Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
On August 21st I drove to Hancock, MD, carrying my Velotric Breeze 1 e-bike on my bike rack. Tracy, co-owner of C&O Bicycle had graciously offered for me to park my car behind the bike shop until I returned on August 26th. I was going to embark on a two-day ride to my 62nd high school reunion (1963) in Somerset, PA. Turns out C&O Bicycle is also the home of the famous “Bunkhouse,” sometimes referred to as the “Chicken Coop!” For $15, I had an inexpensive place to stay for the night. Since I didn’t plan to camp on this trip, I brought my sleeping bag and blow-up pad for this night only. I left them in the car when I left on my bike Thursday morning, August 21st.
My destination for my first day was Cumberland, MD, where the 184.5 mile C&O towpath ends. Hancock is close to milepost (MP) 124, so I would ride the last 60 miles of the C&O towpath. Once I arrived at my hotel in Cumberland, my mileage for day 1 was around 63 miles.
In the video I talk about the Western Maryland Rail Trail, some history of the C&O CANAL, and my thoughts on using a bicycle as a means of transportation. Thinking of others who ride an e-bike or are thinking of making such an extended trip on an e-bike with no extra battery, I often refer to how far I’ve ridden and how much battery power I had left. I had previously determined that I could set my bike to Eco mode with a power assist (PAS) level of just 1 and my derailleur gear at 6 (a higher gear - my bike has 8 gears) and maintain an average speed of 12 miles per hour on a reasonably flat surface. This consumed just 1% of my battery power.
Parts 2, 3,and 4 videos will follow. 3 & 4 were my return trip to Hancock.
On August 21st I drove to Hancock, MD, carrying my Velotric Breeze 1 e-bike on my bike rack. Tracy, co-owner of C&O Bicycle had graciously offered for me to park my car behind the bike shop until I returned on August 26th. I was going to embark on a two-day ride to my 62nd high school reunion (1963) in Somerset, PA. Turns out C&O Bicycle is also the home of the famous “Bunkhouse,” sometimes referred to as the “Chicken Coop!” For $15, I had an inexpensive place to stay for the night. Since I didn’t plan to camp on this trip, I brought my sleeping bag and blow-up pad for this night only. I left them in the car when I left on my bike Thursday morning, August 21st.
My destination for my first day was Cumberland, MD, where the 184.5 mile C&O towpath ends. Hancock is close to milepost (MP) 124, so I would ride the last 60 miles of the C&O towpath. Once I arrived at my hotel in Cumberland, my mileage for day 1 was around 63 miles.
In the video I talk about the Western Maryland Rail Trail, some history of the C&O CANAL, and my thoughts on using a bicycle as a means of transportation. Thinking of others who ride an e-bike or are thinking of making such an extended trip on an e-bike with no extra battery, I often refer to how far I’ve ridden and how much battery power I had left. I had previously determined that I could set my bike to Eco mode with a power assist (PAS) level of just 1 and my derailleur gear at 6 (a higher gear - my bike has 8 gears) and maintain an average speed of 12 miles per hour on a reasonably flat surface. This consumed just 1% of my battery power.
Parts 2, 3,and 4 videos will follow. 3 & 4 were my return trip to Hancock.
