Dry Run: Day 2

18 April 2004
Thurmont, MD to Ellicott City, MD
50.6 miles, 3h53m, 13.0 mph
Elapsed Time: 4h27m, Max speed: 38.1mph
Total Climbing: 2598ft, Max elevation: 873ft


Copyright 2002 DeLorme. Topo USA. Data copyright of content owner.
Dry Run Day 2 Profile

I awoke at 6:45 and was on the road by 7:50. All I had for breakfast was a low-carb bar and some water. I figured I'd ride a few miles and stop in Woodsboro for some coffee or something.

My return route was considerably simpler than yesterday's route. No narrow little back roads with steep climbs. This time I would run straight down MD550 to Woodsboro and then east on Coppermine Road. From there east on MD31 to Clemsonville Road to MD26 (Liberty Road) into Carroll County. Then south on Woodbine Road to Hoods Mill Road to Morgan Road, across the Patapsco River into Howard County. Finally, I turned east on Old Frederick Road and retraced the first miles of my outbound trip.

There was little traffic on 550 on a Sunday morning. The road had a minimal shoulder to Creagerstown, but then it opened up wide for the climb out of the Monocacy River Valley.  It really looked like I was making some progress.
 
Looking back toward Thurmont

At Woodsboro I grabbed a couple more energy bars and a bottle of orange juice. Not much of a breakfast, but I didn't feel like having any more. The climb out of Woodsboro on Coppermine Road was a nasty 15% grade in surprisingly heavy traffic. Fortunately only one car passed me on the climb. Later I found the source of the traffic: a church. After that things got a little better.

Coppermine Road was all up and down. Grinding climbs followed by screaming descents. After I crossed MD75 the traffic went away and the hills got less steep and more rolling.


Coppermine Road: The Good Part

As I came down Clemonsville Road into Unionville I passed a church. A man who was apparently the minister was outside (having just arrived) and he yelled something to me about church. I didn't understand him so I nodded as I cruised by. He was probably inviting me in.

MD26 is a busy road with high speed traffic and a huge, high-quality shoulder. I started climbing right away and reached the highest point of the day at the Carroll County line. I stopped briefly for an iced tea at Taylorsville and then turned south at Winfield. Hoods Mill Road and Morgan Road were all downhill until I reached the Patapsco River. Then it was uphill to Old Frederick Road. The Morgan/Morgan Station Road crossing is by far the most pleasant place to cross between Howard and Carroll Counties. All the other roads either involve steep climbs or heavy traffic. My route had almost no traffic.

The rest of the ride was almost all downhill. Even so, I started feeling like I should have eaten more. With about one mile to go I passed a fruit stand and had to stop and buy a pint of strawberries. They were all gone before I got home.

What did I learn from this ride?  I learned that you can't be in a hurry when you're hauling touring gear. I learned that there are no easy hills, just hard hills, harder hills, and brutally hard hills. I learned that you can go really fast downhill when you're carrying 40 pounds more than you're used to. And most importantly, I learned that you should leave all your stuff in plastic bags when you stay in a smoking room.

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"JT and BC's 2004 Pacific Coast Ride" Copyright © 2004 By Bob Clemons. All rights reserved.