Yes, cyclists have to obey traffic laws.
While certainly not safe, it is legal to talk on a cell phone while riding.
• Decide / Plan your route where you want to ride .
• Try to create cue sheet or gps file to navigate the route.
• Create a reminder of bike ride.
• Check/Tune your bike
• Get bike helmet / lights
• Invite your friends.
• Go for a ride and enjoy.
While bikes are generally reliable, they’re still a machine and things can go wrong, including but
not limited to:
• Flat/cut tires (probably the majority of problems)
• Loose parts like headsets
• Broken/skipping chains
• Mis-adjusted/rubbing brakes
Other potential issues like:
• Rain/wind/snow/cold
• Forgotten water bottles
• Crashes/accidents
• Insect/bee stings
Are you 13 years of age or younger? Then sure, go ahead. Otherwise, you should ride on the street. Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous for pedestrians and drivers won’t expect you in the crosswalk when entering intersections.
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail runs 150 miles through the heart of Pennsylvania, from the Point Park in downtown Pittsburgh to Cumberland Maryland. There it connects to the 185-mile-long C&O Canal Trail. The GAP roughly follows the Casselman River in the east, the Youghiogheny River in the middle, and the Monongahela River in the west. This trail crosses the eastern continental divide.
Website:
https://gaptrail.org/
https://bikecando.com/
The C&O Canal Towpath trail runs 185 miles from Washington DC to Cumberland Maryland. It follows the Potomac River along the route of the historic C&O Canal. The trail is located in Maryland, following the state line just across the river from Virginia and West Virginia for much of the way.
Website:
https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/co-canal-towpath/
https://bikecando.com/
The Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD or “Wad”) is a great rail trail through the Northern Virginia counties. The entire 45 miles is paved with nine-foot-wide asphalt and has a painted yellow center line. There is also a parallel horse trail along much of the trail (which can be a nice diversion for ATBs). The only real complaints about this trail are its popularity (it can be quite crowded on some days) and the fact that much of it follows a power line right-of-way.
Website:
http://bikewashington.org/trails/wad/wad.htm
