Training Ride on the Eastern Shore

This Saturday's ride on the Eastern Shore will give you a good feel for what the actual Ride for the Feast will be like in terms of flatness (very flat) and windiness (really quite very windy).

The route gives you a number of mileage options: you can choose to do the full distance of 75 miles, a 45-mile version, or a 25-mile version; all are beautiful.  

We will start in Easton and ride to Oxford where we’ll catch the ferryboat to Bellevue. (You will need CASH for the ferry ride.) From Bellevue we head to St. Michaels and then out to Tilghman Island and back. Just after passing back through Easton, we will leave the main roads behind and hit some very pretty areas traveling along quiet back lanes and even past an original Little Red Schoolhouse.

Due to the length of this ride and the amount of time it will take us to finish it, we’re starting early. We will meet at the Easton starting point (about 1.5 hours from Baltimore) at 7:30AM with a ride out at 8:00AM sharp.

We will have two volunteers as our SAG drivers. Please bring a couple of bucks to help her cover the cost of gas.

 
TIMES: Ride out at 8:00AM sharp; please be there at 7:30AM to get ready.

WHERE: Food Lion Store parking lot in Easton, MD (about 1.5 hours from Baltimore).  

DIRECTIONS: 

• Take Rte. 50 east, across the Bay Bridge and continue to Easton 
• Bear right onto Rte. 322 (the Easton Bypass). 
• Go about 1.8 miles to the light just after the Food Lion.
• Turn left onto Marlboro Road and enter the Food Lion shopping center.
• We need to park at the edge of the parking lot closest to Rte. 322 and farthest away from the stores. I’ll be in a red Nissan Versa hatchback with a bike rack on it.

DISTANCE:
Up to 75 miles. The cue sheet has several shortcuts to reduce the miles to as low as 25 miles if you want. The most scenic route option gives you 45 miles to which you can add as much as you want of the out-and-back portion to Tilghman Island.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 

• Cash for the ferryboat. 
• A few bucks for the SAG driver.
• A bike, helmet, and water bottle are musts.
• A spare tube, and/or patch kit, and a working pump might come in very handy.

Wear clothing appropriate for the temperature. Dress in layers so you can remove or add layers as necessary to stay warm but not get overheated. It will probably be chilly at the start and warm up as the day goes on. As of right now, the forecast is a little uncertain—bring sunblock and a rain jacket. You will be able to shed layers and leave clothing with our car sweep. There are bathrooms at the starting point and at various points along the route. There are a number of options for food along the route. Usually riders stop at Mile 18.5 for coffee at Blue Crab in St. Michaels, and then have lunch in St. Michaels on the way back through town.

This ride will only be canceled if it’s raining very hard. 

If you have any questions, please call Becky Abernathy at 410-736-3970 or email at aberrebe@gmail.com. 

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