It’s officially mud season in Vermont – an incredibly fitting name for this dreary phenomenon. With bare trees and sloppy, frigid mud covering every surface imaginable, one bike ride stands as a beaming ray of joy, inviting riders to revel in this unlikely cycling paradise. That ride is the Muddy Onion hosted by Onion River Sports in Montpelier, VT.
Over 200 riders lined up to grind 34 miles of gravel roads around Montpelier, VT. Photo credit: Bill Merrylees
Terry Graphic Designer, Erika Boyce, joined in the action for the third year in a row saying, “this is my favorite ride to kick my butt into shape”. This year, her goal was to ride all of the hills (this course happens to be one giant gravel hill with over 4500′ of elevation gain) and she succeeded!
Erika (right) is all smiles at the first rest stop after enjoying some pickles and chocolate dipped bacon.
One often imagines the picturesque hillsides of Vermont covered in golden leaves and happy dairy cows, but even when those hillsides are brown and covered in mud, this is a pretty great place to grab your bike and embrace the joy of gravel.
A typical April day in Vermont– 40 degrees, no leaves and plenty of cows! Photo credit: Bill Merrylees
Meet Mary Bowker. She is 5 months and 4000 miles into an extended world bike tour, starting in her hometown of Bend, Oregon. Her next destination is Turkey to ride the Silk Road to China and she plans to do it all in our Terry Touring Shorts. If her pictures don’t give you wanderlust, we don’t know what will!
Mary’s third time crossing the Transvolcanic Belt in Mexico.It’s all downhill to Tuxtepec in Oaxaca, Mexico!
DC is, in my opinion, America’s best biking city; with great downtown lanes and Capitol Bike Share, all to take you on a self-guided tour of the monuments and other sites. It also links together a great variety of well maintained bike trails that take you into the suburbs and beyond into horse country.
The Mt. Vernon trail runs between the river and Memorial Parkway, right past Reagan National Airport (you can practically reach out and touch the airplanes at the gate from the trail skyway) and is a great ride into DC from National Harbor or Alexandria. The P Street Bridge which crosses over the river to the Jefferson Memorial connects with many great bike lanes that take you into the heart of DC. Ten minutes further north you can cross over the Key Bridge from Georgetown to the Lincoln Memorial.
Did I say spring was LATE this year? Good thing they plow and salt the commuter trails!
You can ride a century round trip on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. I rode a half century out to Herndon, through Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna and Reston. The Capitol Crescent Trail is a really scenic route that takes you along the upper Potomac and into Bethesda and Chevy Chase. The Curtis Trail links from the Washington and Old Dominion Trail into Arlington.
With the convenience of intercity bike lanes and the option for some serious miles, DC has everything a two-wheeled traveler is looking for. Do you agree? What’s your favorite city to bike in?
Leaving my house, I turn out of my neighborhood and onto a lightly traveled, recently chip-sealed suburban road which makes me really appreciate the comfort of wider tires and a compliant frame. Within a mile, it’s decision time. Continue straight on a flat-ish route or turn right up a small hill. Wondering whether a recent week of riding on pan flat roads in Maryland has made me an even worse climber than usual, I decide to take the chance. With a flick of the handlebars, right it is. If I’m lucky, I’ll hear Paul Sherwen’s voice in my head, “digging into her suitcase of pain.” Without luck, I’ll hear something along the lines of “no power in the engine room.” But today I’m lucky! Up and over.
From there, I pick up a convenient four-way stop at a usually busy road which will lead me out into a more rural setting. But since today is Sunday, there are very few cars and I feel as though I have the road to myself. A few more miles of pedaling and I’m surrounded by corn and soybean fields. And let’s not forget the flora. What better time than fall to enjoy the muted colors of hawkweed and aster — New York and New England.
My halfway stop is a small park. This time of year, it’s the home base for school football games, but today it’s deserted. Just me and a handful of American crows. They put up with my poor imitation of their near cousin, the fish crow. Overhead, a line of Canada geese chime in just for good measure. Perfect entertainment while I enjoy some snacks.
By now, the sun is high and my wind vest and long sleeve base layer are no longer necessary. Since it’s just me and the crows, I have no inhibitions about shedding the base layer while exposing a little flesh. Ah, that feels better. The wind vest folds neatly into my jersey pocket and the base layer just makes it into a very tiny handlebar bag.
The second half of the ride rolls a bit more. For a seemingly long north to south slog, I’m on yet another chip-sealed road. I don’t know why, but there’s always a nagging head wind on this road. Always. That, combined with the roll and the rough surface, gives it a heavy feel. I can never seem to find a rhythm that suits me.
But it soon ends, and I turn onto a delightful road that runs along a ridge, winding past old farms and houses. Eventually, it flows downhill over a small emerald green stream and leads me to the finishing stretch. Another uphill, but this one very, very gradual with unfolding panoramic views of verdant farm fields. Open space at its best.
If every ride can’t end with a tailwind, then I’ll take a downhill, and so it is with this ride. There’s no feeling quite like swooshing onto my street, thoroughly exhilarated, hungry and ready for a mellow afternoon catching up on cycling news. What would have happened in the Vuelta if Sky had decided to support Froome instead of Wiggins? Today, that’s about as complicated as life is going to get. Long live the bike!
Late last fall, we shot the Terry Spring 2011 catalog in Santa Barbara. There’s no better place to ride in winter’s meanest months or get a jump on spring. In Santa Barbara, there are endless mountain, valley and coastal roads–you’re virtually guaranteed to discover something new each time you visit.
Here are three of our favorite rides. (See trimbleoutdoors.com for actual maps.)
Coastal Route (approx. 35 miles)
Get to know Santa Barbara with a scenic bike path ride through historic downtown. Follow the signs for Coast Village Road from the Montecito Inn (a great place to stay and ride from) to the Biltmore, along Butterfly Beach, past the Andrea Clark Bird Refuge and Santa Barbara Zoo. Finish by following Cabrillo Blvd to Shoreline Drive (http://www.sbbike.org/region/rides/rides.html). Tip: Bring a bike lock so you can stop and tour the Santa Barbara Mission along the way.
Gibralter Road/Camino Cielo (approx. 50 miles)
Gibralter Road:the Alp d'huez of the US.
A sweaty, heart pumping ascent from sea level to 9500′ with breathtaking vistas along the way, this ride is known as “America’s Alpe d’Huez”. From the Montecito Inn, head north up San Ysidro Road and take a left on E Valley Road through Oprah’s neighborhood. You’ll ride several miles along this tree-lined, winding road, which becomes Sycamore Canyon Road, then Stanwood Drive.
The type of traffic jam you may encounter.
Just past Parma Park, turn right on El Cielito Road for a preview to the climb, then watch for an eventual right on Gibralter where the climbing will take you out of the lush neighborhoods of Santa Barbara onto 11 miles of progressively steeper switchbacks.
At the top of Gibralter, turn right to ride out along Camino Cielo, the “road to the sky,” famous for its extraordinary views of the ocean on one side and sweeping valley views on the other.
Cycling nirvana along the "Road to the Sky."
At the pavement’s end, double back and retrace your route for an exhilarating but challenging descent (potholes and loose gravel on the shoulder). Tip: the descent can be cool. In winter, bring a wind jacket, arm warmers, beanie, full finger gloves.
Lake Casitas Loop (approx 60 miles)
A training ride for the pros, this one is rated 6/10 for difficulty by Bicycling magazine because it’s got 5300 feet of elevation gain. Lake Casitas has scenery, climbing and unfortunately, traffic, so leave early. From the Montecito Inn, ride south along the coast, eventually turning onto Highway 192, winding through miles of orchards in Carpinteria. At the intersection with Highway 150 begin the climb toward Casitas Pass. You’ll be treated to expansive views of brilliantly blue Lake Casitas, fragrant eucalyptus groves and descents on wide roads with sweeping turns prior to reaching the Ventura River Bike Trail back to the ocean. Pedal north along the Pacific Coast Highway and see world class surfers catching breaks.
Multi-elevation = multi layer approach to dressing.
Tips: Bring a wind jacket, and wear bright clothing since you’ll be riding with traffic. We recommend the Xenon from GORE BIKE WEAR.
Built in 1928 by Charlie Chaplin as an LA weekend escape, this charming inn has been restored to its vintage Hollywood glamour, and it’s riding distance to great restaurants and shops. Rooms are small, but winter rates are good and locked bike storage in included. montecitoinn.com
Eat, Drink and be Merry:
Breakfast: Jeanine’s for breakfast quesadillas or scones. jeanines.com
Guilt free after all that climbing.
Post Ride: The ride-to patio at Lucky’s for cold beer, slivered onion rings and
