Shenandoah Bicycle Company Blog: One Night Bike Tour

One night bike tours hold all the magic. Here to Staunton then onto Vesuvius VA for an evening at the "Doghouse" in celebration of Whitney March's 30th birthday. We planned a tour where we could grab lunch in Staunton on Saturday on the way to our destination and then lunch in Waynesboro on Sunday on our way back north back to the Burg.

Map of our route south.

Map of our route back north.

For the first day, we hit some really fun and beautiful Augusta County dirt roads but not before realizing that Whitney's rear hydraulic disc brake was rubbing so bad that it smoked while she pedaled uphill and barely allowed the wheel to turn. After burping out a little bit of fluid we were good to go and on our way to cruise south down Stonewall rd and onto Flint Hill rd only to slide into Satunton via Limestone/Barry Farm rd. Once in Stauton we took in the Farmer's market, Black Dog Bikes, Redbeard Brewery, and the Split Banana for some delicious gelato. We never did find that whole lunch thing but the beer and ice cream was almost as good for the 2 more hours to our destination.

Sneaking out of Stauton on Stingy Hollow rd lined us up for a nice Greenville connection over to Cold Springs rd (St. Marys area) and then a easy cruise to Gertie's Country store for french fries and onion rings before arriving at the Doghouse. Once at our destination we cooked real dinner, made a fire, read books, took in the red buds and watched the sunset. The best part was that we didn't have to carry any cookware or sleeping accessories since we arrived at an (off-grid) but furnished micro-cabin.

Redbeard Brewery in Staunton!

For the second day we were under threat of a flood warning so we tried to get on the road early but if you have ever gone on a bike tour you know just how hard it is to get going early in the morning when all you really want to do is hang out, make breakfast, and slowly pack up your things. We got on the road soon enough and headed north. Again, due to threat of rain we skipped Waynesboro for lunch and headed more directly north up through Fishersville. Shortly thereafter, my rear derailleur hanger snapped off. Turns out that I forgot to bring a spare. So...we were left with a chain tool and several attempts to find the perfect length chain that would hold a gear. After the fourth try, we were able to find the perfect length (in a gear that was a bit too hard) chain that held no matter how much I stood and stomped on the pedals with B.O.B. Trailer in tow.