This past weekend with it's promise of temperatures in the low 60's was just begging for a nice, long bike ride. With ambitions high, my trusty training buddy, Peter, and I embarked on a late Saturday morning ride, hoping to reach the 40 mile mark. The ride started out wonderfully (albeit still a tad chilly from the freezing temps and wintery mix from the day before). We decided to test out a new route which primarily involved riding on the shoulder of MacArthur Blvd, a popular weekend riding spot as it turns out.
As we ventured along the roadway we came across Glen Echo Park. With it's Art Deco design it stood out a bit from the surrounding architecture so we decided to take a break from our bike seats to walk around a bit. Turns out we had come across an old amusement park that opened over a hundred years ago and once boasted a carousel, bumper cars, and an arcade, among other such delights. The amusement park elements were shut down in the sixties, but the park is now used as an arts and cultural center, preserving a snapshot of decades past.
As we rode on we also had the pleasure of biking across Cabin John Bridge (not pictured). This bridge was originally constructed as part of the Washington Aqueduct in 1864 and has since been converted to a roadway. At the time of it's construction, the main span was the longest single-span masonry arch in the world and remained as such for nearly 40 years.
After our delightful trip through time, the ride took a bit of a turn for the worse. As we began our ascent up Brickyard Road my rear derailleur hanger broke leaving poor Shadowfax broken and rather useless. Being 15 miles from home and 10 miles from the nearest Metro station, I was feeling a bit stranded. Luckily, my wonderful friend, Lena, came and rescued me and my broken bike. After a quick trip to my local bike shop, The Bike Rack, my bike was good as new and I was back to riding in no time! If the weekend taught me anything, it's that cycling isn't always sunshine and daisies, and that some things are just completely out of your control. I'll be trying to keep that in mind this summer when things inevitably go off track from time to time!
As we ventured along the roadway we came across Glen Echo Park. With it's Art Deco design it stood out a bit from the surrounding architecture so we decided to take a break from our bike seats to walk around a bit. Turns out we had come across an old amusement park that opened over a hundred years ago and once boasted a carousel, bumper cars, and an arcade, among other such delights. The amusement park elements were shut down in the sixties, but the park is now used as an arts and cultural center, preserving a snapshot of decades past.
As we rode on we also had the pleasure of biking across Cabin John Bridge (not pictured). This bridge was originally constructed as part of the Washington Aqueduct in 1864 and has since been converted to a roadway. At the time of it's construction, the main span was the longest single-span masonry arch in the world and remained as such for nearly 40 years.
After our delightful trip through time, the ride took a bit of a turn for the worse. As we began our ascent up Brickyard Road my rear derailleur hanger broke leaving poor Shadowfax broken and rather useless. Being 15 miles from home and 10 miles from the nearest Metro station, I was feeling a bit stranded. Luckily, my wonderful friend, Lena, came and rescued me and my broken bike. After a quick trip to my local bike shop, The Bike Rack, my bike was good as new and I was back to riding in no time! If the weekend taught me anything, it's that cycling isn't always sunshine and daisies, and that some things are just completely out of your control. I'll be trying to keep that in mind this summer when things inevitably go off track from time to time!