Yesterday, September 22nd, I participated in the '50 State Ride' that went all throughout Washington D.C. In a nutshell, this bike ride was 66 miles long and took each cyclist for a ride through all 8 districts of our nation's capital and - at least briefly, but sometimes for a significant distance - on each of the 50 streets that have are named after each of the 50 states that make up the U.S.A. We literally traveled to every corner of DC, along bridges that crossed the Potomac River in a couple places, weaved our way in and out of some of the richest and poorest neighborhoods, and through many gorgeous parks and areas of our nation's capital that I otherwise probably never would have known existed.
My favorite places were riding along Pennsylvania Avenue and riding right in front of the White House, riding along the Potomac River and seeing all the fresh seafood vendors at the National Harbor, criss-crossing in and out of the heavily wooded national parks such as Rock Creek Park, and any time I could see one of the beautiful monuments or memorials such as the Washington Monument as a backdrop while I was riding.
The ride started at Adams Morgan, which is 10 miles from where we live. Thus, I had an extra 20 miles total at the beginning and end of the 66 mile bike ride. I am glad I did the whole ride and stuck it out to the end, but to be honest it was really a really gruelling bike ride. Doing this type of mileage in a busy city, with no roads closed, requires a lot more energy and fortitude than it would on a trail or traditional bike path. Specifically, the constant stopping and going at stoplights and not being able to hit a consistent speed or stride due to traffic, stop signs, and the many turns made it a challenging bike ride. I believe that this type of bike ride required just as much mental and physical fortitude than a 100 miler - if not much much more!
While there were hundreds of us that all started out at the same time and place, as the miles and hours passed the group of us at the front got smaller and smaller. By the very end I was one of a group of just 5 that led the way and finished first. As the ride went on - it ultimately took about five and a half hours to finish - our group started to chat less, hang our heads and pant heavier while stopped at stop lights, and became more and more anxious to just finish the ride. I never even got my fellow cyclists names, but by the end I know our small group felt a sense of comaraderie, watching out for each other on the streets and signaling to cars where we were going. When we finished at Adams Morgan where we started, 66 miles and five and a half hours later, it was kind of a strange feeling that it was all over; we had just spent so much time and energy informally working as a team and watching each others' backs, and then it was just, "well, seeya layer!" The ride officially ended with everyone going to a nearby bar and everyone celebrating, but obviously that wasn't for me. I was anxious to get home to Michelle and Mason and spend the rest of the day recovering with them.
The link below is a map of the 2011 50 State Ride, which was more or less the same as this year's, in case you are interested in seeing how we were able to navigate our way through the city and get to all 50 State streets.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/51850216
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