Western Maryland Rail Trail

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2009-07-20 8:42 PM

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Subject: Western Maryland Rail Trail
If you haven't ridden this yet, and it's not too far away form your house, be sure to try out the fantastic Western Maryland Rail Trail. It's accessed from highway 70 at exit 12, just west of Hagerstown, about forty minutes out of Frederick.

WMRT is 46 miles (23 out and 23 back) of 12-foot wide, mile-marked, smooth, flat, paved, car-free spinning. The trail roughly follows the Potomac River (and actually parallels the gravel path C&O Canal). Scenery is spectacular. It's mostly shaded, and there are porto-johns at either end along with a bike shop and small town in the middle (at Hancock).

A great training ride is warm up 10 miles from Big Pool (the eastern end of the trail) to Hancock, then coffee, then 26 hard miles out and back to Hancock, refuel, and cruise back to your car.

I rode it again this weekend for the first time in a while, and had forgotten how good it is. You see everything from recumbents to mountain bikes to wheelchair racers to six thousand dollar carbon race bikes to 1974 Schwinn Varsity ten speeds. And lots of deer. And at least one bear... that I saw last fall.

I'll probably be riding it most weekends in between now and Nation's Tri so PM me if you want to carpool.

More info at http://www.westernmarylandrailtrail.org/WMRT/info.html and http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/wmrt.html .

2009-07-20 9:00 PM
in reply to: #2297548

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Subject: RE: Western Maryland Rail Trail
I was curious about this trail and plan on checking it out very soon.  Are there many stop signs?
2009-07-21 7:50 AM
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Subject: RE: Western Maryland Rail Trail

what type of speeds were you avging on this ride?

2009-07-21 8:45 AM
in reply to: #2297548

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Subject: RE: Western Maryland Rail Trail
That's awesome.  I've never done this, but was just looking at it recently for long rides or runs.  Thanks!
2009-07-21 7:35 PM
in reply to: #2297548

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Subject: RE: Western Maryland Rail Trail
Answering a few Q's:

There are maybe six or eight STOP signs on the 23 mile path each way.... I am not telling anyone to roll through them, but at least one of the STOP signs has a "tractor crossing" sign next to it... no kidding. You do need to be alert at the few STOP signs, because there are heavy yellow metal car-blocker gates you need to ride through ... if you are aero-tucked at 22 MPH zoning in on your front wheel, this could be a problem. I don't think the STOP signs and a couple of wood-slat creek crossing bridges will slow you down. There are no cars. Except for the parking lot and the mid-point at Hancock, you won't even see a car. If you ride this and are disappointed, I'll be really surprised. I have not ridden on Capital Crescent Trail, but I've run on it... WMRT is faster.

I  averaged 15.9  MPH total during my last ride... which included my rolling aroung nearly still at Hancock, and rolling to a stop to fuel up on wild blackberries, etc. I usually ride between 18-19 MPH when I am cranking and 15 MPH when I am crusing ... though my max speed Sunday was 24 MPH .... and this is no problem at all on WMRT, especially west of Hancock, where biker traffic thins out noticeably. This is a bike path, not a park trail full of soccer moms twin strollers and first time roller-bladers (.....not that there's anything wrong with soccer moms....).



Edited by jsselle 2009-07-21 7:38 PM
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