I have had a great time for the last two weekends getting to know some of the local rides. Labor day weekend I was able to explore Loudoun County and a little bit of Damascus. Loudon was a bit more hilly than I was expecting, but the pace was reasonable so I could enjoy the 50 miles of scenery. I did not get to see as much of Damascus as I would have liked due to some poorly placed wet leaves about 10 miles into the ride. Unfortunately I crashed on a descent and destroyed my best pair of wheels. Luckily I and another unfortunate rider weren't hurt too badly, just a very sore back and a little road rash, but I am quite upset about the wheels.
My backup training wheels which are purposefully heavy, are great for training but not so great for riding a century when you are not in great shape. After a few days of rest I got on the trainer to loosen up a little. Riding a stationary trainer will really make you appreciate the outdoor rides even more. I can really only take an hour or so of sitting inside on the bike before boredom, or the end of a T.V. show forces me off. But it can be a good workout, so I guess it is worth the effort. This weekend was a little more low-key with a 30 mile jaunt on the W&OD trail and a 40 mile ride around Dulles Airport and all of the new development there. I have been surprised to see all of the new neighborhoods and shopping centers that have popped up since I last spent time here in the late 1990's. Given the short amount of time I have to prepare and the setbacks from the crash I am probably aiming for the metric century next weekend but I haven't ruled anything out yet. We will just have to see how the week goes!Dreaming of California sun!