Cycling

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54667858 20 miles round trip to Leesburg. Keep going for a longer ride. Numerous toilet facilities along the route. Picnic lunch at Raflo Park or BBQ along the trail. We'll ride on the W&OD (Washington & Old Dominion), a paved multi-use rail-trail. We'll meet at the W&OD parking lot off of Pacific Blvd in Sterling, VA at 10:00am and start out riding west on the trail at 10:15am. See map for location. The ride will be out and back on the same trail. Minimal navigation required. Many E-Bike Lovers stop at 10 miles in Raflo Park in Leesburg and turn around for a 20-mile round trip. Some choose to ride further west on the W&OD before turning back. You can make the ride as long or short as you want, but we'll aim for 20-25 miles with the group. Raflo Park is a comfortable place for a picnic lunch. Or have a quick snack and stop for BBQ at Carolina Brothers BBQ, which is right along the trail, just 3.5 miles from the ride start. They have indoor and outdoor seating and bike racks. (See the picture.) A lock is recommended if you'd like to eat inside. Or get one of your fellow riders to keep an eye on your bike while you order food at the counter. (Note: there's also a brew pub along the trail - Old Ox Brewery - about a mile from the parking lot.) Please bring plenty of water, sunscreen, as well as snacks and lunch if you do not want BBQ. Pump your tires, check your brakes and consider packing spare tire tube. Please respect the right of way of horses and pedestrians while on the trail, and give plenty of warning and space when passing. Our route has minimal elevation and is less congested than many areas on the W&OD. There are few street crossings, and a good amount of shade, so it's a comfortable and relatively easy ride. As always, non-assisted bikers are most welcome. **Consider downloading the Ride with GPS app and the route map from Sterling to Leesburg.** https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54667858 **Free Ride With GPS for E-Bike Lovers** The Ride With GPS E-bike Lovers club membership is now free as www.ebikelovers.com generates sufficient income from ads to cover the costs. Here is the link to activate your free membership: [https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN](https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN) **More information about using GPS files:** [https://ebikelovers.com/2021/03/15/download-our-trails-and-never-get-lost/](https://ebikelovers.com/2021/03/15/download-our-trails-and-never-get-lost/) **More information about e-bike ranges:** [https://ebikelovers.com/2020/12/31/e-bike-longer-and-happier-15-smart-strategies-to-reduce-your-e-bike-range-anxiety/](https://ebikelovers.com/2020/12/31/e-bike-longer-and-happier-15-smart-strategies-to-reduce-your-e-bike-range-anxiety/) For the E-bike Lovers group to be successful, we need to grow our membership carefully. Please feel free to invite other E-bike lovers, spread the word and let's have fun. **When you register for this ride, you indicate your agreement with the terms of the disclaimer below.** **DISCLAIMER** LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER GREGORY MAASSEN, NATHAN MERRIS, RICHARD CAMER, TRIP COORDINATORS, THEIR AFFILIATES, FAMILY AND FORMER AND CURRENT EMPLOYERS NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS IS LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF A USER’S ACCESS TO, OR USE OF THE E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS. See for full disclaimer: https://ebikelovers.com/disclaimer

[https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34720279](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34720279) 23 miles. Toilets in the beginning, middle and the end of the trail. From Sycamore Landing, we e-bike on the C&O towpath to White's Ferry, where the group stops at the Potomac River for a picnic. The ferry has a restaurant known for its pickle burger. From the ferry, we return via River Road in Montgomery county's rustic farmland. The scenery is particularly fine everywhere along this 23-mile round trip. We will be biking in hilly terrain at the end of the trail. Most of the trail is flat. See also: https://ebikelovers.com/2021/01/17/trail-4-maryland-e-biking-from-sycamore-landing-to-whites-ferry/ This event will be a combined towpath and farmland ride to Whites Ferry, originally designed by David Winer, former chair of the Friday biking group. Whites Ferry is out of commission, but this doesn't affect the ride as we will not cross the Potomac. We meet at 10:00 a.m. at Sycamore Landing. We leave at 10:15 AM. See the map above for the ride route and directions to reach the parking lot at Sycamore landing. The Meetup map guides you to the Sycamore Landing parking lot as well. **Nota Bene: By car, the turn from River Road is 16 miles from the I 495 Beltway, and the parking lot is all the way down this dirt road next to the canal towpath.** The scenery is particularly fine everywhere along this 23-mile round trip. The riding surface beside the C&O canal is typically packed clay/gravel except near Whites Ferry, where it has been reworked into a smoother path. The route through the Montgomery Agricultural Preserve is a seldom-traveled road of packed gravel similar to the towpath's surfaces. Lunch: Brown bag at picnic tables overlooking the Jubal Early car ferry. Snacks and sandwiches are available at the adjacent store. The group stops a few times for slower riders to catch up. The distance will be some 22 miles or shorter any time you are fully satisfied with biking for the day. **Please remember to charge your bike, check your tires and brakes, and consider packing an extra tube.** **We recommend downloading the Ride with GPS route map to enhance your independence.** [https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34720279](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34720279) **Free Ride With GPS for E-Bike Lovers** The Ride With GPS E-bike Lovers club membership is now free as www.ebikelovers.com generates sufficient income from ads to cover the costs. Here is the link to activate your free membership: [https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN](https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN) **More information about using GPS files:** [https://ebikelovers.com/2021/03/15/download-our-trails-and-never-get-lost/](https://ebikelovers.com/2021/03/15/download-our-trails-and-never-get-lost/) **More information about e-bike ranges:** [https://ebikelovers.com/2020/12/31/e-bike-longer-and-happier-15-smart-strategies-to-reduce-your-e-bike-range-anxiety/](https://ebikelovers.com/2020/12/31/e-bike-longer-and-happier-15-smart-strategies-to-reduce-your-e-bike-range-anxiety/) As usual, non-assisted bikers are most welcome. About the C&O Canal: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. The canal's principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains. The canal’s roots begin with George Washington’s dream of a waterway trade route. 74 locks were built. About White's Ferry: Historic White's Ferry is the last of 100 ferries that used to operate on the Potomac River. This ferry, named after the confederate Civil War General Jubal A. Early, connects Whites Ferry Road in Montgomery County, Maryland with a road by the same name in Loudoun County, Virginia. The cars line up on what looks like a boat ramp and drive down onto the ferry. Once loaded, the ferry follows a wire cable to the other side of the Potomac. DISCLAIMER LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER GREGORY MAASSEN, NATHAN MERRIS, TRIP COORDINATORS, THEIR AFFILIATES, FAMILY AND FORMER AND CURRENT EMPLOYERS NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS IS LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF A USER’S ACCESS TO, OR USE OF THE E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS. See for the full disclaimer: https://ebikelovers.com/disclaimer

The Rockville Bike Hub will be at the Rockville Town Square Bike to Work Day pitstop to provide help with mechanical issues you might be having on your way to work. Come by and say hi or stay to volunteer for an hour! Register to be counted and receive a free t-shirt and other fun prizes! [https://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/rockville-town-square](https://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/rockville-town-square)

We will be hosting the City of Rockville's annual TERRIFIC Kids bike distribution. In this program students have completed a list of good deeds to earn a bicycle. Here is information about the program: [www.rockvillemd.gov/321/Terrific-Bicycle-Award](https://www.rockvillemd.gov/321/Terrific-Bicycle-Award) We need volunteers to help with set-up, helping students select a bike, and break-down. Families will be arriving by appointment between 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. A member of the Mayor and City Council will be presenting the student with a certificate. Then the student will be guided to select the correct-sized bicycle and helmet. Please let us know which 3-hour shift you can volunteer: 8:30 am to 11:30 am and/or 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. You are welcome, of course, to spend the entire day with us also. Just let us know!

May is National Bike Month... so let's kick off the 2026 riding season with this casual, family-friendly, 6-mile loop. Join us to discover Rockville's diverse bicycling infrastructure -- including paths, bridges, and tunnels you probably never knew existed. We will be riding on shared-use paths and quiet residential streets at a pace of 10 to 12 mph. Please come with your bike in proper working condition. Before arriving, please pump up your tires, check your brakes, lube your chain, and take your bike for a test spin. Elected and appointed Rockville city officials will be formally invited to ride also. We will meet in the parking lot of Rockville City Hall. RAIN DATE: Sunday, May 3, 2026 READ THE FINE PRINT, PLEASE: • Bicycling involves inherent risks and requires that participants be in proper physical condition. When you RSVP "yes" to a Bike Rockville event, that RSVP is your digital signature attesting that you have read, understood, and agreed to the group's Liability Waiver and Release, located here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BocKiaMJwba62c7b583CoOxIYamFiaWN/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BocKiaMJwba62c7b583CoOxIYamFiaWN/view?usp=sharing) • HELMETS ARE REQUIRED for all riders on every ride. • We strongly recommend you bring a water bottle, spare tube, cell phone, ID card, and cash or credit card for emergencies. • Rain at start cancels the ride; Wet pavement does not.