Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

Biker Chick At The Beach

Last week my husband and I escaped to the beach for a few days after dropping our son off at college. It was our first real vacation without our kids (last year we had a fantastic staycation) and it was quite a different experience. We got up early, went for long bike rides, lounged on the beach, indulged at happy hour, did a bit of shopping, enjoyed dinner out, and crashed early. Here’s a recap of the fun we had cycling at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

We arrived mid-morning on our first day, and decided to pass the time until our room was ready by going on an easy bike ride. We went up the road a few miles to Cape Henlopen State Park and followed the path around Gordon Pond.

Cycling at Rehoboth Beach

After that, we cruised around town, admiring the gorgeous houses in Henlopen Acres, and making sure our favorite restaurants were still around. All in all, we rode for about 8.5 miles at an easy pace.

Our evening shopping included a stop at a bike shop, where I picked up this cute Biker Chick cycling jersey.

Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

We talked to the owners about options for long rides, and picked up a few maps with routes marked out for cycling at Rehoboth Beach.

On our second day, we decided to do a long ride down Route 1 to Bethany Beach. It was my first time riding on a major road, but the route was known for its clear, wide shoulders (7-8 feet wide) and beach traffic was relatively light since colleges and some local schools were back in session. As we were riding, we decided to extend our ride down to Fenwick Island so we could see the Fenwick Island Lighthouse.

Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

The lighthouse was closed, but it was neat to read about Transpeninsular Line. This marker was erected in 1751 to designate the east-west border between Pennsylvania and Maryland–before there was Delaware! This street is just before the “Maryland Welcomes You” sign, so I guess the boundary hasn’t changed much.

On the way back, we stopped at Bethany Beach for lunch and refilled our water bottles. Of course, I had to get a picture of the beach!

Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

We ended up riding about 38 miles. I felt pretty safe on the shoulder, although it was a bit unsettling when big trucks blew by. I paid close attention to path in front of me, but there were only a few places with loose gravel or deeper dustings of sand that warranted caution. While most of the route was in full sun, there was enough of a breeze off the bays so that it didn’t feel hot. (It probably helped that it was in the low 80s with low humidity!)

Probably the hardest thing to get used to was how flat the route was. There was only one bridge (that blip at about mile 5), and while it was plenty challenging (and a little bit scary to be climbing hard in traffic) I would have enjoyed more hills to break up the tedium!

Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

(Left: Rehoboth Beach to Fenwick Island To Bethany Beach,
Right: Bethany Beach to Rehoboth Beach)

When we got back to our hotel, we went straight to the beach! I stripped off my cycling gear and went in the ocean in my sports bra and undies–they looked like a boy shorts-style bikini. 😉 While the water felt cold at first, it was so refreshing. Almost as refreshing as the sangria we enjoyed at happy hour ….

Iguanga Grill, Rehoboth Beach

For our last day of cycling at Rehoboth Beach, we headed north to Lewes, and the other end of Cape Henlopen State Park.

Cycling At Rehoboth BeachThis route was about 23 miles, most of it on The Junction and Breakwater Trail, which is a crushed stone trail along an old Penn Central railroad right-of way.

Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

This was a nice change of scenery from our roadside ride!

I’m not a huge history buff, but I do enjoy learning about local history. Since we visit the beach for a relaxing vacation, it is hard to imagine it as an important World War II military base, but the many watchtowers that line the coast are a reminder of darker times. Still, we were surprised to see old munitions bunkers as we rode through the park.

From the Delaware State Parks Website:

With the onset of World War II, the U.S. Army established a military base at Cape Henlopen in 1941. Bunkers and gun emplacements were camouflaged among the dunes, and concrete observation towers were built along the coast to spot enemy ships.

They really were tucked into the dunes and sheltered by the trees.

Since we were heading home after lunch, we didn’t have time for more sangria, but the ginger lemon wheatgrass popsicle I got from the Karma Cafe was almost as good.

Cycling at Rehoboth Beach

I tried it as a joke, but it was really yummy and very refreshing!

Did you go to the beach this summer?

Do you like to vacation at the same place or do you prefer to go somewhere new?

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14 Responses to Cycling At Rehoboth Beach

  1. Miz says:

    seriously if it werent YOU Id feel awkward how I stalked all your trip's tweets and facebook photos etc.
    but it's you.
    so I dont 🙂
    glad it was so much fun.

  2. Looks like a blast! I'm drawn to the beach any time of year. It's my happy place for sure!

  3. Sounds like a great vacation for y'all!!
    I love the beach – any beach, any time!!!

  4. Lindsay says:

    I love Rehobeth Beach! One of my favorites 🙂 I've ridden down from the boardwalk to Cape Henelopen. LOVE it! Hope you had a great vacation!

  5. christineyu69776410 says:

    Yay for vacation!! I'm not ready to leave the beach yet. Can I tell you how I love that you have embraced cycling? Sound like a great trip and some great rides.

  6. Love vacationning and I'm definitely not ready to get back into the real groove of things lol Love the cycling jersey 🙂

  7. Steena says:

    You just made me realize that no, I didn’t make it to the beach this summer, darn it! There’s a beach in Wisconsin called Harrington Beach, it’s amazing. It’s on Lake Michigan. Neat way to do a vacation though, bikes and the beach. I love it.

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  9. Looks good.
    Women cyclists are more attractive to me that others 😉
    BTW, thanks for sharing your post.

  10. this is nice, thanks for sharing!

  11. Mahur says:

    Nice job on this, I learned a lot. Looking forward to your next posts!
    Thank You

  12. Ryan says:

    Looks like a fun and scenic route. Great to see you’ve got the full gear on too!

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