Rocky Roads

Last Sunday, my friend Kelly and I set out for a big day on road bikes, with hopes of lots of gravel, no flats, and a mid-ride soda stop. We decided to ride the entire Rough Roubaix course, which is 114 miles and around 7200 feet of climbing. We visited some great gravel roads, saw President Kyle and Chase on their mountain bikes at the Shenandoah Mountain saddle, and descended into West Virginia for a wind-free spin to Brandywine. Once in Brandywine, we refueled on Dr. Pepper and chatted with some of WV's best. We kept on to Rough Run road, and braved some creek crossings and rough terrain as we climbed to the top. In the Rough Roubaix, riders descended at the top of that climb, (Shenandoah Mountain). Instead, Kelly and I turned the opposite way and kept riding to the top of Long Run Road. It was hard, hot, and gnarly. I was struggling to keep turning the pedals over! Our hands were cramping from the rough rollers, but the views and the setting were too cool to not keep going in good spirits. Once we got to the top of Long Run, we realized we had done over 8000 feet of climbing... and came to the realization that we might be off the Rough Roubaix course. The map reassured us that we weren't completely lost, though, and we continued on the Big Bear Loop. The downhill to Hopkins Gap road was phenomenal - we saw four bears! We climbed up the backside of Hopkins and rode back to the Burg via Mt. Clinton. Our ride ended up being 102 miles, with 8800 feet of climbing. An awesome 9 hour day with Kelly - can't wait for more rock drops on road bikes.

 Stokesville Market - stop #1 at mile 25