Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503250003
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: G-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: A. LEE CHICHESTER|
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
I don't know what it is, but there's something exhilarating about traveling through the countryside with no roof overhead, no windshield separating view from viewer. When touring on a bicycle, it's a cinch to stop and photograph a small wildflower or a spectacular view. The traveler can pause to breathe the scent of honeysuckle or freshly mown hay. Without the barrier of a car, there's no problem in looking into the vast reaches of the sky to see a red-tailed hawk soaring - or in smiling at a bluebird's anxious flutterings as she watches for an opportunity to return to her nest box, situated near the road at the crest of a shady hill - a cyclist's impromptu rest stop.
On an organized bicycle tour, the easy part is pausing to rest. Getting going again is another matter altogether, especially if, like me, you're a novice cyclist and not as fit as you probably should be to pedal some 50 miles a day for four or five days in a row.
But Bike Virginia, the prime mover behind the biggest annual "fun ride" cycling tour in Virginia, will help anyone whose stamina flags along the way. The June 1995 ride will begin in Roanoke and finish five days later in Keysville. Bike Virginia provides a "Sag Patrol" that will carry anyone experiencing technical difficulties to the next organized rest stop or lunch spot. Whether your problems are physical or mechanical, help is always there to assure everyone has a fun, safe cycle vacation.
Bike Virginia was established in 1987 by a group of graduate students at The College of William and Mary. One of the founders, Allen Turnbull, is an adjunct professor of psychology at the college. He remembers, "At first, we were just a group of 15 or 20 individuals who took a yearly tour, staying at country inns. That got kind of expensive, and we all decided that Virginia needed an affordable, large-scale ride for recreational cyclists."
Since its inception, the annual ride has grown to include 1,500 cyclists of all ages and abilities.
In June 1994, the tour began in Bedford and crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway to Lexington, then re-crossed the scenic road en route to Waynesboro. Then in Charlottesville, riders enjoyed a two-day layover before the last leg of the tour to Goochland.
Every 12 to 15 miles along the daily route, Bike Virginia had organized rest stops for the cyclists. Water, sports drinks, energy bars, goodies and fruit were available free of charge. Sometimes, there was live music to soothe the tension and inspire the effort. Often, there was a historical or special-interest activity. For example, at Rockbridge Baths, between Lexington and Waynesboro, cyclists enjoyed wobbling along a hanging bridge dangling over the Maury River. One of the rest stops was held near Buffalo Springs Herb Farm, where everything was blooming and fragrant, and nearby Wade's Mill, built in 1750, still produces waterground flour. Another rest stop was held near the historic Palmyra Court House amid old shade trees and clipped lawns.
There were other activities arranged for cyclists along the route. Visits to the American Museum of Frontier Culture, two of Jefferson's homes, Lime Kiln Theater, Cyrus McCormick's farm, Walton's Mountain Museum (home of Earl Hamner, creator of "The Waltons") and Ash Lawn/Highlands were some of the highlights.
The lunch stops were special. The first day offered lunch at Effinger Fire Station. This group of volunteers is famous for its "Bar-B-Que Chicken for Thousands" fund-raisers. The meal they served the 1,400 cyclists that day was an incredible value at just $5.00 each for a quarter chicken, beans, slaw, macaroni salad, fruit cup and drink. For an extra dollar, the really hungry cyclist could have a half a chicken.
Day Three's lunch stop for the direct route riders included a long downhill glide to a beautiful spot by a large man-made lake graced by a nicely tended recreation area - Walnut Creek Park, 25 miles outside Charlottesville. There, in a breezy, cool pavilion, riders were treated to vegetarian burritos, fresh pasta salad, marinated tomatoes and cucumbers, home-made cookies, and a drink for $5.
Each night, riders could stay in hotels or bed and breakfasts, or join the majority in the area appointed "tent city" - usually a park or a ball field. Bike Virginia lugs your tent and baggage from overnight stay to overnight stay, off-loading all the gear in a designated area.
Evenings offered activities organized by the host town: block parties with live bands and dancing, discount meals served by local civic or church organizations, restaurants with friendly pricing for participants, shops with special late-night hours and games for those with any extra energy. In addition, Bedford organized a Criterium Race; the Annual Bike Virginia Talent Show was held in Waynesboro; and Charlottesville hosted many activities and discounts for participants, including a "last night" celebration at Ash Lawn/Highlands. Finally, a cake fit for thousands was cut and eaten at the Day Five destination, Goochland, where finish-line patches were handed out.
The "Best Host Town" award is voted by the Bike Virginia participants given to the winner by the governor in a ceremony in Richmond. The 1994 winner was Lexington.
Planning for each Bike Virginia ride begins a year before the event. In every host town, a committee made up of representatives from the local Chamber of Commerce, local and state police, cyclists, VDOT officials, amateur radio operators and civic clubs works closely with the Bike Virginia staff and volunteers to plan and organize activities and events. Through working closely with civic organizations to provide meals and services, Bike Virginia keeps costs low.
Registration fees to Bike Virginia are $185 per adult in 1995 (if you register later than May 31 you'll have to add $15). For the 1994 registration fee, riders received a tour T-shirt and water bottle, plus services such as: sag support, shuttle buses, luggage transport, route marking, safety patrols, rescue squad support, information, lost and found, special activities such as sack races and a talent show, and all the behind-the-scenes organizing and route selection that makes for a safe, inexpensive holiday.
The beauty of Bike Virginia is that whatever extra money participants spend (with the exception of hotel stays and restaurant meals) goes to civic organizations for their group fund-raisers.
a portion of the profits goes to the state Special Olympics organization, headquartered in Richmond. Depending on what geographical locality the tour pedals through, yearly funds are earmarked for the Special Olympics subchapter in that area. For instance, a portion of the profits from the 1994 tour went to the Special Olympics' Area 10, a region extending from Bristol to Roanoke, and will make it possible for athletes to attend the various games all expenses paid.
Bike Virginia offers cyclists of all ages and ability levels a fun tour. One year, a 75-year-old crossed the finish line. Bike Virginia staffers are proud of their safety record. In 1992 the tour pedaled through Tidewater and experienced a record zero injuries. "Where you have hills, you have speed," explains Turnbull. "And speed adds up to injuries more times than not. In 1993, the Southwest Virginia Odyssey took us up through the Blue Ridge Mountains. We had four injuries that year. But we will always strive to match our 1992 record." During the 1994 ride, just three cyclists were slightly injured.
Folks come from all over the United States to participate in the event. Bill Kandler, from New Holstein, Wis., said, "The scenery is awesome; it's what I came for and I have not been disappointed." A first-timer from New Jersey heard about the event from his father, a Virginia resident. Many Virginians ride the tour just to see a part of their home state they haven't visited yet, or to challenge themselves physically. Some ride to meet new people, or to pedal with a large group from back home.
It doesn't matter if you have a touring bicycle with skinny tires or a mountain bike with nubbies - Bike Virginia is a vacation alternative for anyone wanting an organized, off-the-beaten-path visit to Virginia's 600- and 700-numbered back roads. See Virginia without the encumbrances of roofs and tinted glass, exhaust fumes and 55 mph speeds. " See Virginia by the seat of your pants," as the Bike Virginia folks put it.
This year, Bike Virginia will begin the tour in Roanoke and head for the flats, with stopovers in Ferrum College, Danville, dips into North Carolina, a last overnight in South Boston, and a Grande Finale in Keysville.
A. Lee Chichester is a free-lance travel writer based in Meadows of Dan.
by CNB