Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride 2025

Challenge Ride Route

Yesterday I rode in the 2025 Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride. I’ve done this once before, but skipped recent years because of other plans. This year is the first iteration of this ride in which the start/finish line is actually in DC adjacent to the US Capitol building. I’ve been training all winter; I wanted to see if I could get another gold medal.

Sadly, I just missed the cut-off; I wasn’t able to start another lap with about 30 minutes left to go in the three-hour window. I completed four laps, enough only for a silver medal. They physically blocked the course to prevent riders from going out for another lap.

Waiting to Start

I Rarely See the Washington Monument from this Side

The Ride Started Shortly After Sunrise

It was really cool to be able to ride in DC without worrying about cars. In fact, this was my first time ever riding in the District, after 30+ years living nearby. I parked in East Potomac Park near Hains Point, then rode to the starting area. I was near the front at the start and we got going much faster than last time because there weren’t so many early choke points. I quickly learned that there are hills that I had never noticed when I drove my car on those same streets. There are also lots of manhole covers, some with deep depressions. I spent a lot of the time on Independence Avenue just avoiding potholes and deep manhole covers. The course proceeded west on Independence, south on 14th, and across the Potomac on the I395 express lanes, then, near the Pentagon, joined the course from previous years between Crystal City and Rosslyn. The course was mostly in pretty good shape, with only a few places where there were deep gaps in the concrete. I really didn't like the expansion joints on the 14th Street Bridge; they look like intermeshing teeth with gaps that could grab my wheels, but I never had any trouble with them. There was a lot of rain overnight and the road started out damp with a few puddles, but it mostly dried out before the end of the ride. The temperature was pretty cool at the start but I warmed up quickly and only broke out in a brief sweat a few times.

So how did it go?

• I think I’m in better shape than last time. I actually rode slightly faster, on average.
• The wind sucked; it was windy all morning.
• I tried to be mindful about drinking but should have done it more often. Same for eating.
• I was able to produce power surges whenever I needed for climbs.
• If I do it again, I need to show up in better shape to get past the cut-off at 2 1/2 hours.

 

 

Ride of the Patriots 2023

Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of motorcyclists ride into the local area to participate in the annual ride from the Pentagon to DC. This event used to be called Rolling Thunder, but with the demise of that organization the successor ride is called Ride to Remember. The local Harley Davidson dealer organizes a pre-ride from Fairfax to the Pentagon, called the Ride of the Patriots. I’ve photographed the Ride of the Patriots several times, including today.

I’m disappointed that my favorite spot to photograph this event is not so great anymore. While expanding I-66 to add lanes, the contractor destroyed the bridge that provided a great view of the riders as they passed underneath. The replacement bridge is in the same spot, but now there’s a fence on the bridge, presumably to prevent people from throwing objects onto cars below. I’m not interested in shooting through the fence.

The next best alternative is the top of the Dunn Loring Metro station parking garage. It’s not great.

I tried dragging the shutter this time (1/400, 1/320) to get a bit of background blur and obvious motion in the wheels as I panned with the bikes. This was super-hard with my 500mm lens, and I got only a small number of usable photos with this technique. Later in the ride I switched to 1/500 or faster. 

Here are my favorites from this year’s ride.

Motorcycles lined up with spectators on the bridge

Makeup

This guy again

One of the few single female riders

Showing the flag

Were they looking at me?

Tattoo sleeve under the sleeve

She’s holding on for dear life

Skyline Drive Cycling

This morning I went for a bike ride on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. I’ve lived in Northern Virginia for a long time and I’ve been to this park a handful of times, but this was my first time riding my bike there.

I’m considering some cycling events next year in which hill climbing is part of the courses. Here in Northern Virginia, there aren’t many big hills. Skyline drive has lots of hills and it has a biker-friendly reputation. The weather is good this weekend, a bit chilly but calm wind. And the Fall colors are approaching peak. So I made the drive to Front Royal and parked just outside the fee station at the north entrance.

Fog Obscures the Shenandoah River

The first 6 miles were about 1600 feet of climbing to the top of the first hill. Or is it a mountain? Anyway I took it easy, knowing I had a lot of climbing ahead. Then the roller coaster started. It was a sequence of climbs and descents, with hardly any flat ground. I alternated between sweating climbs and chilly descents. I reached the Elkwallow wayside at mile 24, rested, ate, and started the return trip.

The first climb after the wayside on the return ride was kind of grueling, but after that the miles flew by. My speed on the descents were often in the 30s. Finally I reached the entrance station, only to see cars lined up trying to enter the park. This line extended into Front Royal for quite a long way. These were people who wanted to see the Fall colors.

I got back to my car a sweaty mess. Final numbers: 47.74 miles, 5,778 feet of climbing. That’s a new single day climbing record for me.

Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride

Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride Route

Today I participated in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride. I’ve never, until today, participated in any timed cycling event. The challenge was to ride as many laps as possible in three hours. This was not a race against people; it was a race against the clock.

When I signed up, I looked at the course: 6.5 miles. I looked at my best speeds for my rides this year. I did the math. I could expect to complete 7 laps, or maybe 8 if I had a good day.

So I showed up, stood in the starting area with hundreds of other riders, and waited for the start. I was worried that I might crash in the mass of riders as the race began. It was crowded for a while but eventually people spread out. My first lap could have been faster, but for all the slower riders in the way for the first mile or so.

The first few laps were ridiculously fast (for me anyway). I occasionally got stuck in a bunch of slower riders or crowded by pace lines, but mostly I could ride at my own pace. When I finished lap 4 and I was still managing to hold 20 mph, I had the first inkling that maybe I could complete 9 laps.

But then the wind picked up and I started to tire. My lap times started to increase. There were 2 portions of the outbound course that were particularly tough climbs (not steep, but hard to do when I was tired) directly into the wind. Nothing on the entire course was all that steep, but I found it hard to keep my speed up. I forced myself to drink even though I wasn’t thirsty. I ate Blok energy food even though I wasn’t hungry: I was afraid I would bonk.

I passed the Start/Finish line with about 25 minutes left at the end of lap 8. Lots of riders were leaving the course. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try for a 9th lap. I started lap 9. I had a cramp right after the turnaround in Rosslyn. I saw the broom wagon on the outbound side of the course as I was passing Arlington National Cemetery inbound. I finished the 9th lap with 1 minute to spare.

Notes:

• 9 laps was the minimum for the gold medal group, so I got my gold medal.
• Total distance: 58.4 miles, 1775 feet of climb, 19.6 mph average speed.
• At one point I was riding along mostly by myself when I was overtaken by a peloton. I had riders passing me on both sides.
• I saw one crash happen about 100 feet in front of me.
• This was the “Armed Forces Cycling Classic”. I wore my US Army Jersey. There were lots of Navy and Army and Air Force jerseys. Some spectators near the end of each lap yelled “Go Army!”, several times as I went by.
• I rested for several days before the event. I’m certain that helped a lot. 
• I was worried about hydration, but it was a cool morning so I didn’t sweat much. I had 2 bottles of water mixed with Skratch. I ate a breakfast with carbs and sugar before the event. I have no idea if the calories in the water and the 4 Bloks that I ate had any effect, but I never felt close to bonking.
• My usual training ride course on the W&OD trail is almost 60 miles and I usually take a break halfway. This ride was nearly as far but faster and with no breaks. I was worried that I’d fade. And I did fade: my last few laps were significantly slower than my first few. But even those slower laps were faster than I usually ride on the W&OD.
• I set 2 personal records: max speed over a 40 km course and max average power over 20 minutes. I have no idea why I was so fast relative to my usual speed. I’m speculating that it’s the combination of relatively flat course, rest, adrenaline, great weather (except for the wind), a good road surface, and a clear performance goal.
• If I do it again: drink and eat more on the bike, eat a snack in the starting area, drink water in the car on the way to the event.

Overall, I’m very happy with my results, having exceeded even my stretch goal of 8 laps.

Shortly Before the Start

Gold Finisher Medal

Cicadas

 Here in Virginia we are in the middle of the Brood X periodic cicada emergence. Every 17 years the insects which make this brood up emerge from the ground, try to climb a tree (or fence, or house, or car, or whatever they can find). Upon emergence, they have no wings. Shortly after they exit the soil, their exoskeleton hardens, often while they're grasping a tree or fence. Then the exoskeleton splits open as they molt and the cicada emerges with stubby wings, leaving the exoskeleton behind, often still attached to a tree or fence. The wings grow quickly, the insects darken in color, then they try to fly/climb to the tops of the trees. Then they make an awful racket as they attempt to mate. Then the females cut slits in tree/shrub branches, and the adult cicadas die. Eventually the eggs hatch, the hatched nymphs fall to the ground, they dig into the soil, and they live there for 17 years, when they emerge from the ground and the cycle starts again.

This is the second time I've seen the emergence in Virginia. Just like last time, these insects are everywhere for a few weeks. They're on the sidewalks, in the air, and sometimes they land on me. They are all over my yard, roses, fence, and trees. The bugs are everywhere. The empty shells are everywhere. No bird or rat is going hungry right now. Cicadas emerge in such enormous numbers that it does not matter to the population that many of them die before procreating.

Why am I writing about this? Because I tried my hand at macro photography, using them as the subject. They're slow-moving and easy to find right now. I used a tripod, a 70-200 f2.8 lens, and an extension tube for close focusing. This makes the focal plane extremely thin, which makes it hard to get a sharp shot. So there's the challenge. Here are some results.

On my roses

On my roses

Climbing

Just emerged from the exoskeleton

Bulging red eyes

Cygnus NG-15 Launch

Every now and then NASA sends a resupply payload to the International Space Station. Some of the missions launch from the Midatlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). My wife and I sometimes go watch the launch when the date/time is convenient.

We usually drive to Chincoteague and park on/near the causeway that leads to Assateague Island. There's a good view from there to the launch site.

While it's fun to watch this, photography is hard. The pad is several miles away, visible in the distance. Even on a cold day (like yesterday) there is a haze that makes sharp photos impossible.

Launch

The atmospheric distortion can even make the rocket itself look bent.

Distortion

As the rocket climbs, the air through which I'm shooting is cleaner and less disturbed, but by then the rocket is farther away so it appears smaller. This is also when the noise of the launch finally reaches the causeway. The roar is not loud, but lasts a while, even as the rocket disappears.

Climbing

Eventually the rocket gets far overhead and fades away.

High Up and about to Disappear from View

I was ready for the cloudy contrail this time. But, there was no nice pretty trail to shoot.

Rocket Launch

This past weekend my wife and I went to Chincoteague to watch a rocket launch.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, aka MARS, has a couple of launches per year, usually to the International Space Station. These are unmanned resupply missions. We've gone twice before to watch a launch. The first time was perfect: it was a night launch and we had beautiful weather. We arrived in town and were directed to the school parking lot. There, we caught a bus to the circle in town near the causeway that leads to Assateague Island. We, along with hundreds of other people, watched the launch that took place miles away. We had a great view over the coastal swamp and open water. The second trip was a bust. We stayed overnight, set up in frigid cold to watch, and the launch was scrubbed seconds before the target time.

This time the launch went on schedule. We got there a couple of hours early, parked on the causeway, and waited. It was chilly and sunny and clear. It was really cool to see the launch. The delay in hearing it was just as I remembered from the first launch that I witnessed. The pad is several miles away from the viewing area; it took time for the sound to reach us. The rocket was nearly out of sight before we heard the launch.

I'm disappointed with the pictures. It was hazy at ground level so sharp pictures were impossible. Even after it climbed I had a hard time getting sharp photos; it was just too far away. But I'll post them anyway.

Here's a shot just after liftoff, with the steam from the water that cools the pad creating a cloud on the left.

Just After Liftoff

 High in the sky, here you can see the two plumes from the two rocket motors. I darkened this one in post-processing to show the flames.

Plume

 The exhaust left a cloud that hung in the air for a little while.

Smoky Trail

Nearly out of sight, it looked like an airplane with a contrail.

Approaching Main Engine Cutoff

So I learned a few things. First, the advice I found on shooting this event said to underexpose a couple of stops because the rocket motors put out a lot of light. That turned out to be the correct advice. I also read that manual mode, f8, ISO 200, 1/1000 are good exposure settings. That also turned out right. I set up on a tripod with a gimbal head. Worked great. What will I do differently, if I ever do this again?

• Focus on infinity, tape the focus ring, forget about trying to focus. It's all happening at infinity. Forget the focus button, which I kept pushing out of habit.
• Have a second camera with a 70-200 lens ready to shoot the smoky trail. My 500mm lens was too much for that and I could only get part of it at a time.

W&OD Trail

Normally I write this blog only about photography. But today I did something I've wanted to do for a long time and I want to write about it.

After several years of letting my bike gather dust, I decided to start riding again. I took a look at my old bike and decided that it was time to start over.

I did some research, asked some friends who ride, and settled on a model and bought it. Then I started the long slog to get into riding shape. Those first few rides were pretty short. After a month or so, I started exploring routes and settled on a regular 22 mile route from my home to a park at the mouth of the Occoquan River. Eleven miles out, same route back. And there's a big climb (big for me anyway) out of the park so I was getting some lung burning workouts. More importantly, I was getting into shape. I'm never going to be fast or ride for dozens of miles at a time, but I'm reaching my goal of exercising more.

It's Labor Day weekend; I decided it's time to do the long ride that I've wanted to do for a while. I put my bike in the car and drove to Purcellville. My wife drove away, leaving me there at the trail head for the W&OD trail. Because I started at dawn, I mostly had the trail to myself and even startled a family of deer. The miles flew by, probably at least partially because the trail descends from 600 feet toward sea level. I flew through Leesburg. I started running into traffic in Herndon: pedestrians, joggers, more bikers. Reston was crowded. So was Vienna. Finally I reached the other end of the trail in Shirlington after 45 miles of riding. From there I took the 4 Mile Trail to the Mount Vernon Trail next to the Potomac River. I rested for a while at Gravelly Point to watch airplanes, then rode to the Pentagon, where I had arranged for pickup.

My total mileage was 52.9, with breaks in Leesburg, Reston, Falls Church, and Gravelly Point. This is a personal record, exceeding my previous record by about 3 miles. Man it was fun, and I'm expecting to pay for it tomorrow with sore thighs and a painful ass. But it was absolutely worth it.

River Otters

I've been otherwise occupied so I haven't visited the refuge much this Summer. However, I did go last week on a brutally hot, humid morning with the usual Summer bugs harassing me as I walked. There wasn't much to shoot, so I came away mostly empty. But I did have only my second otter sighting there. A pair of them were darting into the road and back into the brush repeatedly. One appeared to be an adult, the other a juvenile. Finally they came out long enough for me to get some shots of this playful pair before they ran to the shore and dove in.

River Otters

Ride of the Patriots 2019

Memorial Day weekend in DC means Rolling Thunder. I've been seeing lots of motorcycles for several days leading up to the event. I made my plans to set up on a bridge over Interstate 66 to photograph the Ride of the Patriots, which is a group of riders who line up in Fairfax and who then ride to the Pentagon to join the Rolling Thunder riders. Well, I botched it:

1. I got there too late; the best spots on the bridge were taken and I had an obstructed view of the road as a result.
2. I somehow managed to get my camera into single focus mode and couldn't figure out how to get it into continuous focus mode. It's not obviously marked on the camera. No problem, I thought, I'll just look at the manual...
3. But I had left my phone in the car, and I'd lose my (bad) spot if I left to get my phone, on which I could read the camera manual.

OK, I had to improvise. I basically picked a spot on the road, then focused on that spot, then waited for motorcycles to enter the frame. I managed to get some keepers after all.

Nice Shirt

The ride is dominated by men. Almost all of the women in the ride were hanging on to a male rider. At least that's the way it has been in previous years, and this year was no exception. But, surprisingly large numbers of women rode this time. With thousands of bikes going by, I look for a few things that stand out to be worth shooting. Beards, tattoos, facial expressions, gestures, children, helmets, the rare female rider, ...

What a Beard!

Of course the cops were busy providing traffic control. So I guess you could say they were in the ride too.

Fairfax County's Finest

There are so many back seat riders using their phones, I wonder how many phones get dropped on the road during the ride...

Selfie?

Another theme this year was the number of smokers. There were lots of cigars, and a few cigarettes.

Got a light?

This guy's working on a painful sunburn. Maybe he burned his face riding to Fairfax the day before?

Red Face

This kid is hanging on to the flag and his rider, maybe his/her father? I saw lots of women riding as passengers, and a few children, and even a dog.

Hold on Tight!

I guess makeup was important for this rider. It seems most of the women riders show more skin than the men. Talk about skin abrasion if she falls.

Lipstick

And finally, here's a nice smile to end the series of photos:

Smile!

This year the riders did a poor job of keeping a consistent distance from the bike ahead, and consequently large gaps opened up. Toward the end of the ride, the motorcycles were going by really fast to close the gaps and it became hard to get good shots as they whizzed by. I eventually just put my camera down and watched the show.

The organization that organizes Rolling Thunder announced that this was the last one; they're not doing this anymore. Well, we'll see. Maybe the local chapters will figure out how to keep it going, maybe with smaller groups of riders. Or maybe the national chapter will settle their grievance with the Pentagon over costs and perceived sleights. But maybe this was my last chance to shoot these people and to hear the deep rumble of thousands of bikes.

One last bit about my camera... In spite of my issue with getting it into the right mode to follow objects while maintaining focus (and I've since read the manual and fixed that setting), I'm loving my new camera. I'm stunned by the high quality of the photographs, the ability to do aggressive cropping and still have a nice, sharp photo, and the fact that I've had it for a few months now and still haven't filled the buffer.

Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge with New Camera

The weather has lined up to mostly prevent me from going to the refuge to shoot. Cold doesn't bother me; rain and gray clouds to. It seems every weekend this year has been wet and gloomy.

I have good camera gear, but one annoyance persisted: the buffer capacity on my camera is too small. Too many times I've had a bird approaching, where I take a few shots to at least get something, and then the shot keeps getting better, and better, and as I'm firing away, the buffer fills up and my shot rate drops from several frames per second to only about one or two while the camera writes images to the card. I miss the best part of the sequence because the buffer is full. Then I find myself trying to budget my shots to keep capacity available, but maybe the bird turns and I could have gotten more shots while I was deliberately holding off. The same thing happens when I photograph my son's rowing races. I have to budget shots while they approach with their backs to me, then I want to fire away for the side shots with their bodies and faces in profile when they pull close, and I want to keep firing as they pull away, with their faces in view. But again, the buffer fills and I miss shots as they leave.

OK, enough whining. I bought a new camera body and I've been waiting for a chance to shoot. I got there at dawn just as the gate opened and before the sun rose.

But now the roads are closed at the refuge because of eagle nesting. OK, nothing new there, but to make matters worse, bad weather washed debris up on shore and washed the road out, leaving my favorite part along the shore unpassable and marked off limits. I can't even approach the eagle nest by the water.

So half of the roads are unavailable. But, it wasn't a total loss.

There's a spot on Easy Road where there is swamp on either side. I noticed ripples in the water, and stopped to see what caused them. It was a river otter. I've visited that refuge dozens of times over many years and never seen one before. Sadly, in the gloom, obscured by bushes, and only feet away, it was too close to photograph. I got a pretty good look at it as it was on land, but then it saw me and jumped into the water and swam away.

I saw several eagles and ospreys, though nothing worth photographing. I did come away with some shots of deer and a white-throated sparrow.

White-Throated Sparrow

White-Tailed Deer

White-Tailed Deer

I still have some work to do to get used to the new camera. It's way better than my old one but requires way better technique to get sharp photos.

Occoquan River Rowing

My son's last race of the season was on a beautiful Fall day. I think I've finally gotten the hang of this:

1. Get to a spot where the boat will pass close by.
2. Select that spot to have the rowers front-lit, or at least not back-lit.
3. Catch them as they go by to the starting line. They're warming up, and in a good mood as they BS with each other.
4. During the race get a few shots as they approach, but that's not the main event.
5. Fire away when they pass. You'll get their faces in the shot.
6. Time the shots for the catch, when the paddle hits the water. Flying water and grimaces of effort make for great shots. Don't fill that buffer!

Warming Up

Fall Colors

Getting Closer

Close Pass

Pulling Hard

Beaver Sighting

I've been making regular walks in the neighborhood, passing by the lake, looking for opportunities to photograph the beavers, foxes, and deer that are frequently there. The foxes and deer have been quite shy, running away at first sight or hiding in the shadows in the woods, meaning no photography is possible. But the beavers have been more cooperative.

Coming Right At Me, Tail Faintly Visible

Almost a Mirror Image

I'm not interested in lugging my big lens through the neighborhood so I've been using my 300mm f4. The beavers, deer, and foxes come out at dusk, which means lots of shadows, which means everything is dark. To get anything usable, I'm shooting wide open at about 1/500 sec, and ISO 1600. The dark brown animal in the dark brown water reflecting dark green trees and bushes in the shade means some pretty dim photos.