Author: AdminDave

David McSpaden is a GIS Analyst

Maryland DC Adaptive Bike Links

Last edit -February 9, 2025

2025 D.C. Metro Adaptive Mountain Bike
Mini Series

For Spring 2025 Catalyst Sports is teaming up with Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park, MORE, Montgomery County Parks, and Prince George’s County Parks. We’ve got four weekends of fun planned.

Organizations that offer ride opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities

Support riders ride with the adaptive athlete and support as necessary. That could mean spotting through a difficult section of trail, helping someone right a bike that tipped, or packing a water bottle on a hot day. Catalyst Sports has an online training that covers this in full.

Ride leaders have more experience. They can select and fit a bike for adaptive athletes and guide the ride.

Ready to take it to that next level. Get certified! BICP offers Level 1 and Level 2 Fundamental Skills Training. I took the level 1 with Mike and learned a lot!

Trails

MORE is our local IMBA chapter and they are onboard with building and maintaining adaptive mountain bike trails. They steward 925 miles of trail across Central Maryland and Northern Virginia. They were recently awarded a RTP grant for improvements to Rosaryville State Park. That grant includes adaptive spec trail to be constructed late 2025/2026.

The McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park offers the first trail in the state specifically built to the KASA adaptive mountain bike standard. The Tall Poplar and portions of the switchback trail are regular trails in our rides. More trail is under construction now and should be ready for the spring 2025 mini series. In the map below the existing trails are green. Blue is new!

OpenStreetMap with Multiple Overlays

For the first time in 2024, the MoCo Epic included an adaptive loop. It’s 4-5 miles depending on where you start.

powered by Trailforks.com

Trailforks has an adaptive category in their database, but the quality of that information varies. https://www.trailforks.com/trails/all/adaptive/

ToDo:

  • Add information on AMTB plans at Rosaryville State Park. Upper Marlborough MD.
  • Add information on AMTB ready trails at Rockburn Branch Park, Elkridge MD, Howard County Parks.
  • Add information on AMTB ready trails in Wheaton Maryland, Montgomery County Parks
  • Add information on AMTB ready trails at Fairland Regional Park, Burtonsville MD, Prince Georges County Maryland.

Bike Shops

Lancaster Recumbent has been a supporter of adaptive mountain biking at Patapsco since the start. They’ll work with you to select and adapt a bike to meet your needs.

Bikes

Chanelle Riding a Bomber Prone Style Bike at the McKeldin Area of Patapsco Valley State Park.
Trevor on a Lasher Recumbent Hand Cycle at the Germantown Skills Park at the 2024 MoCo Epic.

Adaptive Mountain Biking – What Does it Take?

What does it take to be an adaptive mountain biker? A thirst for adventure is a good start, but there are some physical and cognitive requirements for this sport. Compared to road and gravel riding, mountain bike trails twist and wind their way through more challenging terrain. Gravity never stops and bike control is all you!

PVA Off-Road Fall Camp 2024 @ Pocahontas State Park

Catalyst Sports Essential Eligibility for Adaptive Mountain Biking

  • Rider has a permanent, disabling condition
  • Rider can make safe cognitive decisions in a fast-paced changing environment.
  • Rider can follow all safety precautions identified by the instructors.
  • Rider can hold their head upright without any head and/or neck support.
  • Rider can wear a properly fitted and rated bike helmet, as well as any other safety equipment appropriately.
  • Rider can understand and follow multiple-step instructions from the instructors independently and in a fast-paced environment.
  • Rider can transfer in and out of the bike independently or with some assistance
  • Rider can remain alert and focused for the duration of the ride and can make decisions quickly in variable terrain.
  • Rider can demonstrate they can independently peddle, steer, stop, start and ride the bike over, around, up, and down a variety of terrain deemed appropriate for their experience level.
Chanelle Riding a Bomber Prone Style Hand Cycle
Anneliese Riding a Bomber Prone Style Hand Cycle
Trevor Riding a Seated Recumbent Hand Cycle
Justin Riding a Recumbent Foot Trike

AMTB Support Rider – What does it take?

You don’t need any experience with disability to start. You do need a mountain bike and the skills and fitness to ride it on single track mountain bike trails. When you volunteer, name a trail or a group ride that you like and we’ll do our best to match you up with an adaptive ride.

Anneliese and Katherine at the MoCo Epic 2024. Shaeffer Farms White Trail

The MoCo Epic Adaptive Route was 5.5 miles with 443 feet of climbing.

Catalyst Sports has an excellent online training to get you started. (link) The course covers your role as a support rider and disability etiquette. This is required for Catalyst programs but I recommend it for anyone.

As you gain experience, you’ll progress from support rider, to ride leader, and bike fitter. If you want to take to the next level, you can become a certified adaptive mountain bike instructor.

Projections for Maryland Infrastructure

DRAFT – This is a work in progress

For infrastructure GIS in Maryland, most GIS systems store geometry in the Maryland State Plane NAD83 coordinate system. That standard was adopted in 1987 and required by 1992. (1) However, the average age of a water main in the Baltimore metro area is 70 years and a lot of it is older than that. When you look at those drawings those you will find other coordinate systems. What are they and how do you identify them?

Maryland State Plane NAD83

Let’s start with the current one. It’s commonly called Maryland State Plane NAD83 and the EPSG code is 2248. A large false easting is used to keep all the numbers positive and to distinguish it from NAD27.

Tick on a 2017 drawing in NAD83

  • Minimum X:~600,000 feet
  • Minimum Y:~90,000 feet 
  • Maximum X:~1,900,000 feet 
  • Maximum Y:~800,000 feet 

If your coordinates are outside these values you are out of state or you’ve guessed the wrong system.

Maryland State Plane NAD27

Prior to NAD83 we had NAD27. This system also uses false easting to keep the numbers positive but the range is lower. You should not see these coordinates on drawings dated after 1992.

  • Minimum X: ~80,000 feet
  • Minimum Y:~35,000 feet
  • Maximum X:~1,400,000 feet
  • Maximum Y:~700,000 feet

Baltimore City

Baltimore City and water projects in Baltimore County will have tick marks using Baltimore’s coordinates system. The point of origin is the Washington Monument at North Charles St and Monument St. False easting and northing are not used. Negative numbers are used south and west of the origin and the values are small compared to the state systems. There is no EPSG code for this system. You can download the projection file here.

1936 Drawing with Baltimore Coordinates
2017 Drawing with Baltimore Coordinates

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s (WSSC)

Content Pending

Were you expecting political maps?

Every ten years, the United States redraws the boundaries of congressional districts. The constitutional intent was to maintain equal representation in the house of representatives as the population both grew and moved throughout the country.

However, these maps are drawn by elected officials in charge at the time and they know that moving a boundary can win or lose votes. Drawing a boundary for political advantage is called ‘gerrymandering’. Britannica.com describes it well. Adam Ruins Everything says it all in just two minutes.

The ‘Independent Maps’ movement aims to put redistricting in the hands of non partisan commissions. In theory, they would draw election boundaries that better represent communities instead of carving out districts that favor one political party. You can see your House of Representative’s districts here:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/map

The best way to view these boundary maps is to pick an area you know. Think about the people that live there. Think about their economics, faith, and education. Is the area more conservative or liberal? Then look at the election districts. The lines will either cut through communities to divide their vote or pack a minority party’s voters into fewer districts giving them less representation. This is why your districts are such irregular shapes. Both parties do this.