The Vasaloppet is a famous ski race in Sweden. It has absolutely nothing to do with bicycles, and so naturally every spring since 2007 the Swedish embassy in conjunction with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) has hosted the VASA bike ride in tribute to the Vasaloppet and the coming of spring.
Yes, it makes no sense.
Unfortunately, it's a tradition that's coming to an end. After last year the Swedes decided they could no longer host the event (no reason given - perhaps diplomatic ties have frayed). This year REI stepped in to host one final VASA ride, so my first VASA ride will almost certainly also be my last VASA ride. I had registered for the ride last year, but it was held the day I was released from the hospital, a day when I was in no condition for a long bike ride.
With the change of hosts came a change of venue - the ride started and ended at the flagship REI in Northeast DC rather than at Sweden House. Rather than bike the ten miles from home to REI I lazed out and took Metro to Capitol South which left just a mile and a half of biking to the start. I could have lazed out even further and taken the red line almost to REI's front door, but I decided a little riding was better than dealing with switching trains.
Upon my arrival I immediately bumped into lots of people I knew: Judd and Josephine were volunteering at registration. Yvonne and Jay (who I think of as paddlers, not cyclists) were marshaling the 15 mile ride. Lots of my coffee club cyclist friends were getting ready to head out for the 60 mile ride, which started first, so I said a quick hello then they headed out.
Gina, Ken, young Chris and I had arranged in advance to do the 30 mile route together. Gina's "significant other" Peter was supposed to show up on a tandem with his 12 year old daughter Sophie as well, but he was late in arriving so the rest of us minus Gina headed out, picking up some other riders (people we didn't know) as part of our group - eight people in all, joined midway by a ninth. I was using the "follow route" function of my bike computer for the first time. Chris was running two different computers, which seemed appropriate on his space age specially imported German pinion gear, belt- drive Rose bike, and so between the two of us and our three computers we managed not to make any wrong turns. The route took us across DC into Georgetown, and then up to Bethesda via the Capital Crescent Trail and MacArthur Boulevard. One could actually have taken the Cap Crescent trail the whole way to Bethesda rather than dealing with traffic on MacArthur, but we opted to keep to the official route and take the road from Fletcher's Cove onward. I think they routed it that way to get the route to be exactly 30 miles.
Bethesda offered a halfway pit stop - bathrooms at Panera, bananas, granola bars and pretzels. Ken is another Jewish rider and, being Conservative, observes eight days of Passover. I observe seven and so it was still Passover for him but not for me - so unfortunately he couldn't take advantage of the free granola bars (he wouldn't even take possession of chametz on Passover). While we were chomping our snacks Gina, Peter and Sophie caught up with us. Also, a few of our group took off ahead of us, so when we started the ride back we were a reconfigured group of Ken, Chris, Gina, Peter, Sophie and me - which was kind of nice, since we all knew each other.
The ride back from Bethesda was pleasant: mostly downhill, and a lot of it was through the closed roads of Rock Creek Park. When we got back to REI we were served the traditional blueberry soup and Swedish meatballs (yes, they had meatless Swedish meatballs!). I hung around for a bit but didn't opt to wait until 2 PM for the after-party at Wunder Garden, since I needed to get home, change, rest and then head back to Northeast DC for an evening out with friends. Feeling like I still had some gas left in the tank I decided to bike home rather than taking the train. I will say that I started to feel tired about half-way through the ten mile ride home, but I made it, completing my longest day of riding (about 43 miles) since my surgery. I love every new milestone like this, so it was a really good day - good riding, good friends, and a new distance accomplishment. I am glad, though, that I didn't try the 60 mile ride. That would have been too much.
Strava track of the VASA ride
Strava track of the ride home
Yes, it makes no sense.
Unfortunately, it's a tradition that's coming to an end. After last year the Swedes decided they could no longer host the event (no reason given - perhaps diplomatic ties have frayed). This year REI stepped in to host one final VASA ride, so my first VASA ride will almost certainly also be my last VASA ride. I had registered for the ride last year, but it was held the day I was released from the hospital, a day when I was in no condition for a long bike ride.
With the change of hosts came a change of venue - the ride started and ended at the flagship REI in Northeast DC rather than at Sweden House. Rather than bike the ten miles from home to REI I lazed out and took Metro to Capitol South which left just a mile and a half of biking to the start. I could have lazed out even further and taken the red line almost to REI's front door, but I decided a little riding was better than dealing with switching trains.
Upon my arrival I immediately bumped into lots of people I knew: Judd and Josephine were volunteering at registration. Yvonne and Jay (who I think of as paddlers, not cyclists) were marshaling the 15 mile ride. Lots of my coffee club cyclist friends were getting ready to head out for the 60 mile ride, which started first, so I said a quick hello then they headed out.
Gina, Ken, young Chris and I had arranged in advance to do the 30 mile route together. Gina's "significant other" Peter was supposed to show up on a tandem with his 12 year old daughter Sophie as well, but he was late in arriving so the rest of us minus Gina headed out, picking up some other riders (people we didn't know) as part of our group - eight people in all, joined midway by a ninth. I was using the "follow route" function of my bike computer for the first time. Chris was running two different computers, which seemed appropriate on his space age specially imported German pinion gear, belt- drive Rose bike, and so between the two of us and our three computers we managed not to make any wrong turns. The route took us across DC into Georgetown, and then up to Bethesda via the Capital Crescent Trail and MacArthur Boulevard. One could actually have taken the Cap Crescent trail the whole way to Bethesda rather than dealing with traffic on MacArthur, but we opted to keep to the official route and take the road from Fletcher's Cove onward. I think they routed it that way to get the route to be exactly 30 miles.
Bethesda offered a halfway pit stop - bathrooms at Panera, bananas, granola bars and pretzels. Ken is another Jewish rider and, being Conservative, observes eight days of Passover. I observe seven and so it was still Passover for him but not for me - so unfortunately he couldn't take advantage of the free granola bars (he wouldn't even take possession of chametz on Passover). While we were chomping our snacks Gina, Peter and Sophie caught up with us. Also, a few of our group took off ahead of us, so when we started the ride back we were a reconfigured group of Ken, Chris, Gina, Peter, Sophie and me - which was kind of nice, since we all knew each other.
The ride back from Bethesda was pleasant: mostly downhill, and a lot of it was through the closed roads of Rock Creek Park. When we got back to REI we were served the traditional blueberry soup and Swedish meatballs (yes, they had meatless Swedish meatballs!). I hung around for a bit but didn't opt to wait until 2 PM for the after-party at Wunder Garden, since I needed to get home, change, rest and then head back to Northeast DC for an evening out with friends. Feeling like I still had some gas left in the tank I decided to bike home rather than taking the train. I will say that I started to feel tired about half-way through the ten mile ride home, but I made it, completing my longest day of riding (about 43 miles) since my surgery. I love every new milestone like this, so it was a really good day - good riding, good friends, and a new distance accomplishment. I am glad, though, that I didn't try the 60 mile ride. That would have been too much.
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| Bethesda pit stop |
Strava track of the VASA ride
Strava track of the ride home
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