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AJ DeLauder

@ajdbike

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Probably busy doing a long ride, being with my family, or eating too many cookies.

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It’s been almost four years since I finished the 2022 Tour Divide as maybe the first openly trans/non-binary rider to ever go the whole 2,700 miles (there wasn’t a NB category yet and I technically was an alternator, but I was marked as a finisher, so I think it counts in a small way.) Anyway, I remember a friend and fellow rider saying “we’re living a story” and it was true. That’s what makes the TD so interesting. The pain, the isolation, the fear, the boredom, the immensity, the weather, the gratitude, and the happiness — it was all there in the most concentrated 27 days I’ve ever experienced. The Tour Divide is big. It’s scary. And it’s beautiful. Just like the best stories. Just like life itself. Four years later, I still can’t believe I finished, or that, as I stood at Antelope Wells with tears in my eyes and the sun setting on the horizon, a rainbow appeared over the desert. That’s what happens in movies. It’s also what happened to me 🌈 ❤️ by @ajdbike

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3 months ago

Sunday Funday in the WV mountains. It’s always magical when you get to ride in shorts and a jersey in March! by @ajdbike

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6 months ago

Wanna go for a ride with the Snallygaster?

This 72-mile route links up a series of small towns in eastern Preston County (Terra Alta, Albright, Kingwood, Tunnelton, Rowlesburg, and Arboy) and celebrates the area’s local cryptid, the Snallygaster.

The Snallygaster was first reported in Maryland in 1908, but was later seen in many locations regionally. This flying reptile, with a long, metal, bloodsucking beak, steel-like claws, a single eye, and a 20-foot tail, was known for attacking people, drinking their blood, and stealing chickens and children. At one point, the Smithsonian offered $100,000 for its capture. In 1932, its offspring reportedly surfaced with “octopus-like tentacles” and was sighted numerous times before being drowned in a vat of moonshine. In 1982, the state of Maryland put the Snallygaster on the endangered species list.

Natural and cultural highlights along this route include the Cranesville Swamp, @screechowlbrewing, the Cheat River in Abright and Rowlesburg, Kingwood, and Tunnleton’s historic railroads and rail trails. After climbing up Lantz Ridge from Rowlesburg, and if timing allows, the Carriage House Bakery is worth stopping for a well-earned dessert, just ten miles from the ride’s end.

Parking, lodging, and food exist at multiple parts of the loop; check the POIs for all the options. Consider planning your ride out of the @cheatfest in May (Albright), the @prestoncountybuckwheatfestival in September (Kingwood), or the Chestnut Festival in Rowlesburg (October).

If you like this route, be sure to check out @ajdbike’s @snallygaster.bikepacking 200, a bikepacking race covering this and much more terrain in the area. taken in Terra Alta, West Virginia by @ajdbike

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7 months ago

March is a mystical, muddy, foggy, wonderful month in the mountains. Feels so good to be outside and back on a bike way out in the woods. by @ajdbike

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7 months ago

Just WV being WV ❤️ (Location: Evan’s Curve outside Terra Alta.) by @ajdbike

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a year ago

The @wvbikepackingseries continues next month with the Snallygaster 200! The Grand Depart leaves from the Oakland, MD Town Lot at 7AM on September 13th. To register, head over to @snallygaster.bikepacking for all the links!

Designed by @ajdbike, this amazing and difficult route goes through 4 of the 7 state parks in Garrett County, runs the entire length of the Meadow Mtn Trail, scoots around the rim of the Blackwater Canyon, visits countless gorgeous and forgotten dirt/gravel roads in Preston County, including Peddler’s Glory, and incredible roads in the north of Garrett County. Best of all, there are a ton of towns and gas stations along the way for resupply and plenty of places to camp. Not to mention, you’ll always be within an hour of Oakland, so if something goes terribly wrong, getting a ride back to the start won’t be a massive pain!

There are two route distances to choose from:

Snallygaster 200 Route:
Total actual distance: 197.1 miles
Total elevation: Approx. 22,000 ft. of climbing.
Surface type: 65-70% gravel/dirt/rural roads and 30-35% actual pavement.

Snallygaster 100 Route:
Total actual distance: 104 miles
Total elevation gain: Approx. 12,000 ft. of climbing taken in The Tiny Corner Bike Shop by @ajdbike

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a year ago

My first actual Instagram post! Our farm trails have been so wonderful this spring. by @ajdbike

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2 years ago