Our Side of the Bay

Where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake

by Carolyn Laray

Cyclists around the region are pretty familiar with what Maryland’s Eastern Shore has to offer, but the other side of the Bay, namely our side, closest in proximity to Baltimore, D.C., and Northern Virginia, still remains a bit of a cycling "best kept secret."

St. Mary’s County, a peninsula which forms the southernmost tip of the Chesapeake Bay’s western shore, in particular offers some great routes and even throws in some nice inclines in its relatively flat tidewater landscape. It also has as extensive a network of roads with wide shoulders as you’ll find in the mid Atlantic.

The wide shoulders harken back to a time when tractors ruled these rural roads. Today they are used by the county’s Amish and Mennonite families who travel by horse-drawn cart and buggy.

The area remains pretty bucolic with many scenic back roads where vehicle traffic is light. But in addition to good cycling roads, the area has plenty of other features to make the trip worthwhile.

This is Maryland’s birthplace so there is a ton of history to explore including Maryland’s first capital at Historic St. Mary’s City and the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac River at Piney Point.

Leonardtown on Breton Bay makes a great "base camp" and has a multitude of restaurants and a nice hotel (the Executive Inn Park Avenue) located right off the town square.

One great route that gives cyclists an inspired workout is a favorite of Pax Velo, the local cycling club. The inspiration comes from the scenic beauty and colonial history encountered along the way. The workout is due to the hilly terrain that characterizes a good bit of this 42 mile route.

The ride begins at the north edge of Leonardtown where Maypole Road intersects with Route 301. Maypole starts things off with a long uphill grade into the leafy interior of the county. Left on Parsons Mill Road then right onto Route 247/Loveville Road, moves you along Amish back roads.

After a right onto Route 5 in Morganza, and left onto Route 238 in Helen, you’ll come to Chaptico.

You’ve now left Amish country and are about to travel deep into colonial Maryland history, but first, make a quick stop at Chaptico Market. This is an old fashioned general store with a deli counter in the back that serves fabulous fried chicken and stuffed ham sandwiches—a favorite local dish.

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MY BIKE SHOP

by Brenda Ruby

bruby@verizon.net

Takoma Bicycle

[Editor’s Note: A good independent bicycle shop still remains one of the treasured resources of bicycling–among the best places to learn about places to ride, meet locals to ride with, and learn about new products. Oh, and they also do a super job fixing the bike stuff you break. "My Bike Shop" is a regular feature of SPOKES in which we give you a look into a local shop and the folks behind it.]

7030 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Phone: 301-270-0202

www.takomabicycle.com

Hours of Operation: M-F 10-8, Sat 10-4, Sun 10-2

Owner: Bruce Sawtelle


Walk in to Takoma Bicycle and you’ll see something a little different—the service area is up front and the owner, Bruce Sawtelle, is right there ready to greet you.

Of the setup, Sawtelle told SPOKES: "It’s kind of unique—there aren’t many places where you can come in and talk to the owner."

That’s just the way Bruce has always envisioned it. With this newly opened store, he launches his path but continues a legacy started by his father some 60 years ago.

Sawtelle’s father, Roger, and an uncle purchased Green’s Chevy Chase Bicycle in the early 1950s, after having worked for Mr. Green while in college. Bruce’s father took over the business and expanded it to six different locations in Kensington, Rockville, Clinton, Laurel, Gaithersburg, and Riverdale.

While only the Laurel location remains, it has been part of the community for almost 30 years.

Initiated into the business at an early age, Bruce has memories not just of the shops, but of being taken to League of American Wheelman Rallies and family bike trips. He rode his first century ride in New England with his father and two of his brothers in 1974 when he was only 14 and recalls specifically another family outing—a two-day ride from their home in Silver Spring to Gettysburg that was completed in spite of a "bad crash."

Seeing the business evolve since childhood, he stepped into a bigger role when he helped open the Laurel location in 1982 and continued to run the retail store and do the bike ordering until 1995, during which time their store became a nationally top-ranked Schwinn dealer for several years. It was also during his time there that Bruce became more involved with organized biking.

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Team In Training

Cyclists members of Team in Training of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society are training locally for upcoming rides in Tucson, Arizona and the SeaGull Century in Salisbury, Md., this October.  This group did the "covered bridges" ride in northern Maryland recently.  For details on how to get involved contact Ben Clausen of TNT at ben.clausen@lls.org.