Virginia - peaceonabike

May 19, 2024May 24, 2024

SkyMass Again

FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA

I did this ride once. It was in 2010 and was my first or second ride after cancer. Fourteen years ago my weight was better (thanks, Cancer), my bike fitness was probably less,* my age was better, and my motivation was stronger. On that day I rode with seven riders from The Bike Lane, all appreciably younger, stronger, faster. Yet I kept up.

Although Strava was founded in 2009, who was using it then? Not me. Likewise for RideWithGPS, founded in 2007. I was using a Garmin 705. I would upload a ride to Garmin Connect but only epic rides. To upload meant connecting the Strava to a computer to upload to the Garmin website. The 10-30 mile local rides were never uploaded.

First generation super GPS for the bike (2009)

Eventually, I became a convert to RidewithGPS and even later to Strava. Today my Wahoo Bolt automatically uploads each ride to both as soon as I end a ride. It is done through Wifi, Bluetooth, or some magical potion that I carry in my back pocket. I don’t know or care how it works, just that it works.

Late last night I went to the Garmin website. My password still worked. I found my ride from 2010 and exported the GPX file. I uploaded that to Strava so that I could be discouraged when I rode seeing how I did 14 years ago.

I posted this SkyMass ride six weeks ago on the Facebook page of Prince William Cycling Club. The night before my ride, some dick posted the same ride including the route I had drawn, just 30 minutes earlier. He could have asked me if I could move the start time to 9:00 and I would have agreed.

When I arrived at the park at 9:05 there was a group of about eight riders looking ready to roll out. At 9:15 and 9:20 they were still there. I began to think it was a different group and I approached them and asked what ride it was I was met with a surly, “This is the 9:00 ride.” I guess they knew me. Why he wanted to lead his own ride, I don’t know. Ego?

Although in 2010 my Edge had mapping capabilities, we were not creating routes to be downloaded to bike computers yet. It could be done but it was a very awkward process. I never did that. Someone 14 years ago, had a cue sheet of the roads we would follow. And everyone followed. On that day we bypassed Luray and opted for country roads and closed country stores. For today, I created a route that went through Luray where refueling was an option.

We had a group of four and it was perfect. I don’t like large groups and I was glad to see the 9:00 group leave five minutes before us. We left and headed up to Skyline Drive. The last time I was here was in 2021 with the Texas4000.

We climbed and climbed some more. The first 5.7 miles (9.2km) were all uphill before giving way to a very slight and short downhill and then climbed to 7.5 miles (12km) before a downhill section. The climbing continued to our high point on the Drive at 22.4 miles (35km).

While it looks imposing, the climbing was just 2.5% grade for those 22 miles. After removing the descents from the climb it was 15.9 miles (25.6km) at 4.5%. It felt like more.

It was foggy and chilly at times. My arms were wet from riding in the clouds. I regretted not having the arm warmers that I had left in the car. My three riding partners wore jackets.

We descended off Skyline Drive on Rte 211 to Luray. It was a Sunday and many places were closed. I don’t remember being in downtown Luray before. Although the initial impression was gas stations and a strip mall, the main street presented quite a pretty and quaint place.

Cute store. They sold almost nothing though.

We made our way over to a bridge over the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Two turns later we were on Fort Valley Road. That road turns up and goes over Massanutten Mountain. It is in a forest with an occasional view of the valley over the right shoulder, especially where a home on the side of the mountain has been built.

The sun had come out and I was sweating heavily. My Whoop was showing my Strava segment from 14 years ago and was taunting me. Although I started first with another rider, once I went ahead I watched to see if I would lose more time compared to 2010 or keep the loss the same. I was losing time.

The climb is hard. It gets increasingly harder the farther up you go. It was 10% for the last kilometer,

At the summit, I saw a paraglider jumping off the side of the mountain. I had slumped over my handlebars and was too tired and my hands were too slimy to get a photo. But the views were great.

The profile appears to show a 33-mile downhill after the summit. There is a nice descent back off the mountain but while the road trends downhill it is extremely lumpy. We still had more than 1000′ of climbing (300m) remaining. Plus we were now going into a headwind.

Traffic on Fort Valley Road seemed to be heavier than a country road should be. It did have a double yellow line most of the way once coming off the mountain. One motorist in a convertible going the opposite direction yelled very aggressively while he passed, “GET OFF THE ROAD!”

We stopped at Fort Valley Store for more drinks – and a Snickers. As we turned onto Mountain Road at Mile 73 (117 km), a Strava segment popped up. I decided to see if the legs had anything left. At first, I went, and then I paused. Then I went again. And I went full out and beat the 2010-self by one second. I will take that.

Back at the cars, I pulled out apple cinnamon donuts from The AppleHouse restaurant in Linden. They were a perfect dessert for a full meal of climbing today.

*I say my bike fitness was less 14 years ago. I was recovering from cancer surgery and not riding daily as I was working full-time. In 2024 I ride every day although I undoubtedly am not as strong.

May 13, 2024May 15, 2024

A Colonial Ride

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

I found myself side by side with two horses pulling a couple riders in a carriage. The driver was dressed in period garb but the riders, well, they were wearing something from 400 years later.

The capitol flew the flag of the British Empire. And I, in my time-traveling machine, was on my bike.

I began 90 minutes earlier in Richmond. I parked at Great Shiplock Park and rode one mile over to the Richmond Main Station. The train was scheduled to leave at 10:03 a.m. and I walked into the terminal at 9:50. A not-so-friendly employee “greeted” me with a greeting that was less friendly and more challenging. She sort of barked out “May I help you?” and I sensed that was more seeing what I was doing in the train station with my bike as opposed to actually wanting to help me.

Cobbles are for cars. Pave is for bikes. Richmond, Va.

I responded that I was headed to Williamsburg. She said, “Ok.” She could have, should have added, that the train was 38 minutes late. Is this really any way to run a train?

Despite a beautiful morning, the doors to the outside platform were locked. One couple had tried to go outside for fresh air while the rest of us were inside the terminal. At about 10:15 a.m. two employees opened the doors to the platform, signaling that the train would be arriving soon.

On the platform I met two people who had bikes with them. This train is nice but they limit bikes to four per train. That may be one bike per car on a hook and hang system.

Richmond Main. Couple would be riding back as well.

I chatted briefly with the couple. This was their first time riding from Williamsburg to Richmond. The woman had a prosthetic foot and I was quite impressed that she, that they, were trying this. They looked to be both recreational riders. The man, and he was the only one I talked to, asked if he should buy a newer bike. He mentioned his bike is 30 years old. I told him for sure he should. I should have had him lift my bike.

He asked if I was riding back from Williamsburg and I told him I was. He said he didn’t know if they could ride seven more miles and told me they would take a bus from the train to Jamestown Settlement which is the beginning of the 52-mile trail back to Richmond. I saw them when I had offloaded in Williamsburg and hoped to pass them on my ride but I never saw them again. They may have eaten lunch in Williamsburg before beginning their journey.

The late arriving train messed up my schedule. I had just enough time to ride from Williamsburg to Richmond and finish with a climb up Libby Hill. I needed to get home in time to go watch my grandson play baseball at 6:30 p.m.

I departed the station and was about to head to Jamestown. I saw one of the entrances to Colonial Williamsburg and decided to roll back into time. The signage was clear – no motorized vehicles. So bikes are welcome.

I slow-rolled through the town which may explain my disappointing average speed for the ride.* Other reasons may be (1) I’m old, (2) It was windy, (3) Out of fuel, (4) I’m fat, (5) I suck.

There were places for lunch in Williamsburg that tempted me but I thought I had everything I needed for the ride. I headed down Jamestown Road making two exploratory wrong turns along the way. I came into the Virginia Capital Trail at MP 0.5 (there isn’t such a MP though) and headed towards Richmond.

Food options are scarce on the trail. The trail parallels Va. Rte 5 and food options are scarce on Rte 5. I didn’t use it but there is a nice trail map online. Near Jamestown at MP 2.5 is Spoke & Art Provisions. They are closed Tuesdays and Wednesday but the clock and not the calendar was my problem today.

I was fighting a strong crosswind all day coming from the southwest. And I was fighting the clock.

Near Charles City is a Citgo gas station where the trail crosses Rte 5 and takes the road for 1/2 mile. The gas station sells fried chicken. In Charles City is Cul’s Courthouse Grille (you know what the “e” means). That is probably the best place to stop, sit, and eat on the trail. I ate there once and it was good. The gas station does not have seating.

A new entry may be Breez-In Conveniene Store, just south of Charles City. It may be a Sunoco station that I passed. The trail is away from the road here so I did not check it out. But that was it for food and water.

I carried two bottles of water and a few food packets. I would discover that was not enough. I was out of food by MP 42 when I went through the two parks. The first is Four Mile Creek Park. No facilities were open but a new restroom is almost complete. Two miles later was Dorey Park. It had facilities and presumably water fountains. But I would have to exit from the trail to go into the park and didn’t have the time. Or energy. I was bonking.

I passed the Valero gas station at MP 43.5 and then doubled back. I knew I was just eight miles from start but also knew I needed something. I went into the Fast Mart, saw the water then opted instead for Gatorade. I went to the counter and there were two young women “working.” There were two registers and the one woman had a “Register Closed” sign on hers as she was checking her phone. The other woman, with three nostril rings, said “I’ll be with you in a second.”

I waited for one minute and she was still standing there. I think she was in mid-transaction with someone who left the store, maybe to go out to the car and get their wallet. Rather than pause or cancel the transaction she just stood there. I apologized and told her I didn’t have time to wait. I left with nothing.

I went another four miles and came to a 7-Eleven. At this point I was only two and one-half miles from start and all downhill. But I stopped. I needed water. And went for a Slurpy. I poured that into both bottles and I was great.

I was watching the time and wanted to ride Libby Hill. Three miles earlier I had no energy to tackle the famous climb used in the 2015 World Cycling Championships. When I go to my car I was ready to climb. I decided I would check Waze. If traffic going home was horrific and there was no chance of getting to Aiden’s game then I would continue my ride.

I stopped at the car. I opened Waze and saw I could be home by 5:30 if I left right then. I ended my ride, took a “shower” with Chamois Butt’r Skin Wash, and headed home.

It was a nice ride. Ultimately my ride didn’t end short because of a baseball game. It ended short because Amtrak can’t run a train on schedule.

*My average was just 15.1 mph. Knocking out the slow rolling part in Williamsburg it was more than 16 mph.

October 3, 2023December 27, 2023

Currituck-Knotts Island

CURRITUCK, NORTH CAROLINA

Every ride needs a ferry. And this could be a near-epic ride. A medium-distance ride (80km/50mi) and a 40-minute ferry ride.

Using the tools in RideWithGPS I mapped out a ride between the two ferry terminals of the Currituck-Knotts Island Ferry. I choose a couple of points on the map and RideWithGPS then mapped out the route. It usually avoids major roads, and indeed, instead of riding on NC Hwy 168 it routed me over the road at Moyock and brought me back to 168 at Northwest for about 1/2 mile which was unavoidable.

MacKay Island Wildlife Refuge – Marsh Causeway

The schedule was my main planning point. The ferry runs every two hours and one would not want to just miss a ferry and wait for 90 minutes or more for the next one.

I mapped my ride from Currituck to Knotts Island. This was in a clockwise direction and had nothing to do with prevailing winds but was solely based on wanting to finish with a ferry ride. Although it was negligible today it would make sense to check winds to see if one could catch a tailwind towards the end of the ride.

From Knotts Island my feasible choices for meeting the ferry would be 10:30, 12:30, or 2:30. The only real workable time was 12:30 so I planned for a 9:00 departure and estimated that I would arrive at the Knotts Island ferry shortly after noon.

I was unable to determine the parking situation at the ferry. I looked for parks nearby where I could start my ride but when I arrived I pulled into the ferry administration building at Currituck. There was a small parking lot behind the building with a sign warning against overnight parking. I read that to be that daytime parking was okay so I parked.

Parking behind the admin building at the ferry

Some cars were coming off the ferry at 8:30. This must have been the 7:30 departure from Knotts Island and was running late. I thought that if they were departing soon it would behoove me to take the ferry first thing and ride my route counter-clockwise. That way I would have no downtime waiting for the ferry or angst in case I was running late. But a quick check of the sign and I saw the next departure was at 9:30. I rode my originally planned route.

Almost immediately I was on NC Rte 168 but only for half a mile. Then I turned onto secondary roads. The back roads were great except for a major hiccup. Gravel.

RideWithGPS uses Google Maps and Google Maps showed the route as 100% paved. It wasn’t. I came to Cooper Garret Road. I stopped. It was gravel. And it wasn’t packed dirt. It was heavy gravel with a sand base.

Virginia state line (notice the pavement difference). But no welcome to Virginia sign.
But there is a Welcome to Virginia Beach sign.

I opened up Apple Maps to see if there was an easy alternative. I didn’t see one. I slowly trudged through the gravel knowing it was a little more than two miles until South Mills Road and hoped that it was paved.

Bridge on Pungo Ferry Road, Virginia Beach. (Hillclimb)

I was on my Trek Pilot with skinny tires. The 25 mm tires cut through the sand and made controlling the bike difficult. I was afraid I might have a flat. And I was losing the time that was necessary to make the ferry on time at Knotts Island.

North Landing River, Virginia Beach (Photo from bridge on Pungo Ferry Road)

I got through the gravel and back to paved roads. Barring any mechanicals or more road surface surprises I calculated that I should arrive at Knotts Island about 12:05 – 25 minutes to spare. Well, I forgot about the wind.

Va. Hwy 168 – Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake, Va.
(Only on this road for 1/2 mile)

There were strong winds blowing and if they were headwinds I could be in trouble. But they were mostly cross winds headed to Knotts Island with a tailwind the final 10 miles.

I pulled into the waiting area for the ferry at 12:00 pm. Slowed by gravel and then pulling over three times for photos, I still had 30 minutes to spare.

The ferry is free. It departed at 12:30 and made the crossing in 38 minutes. There was an RV, two cars, three motorcycles, and me on the boat.

I doubt that I will ever do this loop again but I would love to. If anyone reads this and wants to ride it I’d turn right at the tracks in Moyock (before the tracks) onto Oak Street. Go three blocks to the end at Shingle Landing Road. Cross the highway and it becomes Camellia Drive. Follow that to South Mills Road and that will avoid that gravel. Avoid the gravel

North Carolina border sign – Knotts Island

I rode this on a Tuesday morning in October. There was virtually no traffic on Hwy 168. On a Saturday morning, the departing traffic from OBX would be horrible and must be avoided. While the website seems to indicate the ferry runs daily, it must be noted that the sign on the schedule is for a weekday schedule. When we stopped on a Saturday there was a sign indicating that it was closed for the day. High winds were not a problem so before I would do this again I would double-check to make sure the ferry was operating. It may not operate on weekends.

ROAD SURFACE:
TRAFFIC DENSITY: 2 (Light)
AGGRESSIVENESS: 1.5

September 24, 2023February 24, 2024

Listen to the Whoop

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

Travel seems to affect me more than a hard effort on a bike. In the past three days, I’ve been to Altoona, Somerset, New Brighton (all Pa.), and now Harrisonburg, Va. When I arrived yesterday it was in the middle of Tropical Storm Ophelia. I had ridden daily since returning from Europe on July 4, a streak of 81 consecutive days. But yesterday was a washout and I viewed that as good. My body would rest.

The weather was unsettled as to whether the remnants of Ophelia would still be giving us rain in the morning. I had looked forward to my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters to be on course on U.S. 33 to cheer me on. As for the latter, the rain convinced them not to come and for the former, it was gray but mostly dry.

My Whoop Band provides biometrics and I looked at my data. My overnight recovery was at 24%. The suggestion was to stay in bed for the day. (Not really – but to rest and not take on any strain.) Whoop did not know that I planned to ride 80 miles including two huge mountain passes.

It was cool, 57℉, plus a chance of rain. No kids on the mountain climbs to cheer for me and the thought of riding on U.S. 33 wasn’t appealing. My Whoop said not to push the strain. I decided that I would ride with Robert Warren Hess, the founder of the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project.

Robert and I rode near the back as he was riding the shortest route available, 36 miles. I would ride the Metric Century, some 62 miles. That’s not a lot different than the original 78 miles that I planned to ride but a significant difference in climbing.

Robert and I rode and caught a couple from Greenville, S.C. The wife was telling me that her husband wanted to ride the Metric Century but would ride with her on the Valley View Challenge, the 36-mile route. I suggested to her that her husband could ride the Metric while she and Robert stayed together for the Valley View Challenge but he decided he would stay with his wife.

After Robert and I rolled out of the rest stop we came to a split. The Metric route included a 27-mile loop back to the rest stop. I wished him well when a woman came flying up between us. She asked which way we were going and I replied “Whatever direction you are.” That wasn’t creeping on her, it was acknowledging that if she went straight Robert would ride with her and if she went right I would ride with her. She went right.

Robert and I were last on course for these two routes that didn’t go over the mountain. As the founder of the PCAP, he spends time talking with every rider at the rest stop. And I also spent time meeting some Trek Travel Guides for the Shenandoah Valley Gravel Bike Tour. So we were quite surprised someone came up from behind us.

Wilma started at 8:30 and missed our roll-out at 8:00. Her husband was also riding but he opted for the 36-mile route. I sensed she wanted to beat him, i.e., ride 62 miles faster than he could ride 36 miles although she never said that.

We rolled together back to the rest stop where we had caught a number of the Metric riders. Although they left while we were still at the stop, I told Wilma that we would soon start catching riders. And we did.

When we came to the sprint section I asked Wilma how her sprint was. She said not very good. I believe that today I could compete for age group winner in the sprint but at registration, I was told by a person handing out the chips that I didn’t need one. Indeed I would not be competing on Allegheny Mountain or Reddish Knob but this one I could have. But I had no timing chip.

I thought about how I would handle it and told Wilma to hold my wheel and I would try to tow her to a win. We went but I never was at 100% effort and frequently backed off so she could stay with me. And I still set a PR. I think that had I had a chip today I could have gotten it. Oh well, my bad for not pushing back on the chip issue before the ride. (Note to self: Strava winner today was 1:50 which will be my target next time.)

Wilma and I continued to catch and pass riders. We made a turn and up the road about 100 meters and saw a guy pedaling. She said, “There’s my husband.” And she blew by him. Not even a glance back or slowing down to ask him how his ride was going.

Trek Travel presentation for their group

On a climb on Swope Road, I caught an Amish horse and buggy. It had caught three cyclists that I knew I would be passing. But I did not want to pass the horse and buggy. Eventually, the driver saw a place where he could pass the cyclists and I followed. The horse took off up the hill and I followed, blowing past the cyclists. I matched the speed almost as if I was drafting the buggy. I wasn’t, I swear. The kids in the buggy would wave to me and I would wave back. What fun. Probably some of my Wenger cousins (at least 7th).

We avoided the rain. I listened to the Whoop. I had a companion for 100% of the ride to the split (Robert) and one from the split back to the finish (Wilma). For a day of rest, it was very enjoyable. Another great Alpine Loop Gran Fondo.

A SPECIAL FEAT – As Robert and I rode I told him about my decision to ride the Metric Century, adding that it would give me all five routes. Early on I rode the Alpine Century Loop with its gravel. I rode the Full Century on pavement. Minus the 25-mile loop, I’ve ridden the Shenandoah Mountain adventure. In 2015 I did the Gran Fondo but opted for the 36-mile ride so I could hurry to Richmond to see the UCI World Championships. And today I would ride the Metric. Robert told me that Jeremiah Bishop had told him that no one had ridden all their routes. And so I would complete that. I also told Erin Bishop that after my ride and she found it “interesting.” (My quotes)

February 23, 2023April 29, 2023

Unexpected Gravel

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA

Riding gravel is the new “in” thing in cycling. The advantage over road cycling is that riding on gravel roads means very few cars. And that alone is enough for many gravel riders.

The disadvantage is that the bike is harder to control. In addition, I always feel like I am one piece of gravel away from having a flat tire.

Although I have a gravel bike, a Trek Checkpoint, I have not come to embrace the new fad in cycling. I am a fearful gravel rider.

Generally, I am one of the fastest descenders on group rides. I seem not to be able to recognize or process risk and am probably inches away from a serious high-speed accident. But put me on gravel and I am absolutely the slowest descender. Others in the group are flying down these roads over gravel and I am holding a handful of brakes.

I am not comfortable descending and don’t think any amount of practice will make me enjoy it. I ride it to join friends on group rides but that is about it. And perhaps if paved roads simply aren’t available.

Culpeper detour. Just walked through it.

I needed a metric century because I was doing a fundraiser for my upcoming MS-150. I challenged my friends that I would ride in distance the number of miles they raised in dollars. I went to RideWithGPS and mapped out what I hoped would be a perfect metric century. RWGPS uses Google Maps so I assign no blame to RWGPS. I drew the route and it showed as 100% pavement. I was set.

It was a combination of my Remington routes and a Culpeper route which I always route clockwise. I decided to ride this one counterclockwise because it would be new to me.

I headed out on familiar roads even if the direction wasn’t. I quickly came to “Climb 1/6” and then Climbs 2-5. Almost all the climbing seemed to be done in the first 30 km. I was happy to get what climbing there would be out of the way early because it was to hit a record-breaking 80 degrees today.

The Climbs on the mapped route appear on my Wahoo

The sixth and final climb was just ahead at 63. km to go. The country road was beautiful with almost no traffic. And then the road turned to gravel. Oh no. This was not expected. I slowed down. I did not know how far the gravel would extend. Well, it was three km (two miles) when it turned to pavement for the final climb of 500 meters. And then it was back to gravel for another three km. In all, it was four miles of unexpected gravel. This was not fun.

I tried to choose my line and stick with it. The gravel alternated from packed dirt (which is actually quite alright) to newer gravel that had been put down within the last year or so (not quite alright). I didn’t know how far it would go and was quite relieved when I reached pavement at the end.

This was a beautiful route but the map drawing let me down. I already went to the drawing board and changed it. I hope that I found all asphalt roads this time.

DISTANCE: 62.2 miles (100 km)
GRAVEL: 4.0 miles

May 18, 2022June 19, 2022

The Ride of Silence

WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA

It was one week ago that I thought about the upcoming International Ride of Silence. I have attended a couple in Rockville, Maryland, and was at one in Dayton, Ohio. But I thought we should have something in Virginia.

I checked the website and only saw a ride at Radford. Nothing in northern Va. Nothing in Richmond or Roanoke. Nothing in Virginia Beach. Wow.

I decided to organize one. With little publicity we had six riders come out to our FIRST Ride of Silence. I wasn’t a novice at organizing rides. Nine years ago I had organized a “Tribute Ride.”

We met at C.D. Hylton High School. I chose this location because it is the site where Joseph James Callahan was killed in September 2013. He was riding on the bike trail in front of the school when a 17-year-old girl drove off the road, struck, and killed him. We rode for Joseph Callahan.

I also bought new flags for his makeshift memorial. The school has let it remain on the property for eight years and I’m afraid without maintenance they may remove it.

The program was simple. We wore black armbands in honor and memory of those who have lost their lives to drivers. We wore red if we have been struck by a vehicle. Half our riders wore red. Read that again.

I opened the “program” with remarks about the Ride of Silence. I spoke about Joseph Callahan and then about Jamie Roberts. We opened our circle to recognize anybody. Chelsea Johnson led us in The Ride of Silence poem.

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us,
friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears

Chelsea was with Jamie when she was killed in Kentucky in 2014. Chelsea spoke about how Jamie lived!

At 7:00 p.m. we rolled out. The route was simple – an 11-mile counterclockwise route of Spriggs Road (bike path), Hoadly Road (shoulder), Dumfries Road (bike path), Minnieville Road (bike path), and back to Spriggs Road.

After the event riders were invited to Armetta’s for a post-ride celebration and reflection. This will be the first and many rides to come.

March 5, 2022March 6, 2022

Shaking off the Dust

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

It was a group ride with Prince William Cycling Club billed as “Shake off the dust and clean off the rust.” The departure location was the Old Bust Head Brewing Company in Warrenton.

I arrived on a cold morning (45º) with plenty of time but fiddled with my contact lenses. By the time I rolled up to the start at 8:59 a.m. (I could have moved quicker.)

There were about 40 cyclists but in two groups leaving at 9:00 a.m. I had to make sure to find the faster/longer group. If there was a division at the start I could certainly tell by the riders in each group. I also figured, correctly, that the faster group (15-16 mph and 40 miles) would be smaller than the 30-mile group. But we were in one large group and I needed to make sure as we rolled out. I also asked as we pedaled away.

There were nine of us. John (Orange Pinarello on Facebook), Charlie, Ed, Jamie, and Louis, three others, and me. I was the oldest.

On a group ride, no one says they check out everyone’s bikes but everybody does. Who’s on the neon carbon bike? Who has the oldest bike? Anyone with a classic bike? And who is riding a gravel bike on a road ride? Uh, that would be me.

I was perfectly dressed. But I guess we all were. Most worse leg or knee warmers. With an expected temperature of 60º, I wore my Roosters Racing kit. I had a light Roosters jacket which meant I was the guy in black/grey on a black/grey bike. I had knee warmers but my screaming color socks from Ridge Supply gave me a little color. And black “cookie” long-fingered gloves. No headcover under my helmet.

Only four of us said they uploaded the route to their computers and I don’t know who they were. I did and my Wahoo was working perfectly.

Well, I wasn’t quite ready to roll. I didn’t have my gloves on. So I stayed at the back to get them adjusted then joined the group. We stayed together for a while. There was a split at the traffic light in Catharpin so the front group pulled over waited for the back group.

As we rolled into the country we gapped two riders. I do believe it was one rider and a sweeper. We were rolling along at 18-19 mph and someone asked us to slow the pace to no more than 16. I went to the front then did nose-breathing riding. Easy pace. After two miles I was told I caused a further split in the group. Damn me. We pulled over and waited for everyone to catch up.

We came to a country store where we caught the slower group. Since they left after us they obviously went a shorter way. They left before us and we caught them again in Cassanova but quickly turned onto our longer route.

It was at the store that John remembered where we had ridden together before. Two years ago I was riding from Manassas to home and he asked if he could ride along. He had remembered my Seinfeld story. At first, I was confused and then we both said “Delores!”

In October 2019, I was at Phil’s Cookie Fondo in Malibu, California. I happened to recognize the actress that plated Delores in the Seinfeld episode where he didn’t know his girlfriend’s name and it went too far that he could no longer ask her. So he had to figure it out. It was a classic episode and the actress, Susan Walters, posed for a photo with me. I talk too much.

At 27 miles in, one of our riders, Bill, hit his wall. I told John I’d sweep and ride with Bill but John dropped back too so both of us did. We lost sight of the group. At Mile 34 we caught them as they had waited. I lost Bill and clawed my way to the front three riders. I guess I wanted everyone to know that I had not been dropped and could be riding at the front if I wanted to. I caught them at Mile 37 then let them go as this was a double left-hand turn. I wasn’t sure who knew the route and felt someone should wait for the stragglers to show them the way.

I counted seven riders then, after five minutes, decided to ride back to find our last two. I went 3/4 of a mile, uphill, before I saw them coming. Briefly, because so much time had elapsed, I had begun to worry that they took their own way back. But once I made contact we rode back down to the Battle of Coffee Hill then toured up Rogues road. Bill had to stop. Cramps. Badly.

Our game plan was for me to ride back to the start/finish (5.5 miles) then check on them. If they needed up I would go back and pick them up. I got back, called, and Bill had stopped completely and John was waiting with him. So I went and picked him up, This was Bill’s first outdoor ride of the year. It was my 60th.

The ride was supposed to be 15-16 mph. I came in at 17 and it would have been higher except for the 3-4 miles I rode sweeping with Bill. John’s ride was 16.5 mph so he lost 0.5 mph sweeping Bill. I may have lost that much too. I could not find someone in the first group to compare to but since we rode together that would have been my average.

But it was a beautiful late-winter day. And it served as a reminder that I have three weeks before my double-century ride in Florida. Need to get in the miles.

John thanked me for helping. If not me, then who? Hopefully, anyone in our group would have stepped up but no one did. I’m sure John would have but we had the luxury of him waiting with Bill for me to come back and pick him up. I had no room for John.

December 2, 2021December 3, 2021

Vesuvius Revenge

VESUVIUS, VIRGINIA

Fourteen years ago I first rode this climb as part of the short-lived Blue Ridge Extreme Century. It was at Mile 50 before we encountered this climb and when I saw a friend walking near the top that was enough for me to join in. My memory, which may be wrong, tells me I went back in 2008 for a different route. But I think we climbed this again and I flatted near the top. I was dragging a low tire and had to walk it to the top for a repair.

I had forgotten about this climb completely until July when the Texas4000 came through. Their route included a descent of this climb. I briefly thought about incorporating this climb as training for Mount Washington but never did. With nice December weather upon us, I put together a 50-mile ride which I thought, tracked what I did 14 years ago. It did not.

Vesuvius has a few homes and no parking. But it does have a church – the Vesuvius Baptist Church. I parked there. I sought permission but the door was locked when I knocked on it.

With a start temperature of 45º, I opted for knee warmers, a headcover, gloves, and a jacket. I started from the parking lot and was immediately on the climb. I remembered nothing about this climb. I was getting warm but had no problems going right up it.

Although I had unzipped my jacket, at the top I stopped and zipped it back up. The descent here was fabulous except winds were sustained at 29 mph making bike handling difficult. I stopped briefly at Crabtree Falls and felt and heard problems with my rear brake. I decided not to touch it the rest of the ride. Descending would be with one brake.

I routed myself a bit too far. I ended up on Patrick Henry Highway. While not too busy in Nelson County, it was still named after a Virginia/U.S. Patriot. It was a highway. It was 8.5 miles to the Ski Barn. I was on a gradual climb with a nice one-mile descent. I loved the ride but would not recommend it or plan to ride it again because it was Patrick Henry Highway.

The Ski Barn was Beech Grove was familiar. It was a rest stop twice for the Extreme Century rides. And from there it would be a six-mile climb to the “top” at Reid’s Gap.

While I rode today to prove myself on Vesuvius, equal to that was the climb to Reid’s Gap. Fourteen years ago I was pulled off my bike on this climb. What I remember: I came to a section and saw other people walking. At that point, I decided I would too. I did not walk too far before remounting and continuing. On the right side of the road was a setup. There was a tent. Definitely a tent. There was an ambulance or fire rescue vehicle parked. And a paramedic yelled to another, “you get his bike, I’m going to get him.”

They pulled me off my bike and made me sit in the tent. They had iced towels they put around my neck. They gave me fresh water. After 10 minutes they told me I could leave but offered, and even strongly suggested, that I be SAGged back to the finish. I refused.

I got back on the bike that day and rode a couple of hundred yards then walked a little more before finally remounting and riding to the top. And that is my memory of that August day.

My Wahoo showed the distance to the next turn which was six miles (5.7 actually). I thought how bad could this be as I started up the climb. The road was busier than I thought and I think most drivers in a hurry were headed to Wintergreen Resort. This is a steep climb. The Virginia Hill Climb Championships have been held here, maybe all on the Wintergreen property to avoid the public road.

I remembered the description in 2007 as the “18% grade of Reid’s Gap.” And I remembered the paramedics. And not much else.

The lower slopes of the climb are gentle. The first two miles probably average two percent grade and the third mile averages three percent. It really kicks up at the entrance to Wintergreen. It is 1.1 miles from there to the top and averages 12.4%. That’s steeper than Mount Washington (12%) although it’s for the final mile and not 7.6 miles.

I hurt. I was going slow. But I was going. I rode my standard road bike setup and not my climbing setup for Mt. Washington. At the top, I turned south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I did not realize that my climb simply continued. In all it was a 17-mile climb when I was expecting six.

I bonked. I had two bottles with me and went through both. I had one pack of energy chews. Gone. Depleted. I was pedaling but no longer feeling my body. It was surreal. Maybe worse was that I was thinking one I got to Reid’s Gap my body would catch a break. I didn’t know I had 11 more miles of climbing left, even if it was just 3-4% grade. The Blue Ridge Parkway has a rough surface, a “heavy” road as we say in cycling terms. I was spent.

Normally I love forward to the final descent. What a perfect way to end a ride. But I determined not to use my rear brake which made the descent sketchy. I took it much slower than I normally would have. But I made it. My clothes were a mix of sweat and snot. I quickly changed out before driving home.

Pumpkin farm. Thousands of rotting pumpkins. 🙁

The Reid’s Gap climb left me pretty beat. I never remembered that the last mile was 13% with grades even higher in spots. But unlike 14 years ago, I powered, albeit slowly, to the top. And this day left me feeling better about that hot day in August 2007. That was a tough climb then and now.

QUICK THOUGHTS: I last rode this before we had GPS bike computers and therefore, did not have comparison times. Nor was a sure of the exact route that I created to ride today. We definitely did not ride on Patrick Henry Highway. I could have shaved six miles by tracking Rte. 680 at Tyro to Beech Grove. That looks like the road that comes into Beech Grove that we took except it has about one mile of unpaved surface on it. I don’t remember any gravel from 14 years ago. I doubt that I do this ride again but that modification to the route is worth looking at.

December 1, 2021January 8, 2022

High Bridge

FARMVILLE, VIRGINIA

“There have been higher bridges not so long and longer bridges not so high but taking the height and length together, this is perhaps, the largest bridge in the world.” – C.O. Sanford, South Side Railroad’s chief engineer, 1852

I first stumbled upon High Bridge, or High Bridge State Park, while on a charity ride in 2013. Our route for the day didn’t take us anywhere near this site but that was the problem. Our map didn’t take us anywhere. The organization wasn’t organized and after making a 30-mile loop we were back to where we started. Someone (me) saw the trail and the signs to High Bridge and we made a deal. Let us ride over the bridge and we’ll call our 50-mile ride to nowhere a ride to somewhere and drive the rest of the way to Raleigh.

It was an early Spring day in 2013 and there were lots of users out on the trail. I wanted to see it without people so I chose a day in December. And I didn’t see any users until I was nearing the end of my ride when a couple went by on bikes. It was a gray day with temperatures in the upper 50s. I would have preferred a few more degrees or sunshine but I could not control that.

I chose to park in a shopping plaza next to a Cook Out restaurant. I wanted to see a little of the charming town of Farmville and not just stick to the trail. Although the prettiest part of the downtown I bypassed by staying on the trail. It’s charming nonetheless.

In preparation for the ride, I read some trail reviews on TrailLink.com. What junk reviews. One user complained because Mile Marker 0.0 is in the middle of the bridge and they count up from there – in both directions. He stated he wouldn’t be back. Who really cares?

Other users complained because the bridge is the only fixture on the trail. They don’t make trails based on your model train layout. Another complained that the crushed limestone was really gravel. Well, duh!

It’s a rail trail. Almost all of its 33 miles are flat (a feature of most rail beds turned rail trail). There are no great vistas along the trail except for one and it’s really great – the bridge. The surface is crushed limestone which was mostly packed solid making for a very passable surface even for a road bike – which I rode today.

Farmville is a charming college town. Longwood University is located here. From Farmville to the bridge is 4.5 miles (7.25 km). The trail is not a thru-trail, unlike the Great Allegheny Passage which connects Pittsburgh with Cumberland (and to Washington, D.C. via the C&O Canal Towpath). Is it a “destination” trail? Maybe, depending on your perspective.

I don’t know that I would plan to vacation here, unlike the Pine Creek Trail in Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. Thirty-three miles is a little short for a destination trail. As mentioned previously, there is but one fixture, High Bridge, but that alone makes a trip here worthwhile.

I enjoyed the peace and quiet of today’s ride. It was weird not seeing any other users except that couple near the end. I saw four dogs roaming around. One had a really bad coat of fur but also a ribbon around his neck. They didn’t approach me and while I thought of approaching them, I did not. Likely as not to be someone’s pets that were off-leash.

Bottom line: If you’re anywhere near the trail, take a ride, a walk, or a run on it. The bridge is awesome.

DISTANCE: 14.5 miles
WEIGHT: 172 pounds

November 15, 2021January 8, 2022

Creeper Trail

ABINGTON, VIRGINIA

The Virginia Creeper Trail had intrigued me for a while. I did not plan to ride it, especially this time of year. But a trip to Florida and I decided to get a taste of it. The experience on the trail would determine whether I want to make this a destination trip at some point.

I was traveling from Pennsylvania to Florida and had my mother with me. We left Somerset and there were three to four inches of snow on the ground and on the road. My consecutive days ridden streak was now at 1,049 straight days and I hoped to be able to finish a third consecutive year of a ride every single day. I would need a ride today.

It would be a long day in the car and I tried to stop with my mother at least once every two hours. I saw we would pass through Abington, Virginia. I knew the Creeper Trail went through or to Abington but I didn’t know much more. But I would figure it out.

It never warmed up but the 44 degrees were much warmer than we left behind in Somerset. I told my mother I would need about 45 minutes and we took a break from our trip from Somerset, Pa. to Gatlinburg, Tenn.

We parked at a trailhead and thought I might have an option of going north or south (or east or west). But Abington is the terminus so there was one way to go.

And the direction was down. The trail goes 34 miles to Whitetop Station in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, at the Virginia-North Carolina border.

The trail is a crushed limestone trail. In November the gravel is mostly covered by leaves. I was on my Trek Domane road bike and had no problems on the trail. I saw some neat fixtures (trestles).

We had parked in a lot and my mother took the opportunity to walk out on the first trestle. I was gone for 55 minutes as I was not making good time on the leaves. It was a very nice diversion and I certainly would ride it again if I’m in the area. Given my distance (178 miles) from the trail, I don’t know that I would return just to ride this trail. But if I was in the area I certainly would.

There is a shuttle in the area that one can use to go to one end and ride back to the car. I thought the grades on this trail were a little steeper than some of the trails I have been on and that would be a fun option to explore. But this was a nice ride on a chilly Fall day. My 1,049th consecutive ride.