On Friday, October 22nd, we shared our Cross Triangle Greenway dream with the community by riding most of it! The free and public ride was ~39 miles between two spectacular landmarks of Raleigh and Durham.
Start:Â At 12 noon, the ride kicked-off at the NC Museum of Art.
Finale Celebration: ~5:15-6:30pm on the lawn by the Durham Bulls ballpark and the American Tobacco Campus. Speakers included NC Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti, Durham Bike/Ped Coordinator Dale McKeel, Durham City Council member Mike Woodard, East Coast Greenway Alliance Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano, & many more.
The ride was almost 75% off the road on greenways — passable on a road bike, though there were 2 miles of fine stone dust through Umstead and a few miles of non-paved trail in southern Durham County. So depending on preference, you may want to use thicker tires. For a map and cue sheet of our planned route, click here.
The ride included three short rest stops with snacks, drinks, a rest room, and an update on local greenway progress. Our itinerary was (we also Tweeted from @ECGreenway along the way):
12-12:20 – Kickoff at NC Museum of Art
12:20 – Leave NC Museum of Art
12:45 – pass Harrison Ave Umstead State Park entrance parking (mile 4.7)
1 – pass Old Reedy Creek Rd Black Creek Greenway entrance by Lake Crabtree (mile 6.7)
1:20 to 1:30 – 1st rest stop at Godbold Park of Cary staffed by SAS volunteers (mile 10.5)
1:45 – pass Bond Park of Cary (mile 13.8)
2:45 to 3 – rest stop #2 at White Oak Church trailhead (mile 22.6)
4 to 4:15 – rest stop #3 at REI Durham by Southpoint (mile 31.4)
4:25 – pass ATT trailhead north of I-40 (mile 32.1 – beginning of family-friendly 10k ride)
5:20 – Arrive at finale on the lawn to celebrate and hear inspiring words until sunset (~6:30pm) from leaders of the Cross Triangle Greenway effort
Greenway Transit provided a morning and evening shuttle for ~50 riders for just $5 per person. A morning shuttle from Durham to the Museum of Art loaded at 10am by American Tobacco Campus and left at 10:30am sharp.
The PM shuttle took riders back to the Museum starting point after the finale (loading ~6pm and leaving ~6:30pm).
Contact us at [email protected] to share any questions or comments.
New Logistics Section:
1. First off, congratulations: the weather looks great for the ride — sunny with a high ~68 degrees. As the sun goes down, it may start to feel cool so keep that in mind.
2. Morning shuttle to the Museum: If you signed up for the morning shuttle, we need you on Blackwell Street below the Durham Freeway at 10am to pack up the bus (bikes will go underneath). The bus plans to leave at 10:30am sharp so don’t be late if you want a ride. Our shuttle is almost full with the following riders who have paid/reserved space: 1. Bob Russo 2. Steve Mitchell 3. Susan Fitzgerald 4. Tony Barrett 5. Alison McEwan 6. Dale McKeel 7. Kathy McGhinnis 8. Stu Catto 9. Cindy Blair 10. Jimmy Benton 11. Sandra Beetcher 12. Robert Beetcher
3. Parking at the Museum kick-off: park as far away from the museum (upper lot – closer to Blue Ridge Road) as possible so that we don’t take up closer museum parking spots for the whole afternoon. The kick-off will take place near the parking lot.
4. Evening shuttle: Our post-ride shuttle back to the Museum will begin boarding ~6pm by the finale lawn (between DPAC and the Bulls stadium) and leave by 6:30pm. We have reserved shuttle seats for the following people: 1. Ralph Anderson 2. Susan Bowers 3. Wendy Brackett 4. Cass Chisholm 5. Allison Connolly 6. Wayne Hester 7. Ken Kaye 8. Claire Millar 9. Jen Rozycki 10. Kristin Saintomas 11. Nicole Saladin 12. Sarah Slover 13. Damien Wilkinson
For others who don’t have a ride back to Raleigh, you can join riders who are taking the 7:46pm Amtrak from Durham to the State Fair (about a mile from the Museum) or other Raleigh locations (bring lights for your bike if you plan to ride after dark).
5. For the bike ride: We will try to stay together at a pace ~10-13 mph. This pace will help us be respectful to other trail users (pedestrians, oncoming bicyclists, etc.). Keep right except to pass – communicate with each other — including calling out “on your left” when passing. During the ~28% of the route that is on-road, we will observe the rules of the road. One exception would be when ride marshals have stopped traffic to help the group stay together through an intersection. All riders must wear helmets throughout the ride. We will have many cue sheets available for riders, and feel free to familiarize yourself with the route and other details at our website: www.CrossTriangleGreenway.org
6. You will have 3 rest stops during the ride (~1 every 10 miles) for you to grab a snack, drink or bathroom. Remember to bring a water bottle and stay hydrated. At the kick-off, rest stops, and finale we will have excellent speakers describe the latest greenway bike/pedestrian progress within their region.
7.The Finale: Will be held on the lawn with the flag poles on Blackwell Street (surrounded by the Durham Bulls Stadium, American Tobacco, and DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center)
9. Bring a smile and have a great, safe time!
Please help us spread the word by sharing this link and/or printing and posting this flyer:
Ride Sponsors
The upcoming ride was made possible by generous donations by:
Markatos Photography
Dave Connelly
Organic Transit
American Tobacco Historic District
Greenway Transit
Mig Murphy Sistrom, CPA
Ride partners include:
NC Rail Trails
DWM Foundation’s Triangle Commuter Bike Initiative
Eat Smart Move More of the NC Division of Health,
See you there.
Is there any plan to organize tranportation back to Raleigh? If not, do you have any suggestions?
Yes, ECG is negotiating for a bus to shuttle riders back from Durham to Raleigh. TTA also offers an express route DRX (2 bike max.) from Durham Station to District Drive (near the Museum of Art). http://www.gotriangle.org/schedules/aug2010/w/tDRX_0.htm
Thank you for the info. I hope that you might consider having the bus stop somewhere in addition to the official starting point at NCMA. I don’t think I can ride 39 mi, so I was thinking about starting at Godbold Park in Cary. There might be some people who work in RTP who also might be interested in this starting point. Thank you.
Yes, we are considering a smaller shuttle for Cary riders (or to combine shuttles). Each person’s RSVP should include what shuttle they would like.
We encourage folks to send the $5 to the East Coast Greenway Alliance over the mail or online (click below for address and online site:
http://greenway.org/donate.php ) to lock-in their shuttle spot. The shuttle is free for new ECGA members, so consider becoming a member as well.
I am happy to give the $5 through the website to reserve my spot, but I am a little confused. All I see is a button to make a general donation. Are you sure that links me up with a reservation for the bus for this event? I want to make sure I have a seat! Thanks.
Yes, Allison,
We are tracking $5 donations as registration for the shuttle. You will have a seat
Hopefully, the ECG will also arrange for a bus to shuttle Durham cyclist to Raleigh.
We will do our best, Robert – details to come soon.
Thank you!
As you can see above, we just arranged a shuttle from parking spots near the Durham Athletic Park in the morning: loading at 10am and leaving at 10:30am.
Thank you for bringing this up, Robert!
Just found out about this and can’t wait to join the ride on October 22!
Hi,
Do we have to register for this event? If so how? Is there a fee. Thank you
Terry
Terry,
To guarantee sufficient water and capacity, we need RSVPs via email to: [email protected]
If you want a shuttle to the start in the AM or PM, we need $5 to help cover that:
http://www.greenway.org/donate.php
We look forward to the ride!
I am not a very fast cyclist, but I want to ride the entire route. Is this ride for all levels of riders? Is the route well-marked?
We aim to serve cyclists of varying speeds with this ride – but it will generally be a slower ride (averaging 10-13 mph) with some stops with a speaker so that riders will catch up to a relatively cohesive group.
We will have a ride leader and a sweep – and you can print out the cue sheets on this website to help you have directions at your fingertips (most of the ride is not currently well-marked — that is part of why we are doing the ride, to help raise the Cross Triangle Greenway profile and get some signage up in the months ahead).
Thanks for the good questions-
Dennis
are helmets required for this ride?
Good question, Trevor,
Yes, helmets are required on this ride and all East Coast Greenway Alliance group rides. We are happy almost 75% of the ride is off-road on greenways – but want to ensure everyone’s safety to the best of our ability.
We’ve got 65+ RSVPs now — it’s gonna be a fun ride!
-Dennis
The shuttle back sounds like a great idea…what happens to the bikes though ? The TTA buses usually have places for 2 bikes maximum.?
We will have a truck to haul the bikes that travels with our shuttle van/bus. You can drive to Durham in the morning and take the AM shuttle to the Museum or instead take the PM shuttle – but we need to hear from and receive $5 per person from everyone requesting a shuttle (as it is first come, first serve and we have limited capacity).
-Dennis
I mailed my stuff off to New England, instead of doing it online. So I guess I’m registered, or whatever. I haven’t heard anything, so I guess I’m good to go. Looking forward to next friday.
We’ve got you on the list now, Wayne.
Thanks. We now have 85+ RSVPs – can’t wait til a week from now!
-Dennis
Do you still have room for riders for the Durham shuttle?
Claire:
We have 4 more spaces for our PM shuttle and a few spaces for our AM shuttle. People can also take their bikes on the train that evening from Durham after dinner (before 8pm) to the State Fairgrounds (~1 mile to the Museum of Art).
Let us know if you’d like to join us on the ride and on the shuttle.
-Dennis
Two of us would definitely like to join you on the morning ride from Durham. I have gotten an email from Kitty from your office which I replied to but have not received an affirmation of spaces.
Count me in for greenway ride Friday, Oct. 22nd. I was planning on riding my hybrid, but after reviewing the route and seeing how much is on roads, thinking I might be happier on my road bick… I am concerned about clipping in if there will be alot of congestion. Any thoughts?
We have ~100 RSVPs now. Many folks will be clipping in – but if you are uncomfortable clipped in with a big group, you can join myself and others without clip-in shoes (whatever your preference). Email [email protected] if you request a morning or evening shuttle to the start.
The weather is looking perfect for us so far — predicted to be in the low 70s and sunny
See you soon!
-Dennis
Looking forward to the ride on Friday. Please count me in.
Hi – really looking forward to the ride – I may have missed this somewhere but do you have any suggestions where to park in order to be close to the morning shuttle from Durham?
Thanks!
Alison:
I recommend parking near the corner of Blackwell St and Morehead Ave (potentially in the gravel lot under the Freeway).
The morning shuttle will load at 10am and will leave at 10:30am sharp.
-Dennis
Just found out about this from a friend. I won’t be able to join this ride but would like to get on an email list for future events. Sounds like it will be a great day!!!
You got it, Elaine!
So if I plan on taking the AM shuttle to Raleigh do I need to bring $5 with me? Also is anyone going to be riding faster, say 17-20 mph?
Stu-
We need folks to reserve their shuttle space ahead of time and pay the $5 at http://greenway.org/donate.php , as we have almost run out of available seats and bike storage space.
As for speed, our ride won’t average that high. It is a group ride that will have a more leisurely pace and we hope to maintain unity to show united support for continued greenway progress.
See you on Friday!
Dennis
100+ riders = a great day for everyone. I’m looking forward to being part of this event. Could you please be more specific as to where we’ll meet the morning shuttle in Durham? Will the shuttle (and bike truck) be along Blackwell St on the ballpark side, for example? You mention “the lawn area” but that could be the interior courtyard of the American Tobacco Campus (hard to load a truck in there, admittedly), or the green park-like space between the ballpark and the Durham Performing Arts Center. Or somewhere else. Many thanks.
Follow up question. Some of us at Durham BPAC are trying to drum up some head count for the post-ride event at ATC. Will Mr. Conti be speaking there between 5:15-6:30, or will he be speaking elsewhere (ie, Museum or along the way).
Secretary Conti will be speaking at the finale – on the lawn between the Am Tobacco Campus, Durham Bulls Stadium, and DPAC – see the logistics section above.
Also as described above, the morning shuttle will leave along Blackwell by Mellow Mushroom below Durham Freeway.
See y’all very soon-
Dennis
What a great idea to use amtrak back to raleigh………..the whole point is to use less cars for events……………..I have been sceeming a way to get to sporting events by cycling and using amtrak…..packing less underware and more cycle parts..Haaaaa
Feature this, Having your own train car like the circus but a cycle train.
It is so ironic that we are tearing up tracks to cycle to Durham when we are using the very system to get back home.
Nanz
Are there any spots left on the evening shuttle back to the Art Museum? My original ride fell through and was hoping to get on the shuttle now. Thanks. Carol (919-696-6618)
We’ve got you down for the shuttle – see you on the ride
Thank you! I’ll go pay my $5.00 now.
If my husband and I sign up today will we be assured two shuttle spaces?
You are in the system and have 2 shuttle spaces. See you on the ride-
I will be joining ya’ll for the ride tomorrow. I don’t need a shuttle as my wife can pick me up.
Best,
Greg
Looking forward to a ride in the glorious NC weather today. See you all soon.
Is anyone around to post a comment on how the riders are doing?
The ride was spectacular!
Over 150 participants got a great workout enjoying the lovely hills and valleys of the Triangle. We’ll post a blog about it with pictures within a couple days
Thanks for setting up such a great ride! I have had several folks already request another ride soon. How about 22 mile loop around Raleigh?
Let’s talk about the next ride, Steve.
We need to include Chapel Hill in a ride soon, but a loop around Raleigh could be wonderful too.
We’ll see what we can put together.
Til soon-
Dennis
Thank you for organizing this ride, it was so much fun, and informative. I knew the greenways were there, but didn’t know until recently how extensive they were, and how much fun they were to ride and run on. Thanks to this organization and the others that participated and sponsored.
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