Published 04/16/09
If you have spent any time traveling the roads of southern Anne Arundel County, you've no doubt seen the hundreds of bicycle riders out each weekend.
They're on just about every road down this way. They ride on the shoulder down Route 2 from Edgewater to the county line. They can be seen on two-lane winding roads like Polling House Road in Harwood and Patuxent River Road in Davidsonville. They're there when the weather is nice, and they're there in a cold drizzle, and on a hot and muggy Maryland summer day.
For recreation, the Annapolis Bike Club organizes a ride each Saturday throughout the year. They start at 10 a.m. from December through March, but leave at 9 a.m. the rest of the year. The club has about 200 members, although not every member rides every weekend.
Team Latitude is an amateur bicycle-racing club based in Annapolis. They mostly use the south county circuit as training grounds for the racing season, which got underway a few weeks ago.
"It's my favorite route," said Lance Lacy, of Edgewater, one of the racers for Team Latitude. He added that a number of teams come down to the Davidsonville Park and Ride to cycle the 42-, 60- or 100-mile loop. "Teams from Silver Spring and D.C. come here because of the long stretches without traffic lights and a minimum of traffic."
Sure enough, on a recent Sunday, the parking lot at the Davidsonville Park and Ride was full of cyclists preparing for a day of riding.
Jason Meyer of Silver Spring was meeting a group of riders training for the Chesapeake Challenge, a ride on the Eastern Shore in June that raises money and awareness for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. About six others had shown up, and all were going to try to complete a 61-mile ride. Jason was the lead for the ride that day. He had cue sheets for each of the riders, a kind of turn-by-turn set of directions that the cyclists attach to their bikes with office supply-store binder clips. They wouldn't all ride as a group, but would break off in pairs according to their pace.
"The roads down here are fairly non-trafficked, not too flat, but not insanely hilly, with some great waterviews," Jason said of why he enjoys the south county rides.
"And there used to be a lovely pie shop in Galesville - the pie shop is closed, but the pies are sold next door," he added. He said that trying to get to those pies was a good incentive to ride faster.
Rick Paukstitus of Gambrills was also training on Sunday. He is a member of Team Latitude, and was planning a 70-mile ride. He said it would take him about three hours.
"The roads down here were created hundreds of years ago and they're curvy, so it doesn't allow a lot of traffic," Rick said. He continued, "If you go west of the city, the roads are straight, four lanes, and fast."
Rick was riding with teammate Alex Pline of Annapolis. Alex said, "We love riding these roads - this is such a great place to ride."
The men will ultimately train for the Bay County Century, a 100-mile ride through Southern Maryland, which is sponsored by Team Latitude. The money they raise from that event goes back into the Annapolis community - including contributions to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
But the ride isn't just for those training for long road races or cycling events in the region. There are plenty of recreational cyclists who use the Davidsonville Park and Ride and the roads throughout south county as a way to get a little fresh air, a lot of exercise, and even some excitement.
Ken Keeler is the president of the Annapolis Bike Club - the group that has weekly rides on Saturday mornings. Ken said that there are three levels of riders in the club. The fastest ride about 40 miles each Saturday, averaging 23 miles per hour. The middle group rides 40 to 60 miles, traveling between 18 and 20 miles per hour. The last group is the more casual group, which averages 15 to 16 miles per hour, and is often known to be "more touristy" on their rides - traveling 20 to 30 miles and having lunch at one of the cafes or marinas in south county.
"The roads down here are almost endless," Ken said. He continued, "You can do 30 miles, 60 miles, 100 miles. You can go 20 miles without having to stop at an intersection."
The Annapolis Bicycle Club allows anyone from novice riders on up. The cost is $10 per year to join, but new riders can take a sample ride for free any Saturday.
"We have a pretty diverse group of people from rocket scientists to plumbers," Ken said.
For most of the riders, there are dangers to the open roads. Lance Lacy has been struck by cars no less than five times. Ken said that the scariest thing he's seen in his years of pedaling in south county are deer that sometimes jump out in front of cyclists. "Fortunately, none of us have ever hit one," Ken added.
If you are interested in cycling the roads of south county, a simple web search will reveal maps and cue sheets.
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