| Bike Virginia 2004 |
The first day's ride was a good introduction to the hills in the southern Shenandoah Valley. The climbs were mostly short but very steep, testing our recumbent-propelling leg muscles. We soon discovered they needed a little more work. Recumbents can fly going downhill, but going uphill is another story. It may be an illusion, but I feel much more in control on a recumbent on the downhill. It's probably because of the lower center of gravity.
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| Rest stop at Mt. Zion Union Church |
Since the Shenandoah Fall Festival rides are also held in this part of the valley, we are familiar with many of these roads and rest stop locations. Sangerville was the lunch spot, with a filling meal of sandwiches, pasta salad, a baked potato bar, and cookies. A “real” bluegrass band entertained us, the crowd going wild upon hearing the first strains of “Rocky Top”. We spoke briefly with our friend Walter, whose wife was staying nearby with her daughter's family and their newborn baby girl.
Because we were so late starting, the early rest stops were completely out of food, not that there was a lot for those who did arrive on time. The rest stops at BikeVA have gotten a little less sumptuous over time, one of the prices to be paid for the large crowds. While still a well-run tour, it's reached the saturation point and it will be difficult for them to keep the high quality that we've been lead to expect from previous year's tours.
At most multi-day rides a photographer accompanied the group. He was usually stationed at a scenic spot to take our pictures to be sold to us later in the day. There were several good ones of us, and we bought 2 on CD for $16 (see the banner above).
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