Climb a mile? On a mountain bike?!?

OVERVIEW

You read that right – the plan is to ride 50-some miles on our bikes and climb just over a mile vertically (~5500 ft). This won’t be an easy ride, but it promises high reward: great views, comraderie, and a serious sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. We’ll ride a loop I’ve done a few times before that follows a jeep road up to the top of Reddish Knob, then descend to the East and follow forest service roads back to the car. Here’s the route, for reference (note that we are doing it in one day, not two!): https://bikepacking.com/routes/overnighter-harrisonburg-va/

Why this route you may ask? I badly want to get out and ride, but freeze-thaw is wreaking havoc on the trails right now (and it is a big no-no to destroy the trails just because you wanted to go for a ride!). So what better way to get out than a nice, long gravel/jeep road ride where it won’t matter how muddy we get (and we will most definitely be muddy and maybe snowy by the end)? Plus, it’s excellent training for the coming spring and/or Moab, if that excites you.

For the most part, this route isn’t super technical, but it is challenging because it is long, there is a lot of climbing, and it is steep in parts. If you want to go on this trip but are concerned about the length/difficulty, let me know in the questionnairre or text me at 571-332-3740. You probably shouldn’t plan on bailing out, but there is a possibility to go directly back to the car from Reddish or to be picked up somewhere along the forest service roads we’ll be going down.

The plan:
7:30am – meet at shred shack, get bikes together
9:15am – at the trailhead and rolling
noonish – lunch time
also snacks galore
6 – back at the car
7:30 – back in charlottesville

*** I do not know if this ride might take longer than expected, so I advise you not to schedule anything important Saturday night **

I’ll bring:
– bikes & helmets
– water filter
– lights for the bikes in case we get stuck after dark
– first aid kit

You bring:
– Water: at least 2 liters
– food: lunch and snacks, trust me you’ll need a lot
– layers: lots of wool/polyester layers – it will be a lot colder on top of the mountain than when we start and you’ll want to be able to adjust your layers. You also might get wet at some point so it is important to have clothing that will dry quickly (NOT COTTON).
– gloves: it might be cold and the last thing you want is frozen fingers – gardening/work gloves work well if you’re on a budget
– mask for car ride

I do not have a car, so drivers get priority off the waitlist! Drivers get reimbursed for gas + 50% tip – please show up with a full tank of gas.