Many have bemoaned the lack of a good cycle/PEV path between DC and Baltimore, only 40 miles as the crow flies, and last year we had to scrap a planned ride due to route concerns. However… your Glydiators trailblazers have put in the miles and mapped a workable route. We’ll be doing an all-day out-and-back on July 24, and also riding in celebration of Shango’s (Lutalo’s) birthday.
Please see below regarding some requirements and logistics for this ride, but here is a quick description of the route…
We will ride out of Union Station in DC and across the Benning Avenue bridge where we’ll connect to the Anacostia trail system. This will take us North near College Park where we’ll hit about 7 miles of mostly lightly traveled surface streets that will connect us to the Baltimore Washington & Annapolis Trail (BW&A). The BW&A’s bridge over the Patuxent is not yet complete, so we’ll detour around through Crofton. This is also just past the midpoint of the ride, so we’ll recharge bodies and our machines while in Crofton.
After Crofton we’ll reconnect to the BW&A north of the Patuxent and follow it up to Odenton, at which point we’ll use some surface streets to get us over to the BWI trail. We’ll partially circle the airport until we break back onto the streets and ride though the Linthicum Heights and Brooklyn neighborhoods until we cross into downtown Baltimore via the Hanover Street Bridge. There are ample places to recharge and relax at the Baltimore Inner Harbor before we reverse course.
A Few Things to Note:
1) This is an intermediate level ride. Riders should be comfortable sharing some stretches of road with cars (usually on a shoulder, sometimes we’ll take a lane), and maintaining a 20-25mph pace at times. This will be a long day and not for the faint of heart (or feet). Expect about 7-8 hours total ride time, and about six hours rest/charge time. It is likely to be dusk/dark when we arrive back in DC.
2) To complete this ride requires a real-world 30ish mile range, and a fast charger (minimum 84V/5A, 100V/8A). Anyone who can’t meet those requirements is still welcome to join us for parts of the ride. We’ll publish the route well in advance so that people can plan, and we’ll be broadcasting live location on Telegram.
3) For those interested in just doing one way (and not the out-and-back), which will be a little over 60 miles, you can take Amtrak back to DC after the morning ride, or from DC back to Baltimore after the evening ride. One way fares can be had for between $9 and $15 if you pre-book.