So the weekly summaries lasted about as long as my shins running up and down the nearby hills. Who am I kidding?
I don’t have the time or inclination to document weekly outdoor stuff, so I’ll just stick to the more interesting adventures. After all, I have Strava to track my every move…
The one silver lining of the running injury was that it got me out on my bike again. Probably far sooner than if I’d just focussed on running.
And it’s been a blast!
Back out on the glorious C & O canal!
I’ve been riding 2 or 3 times a week, mostly along the C & O canal as my shins heal up, but more recently including the local roads which are hilly, to say the least!
I rode the entire C & O Canal with my brother in 2014 as part of our Northeastern tour around the US. It’s a terrific ride.
185 miles of gravel goodness, from D.C. to Cumberland. So lucky to have this on my doorstep now!
Default canal face 🙂
After almost 15 years of loyal service, my old Specialized MTB shoes split at the sole. I’m loving the new Shimano XC5 shoes.
Accessories for a 1 – 2 hour ride.
Beautiful still morning on the Potomac River.
Loving spending time on this bad boy again.
Pretty much every ride involves a bit of hike-a-bike to get across the river and down the spiral staircase the other side. Small concession to make 😉
Out along the canal with Lex
Out on my trusty 2012 Cannondale Synapse. So comfortable to ride.
Recently had a week in Rappahanock County, Virginia. Fabulous roads for riding, with very little traffic!
Getting out on my bike also coincided with the Tour de France, so that provided some extra motivation!
Planning:
I’m plotting a number of interesting biking projects for the coming months, including:
- Ride to Sugarloaf mountain and back from home
- Finding some riding buddies here in HF
- Getting out for an overnight bikepacking trip with my family
- Progressively building up to my first hundred miler since 2014 😱
Reading:
“You have to steal time from the edges of your day, teach yourself to eat on the fly, learn to function on suboptimal sleep, and keep going even when you want to lie down and cry. In other words, just like parenthood.”
Really inspiring article from the winner of the Leadville 100 mile ultra race, who balances that with being a parent in their mid-40s. Super impressive!
See you out on the trails!
Ben Collins Outdoors 
Looks like a beautiful area to ride in!
What tires were you riding with? I’m planning a trip from DC to Harpers Ferry on the C&O with a synapse and was thinking I could use some new tubeless 35’s for the ride. Thoughts on what is needed and also what might be ideal for the gravel towpath?
Hey Jason,
I rode it on 700 x 35 schwalbe marathon tires in 2014 when I toured from DC to Pittsburgh (and on to Maine), which were great for majority of the surface. But a bit narrow for some of the rougher stuff. I now ride on 38s or my 2.5in mountain bike tires, and the wider ones are more comfortable. The surface is mostly good but there are still some rougher sections. I’ve been running tubeless in the past year and had zero punctures on the towpath. Good luck!
Cheers, Ben
P.S. Synapse – what a great bike!!
Thanks Ben! This is super helpful. I think at this point it’s time for me to just get out there. My friend said I could borrow his topstone if I wanted but was hoping to just stick with my synapse. Can’t wait to get out there!
Good luck! Enjoy the ride.
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