I had to drive down to Blacksburg for business on Friday. The weather was phenomenal, and it seemed a waste to drive all day in that sunshine. So Tony, the dog, & I made a weekend of it. We phoned some friends who gladly played hooky on Friday afternoon for a sweet ride on Gap and Brush Mountains.
Friday's ride was sponsored by Nathan's 6 year-old and 8 year-old. They donated superhero tutus, wings, & belts to the cause. We used them to fly up the mountainsides and dance our ways back down.
For anyone familiar with Blacksburg's Pandapas Pond trail system, here are a few updates from the past year or two:
-the bottom of Beauty now has some new gap jumps. They're no good for a hardtail singlespeed because it is borderline impossible to gain enough speed.... but gears + squish = fun!
-most of the switchbacks on Old Farm/Gateway have been simplified with use of rocks & removal of roots; I was glad to see the Blacksburg folks watching out for increased erosion in some of those spots
-everything else keeps getting a little more washed out every year... just like every other trail system I know
Saturday's Old Farm trail ride got off to a rocky start. Approximately 7 minutes up the trail, Tony broke his single-speed chain. Crap. So back down the mountain we rolled. Fortunately, some really cool cyclists rent the house at the bottom of that trail. We owe a big shout-out to Graham Snyder from East Coasters Bike Shop; he robbed a hollow-pin 9-spd chain from one of the barn's dozen-or-so bikes, & we happily spun (err, slowly grinded) our way back up the mountain. Somehow, that road chain survived Tony's gear-mashing, ring-smashing ride. And we even had enough daylight to enjoy some Bud Light With Lime at the bike house with Laura, Stefan, Graham, & Tommy. No matter where you ride bikes, you can always find some brethren.
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