But leading rides does more than get you the ride you want. It helps you make cycling friends. At the ride start everyone will talk to you to pick up the cue sheet. At the end of the ride everyone (almost) will thank you for leading. They will probably look for you at the rest stop. It is SOOO much better than being one of a dozen plus riders stretched out across the hills with no company and little socializing at the rest stop or ride's end. If you are a social butterfly or don't want to talk to people you ride with, then this benefit goes out the window.

I led some rides last spring from the city and once in the summer at least. Typically no one turned out or maybe one other rider. It may be that the BB pace is the wrong one for weekend DC ride starts. I used to think that Point of Rocks was an insane ride start. I went once and I've been hooked ever since.

Although it is out of the city, Allen Pond Park is only about 25 minutes east on Rt.50. That gets you less trafficked roads and not too far away, plus the trip back in is not congested like Rt.66. Another almost in the city start which can spare people some travel time on McArthur Blvd. is Glen Echo Park. There are rides from the city (already cued) that can get you 32-108 miles of riding. I think Eric has a 200 mile cue sheet from Hains Point to High Rock, Pennsylvania.

The main thing you need as a ride leader is confidence in your ability to handle your own mechanical problems. In case you get dropped. But as a leader you may have more people looking out for you than otherwise. If you don't make the route up yourself from your own knowledge, you will want to test the route, either on a bike or in a car to make sure you can follow the directions and to be able to improve them if you found something unclear.

Mark

Best way to solve this problem is to to become a ride leader and have your rides start in DC.