DC or Bust , Connellsville, PA

Start
Saturday, September 02, 2023
End
Thursday, September 07, 2023
Location
Connellsville, PA

DC or Bust Tour, 9/2 - 9/7, Connellsville, PA to Washington, DC, 275+ miles

The "DC or Bust Tour" is a one way 275+ mile route riding primarily on the GAP, the C&O Canal Towpath, and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. The tour starts in Connellsville, PA on Saturday and ends in Arlington, VA on Wednesday. On Thursday there will be an optional ride around DC.

Also, if you are interested in a shorter 2 day ride, we have two riders that are going to ride with us from Connellsville to Rockwood on Saturday and then on Sunday’s ride they plan to turn around somewhere around the half way point and ride back to Rockwood. They will spend both Saturday and Sunday nights in Rockwood and then traveling home on Labor Day. This 2 day riding option would be 46 miles on Saturday and then around 40 or so miles on Sunday. This involves leaving a car in Rockwood prior to starting the ride from Connellsville on Saturday. Ask Rob for more details if you are interested.

This site https://thegreatalleghenypassage.com suggests using a minimum of 32mm tires or even wider if muddy conditions are expected. We won’t be trying to set any speed records and will stay together riding at a casual speed with designated regrouping locations. (FYI - I will be scheduling some local club rides on similar surfaces as training rides.)

Please review the RWGPS Event Page link to see the daily routes, daily miles, and our overnight cities: https://ridewithgps.com/events/204203-dc-or-bust.

There are different types of lodging options for you to consider in each city including campgrounds, hostels, motels, hotels, airbnbs, traditional BnBs, and resorts. If you want to reduce the daily cycling miles, consider using a SAG vehicle with a few friends and swap drivers several times a day. Plus, with a SAG vehicle you won’t have to carry your luggage or pay a service to move your luggage down the trail.

You can stay in DC as long as you want. Everyone is on their own to find transportation back to Connellsville. Options include bike transport companies, bike shops, rental vans, Amtrack, your SAG vehicle, or if your legs are feeling really good just ride your bike back! You can also drive to DC, shuttle to Connellsville and ride back to your car in DC. If you stay in DC over the weekend, there is a 20 mile no-car bike event on Saturday - https://dcbikeride.com.

If you want more information, or to talk about how we picked our lodging choices, or how I plan to handle my SAG vehicle, just let me know. Once you tell me you are officially interested, I will add you to our DC or Bust email chain.

Rob Hipskind

Silver Wheels Cycling Club is a 501 C(7) non-profit organization. P.O.Box 242 Vermilion, Oh 44089