File:Main Street 2020, High Wheels on the Towpath from the Frederick News-Post, August 3, 2020 (1).jpg

Summary

Riding high: Event draws High Wheel bicyclists and public for ride down C&O Canal towpath

By Hannah Himes from The Frederick News-Post, August 3, 2020

In Photos: High Wheel Bicyclist on the Towpath. Photo by Hanna Himes

People on the C&O Canal towpath between Brunswick Family Campground and Harpers Ferry may have seen a sight they weren’t expecting Sunday: about 15 people, many in period dress, riding High Wheel bicycles. The public riding event, open to all cyclists, was called Throwback on the Towpath and was hosted by Brunswick Main Street and The Wheelmen and sponsored in part by River and Trail Outfitters. In total, there were about 30 people at the event. The Wheelmen is a nonprofit “dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling, promoting the restoration and riding of early cycles manufactured in and before 1932, and encouraging cycling as part of modern living,” according to their website. “[The event] is an opportunity for us to get together, socially, as antique bike enthusiasts and to get out and ride our machines together,” said Eric Knight, commander of The Wheelmen, adding that he was looking forward to meeting new people at the event. Typically, Frederick hosts the National Clustered Spires High Wheel Race. But this year it was canceled due to COVID-19 and while Throwback on the Towpath was meant to be a slower-paced follow-up to the race, it became a way for High Wheel riders to still come out and ride. “In a way this has become a substitute event,” said Alyssa Theodore, promotions committee chair with Brunswick Main Street, who organized the event with The Wheelmen’s Shayne Boucher. Boucher is also part of the Frederick Bicycle Coalition. Knight said that there were a number of people at the event Sunday who have raced in Frederick’s High Wheel Race. Theodore said that under a former manager, Brunswick Main Street had started the process of getting certified as a bike friendly community. “We want to promote cycling culture in Brunswick,” Theodore said, mentioning the towpath, MARC parking lot and Rivers Edge Trails as draws. “We’re working hard to get people to realize what a great location Brunswick is,” she said. The event was especially important for people seeking voting membership in The Wheelmen. “This is sanctioned as a official High Wheel tour, official antique safety tour, which is a more formal ride for the club that needs to be 10 or more miles,” Knight said. “Successful completion of an official High Wheel tour on a qualifying bike, which is either an authentic antique bike or an authentic replica of an antique bike qualifies somebody for voting membership in the club, assuming they’re a paying member of the club.” Knight said it’s exciting to ride a High Wheel bike, nice to represent the history of the bike while dressing in authentic uniforms and that he enjoys seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they see High Wheel bicycles. He also explained some of the history behind them. “A High Wheel bicycle is basically the first actual bicycle,” Knight said. “They started out in about the 1870s, early 1870s, 1880s were the high period for High Wheelers and then they phased out with the evolution of what’s called the safety bike, which is basically what we see today.” While the High Wheeler is an “elegant, well-designed machine,” Knight said it has obvious safety problems. The hazards of the bike drove innovations, he said. High Wheel bicycles have also had a social impact on the world, including allowing further liberation for women with heightened mobility and changes to women’s fashion. Charmaine Ruppolt of Hyattsville attended the event with her friend after seeing it on Facebook. “I know about the High Wheel Race in Frederick and since they weren’t having it, I guess that’s why they’re having this ride and I thought it would be neat if she could see some of these bikes,” Ruppolt said. Both Ruppolt and her friend brought hybrid bikes to the ride and Ruppolt said she was most looking forward to riding with everybody. “I like their period costumes and just the fun of having an event ride, we haven’t had anything all year,” she said. Ben Dengler of Frederick was also at the event with his wife and said they’ve always watched the High Wheel Race in Frederick and came to ride along and watch the High Wheel riders. He said Throwback on the Towpath was a nice way to substitute for the race and that it allowed people to see the bikes as well as the cyclists to put on their period dress and ride their bikes for a public event. Overall, he was just looking forward to having a nice time. “Just being outside and on a bike is all I need to be happy,” Dengler said.