The 18th annual Tour de Burg wreaked its havoc on Harrisonburg a few weeks ago. With it came Pennsylvania native cupcakes, dirty south smack-talkers, and some foof. This year I graduated from the usual position of sandwich-slinging time-keeper to undercover on-course informant for Il Director Mike Carpenter. I asked multiple times to move up in the Tour world over the past year, and was finally granted my wish to ride by my father (Il Director). "I did the Giro, I should be able to do the Tour, right?"
A few weeks of riding with a purpose and a borrowed fork with an extra inch of travel gave me the confidence to actually show up as a GC racer the first day. We rode Trimble Mountain Trail as an individual time trial to start off, and then rode Hanky Mountain-Lookout as the first official stage. Sue Haywood took the Women's Leader jersey, but I took the Women's Super D. Thus began the 2014 Tour de Burg.
The second day we rode from town to Massanutten, toured Upper Ravine trail to Kaylor's Ridge, dropped down Boone's and climbed up a creek ridden tech trail to complete the first timed section. We then went up Big Mountain to Bird Knob and ended near Catherine's Furnace. Party pace this time, we climbed and climbed up and up and eventually, through a time warp of wet and soggy chamois, arrived at Fridley's Gap. It rained on the ride home, and I realized as I bonked and watched the sprinters take off that the week was going to be a real challenge.
The third day, the road day, was fantastic and very American. Timed up and over Shenandoah Mountain, up and over Confederate Breatsworks, up again, and again to the lunch stop. Parade pace through Monterey and to Sally Hiner Road; a gravel party that goes back and forth through Virginia and West. A trapdoor Sally showed me along the way dropped me halfway up the road before the other GCers. I got to hang out with the fast guys for a little while and then played with Sue on the descent.
We climbed over Shenandoah Mountain again, and then up the backside of Reddish Knob. Cresting Reddish to a chilly hangout and watermelon slices made for a euphoric ending to an awesome day on road bikes. The ride back to town made me feel like a grown up rider within a peloton of epic friends and outrageous athletes. Once home, everyone quickly swapped road bikes for mountain bikes and participated in a >5 minute time trial/Super D in Hillandale Park.. Dinner was well-deserved that night.
The fourth day hurt. Not the other days didn't, but this was the hardest. We rode mountain bikes from town, again, and climbed up Union Springs Road to Mud Pond-Oak-Knob-Pond Knob. The Pond Knob descent dropped us into Hone Quarry campground where we refueled and then PPed up Big Hollow. At the top of Reddish was another refuel station before the start of the second timed section of the day, where we rode Timber Ridge to Wolfe Ridge. The ride home after Day 4 was brutal.
So very tired was I on Day 5. Equipped with a new squishy Stan's NoTubes chamois Susie donated to me and lots of caffeine supplements, I pedaled with the group up to Wanoaze Trail. We rode (walked) up Wanoaze and then to Woodstock tower. A flat tire and a lot of alone time during the last half of the section had me hurting. Yanni Yensen was on course and all I had for him was soss. After lunch, I realized my Fuel EX 26" had turned into Tim Richardson's 650b Ibis HDR. The Milford-Kennedy's section, the last section of the 2014 TDB, was epic - the best time of my Tour. Maybe it was the bike, or maybe it was that I was hanging out in the woods with my friends and about to complete my first ever Tour de Burg.
Dad was proud, and I finished relatively well for a nineteen year old first timer. The jerseys ended up in the hands of hard-working, incredible people. Bryan Lewis in the Men's Leader, Sue Haywood in Women's, Sam Skidmore in Super D, Bryan Fawley in Sprint, Dan Wolf in KOM, and Jeff Cheng in DFL. Super thankful for my Dad and Stanley for putting on a flawless Tour without me, and for the other friends/family that encouraged me to ride (and keep riding).
Until next year.
Lizzy Clawprong
Photos by Nathan Shearer
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