Monthly Archives: June 2026

The Patuxent Rural Legacy Ride (PAX)

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Rediscovering the enjoyable experience I know as Pax – a ride for the soul!

Myself, Eric, Carol and John at the Magruder’s Landing rest stop at Pax.

This year the Patuxent Rural Legacy ride was scheduled for the second weekend in June, so it didn’t conflict with the Tour De Talbot, which was held a week earlier. This meant I could ride both. I have ridden the Patuxent Rural Legacy Ride (Which I refer to as Pax) many times. It’s very popular among my friends. After the Covid cancellations in 2020, it wasn’t held again immediately, and I started riding the Tour De Talbot instead. When it started again, I was riding TDT and I didn’t come back to it until this year. I forgot what I was missing!

Where TDT is a flat ride, Pax has climbs. It challenges you. The rest stops are by the Patuxent river. You go downhill to get to them, then climb back out. Those aren’t the only climbs – there are several climbs that challenge you on all the courses. It’s a very rolling ride.

Pax is run by the Oxon Hill Bicycle Club, which does a wonderful job of organizing this event. I arrived early and bumped into some friends who were volunteering at check in. I also ran into some gentlemen who were impressed with my steel bike. It gets a lot of attention. People who ride vintage steel bikes are very proud of them, and the conversations are always lively. I’m interested in classic steel bikes, and talking about them with like minded individuals is a treat.

I rode with old friends Eric, John and Carol. We were just in it for a good day, and Carol was recovering from a surgical procedure last winter with this event being one of her early rides. We settled on a 35 mile ride, taking it easy and staying together. This was to be a ride for the soul. The day was warm but not oppressive. We started out about 8:30 in the morning – quite late by our standards. The ride starts with a climb – a couple of miles of easy uphill that everyone is happy to re-visit as they glide downhill to the finish at Jug Bay. By the top of the hill at Croom Road we were warmed up. Pax is a scenic ride with old wooden barns, fields and river views at the rest stops. I recognized lots of landmarks as we cruised along. I love that feeling of being among friends in familiar places. I know that in years past my friends and I would ride the longest distance (a metric century, 62 miles) as a matter of course. I didn’t think about lesser distances. Now it’s a matter of what I feel like riding – I ride for fitness these days. It’s strange to think that I get what I need with a hilly 35 mile ride. I have to admit that it took a long time to transition from an identity as a century riding enthusiast to a more relaxed rider. I can only say that as I age it’s been a good transition.

We pulled into Magruder’s Landing feeling good. The routine at rest stops never changes, no matter how far or how fast you ride. We were having a good time and enjoyed talking to other riders as we got our snacks (strawberries!) and filled out water bottles. Of course, roads that descend must climb back up, and we climbed out of Magruder’s landing and headed away from the river, taking the tough climb on Baden Naylor Road and heading for the Merkle Wildlife Center and the second rest stop.

Myself, Polly and Eric at the Merkle Wildlife Center rest stop.
Eric, Myself and Carol playing to the camera at Merkle!
Two excellent Wilier bicycles – a modern model on the left and my steel Superleggera on the right.

We had another good stop at Merkle, meeting up with old friend Polly Choate who was volunteering at the rest stop. I parked my classic Wilier bicycle next to a modern Wilier. It was an interesting contrast. After Merkle we had another hard climb at St. Thomas Church Road, and we took a break for water at the top. When we got back to the final descent, Eric took over for a quick ride to the finish. I joined him. It was a quick finish to a great event.

Afterward we sat down with some beer and I brought another treat – a flask of 12 year old Caol Ila Scotch Whisky. Eric and I enjoyed them, and we had a social circle in the shade at lunch provided by OHBC. It was a ride to satisfy my soul and company to make it special. It may be worth choosing Pax over TDT if there is a conflict next year!

Libations for post-ride, beer in the cooler and good scotch whisky in the flask.

The Tour de Talbot 2026

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Another perfect day for a ride. I was hoping for a fun event, and this one did not disappoint.

On the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry during the Tour de Talbot. It was an ideal day, and I rode well.

I’ve been riding the Tour de Talbot for the last few years. I’ve come to enjoy it. It’s a flat ride with a ferry trip across the Tred Avon river in the middle. You can choose 30, 40 or 62 miles – I chose the 40. I could ride a full metric century, but I have to admit that my training hasn’t been good for long distances of late, and I see this tour as a more relaxed affair. Usually.

I have a friend from Virginia named Stephanie who is a natural born social director. She has been riding the TDT for as long as I have, with a big group that she has introduced me to. I ride with them, or at least we all start out that way. Big groups have a way of expanding, and you never know who you’ll run into at such an event. Some of the group follows me on Strava, and though Steph wasn’t there because she’s training for the Reston Triathlon, the group was looking for me.

Last year a fellow named Warren rode with us. He had a heavy bike and he didn’t ride with us the whole way. This year he found me. He had done a LOT of training and had a new Trek Domane to ride. I agreed to ride with him. He had become a road monster. He put it down to the new bike – but that wasn’t the case. It was the rider, not the bike. We were going the same distance, so we rode together. We rode a remarkably consistent pace, starting with the metric riders from the bigger group. They were going at a good clip in a line, and that pace suited us for the first 12 or 13 miles until the routes split. We rode together at a strong pace for the rest of the TDT.

Warren and I on the ferry. We rode together for the entire TDT.

At the first stop an old friend named Dave Robare found me. We hadn’t talked in years. The cycling community is a small group. After a brief stop, Warren and I headed for the ferry feeling good and riding strong. The wild card was wind, or what my good friend Ron calls “the eastern shore mountains”. It was supposed to build as the day progressed. On the way to Oxford and the ferry, the wind was in our faces. Still we found ourselves holding an 18-20 mph speed and passing quite a few riders. There was a rest stop in Oxford at the ferry landing, and after a brief wait we were on the ferry. The final miles were fun. Warren decided to pull past a group of riders and I picked up the pace to join him. Later I decided to drop an annoying wheel sucker, and he pulled in with me. We worked well together at speed. There are times when riding hard can be great fun. We returned to the start after a strong ride. Beer and food awaited us. It’s hard not to look forward to next year’s TDT when you have a good time like this!

A post-ride brew to celebrate another enjoyable TDT.