The Second Annual K-Man Century Ride 
by Eric Kinneman

Ken and I left Gravelly Point Park near Reagan National Airport as the sun began to rise on a beautiful, chilly morning.  We took the Mt. Vernon Trail to the Four Mile Run Trail where we crossed over I-395 and picked up the W&OD Trail at milepost one.  There was virtually no traffic on the trail in the early morning hours, but it seemed that we had to stop at every road crossing.  Other than a small group of mountain bikers, we saw virtually no one on the entire segment from Leesburg to Purcellville as we climbed gradually into the foothills.  We reached Purcellville at 11:00 and ate a hearty breakfast at the Purcellville Inn, famous for its hotcakes, bacon, sausage, home fries, and eggs platter that supplied enough carbohydrates and grease to fuel our return trip.  Temperatures were cool enough that we wore long sleeves and long-fingered gloves all the way out and part of the way back.  The return trip, with a breeze at our backs and mostly downhill terrain, went by quickly as I settled into a metronomic pace and Ken kept close on my back wheel.  We had stops at Leesburg for a Gatorade fill up (no Thunderbird or Mad Dog 20/20 needed), Smith’s Switch to finally peel off a layer of clothing, and Whole Foods in Vienna for a shot of caffeine before rolling back into Gravelly Point at 3:50 pm.  The trail was very quiet on the return trip, too, and we were able to get into a good groove for long stretches.  Even the roads we had stopped to cross in the morning allowed us to pass without pause.  We averaged 14.7 miles per hour for the entire trip, and we both finished the ride none the worse for wear.  The first two K-Man Century Rides are in the books with all who have completed the ride having a “K” in their names (Kinneman, Kasimer, Ken); other letters of the alphabet are encouraged to get ready for next year’s ride!