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I make no secret that I have done this ride before. From the times in the early winter mornings to the late spring evenings, I have learned about every curve and crack that this piece of asphalt has to offer. I know the dangers. I know the descents. I know the climbs. I even know the sneaky little bits of beauty that cars will forever miss. For them, it is just another piece of land. It is another sight on a forever-picture-less path that they move to fast to appreciate.
For all the beauty and wonder this route has to offer, there is one thing that has always kept me from at bay. There is one thing that keeps me coming back to this route, reguardless of the time of day, or season. That thing, that anchor, that rope that pulls at me, would be the big dip at the apex of the ride. Behind the mall is one of the higher points on the ride. When I ascend to this point, there is a moment when I can go straight and fight the light traffic through the manicured sterile homes that are manufactured cash cows for banks and builders alike. I can see the clean cut lawns and freshly cuts hedges. I can appreciate the newly renovated roofs. I notice the perfectly cut slabs that make up the walkways. I take in the quiet empty porches. I notice the homes that have special accomodations for cars that look like they have eaten other cars. The way up is always full of money. The money that has been spent. The money that is being spent. The money that will be spent. All of it is right in your face and apparent. From the brick walls that encase the yards of homes to the shaped trees that lay shadows in the wake of the rising sun. I see it all. For the money spend and the time involved, it is clear that this part of the ride is all about the commercial investment.
After the nine mile climb from the main interstate, I reach the mall. Here is where things take a turn. The road kicks up a little. Not so much that my GPS unit will have a heart attack, but not so little that my legs fail to feel the strain. During this little kicker, there are fewer cues of money spent and more of what this place used to be. Where there were developments, I can see homes. Where they would be shops and lights is a baseball field encased in trees. Where there would be concrete and rocks there are quiet separated places for families to mingle and rest. On somedays it would not be uncommon for to see a figure late in age, simply sitting on a bench watching the world speed up. Take your time and relax, you’ve earned it.
After you pass this brief little section, there is the developed area behind the mall. Shops and signs make two things very clear. One, this place is were you can get, specifically what they have in stock. Best Buy will sell you electronics. The dollar general, will sell you small goods. The Office Max will sell you Office Supplies. This space is for you to shop, period. Unlike the cozy, collected, almost nurturing space that was just a few hundred feet away, this place was open, wide and dedicated to the all mighty dollar. The second thing about this place, it is built to service a person and their car. Unlike the smaller malls or even the town centers, this place has a parking lot big enough to hold a sea of tractor trailers. For the amount of labor, asphalt and money spent on just this parking lot alone, a developer could make at least 3 fully furnished developments, completely out of concrete. As neat and clean cut as everything looked, as crisp and bright as the signs and lights would appear, this is not a place for people. It is a place for a person and their car.
Here is the part of the ride where things really take a turn. After passing the mall, and turning right on to the main road, the path drops down. There is a small river that snakes its way from the dam positioned up stream to the open waters of the small town down stream. On an other day in a car, the road would just appear to go down. The front of the car would point down and that is where you would go. On a bike, moving much slower and not being encased in steele, glass and iron, you feel the change around you. It is like being on swing, where you can feel so much happening so fast that your brain feels numb trying to process it all. The first thing that becomes apparent is that the wheels begin to spin faster. The buildings, shops, stores and homes fade off in the distance. The trees and wild foliage make up the walls of this trek. The wind beings to scream. You can hear the sound of nothing and everything all at once. You are moving, without pedaling. The danger and the peace of it become all too real. On the one hand, you want to sit up. You want to take in the cooling air, the quiet stillness, the peaceful breeze an the quiet chaos that engulf you. On the other hand you are moving at speeds where the margin for error is practically none existent. Should the handle bar twitch, the pressure of the wheels decrease, a spoke become dislodged or a passing car lose focus, there is no time to correct or adjust. You are in it. The waters of your peaceful descent become a raving rapid in the time it takes for the danger to become noticed.
Just when you think this honey is too sweet, right when you feel that calm before the storm, the descent is over. Now, just as you have enjoyed the calm cooling sense of peace, it is time for the fury of battle to take hold. You are in the moment where the enemy is within and it is you that you must defeat to ascend from this valley. The high speeds are replaced with a stiff powerful cadence. The roaring winds are over-run with the deep consecutive breaths from your lungs. The stillness is now the chaos. Where it was the bike that brought you to the valley, it is you that must bring the bike from the valley. No homes to see, no shops appreciate, no money spent to notice, no money to make. This place, this part of the ride is caught up in nature. The trees, bushes, the rocks and the vines, all of this left in place. The first reasonable thought would be that the land is to dangerous to disturb. Should the water level rise or the ground become to moist, anything build upon it will slip in to the river and fall to the way side. Yet someone thought it would be safe to pave this road and place a small bridge over the river. A bridge that would signal the end of your descent, and the beginning or your rise.
After this rise, far above the stream, beyond the mall and above the quite homes, the road become saturated with money again. Where you would have to climb you can now descend. Where you have risen you can now fall. The wheels of the bike spin effortlessly. The free flowing bars become rigid. The smallest motion returns the largest action.
This is why I come back to this ride. This is why I keep coming back. Between the rises and the falls, the burning summers mornings and the freezing winter nights, it is the contrast between money and love, family and greed, it is the simple verses the promised that keeps me coming back. I see it as it is and I appreciate it, every time.
By: | Na Derro Cartwright |
Started in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 20.4 mi |
Selected: | 20.4 mi |
Elevation: | + 1154 / - 1131 ft |
Moving Time: | 01:29:35 |
Gear: | Scott Speedster Gravel |
Page Views: | 6 |
Departed: | Jul 23, 2022, 6:30 am |
Starts in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 20.4 mi |
Selected distance: | 20.4 mi |
Elevation: | + 1154 / - 1131 ft |
Max Grade: | |
Avg Grade | |
Cat | |
FIETS | |
VAM | |
Ascent time | |
Descent time | |
Total Duration: | 01:33:46 |
Selection Duration: | 5626 |
Moving Time: | 01:29:35 |
Selection Moving Time: | 01:29:35 |
Stopped Time: | 00:04:11 |
Max Speed: | 37.7 mph |
Avg Speed: | 13.7 mph |
Pace: | 00:04:35 |
Moving Pace: | 00:04:22 |
Max Cadence: | 108 rpm |
Min Cadence: | 10 rpm |
Avg Cadence: | 74 rpm |
Max HR: | 164 bpm |
Min HR: | 94 bpm |
Avg HR: | 140 bpm |
Best format for turn-by-turn directions on modern Garmin Edge Devices
Best format for turn by turn directions on Edge 500, 510. Will provide true turn by turn navigation on Edge 800, 810, 1000, Touring including custom cue entries. Great for training when we release those features. Not currently optimal for Virtual Partner.
Useful for uploading your activity to another service, keeping records on your own computer etc.
Useful for any GPS unit. Contains no cuesheet entries, only track information (breadcrumb trail). Will provide turn by turn directions (true navigation) on the Edge 705/800/810/1000/Touring, but will not have any custom cues. Works great for Mio Cyclo. Find GPS specific help in our help system.
Estimated Time shows a prediction of how long it would take you to ride a given route. This number is based on your recent riding history, and represents an estimate of moving time. Each time you upload a new ride, your Estimated Time profile will adjust to reflect your most recent riding. Only rides exceeding 10 miles (16 km) will affect these estimates.
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