Birthdays are for Bike Riding on the Entire Massanutten Ridge

The Full Pull of the Massanutten Ridge... always worth waking up at 4:30 in the morning. Also a ride that I have had the pleasure to complete many times since 2007. I don't remember exactly how many times but it must be somewhere around 6 or 7. A few years ago I started trying to schedule this ride around my September 24th birthday and make it "Kyle's Birthday ride." The original ringleader of the ride is undoubtedly Mike Carpenter and he took me along for my first Full Pull of the Massanutten Ridge and since that first time I have had the pleasure to ride the full ridge many other times with Mike. Always setting a steady and solid pace, always riding more rocks up and down than anyone else on the trip, Mike Carpenter truly is a professor at the Massanutten Technical Institute (just not the one located in Harrisonburg).

Since that first ride I have been able to take others on the Full Pull and show them all the fun that there is to be had on the ridges of the Massanutten Mountains. Nate Shearer has made the trip a couple of times and wrote up a very nice recap in 2011 on what it means to ride from your door and what sort of rides are available "out the door" from where you lay your head every night. Nate put up a very nice post with some great pictures of the ride back in 2011 that can be found on his blog (Soil Sample- Out the Door September 29, 2011)

The Full Pull Ridge ride is phenomenal and a testament to the exceptional riding that surrounds Harrisonburg, Virginia. At only 65 miles, the ride has over 10,000 feet of climbing on some of the rockiest trails around. If you want to see the details and the map you can checkout the ride on Strava. Full Pull of the Massanutten Ridge from Harrisonburg to Buzzard Rocks on Strava. The ride has it all, but mostly rocks and steep climbs. There are countless beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley, Page Valley, Fort Valley, the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River, Winchester, and the Shenandaoh National Park. Hard to believe that the ride is only 65 miles. What a great way to celebrate my 30th Birthday! Make sure to check out the pictures and captions below-Kyle

Map and Elevation profile thanks to Garmin and Strava

Rolling from Harrisonburg at 5:30am

Yes. There is some walking to be done on the ride. Sunrise!

We found friends out there!

Bird Knob overlook. Taking it all in just before lunch

Short Horse Mountain in the background. One of the last pieces of pavement for the day

The Ibis Ripley was a PARTY up on that ridge. In 6 some ridge rides this was the first time that I rode a full suspension bike for the Full Pull

At the very end of the ridge on Buzzard rocks with plenty of daylight to go and the sun setting over the west ridge of Fort Valley in the background

The cliffs of Buzzard rocks and the very northern most section of ridge. Looking at down at the opening of Fort Valley

Overlook above Veach gap. Looking at the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Shenandoah National Park in the background

Bird Knob