Hanging Up Some "Ornaments"

   I had recently sold some things and had some empty space in the shop rafters, so the opportunity arose to purchase some frames for future projects. I currently have quite a few builds waiting in the wings, but if you see something that interests you, don't hesitate to let me know, and we can move it up in the queue.

   

   The first frameset came to me indirectly from my friend Walt, who had spied this unique Colnago Export frame on the Facebook page of an aquaintence of ours who sells bicycles and parts in the Netherlands. I have bought a few complete bikes and framesets from Arthur, and he always offers great products at a fair price, packages his items carefully and ships them in a very timely manner.

   This was one of the few times I have ever experienced an error in one of his listings, and Walt was very disappointed to find the frame a bit too large for his liking. I was very willing to take the frame off of his hands, as the Export was essentially a Super, with the same design elements and geometry. The frames were marketed for affordability, as Colnago used a slightly heavier, mid-range tube set, instead of the high-end Columbus SL steel, and the complete bikes were sold with lower level Campagnolo groups.

   This frame was manufactured with Columbus GT (Gran Turismo) tubing and includes many engravings (pantografia) similar to its more expensive brethren. The frame also has a very similar paintjob to the Super coming up later in this blog, but is a bit of a lighter green, and the pattern is a bit more complex, with a subtle spiral of color on the top tube. 

   I have a really nice set of Campagnolo 8-speed components for this frame, and though there are some compatible wheelsets hanging in the shop, they are of a bit higher quality. I'll probably want to keep this project more at the intended level of affordability and search for something more appropriate.

   I came across another quality Italian frameset, in the form of Basso's top-of-the-line "Gap" model. I'm a bit of a sucker for the classic color band paint scheme, and this one has attractive design of white with royal blue decals. The tubing here is Columbus SL, and I will be assembling the bicycle with higher-end Campagnolo 8-speed gruppo, and an appropriate Cinelli or 3T cockpit.

   I've built up a few Basso bicycles over the years, and I'm a bit surprised not to have done more. However, I think the secret is out to their quality, so I don't find them available very often, at an affordable price. I was lucky to get this as a package deal with another frame.

   ...and that would be this Gitane. For a long time I had been looking for a frameset by the legendary French brand, and the model Trophee de France 1848 commemorates the date of the country's revolution. Translated as "gypsy woman", Gitane bicycles were ridden by greats like Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond and Laurent Fignon - a collective fifteen Tour de France victories between them!

   I was initially considering the assembly of this Reynolds 531 frame as a retro-modern machine, but I found an old 1978 company catalog and would now like to do an as-original project with Campagnolo Nuovo Record parts.

   The Christmasy coloring of the Colnago Super I've had hanging in my shop inspired me to finish the build before taking a holiday break. A Campagnolo Athena 8-speed group and appropriate Cinelli parts finish off this all-Italian build:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

   

Autumn Update

   I felt a bit disappointed not having some interesting ride to report on, after having pedaled over so many fun-packed routes the past couple of months. My work on the blog this time around focused on better organizing some of the links to aid my business, as I am trying to move more away from Facebook after growing frustration with that social media platform.
   I had been listing bicycles on Marketplace for years without any issues, though I never understood why they limited a seller's ability to renew the ads. Every month or so, I had to click the alternate button to "delete and relist". I always questioned the need to show how long an item has been listed, as it seems to just invite "Is this still available?" inquiries or ridiculously low offers from prospective buyers who think you may be desperate to unload your item.
   Now there has been a limit put on the "delete and relist" function. To add to the fun, when I manually deleted my listings and attempted to completely start each of them over, I received a notice that my ads required identity verification because of "unusual activity"on my account. As anyone who has attempted to remedy any problems with Facebook will know, there is no customer service, so I couldn't find out what exactly the problem was.

   I had to laugh when I found the only option available was to receive a special code via text message, which is difficult for anyone not using a cell phone. We have an emergency flip phone, and I hesitated to use it, but faced with no option, I gave it a shot. Turns out we had used that phone earlier at some point to verify one of our accounts, and were locked out from doing so again!

   The hilarity continued when I found some third party Facebook support online, and the clueless person I spoke to (after mentioning my phone situation) suggested I have a code sent to me via text message. I reiterated that I had no smart phone, and the moron suggested I have a friend call to get the code. I sarcastically said, "Thanks," and hung up. Yes, we should all have to rely on friends to make calls to help us straighten out our own internet issues - and what happens when that friend has a problem, needs to verify, and his or her phone is locked out because of a previous verification to another account?!!

   No, we're not quite done, as out of desperation, I deleted all my pending listings and attempted to enter them one at a time, once per day. thinking maybe it was the volume of items I had tried to enter. Strangely the only thing that happened was the "Please take action on this listing" alert showed up in a different color. Ooooh, pink instead of gold!

   Anyway, you may notice that I have shuffled around the "gadgets" in the blog's right-hand margin and included my contact info and shop hours up front. I have also simplified my service menu/price list for 2025 and improved the visibility of that link. If you are fairly new reader of this blog, don't miss the links to Trail Tales or the series of rides in Historic Philadelphia - maybe you'll be inspired to try some new pedaling territory in the New Year!

   Sure, I enjoy the cooler (not cold!) cycling weather that comes in November, but the college football rivalries and holidays make it my favorite time of the year. The annual Cycle Tech ride events just add to the magic of the season. We had a wonderful time on the Turkey Trek a couple weekends ago, though I suppose that because we returned to a more traditional route (been there, done that), no one bothered to snap a photo.

   Please join us in a couple weeks for the Ride with Santa. We'll be doing our usual 31-mile route from Tech H.Q. out through Limerick on back roads and connecting trails to Schwenksville. We'll then head back to Royersford via the Perkiomen and Schuylkill Trails. More and more of the route seems to be paved every year, but there is still enough gravel to make off-road bikes necessary. String some lights to your machine (not a requirement, though a headlight is a really good idea) and bring your holiday spirit!

...and finally, I wanted to include photos of the Scapin bicycle I recently completed. The idea was to build up a high-quality Columbus steel frame with modern, affordable performance. Yes, I would normally consider a Shimano component group blasphemy on an Italian bike, but it meets the intended budget goal:

   

Garden State Grand Finale

   With the incredible "Indian summer" continuing, I wrapped up my tour of New Jersey's Atlantic coastline with a ride from the city of Perth Amboy down to Atlantic Highlands, where I had started this adventure back in May. Along the way, I would be backtracking a bit on the Henry Hudson Trail, to finish the only segment of that 22.6-mile, crescent-shaped route that I hadn't ridden previously.

   As it turns out, I would have been better avoiding that trail, but it was the most convenient and safest way to skirt Raritan Bay. However, I'm getting ahead of myself.

   I again took along my Saeco-Cannondale bike, which I had purchased the day I began this Jersey journey. As I slipped on my cycling shoes at the attractive marina in Perth Amboy, I looked up and was startled by a huge oil tanker charging down the Arthur Kill (the river separating N.J. from Staten Island) into Raritan Bay.

   Perth Amboy was once the capital of the Province of New Jersey, from 1686 to 1776. Its current moniker is a combination of two former names, one being a corruption of the word "Omboge" that the Lenape called the area, and the other was "New Perth", as the 1683 settlement was established by the Scottish. During the area's industrial heyday, Perth Amboy was the marshaling area for Lehigh Valley Railroad hopper cars full of anthracite coal, ready to be loaded onto barges bound for New York City and other ports.

   After years of decline, the city is experiencing a harborside revitalization, taking advantage of its location at the meeting of the Raritan River and Arthur Kill, where the two waterways empty into Raritan Bay. Although a sign marks one of the darker periods of Perth Amboy's history, as New Jersey's primary port for inbound slaves, the marina is now home to one of the oldest yacht clubs in the U.S.

Looking from the point across Arthur Kill to Staten Island

   Because my mom was a fan of his music, I know that Perth Amboy was the birthplace of John Francis Buongiovi, Jr. and his guitarist pal Richard Stephen Sambora. I'm fairly sure they haven't headlined there, but on Sunday summer afternoons, the city hosts Concerts by the Bay at the park bandshell. Thursday evenings are the Mayor's Concert Series, and there is also an annual Waterfront Arts Festival.

   The historic ferry slip that once served as an important way-station for travelers between NYC and Philadelphia has been restored to its 1904 appearance, and a replica ticket office hosts a small museum. 

   I was respectful of the signs asking cyclists not to ride on the marina walkway and instead pedaled along Water Street to the riverside park. I made my way up 2nd Avenue, crossed Market Street and added another train station to my "collection":

    I continued west on Market, instead of the much busier main drag of Smith Street, and eventually met Route 35, and the grueling climb over Victory Bridge into South Amboy. The ascent was made worse by a nasty headwind that I looked forward to enjoying at my back during the return leg! The bike lane on the bridge was a generous ten feet wide, providing a bit of security from what would otherwise be rather intimidating traffic - both in scale and speed.

   At the base of the bridge I turned left on Main Street and passed a monstrosity of a warehouse/distribution center under construction, then headed east on Broadway into the downtown of South Amboy. Although much smaller, the city had the feel of Phoenixville, only with active commuter rail!

   I turned right on Bordentown Avenue, through an attractive neighborhood of clapboard houses that seemed very appropriate to a harbor town, then continued east on Pine Street. I wouldn't necessarily recommend my route as it continued onto NJ-35, but considering it was early afternoon on a weekday and offseason, it wasn't horrible to ride there for just a couple miles.

   Soon after crossing the Cheesequake Creek drawbridge, I made a right turn on Amboy Road and passed through the lovely borough of Keyport. It had all that typical seaport town vibe, and because it was nearing lunch time, I was treated to the aroma of fried food being prepared at some of the waterside restaurants!

   I zigzagged from Front Street over to 3rd Street and follow it to the end, where it intersected the Henry Hudson Trail. I was hoping the conditions had been improved since my last visit to this segment of the trail in 2017, and I did see many spots where buckling had either been scraped down by grading machinery or cut out and paved over. However, the joints weren't perfect, and there were plenty of new areas of damage that gave my body a proper beating!

   The dappled light that was coming through the autumn trees would have made it difficult to spot the badly buckled areas anyway, but the leaves that had fallen added another level of camouflage to the "traps". There wasn't too much to talk about as far as scenery along the trailside, though it may have just been a case of my attention being directed to the asphalt. There were a few pretty crossings over marshland streams on wooden bridges, and a couple of times I was able to look out over the bay for a hazy view of the Manhattan skyline way in the distance.

   When I finally reached my turnaround at Avenue D in the Highlands, I made the quick decision to detour around a large portion of the trail and ride on parallel NJ Route 36 instead. There was a decent shoulder, traffic was fairly light, and most importantly, I wasn't being jostled by poor pavement!

   I took the same diversions through Keyport and South Amboy on my return trip, since I had my fill of riding on busy roads, and as predicted, I greatly enjoyed having the wind push me over the Victory Bridge back to Perth Amboy.

   

 

Giro del Jersey: Stage Seven - Perfection!

   As this incredible stretch of autumn weather has continued, I planned to complete the next section of my New Jersey coast adventure. This time it would be about a 45-mile stretch from Island Beach State Park, north to the borough of Sea Bright, where I had finished the first stage of my journey back in May.

   My plan was to start in the borough of Bay Head, which is the railroad terminus of New Jersey Transit’s Coast Line. I didn’t feel the need to do the complete 90 miles of out-and-back riding, and would take the opportunity to cut off about 18 miles by catching the train in Long Branch and relax on the rails back to my starting point.
   Not that I am complaining too much, but it has been difficult to gauge what clothing is necessary when the mornings start off in the fifties and then climb into the seventies by mid-afternoon. Luckily, when I unloaded my Cannondale (the one I picked up during that Sandy Hook-Sea Bright stage) shortly after 10:00, the temperature had reached the 60s, and because there was no wind (a rarity at the shore), I knew I’d be comfortable in a short-sleeve jersey once I was moving and had warmed up.
   I pedaled off from the Bay Head train station, turned right and was speeding to the south along Ocean Avenue (Route 35). The road was smooth tarmac with a marked bike lane most of the way, down through Mantoloking and a series of named beaches in Brick Township. Here the road split, with each direction being a two-lane one-way street, separated by about a block of houses and businesses. This street arrangement continued for a few miles through the township of Toms River and the boroughs of Lavallette and Seaside Heights.
   It had been nearly forty years since my parents and I took a day trip out to the shore here in order to visit a girlfriend and her family, so I took a little detour just to look at the beach and boardwalk area. Amazingly, with such little wind, the ocean’s gentle waves looked more like those on the Great Lakes than on the Atlantic Ocean! Finding out that I didn't have a whole lot in my memory banks about the neighborhood around Seaside Heights, I promptly veered back onto the adjacent Ocean Terrace and, after a couple of blocks, cut back over to Central Avenue to reach the entrance to Island Beach State Park.
   What a surreal environment this was! Other than a couple park structures, a Coast Guard station and the Governor’s Mansion, the 8.5-mile stretch of poker-straight road was bordered only by dunes, tall grasses and scrub pine. Adding to the strange atmosphere was the complete lack of traffic - I think I was passed by five vehicles during the whole 17 miles of pedaling - and the cloudless blue sky provided a dimensionless background to the stark scenery.

A few clouds lurk in this image borrowed from GoogleMaps, but you get the idea.

   Though there were still many new areas to see today, the actual halfway point of my excursion came on the return back up to Bay Head, and I was stunned to see that Barnegat Bay still looked fairly mirror-like. I was really enjoying cruising along on this breezeless day! I had a few fuel sources in my jersey back pockets, but on this occasion I unwrapped the foil packet and munched on the traditional half of a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich that I bring on my longer rides.
   I passed my starting point at Osborne Avenue in Bay Head and continued on into Point Pleasant Beach, where I added another train station to my “collection”:

   I anticipated backing off my pace a bit as I crossed the bridge over the Manasquan River and rode into the attractive downtown area of Sea Girt. My plan was to ride on the boardwalk here, and with the fantastic weather, I knew there would be a good number of people out for a stroll. However, the conditions were SO nice, the majority of the people were actually on the sand, playing paddle games or venturing out to dip their feet in the water.
   I was surprised to find the surface, all the way up through the borough of Spring Lake, was the composite Trex boards and not wood. The boards here were a grayish beige that replicated the weathered wood one might find in Wildwood or Ocean City. The center of the walkway also had a center lane where the boards ran lengthwise, providing a soft, smooth surface for the wheels to glide over. I just wrapped up watching an exciting week of coverage of the track world championships, and I imagined this was what it felt like to ride on a wooden velodrome!
   Into the borough of Belmar, the Trex was a dark, and very attractive, mahogany color. In total there were about 6.5 miles of nearly continuous boardwalk riding, and I had to take one of the short breaks here to cross the drawbridge over the Shark River into Avon-By-The Sea. Now on the more traditional weathered wood, I was soon within sight of the famous Stone Pony music venue in Asbury Park. I had to share this photo I found of Springsteen and a friend on a tandem:

   Finally leaving the boardwalk at Deal Lake, I pedaled into its namesake borough and through Elberon, where the streets were lined with block after block of posh estates! It was obvious that I was now into areas of the New Jersey shore where people lived year-round.
   As I entered Long Branch, the commuter neighborhood feel only increased. While I definitely wouldn’t call this era “urban”, I certainly noticed a greater number of hospitals, schools and businesses – more of the structures to support residents than one would see in communities to the south that sit isolated out on the barrier islands and have mostly summer-oriented populations.
   I soon noted Morris Road, where I would later be making the turn to reach the train station. Moments afterward, I noticed a bank clock and realized I only had a half hour to finish the remaining 8 miles to Sea Bright and return in time to catch the 2:26 train back to Bay Head. Averaging 16 mph for this last segment would be quite an effort after already being in the saddle for sixty miles, but trains only ran every two hours off-peak, and I did not want to miss mine.
   I dug in and made it with just minutes to spare… that is, to wait ten more minutes for the late train! Oh well, better to get (more of) a workout and make sure I caught the train then to end up having to wait around for the next train. Actually, I would have just “sucked it up” and taken on the last 18 miles to ride my bike back. I still had a long drive back to Royersford, and all this pedaling made returning in time for dinner a priority!

   I've had the bicycle listed for a few weeks but somehow managed to forget posting photos of the completed bicycle here. I recently picked up a 2001 Wilier-Triestina Isoard for a bargain price. Painted for that season's Liquigas pro team, the frame is a lightweight composite construction of Easton SC7000 scandium/aluminum and carbon fiber tubes. The bike is built up with an excellent Campagnolo Record Carbon 10-speed group and a set of their Neutron wheels:

   While I'm at it, I'd also like to share photos of the early-1990s Peugeot 1100 Team Line bicycle that I was finally able to complete. I've fortunately sold some bikes and been able to make room for new projects. As planned, the bike has been assembled with mostly French parts, and a full component list can be found on the For Sale page.

Not Much To Be Cockey About

   I didn't expect to be returning to complete the lower end of the NCR Trail, officially named the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail, so soon, but an opportunity to make a bicycle trade with a customer who lives out near Harrisburg provided a reason to head back to York, PA. I had been out through Amish country a couple of times the past few weeks and didn't want to do the same old drive out Route 23 to U.S. 30 again, so I went a little farther south and took smaller state highways across Chester, Lancaster and York counties.
   A little bonus was adding eight more railroad stations to my "collection" along the way, several on the little-known Stewartstown Railroad. Now a tourist railroad, the company was once a freight shortline that connected with the North Central Railway at New Freedom, PA, which was to be the eventual parking location for my ride.

   Four of the stations were still standing along this Maryland section of the NCR, although one at Freeland (photo below) was moved a half mile east (and up a short, nasty hill!) for restoration and use on a farm, and one was at the end of the line, along the abandoned/redeveloped right-of-way in the heart of Cockeysville, MD. I enjoyed seeing town names that became very familiar to me while driving down the Interstate 83 corridor towards Baltimore, on my way back and forth to the University of Maryland. Although, at 34 miles, the two towns were probably a little far apart to be rivals, we imagined Cockeysville and Scaggsville meeting regularly, with the one school waving their index fingers overconfidently and the other knowing they were inferior and expecting defeat.

   The Torry C. Brown Rail Trail runs nearly twenty miles from the state border into Baltimore County through Gunpowder Falls State Park. The route crosses back and forth across the Big Gunpowder Falls River and its many tributaries (Beetree Run, Little Falls, Fourth Mine Branch) innumerable times, as railroad engineers (the route designers, not the locomotive-operating type) strove to reduce curves and cut the straightest possible course along low-lying, meandering waterways. I lost count of the mostly concrete bridges and culverts, and the majority were completely covered by vegetation, making them only discernable by the iron railings or by hearing water rush beneath.

   I started my ride around noon, with a bit of an early autumn chill still in the air, and I didn't expect it to get much warmer along the trail which was mostly under a thick canopy of trees. Leaves were just beginning to fall, and I ended up wishing there were a lot more on the pathway, as it was very rough, compared to the nicely-groomed, finely-crushed gravel of the Heritage Rail Trail. I found it very appropriate that I had just watched the Paris-Tours race that weekend, as its route traverses ten sectors of chemins des vignes, gravely tracks that traverse the vineyards of the Loire Valley.

   The surface was mostly parallel tracks of hard mud, which would would have been fine, but a coarse layer of limestone gravel was imbedded in it, causing mile after mile of pounding vibration through my arms and shoulders. In areas where the surface was looser, it felt like riding over broken concrete! I didn't think it could get worse until I reached a section just north of Monkton, MD, where the trail climbed up above the river into a rock cut. The gravel and dirt was scrubbed clear in patches, and I was riding over bedrock slab! When I was later finishing up the 45-mile out and back route, I honestly felt FAR more fatigued in my upper body than my legs.

   Despite the fact that there was no remaining rail on this portion of the NCR, caretakers of the trail made it clear that this was Pennsylvania Railroad territory, as the wonderfully-restored Monkton Station (photo below) and road crossings (most of which at one time had stations onsite) were all marked with signs in the red and gold company colors and/or keystone motif.

   Besides the station and rural crossings, plus the occasional passerby, there wasn't a whole lot to see except trees and streams. The forest was pretty thick along the whole length of the trail, so there weren't even any scenic vistas to speak about. The peace and quiet was great, but I'd suggest taking along a friend to help pass the time!

   The trail descended 600 feet towards Cockeysville, so the southern direction was far easier, but the ride back wasn't really difficult - as I always say after riding these types of trails, it's a railroad grade, so it can't be too steep or the trains' steel wheels would slip on the steel rails.

   I found that my bike and I were incredibly clean after the ride, especially compared to the coating of light gray dust that covered us after riding the Heritage Rail Trail. I suppose that was the unexpected advantage of riding the punishing, hard-packed gravel surface of the Torrey C. Brown!

   My meet-up in York was to exchange the frameset of my Colnago Extreme Power bicycle for a super-slick Tommasini Sintesi from the early 2000s. I had the Colnago listed for over a year with relatively little interest, so I jumped at the chance to move onto some other project. This is a modern steel frame with a threadless headset, so I am thinking of just swapping in the parts from the Colnago build.

   Here is a shot of the bike as its previous owner had it set up:

As always, more to come...

   

PUMPING the Pedals Along the IRON Rails

   Cyclists always say, in regard to weight training, “Adding muscle means more to carry up the hills,” but

I wasn’t in York, Pennsylvania, to check out the barbells that have been manufactured there since 1932. I was taking a ride through the Heritage Rail Trail County Park, a true “rails with trail” route that runs 27 miles from the John C. Rudy Park, just north of the city, to the Maryland state line just south of New Freedom, PA.
   While only the first couple miles north out of York and the last ten into New Freedom are active, railroad tracks run parallel to the trail the whole length of the route. In fact, the trail crosses back and forth many times over the tracks in order to take advantage of space along the right-of-way, as there are several rock cuts and bridges on the route that needed to be considered when laying down the mostly cinder path.
   The history of this route involved the North Central Railway, a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The NCRY was an important supply line for the Union Army during the Civil War, and famously Abraham Lincoln traveled the railroad and switched trains at Hanover Junction (photo below) on his way to deliver his Gettysburg Address in November of 1863. Sadly, after his assassination, the president’s body travelled the same rails on the way from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois. The modern day Northern Central Railway of York operates as a tourist train between New Freedom and Hanover Junction, often running behind a replica of a Civil War-era steam locomotive.

   Most of the first four miles of the trail, from the large sports complex at Rudy Park to the bridge at Route 30 is paved, then the trail climbs a gentle switchback in order to cross the bridge over to the west bank of Codorus Creek. The trail runs atop the levee into downtown York, eventually crossing back over the creek at the George Street Bridge, right near WellSpan Park, home of minor league baseball’s York Revolution.

Some of the pleasant scenery just north of the Rt. 30 bridge

   I have to admit that the trail wasn’t particularly well-marked at the turn onto the bridge. Even though I had done some preliminary recon of the route online, I could see how someone new to the area could be confused about exactly where the trail goes at George Street.
   Now following the east bank of the creek, the trail crosses a few busy streets, and I was disappointed that most did not have a signal of any kind, leaving walkers and cyclists to fend for themselves against the traffic. When I was safely out of the city, the trail became a nicely-shaded path, and I was able to increase my pace.
   During some stretches out in the woods there wasn’t too much to see, but before too long I reached Brillhart Station (below), one of a handful of railroad structures still standing by the trail. During this ride I pushed my total to 703 railroad stations that I’ve “collected” all over the U.S.

   About a mile and a half later I passed through Howard Tunnel. Opened to rail traffic in 1838, the 275-feet-long, brick-lined structure is the second oldest active rail tunnel in the country:

   The trail had been following the south branch of Codorus Creek since leaving York, and it had been very gently climbing through the borough of Seven Valleys. Here was the headquarters for American Railbike Adventures, which was a bit of a misnomer, as “bi-” implies two wheels. These were more of a pedaling railcar, but I can see how that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. In any case, the site featured self-propelled machines that can be used to explore an abandoned rail line. It was interesting to see that these vehicles could go off individually or be coupled together to form an actual train of railcars.

   After passing Hanover Junction and the borough of Glen Rock, the incline becomes noticeably steeper, though covering about 300 feet of elevation in five miles isn’t exactly unbearable to even the most casual cyclist! Soon I pedaled through the pretty little borough of (appropriately named) Railroad and was in the outskirts of New Freedom.
   The various railroad cars and locomotives on the storage tracks around the station (below) made it obvious this was the hub of the tourist railroad. About the size of Royersford, the borough was the longtime home of Summers Canning, now part of the Hanover Foods Corporation.

   A few blocks later, I reached the 880-foot summit of the ridge, just before the Mason-Dixon Line. This would be my turnaround point, though the NCR Trail (officially known as the Torry C. Brown Trail) does continue for another twenty miles into Maryland. Leaving that segment for another trip, I enjoyed a speedy descent, which involved a good amount of coasting, back towards York.