Historic Savage Mill up to Columbia Lakes on the Patuxent River Trail

**Check back to see if the date or start time has changed. This ride will be postponed (possibly replaced with another ride) if the chance of rain is above 49%, or wind speed or wind gusts are above 15 mph (per WeatherBug) **

SKILL LEVEL: Not recommended for beginners. You need to know how to use brakes properly on steep hills and have fit legs due to some sections with rolling hills and long inclines.

NEARBY TRAIN OR BUS STOPS
unknown

PARKING ADDRESS
Savage Historic Mill - near Terrapin Adventures
Fair St. and Washington St. · Savage, MD

PARKING AND MEETUP SPOT
***IMPORTANT! The meeting area/parking lot is at the rear end of the building, not the small front lot.*** Drive in and make the first left turn. We’ll be standing somewhere near the end of the first row.

If you don’t see the Terrapin Adventure sign and stations at the fence line, you’re in the wrong parking lot.

Plan to arrive by 10:45 ish so you have time to get yourself ready and check in by 10:55 am. We’ll do an icebreaker question then depart at 11:00. If you’re late, put in "Lake Elkhorn" in a phone nav app and you should be able to catch up.

TYPE OF BIKE: Hybrid and mountain bike tires are ideal; there’s a long dirt and gravel section of the Patuxent River Trail which was a little bumpy on our last ride. We manage with our thicker road tires but would prefer hybrid. Ensure bike is the correct frame size for your height so you can get maximum output. Participants are responsible for ensuring their bike tires, brakes, and chain are in good condition and they have a spare tire on hand. Organizers can try to help but aren't responsible for everyone's bike conditions.

PACE: It’s up to you. HOWEVER: The event organizers have fit legs (avg. 10-18 mph). And some of us like to do a cardio workout at some point. We make stops at tricky points on the trail and /or regroup every 2-4 miles. Since paved trails can sometimes be crowded, we don’t have expectations of being able to go very fast.

· If you prefer a faster pace than the lead riders, you can make stops to wait for them to catch up.

· If you’re not sure what your avg. speed is, be prepared to use a nav app to ride solo in case you don’t catch up to us at our stops.

BIKE ROUTE SUMMARY
We have three distance options mapped out, ranging from 10 to 22 miles (out and back).

I would say this bike route has more hills than most others that we do. We start off road biking about ¼ mile to the rear of Savage Park. We’ll get to the paved trail and encounter a couple of short hills. Then we’ll ride relatively flat sections (except one long steep downhill at Vollmerhausen Rd, and a couple of other shorter hills. On the return, we’ll have to conquer the notorious Vollmerhausen incline.

You will see two historic truss bridges (one when you drive around from Gorman Rd and the other when you ride through it and stop for a water break), the river and 1-3 lakes, pass through marshy areas on boardwalks and bike through woody fields.

DISTANCE OPTIONS
Participants can choose to return at any point. These are just suggestions.

OPTION A (~5.8 miles each way, +/- 517 ft, 7.8% incline)
Bike to Lake Elkhorn, go around, stop for a break and return on your own, with anyone else who wants to return, or wait for option B bikers to get back and return with them. Use a phone nav app to assist with your return if you’re not familiar with this area.

OPTION B (~9 miles each way, +/-870 ft, 7.8% incline)
After Option A, bike up to Lake Kittamaqundi, go around (distance is 1 .4 miles). We'll stop for a 10-15 minute break at the water feature/grassy area/go to Whole Foods. You can return the same way. This option entails using a sidewalk, and a portion of road and road crossings. Speed around the lake will be slower due to pedestrian traffic.

OPTION C (~11 miles each way, +/-870 ft, 7/8% incline)
After Option B, we'll bike a short NW connector trail, cross over Little Patuxent Pkwy at the light, and go left into Wilde Lake Park. Bike around the lake from the left side and return the same way to Lake Kittamaqundi. Speed will be slower due to elevation changes, the curvy trail, and pedestrians. Stop for a break, then return to Savage Park. (This entails a road crossing and sidewalk.)

BATHROOMS
Bathrooms are at Historic Savage Mill (from our parking lot, go to the rear entry doors, go straight down the stairway, and look for bathrooms near the stairway.
In Savage Park, which we pass through, bathrooms are only open during certain months,
Further up will be port-a-potty at the truss bridge stop and bathrooms at Whole Foods.

BIKE RENTALS
Unknown

BIKE REPAIR
Unknown

FOOD & DRINK INFO
Historic Savage Mill and at Lake Kittamaqundi

OPTION TO SOCIALIZE AFTERWARDS
Option to go into Historic Savage Mill afterwards to cool down/walk around/have a drink or meal. We’ll probably go to Roggenart Bakery and sit on the patio where we can watch our bikes nearby.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Bring: Water bottles, snacks, biking gloves, bike bell, bike lock, helmet visor, sunglasses, bike tube, pump, patch, first aid kit, mobile phone with nav app installed (e.g. Google maps, we use RidewithGPS). If you get leg cramps during or after a ride, take electrolytes before and during your ride (or add salt and magnesium to your water). A change of clothes for your ride home or a car seat cover to absorb sweat.

Clothing: Wear biking gloves and durable clothing so that if you do fall, your skin is protected. Avoid wearing all black, all grey, all dark brown, or all dark blue, which blends in with pavement, especially while riding through a shady segment. Consider wearing something lighter to help others notice you.

REQUIREMENTS
Participants must wear tightly secured helmets when on their bike.
Be proactive to avoid a fall/crash and minimize injury:

· Keep a distance between yourself and other bikers. If the biker ahead of you suddenly stops, you should be able to avoid hitting them.

· Don’t make stops on the trail. Pull over to the side and use hand gestures to let people know you’re slowing down to make a stop.

· Yelling out “Passing on your left” and/or ringing a bike bell as you approach people ahead of you, so they don’t inadvertently move in your line of travel.

· Slowing down to wait, rather than speeding up when trying to pass people at the same time walkers/bikers are approaching you from the opposite direction.

· Avoid potholes and debris and slow down when approaching bumps

· When approaching road crossings and iffy situations, triple-check before crossing and don’t let yourself be distracted by talking, etc.

· Ensure your helmet is tightly secured so that it won’t move if you hit the ground.

MEETUP POLICIES
Participants should understand that biking is an inherently dangerous activity, and an accident could happen at any time. Participation is at your own risk.

An RSVP of “Yes” to an event is your digital signature acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree with Meetup’s and MD Rail Trail Biking’s policies, esp. section 6 “Release” and section 8.2 ” Limitation of Liability,” found at https://www.meetup.com/terms/