Cider Ride 2023

This year marked the 11th Cider Ride of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA). It is the last riding event on my calendar for the year. In 2013 and 2014 the ride was held in early December. After nearly freezing participants, WABA wisely moved it to early November in 2015.

We gathered at the start at 8:30 with temperatures in the 40s. Fortunately the sun was shining and the winds were light. The weather would improve with each passing mile, allowing us to take off layers at each pit stop.

The route starts in the middle of DC and makes its way on streets through Northeast DC to the Anacostia River Trail system. Following various trails we rode north through Hyattsville and College Park, Maryland. In College Park we shifted over to roads that took us through and beyond the Beltsville agriculture preserve before turning around at the Patuxent Research Refuge. We rode back through Beltsville and across the agriculture preserve to Greenbelt. Then it was back to the Anacostia trails on the eastern side of the river to Southeast DC before returning back up the western side of the river to creepy and decrepit RFK Stadium. We took city streets over Capitol Hill, around Union Station and, using the Metropolitan Branch Trail, back to the start. It was 60 miles in all. Mostly the route was flat, with the northern third of the ride featured rolling hills, and one whopper as we rode into Greenbelt.

Our ten-person crew included Michael and Chris who have done more of these rides with me than I can recall. We were joined for the fourth time by Sara and for the third time by Domitille. Monica, having ridden this year’s 50 States Ride, returned for more abuse. She must have amnesia. We were joined by Timothee, Miguel, Katja, and Lisa.

Michael decided to ride the entire route in one gear.

Chris had a shiny, brand new e-bike but he decided to forgo the electric assist.

Sara, as always, took charge of enthusiasm.

Domitille rode remarkably strong despite having knee pain and wearing a brace on her left knee. She complained often. She is from France. She brought two handsome, athletic male friends.

Timothee, Domitille’s French friend, was our ringer, easily outpacing the rest of us escargots. He kindly waited for us whenever he reached a turning point.

Miguel, Domitille friend number two, was pretty quiet. He abandoned the ride because of mechanical problems.

Monica wore blazing pink for much of the ride allowing slow pokes like me to keep visual contact with the group on the confusing trail system. She also called out “HAZARD” whenever we encountered glass or potholes.

Kayja, a skier at heart behind reflective sunglasses, was very quiet until near the end of the ride when she revealed that her college roommate is, like my son, a scuba instructor in southern Thailand. What are the odds?

Lisa is a founding member of Friday Coffee Club. She and I have done many, many rides in the past, but haven’t seen each other since the before times. She stopped and took pictures and fell off the back of the group. Since she rode the route from Hyattsville to the start, she finished at home.

With Timothee going off the front, the pace was a bit faster than usual. The group spread out. I lagged back partly because recent riding binges had left my legs feeling like lead for the first 20 miles. Also, this way I could maintain contact with the core group while keeping Miguel and Lisa nearby. Miguel and I lost the group on a trail in College Park. Rather than check the cue sheet, I asked a walker who pointed Miguel and me in the wrong direction. (Hey, I’ve only done the route eight times. How can I be expected to not get lost?) Then, I stopped to check the cue sheet and lost contact with Miguel so I turned around and caught up to the core group waiting about a half mile along the route. I think Domitille texted Miguel and he was saved from dying a slow, lonely death somewhere along Paint Branch Creek.

There were three formal pit stops. The first at Proteus Bicycles in College Park had donuts. So many donuts. And hot cider. The second in Buddy Atticks Park in Greenbelt had apple pie and hot cider. And a bazillion yellow jackets (always check your cup before drinking!). The final stop was in Bladensburg Waterfront Park on the Anacostia. More donuts and cider and apples as big as softballs.

Our posse was the kind of eclectic group that makes DC life so appealing to me: French, young, female, arthritic, educated, artistic, whiny, and witty. And that’s just Domitille. We were also Hispanic, Asian, male, old, athletic, geeky, balding, vegan, aspiring to mountain mommahood, and, of course, a few spokes shy of a wheel.

We gathered at Metrobar at the finish for post-ride refreshments. I managed to convince Katja to ride next year’s 50 States Ride with us thus demonstrating that we, as a group, are also persuasive and gullible.

As always, thanks to WABA for all the work in staging this event and arranging for good weather. Thanks to the many volunteers who endured long hours and bee stings to keep us riders in good spirits. Thanks to the nine knuckleheads who rode with me.

And, finally, we missed you Kevin!

Clockwise from top left: Katja (with unidentified interloper), Michael, Timothee, Sara, Chris, Monica, and Domitille.