2/12

     

The Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal

For the love of the bike

PREFACE

Martin Fernandez

Martín Fernández

Dear Reader,

Well, here we are! Volume 1, number 2 of the Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal!

I received a lot of great feedback related to our first issue. The response was phenomenal and it has fueled my desire and enthusiasm to continue on with this labor of love, and seek out more willing contributors who want to share their love of the bike.

One of my goals with this ride journal is to ensure that it is as diverse as our community is. Although knobby tires have always been my first love, I too enjoy outings on the road and gravel. One of my favorite bikes is a single speed, steel lugged track bike that I take out on the paved paths near my home. The bike used to be a fixie, but my aging knees couldn’t take the abuse, so I added a free wheel so I could occasionally coast. To “normalize” it a bit, my buddy Pete Beers (RIP), re-laced the rear wheel with a drum brake. Beyond the joys of singletrack, gravel, and the occasional road spin, I love taking that simple bike out as often as I can.

Martin on Single Speed Anvil

…I love taking that simple bike out as often as I can…

The community and cycling diversity theme holds strong in issue number 2, As you read through Kasey Clark’s “VeloPigs Ethos,” Christine Hirst Bernhardt’s “Window to Her Soul” or Sheila Malhadevan’s piece on “Melanin Base Miles,” you’ll see how important our community is in contributing, not only to our well being and localities, but also to opening up the joy of riding to many others, regardless of who they are or whatever background they come from.

This issue’s list of contributors developed organically from the many people I interact with on a daily basis on and off the bike. I’m grateful that many of them came to me with a desire to share their stories and experiences. The trust they have given to me to share their experiences under the “Best Rides DC” banner, means the world.

I hope that you enjoy reading their stories as much as I have enjoyed putting this issue together. I hope that they also inspire you to not only get out on the bike, but to also share your unique observations with the rest of us, so we can build an even better community of cyclists that follows the same ethos the VeloPigs do, to do good and be kind. #wsgfabr…

Volume 1, Number 2 Contents

Looking Ahead

Meet Casey Anderson, the Mid Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) new President, and learn about his vision and goals for the organization in the coming years.

Destination: Elizabeth Furnace

Michael Mullins has been riding the backcountry trails of the GWNF for years, usually in preparation for the challenging “Marji Gesick.” He shares his favorite introductory GWNF ride, Elizabeth Furnace.

The VeloPigs Ethos

You’ve undoubtedly heard the name Kasey Clark when it comes to Loudoun County gravel roads. Kasey shares how the Velopigs came to be and the group’s driving ethos, Do good and be kind…

Riding, A Window to my Soul.

NoVA rider and former Cal State Race Champion, Christine Hirst Bernhardt, writes about racing, recovering from injury and discovering a new community of riders.

Yoga and Cycling

Alison Wells, PMBIA Level 1 and 500hr Yoga instructor writes about the benefits of pairing yoga with body awareness and strength training to enhance your athletic ability

Weekend at Michaux

Join Dave Kraus on a three day exploration of the gravel roads of one of our regions gravel riding meccas, Michaux State Forest in south-central PA.

The Rise of Melanin Base Miles

Melanin Base Miles founder Sheila Mahadevan writes about the importance of community to help more BIPOC riders out on the bike.

Under Biking

Bike Wheelie

Dave Evans has been riding NoVa paved and gravel roads and trails for years. He shares how he stopped complaining about a destination and just learned to love the ride.

The Trail Builder

Chances are that if you ride trails in the Northern Virginia region, Brock Lowery of Ironwood outdoors has built or worked to maintain them. Get to know one of our regions most successful trail builders and how he got into the business…

Destination: Columbia County, NY

Gravel cyclists

Roadtrip? The Farmer’s Daughter and Granddaughter Gravel Grinders in Columbia County, NY, may be just the ticket.

Colophon

Get inspired!

The Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal (T•MARJ) is an online magazine that will be published four times a year. Our goal is to share stories from riders, to inspire riders.

We are always happy to receive feedback, and learn about what it is you would like to see and read in T•MARJ

Editorial Team
Martín Fernández (Publisher/Editor)
Courtney Fernández (Managing Editor)

Contact Us
hello@ride-journal.com

An Initiative of

ISSN 2995-942X

How to Contribute to the Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal.

We’re always looking for rider writers, photographers, and illustrators who have a story to share; be it an epic adventure on one of our regional trails, a personal journey of self-discovery, or simply have an interesting story to tell.

We hope the stories you share on a bike or about a bike help motivate and inspire others to hit the trail, path, or road to discover the same joy and love of cycling we have in common.

If you want to contribute, but are unsure what to write about, here are a few suggestions:

  • Why do you ride? Why do you keep riding?

  • Is there a personal moment that defines why you ride?

  • What is special about your favorite regional cycling destination? Share details about your destination of choice.

  • What do you ride? What is special about your chosen cycling discipline?

  • Is there a yearly pilgrimage you make to a destination beyond our region? What’s special about it?

  • Is there a regional event that you look forward to? Why?

This journal is a labor of love, and not meant to be a money making endeavor, for that reason we are not offering any compensation for your submission, nor do we retain ownership of your work. You are just letting us borrow it so that we can compile it with other meaningful and inspirational stories. We recommend that if you will write something, that you stick to around 500 - 800 words and share lots of photos. Not sure how long that is? Take a look at this sample from our first issue: Inclusion and Encouragement in the Cycling Community.

We also can’t guarantee that your submission will make it to a later issue. We do guarantee, however, that we will read it and get back to you.

If you are good with the above, the first step is to reach out to us using the form below, we’ll go from there.

2024 Publication Calendar

  • Volume 1, #1 - Releases on January 9, 2024 (Drafts due December 11, 2023)

  • Volume 1, #2 - Releases on April 9, 2024 (Drafts due March 8, 2024)

  • Volume 1, #3 - Releases on July 9, 2024 (Drafts due June 7, 2024)

  • Volume 1, #4  - Releases on October 9, 2024 (Drafts due September 6, 2024)

Donate/Advertise

We are looking for potential advertisers to help us offset the hosting costs for the Mid-Atlantic Ride Journal. Right now the magazine is hosted within “BestRidesDC.com”, but we aim to move it to its own domain, ride-journal.com. If you are interested in helping us offset the cost of hosting, please reach out to us directly. Contributions will be acknowledged in the pdf version of the journal as single full page ads.

Contributors

CONTRIBUTE