Blue Ridge Parkway 1999

Well, I’m finally back from a long summer of cycling across the country--twice! We had 2 successful crossings this summer with America by Bicycle, but the trip I enjoyed the most was the two weeks in the Blue Ridge Mountains in August. If there is a bicycling Mecca, this is it!!! I’ve biked all over the country with the exception of only two states, Louisiana and Oregon, but if I had to choose only 1 place to bike in for the rest of my life it would be on the Blue Ridge. Why do I like it so much? There are no route changes, the road surface is excellent, no commercial traffic, the max speed limit is 45 (does that apply to bicycles?), and there is breath taking scenery almost everywhere. There’s probably no highway more suited to bicycling, but the first thing you’ll notice is that you cannot be a passive cyclist and ride there. If the highest hill you usually ride is the bridge across a canal or the terrible “mountains” that are present just south of Montgomery, you’re in for quite a shock. Riding the BRP is a humbling experience and never easy. You’ll work excruciatingly hard on the climbs but the descents are more thrilling than any roller coaster. You’ll find your focus becomes keen as you scream down the side of a mountain. Your senses will become exhilarated as your body, your bike, the rubber in the tires and the road all become one in a “high voltage” connection (Or become one with the foliage over the cliff if you’re not careful)! What a thrill! My Cateye Altimeter computer registered a max speed of 64 on one descent just off the Parkway--don’t know if that was accurate, but I didn’t take time to look at my computer while I was riding that section if you know what I mean. Elevations along the BRP are modest compared to elevations out west in the Rockies, but changes in elevation are much more irregular. You will climb the same 500 feet over and over as you skirt along the ridgeline. The highest point on the BRP is Richland Balsam near Mt Mitchell at just over 6000 feet. The lowest point is near Otter Creek, VA at 649 feet. On our day through Otter Creek we had to climb to over 3000 before descending to Otter Creek. From there, we had to climb to the highest point in VA at 3900--a solid 15 miles of climbing. That was one of the most challenging days...for the first week!

Even though elevation changes can become a preoccupation with cyclists, when you ride here you can’t help but notice the changes in geology or the history. I understand that the geologic upheaval that formed the Appalachian mountain range took place about 200 million years ago. You’ll pass rugged cliffs, dense forests, rolling farmland, wildflowers, rhododendron, mountain laurels, and deer grazing in beautiful open meadows. You may even happen upon a mountain black bear strolling along the side of the road. You’ll pass isolated cabins all along the BRP and feel the vulnerability of the early settlers who settled in this sparsely populated, austere land. The national park service has preserved several sites that demonstrate the daily life of the mountain culture that allow reflection on the isolation of existence in this area.

The trip started in Roanoke on the 15th of August. We spent the first week north of Roanoke in the Shenandoah Valley and the north section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. On day 3 we finally got on the Parkway by way of a very technical, strenuous climb at Vesuvius. This climb had pitches of at least 20% in places and was 3.8 miles long. We climbed 600 feet the last mile according to my altimeter--and if I do the figuring right, that’s about an 11% average give or take. The entire climb was just over 1500 but really didn’t start up for about a mile into the hill. Once on the BRP we enjoyed rolling hills along the ridge with private farms and open meadows that indicated a slower pace of life than most of us are use to. The first week we averaged between 4000 and 6000 feet of climbing a day. We stayed in first class motels in beautiful, historic Lexington for 3 nights (award winning Hampton), the Inn at Afton in Waynesboro, the Peaks of Otter (a resort), and finally back into Roanoke (Hampton) for a well-deserved day off.

The second week was much different than the first. We stayed in much more quaint motels that were built in the early 50s in places like Fancy Gap, Laurel Springs, Linville Falls, and Cherokee. Although the “quality” of the motels were a bit less, the friendliness of the people and the quiet surroundings more than made up for the glitter. When I say quality, I'm only referring to the newness and close proximity of services...the rooms were clean, well kept, and comfortable. In four of the motels, none of the rooms had in-room phones. We spent the afternoons just sitting around talking with each other…what a concept! The terrain also became much more mountainous (if that could be possible). We traversed over Craggy Gardens (5640) and Mount Pisqua (4900). Now that looks like it may be downhill to Pisqua from Craggy Gardens, but the terrain went to right at 2000 feet between the two. We also traversed Richland Balsam (6053), Waterrock Knob (5718, again with an elevation of just over 2000 feet between the two), and took a side trip up Mount Mitchell (which seemed like nothing after riding all day on the ridge…it’s all perspective). This week we averaged over 6000/day with 3 days over 7000 and 8200 being the toughest day. All in all almost 70,000 feet in 12 days of riding and barely 700 miles! That’s not Kansas Toto--or Alabama for that matter.

Now I know you’re all excited and you can’t wait to go and ride up there. Well, a word of caution is in order. Unless you will have sag support or you are only going to spend a short day up there, it takes careful planning. A 50 mile ride up there is not 2 water bottles and a PowerBar. You can ride right past services (where there are some) without seeing them. And if you exit the parkway in the wrong place, you may find yourself in a severe descent to nowhere. There are no advertisements on the parkway and there are several places, especially down in the southern end, that there are no services at all. I highly recommend an organized ride with a company like America by Bike who will have all the details worked out and all you have to do is show up and ride your bike. If you insist on being your own person and doing it by yourself, I highly recommend buying Bicycling the Blue Ridge by Elizabeth and Charlie Skinner. It is a complete outline of services available, terrain changes, weather considerations, what to take, side trips, campgrounds, and motels. Plus it’s written from a cyclist’s perspective.

You want a challenge? You want to ride in the most beautiful cycling territory anywhere (and it’s not that far away)? Then plan a week or two on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hopefully I’ll see you next year riding with America by Bike in August. For more info you can e-mail me or check out America by Bicycle’s web site at www.abbike.com for details. Have a great fall season. See you on the road. Mikie