GWNF Advanced Mountain Biking & Leaf Surfing

OVERVIEW

***DRIVERS NEEDED***
Shuttle – (verb): to drive to the top of a trail and shred only the downhill*, as opposed to climbing up yourself. Also known as: a roadie’s worst nightmare.
*The beauty of a shuttle in the GWNF is that you can still climb those few thousand feet your quads and calves were longing for but ride multiple descents. Read: extra time on those incredible trails that make up what is described by some as the creme de la creme of biking in the George Washington National Forest.

Consider… no classes on Tuesday because of election day, so Sunday is kind of like a Thursday…

There are two possible plans for this Sunday:
Plan A is a shuttle, meaning we skip out on a big (~2800 foot) climb. Plan A entails 23 miles, 2600 feet of climbing, and 4900 feet of descending.
THIS REQUIRES AT LEAST TWO DRIVERS. The club reimburses gas and tips 50%.
Following plan A, we will link together several glorious descents and a few fun climbs ;). Starting at the top of Reddish Knob, we will ride the bald mountain trail to the wild oak trail, descend down chestnut ridge (a must ride descent), and then down skidmore fork to get to a lovely paved road the forest service has graciously built us. From there, we’ll climb pavement and gravel to hankey mountain trail and climb to the top of lookout mountain. To finish, we will descend down lookout mountain: a masterpiece of rockwork that will make you question why anyone dislikes riding on rocks. Please read up on the route here and let me know if you have any questions at all (it’s a little bit cobbled together but bear with me):
1. Bald mountain trail to the end of chestnut ridge descent (miles 0-11 on this link): https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7027524/reddish-knob-to-wild-oak-chestnut-grindstone-ridge-shuttle
2. Skidmore fork trail: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7000958/skidmore-fork-trail
3. Lookout mountain climb and descent (mile 2.3-end on this link): https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/3770932/lookout-mountain-loop

Plan B is to cut some of the route above and instead climb up to retrieve the car by bike or ride a different route (tbd). If you don’t want to do this and only want to do Plan A, sign up for the trip anyway and let me know in the trip questions.

***PLEASE READ***
This trail is a real VA backcountry ride. It has lots of rocks, is steep in spots, there are fallen leaves everywhere, and there might not be cell coverage in some areas. THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER RIDE. Please only sign up if you are comfortable on a mountain bike, and are of intermediate/advanced level (with the fitness to climb 2600ft over ~25 miles). That being said, you don’t need to be a pro to have fun on this trip. If you have done some biking in GWNF before and feel confident in your abilities for the trip, then you should be fine. If you have questions/concerns, text me at at 571-332-3740.
Please please please note the distance (23 miles, 2600 feet climbing) and only sign up if you are comfortable riding that!

Some useful links for ya to plan what will be the best Sunday you have in a while:
– https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7027524/reddish-knob-to-wild-oak-chestnut-grindstone-ridge-shuttle
– https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/3770932/lookout-mountain-loop

The plan:
– 6:00 am: Meet at the Shred Shack (116 Washington Ave.) and depart
– 7 am: Set shuttle car
– 8am: Arrive at start point, start riding
– 2 pm: Get back to the car, pick up shuttle car, head home
– 4-4:30 pm: Arrive back in Cville

**You bring**
– Phone with MTBProject or Trailforks downloaded, with the Virginia region downloaded within the app (absolutely required, if for any reason you can’t do this let me know)
– Water: at least 3L – I can put 1-2 bottle cages on each bike (let me know in the questionnaire).
– Food: lunch and snacks, maybe breakfast?
– Appropriate clothing and footwear: it can be cold this time of year, dress in layers (non-cotton if possible) suitable for riding — you should at absolute minimum have a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt or jacket with you in case we’re out past sunset, and closed-toed shoes
– gloves are recommended for keeping the fingers working in chilly temps and protecting your hands from scrapes if you fall – $10 Mechanix work gloves are great
– sunscreen?
– a bag to carry your water and food: the club has some daypacks and hip packs if you need one (let me know in the questionnaire)

**I Bring**
– Bikes/helmets
– Bike rack(s)
– Pumps, tools, etc
– Bike lights (not planning to be out after dark, but you never know)

***Driver(s) needed! I don’t have a car, so this trip can’t happen without at least one driver – drivers get priority off the waitlist and gas reimbursement + 50% tip! Please let me know about your bike carrying abilities if you have a car and show up with a full tank of gas.***

If we have a second driver, we can shuttle to the top of Reddish Knob, cutting out nearly 3000 feet of climbing!