rain storm to all of my clothes for the next 2 days being completely soaked. My food faired no better and all of my instant oatmeal bags were soaked. This was the ultimate reason for calling it off, as I didn’t feel comfortable having no dry clothes to change into after riding in the rain today.
4. My food packing could have been much better. I relied quite a bit on gas stations/restaurants along the route but they were kind of few and far between, with most being a decent little ride out of route. Next time I will pack more nutrient dense food options.
5. Water. I had the ability to carry a gallon and to filter if needed. I wish I had had 2 gallons capacity. The on trail pumps are worthless and filthy. Looks like the water is coming straight from the river.
6. Time constraints. I wish I had budgeted more time for the trip. I only took one day off work to make a 3 day weekend out of it. This meant I had to keep up a pretty ‘rapid’ pace of 70 miles each of the first two days and 45 the third day to allow me to get home in time to be at work Monday. I think, for me, 50-60 miles per day at 10mph average is much more comfortable and allows plenty of time for breaks and sight-seeing.
Despite my list of lessons learned, I most decidedly love touring. I will re-attempt the c&o next spring and I plan on finishing the GAP soon after. I’ve got the Florida Keys on my radar too. The people I met on the trail were overwhelmingly kind and friendly, unlike the bulk of other cyclists I’ve met over the years. Thanks for welcoming me into the fold and I’m glad to have found a cycling home in Touring after trying Mountain and Road riding for years.
by ShenandoahOutdoors
1 Comment
Whenever I go on a trip, I assume Ill be doing around 50 miles per day. The point has always been to take it slow and stop a lot, enjoy the scenery, talk to people, stop in towns ect. Nothing wrong with wanting to go fast and push yourself, but I set aside 50 miles per day and it’s always worked out great.