Well, I got back from my "vacation" on Thursday. This year, a buddy of mine decided to do the Bike Virginia tour which began on Saturday June 22nd. It sounded like a good idea so I turned it into a little family vacation (and I needed a personal SAG if necessary). My buddy camped but I stayed in a hotel. 95+ degree daytime temps didn't sound like nice evening sleeping weather.
Day 1 - 65 miles at 17.5+ mph
Day 2 - 109 miles at 17.5+ mph
Day 3 - 50 miles at 15 mph
Day 4 - 103 miles at 16.5+ mph
Day 5 - 50 miles at 18 mph
It was a rough 5 days of consecutive riding. Most I ever did before was 190 in two days. I burned 18,447 calories during my 377 mile, 27hr 48min ride. There were shorter route options available but I wanted to do the max.
We began in Hopewell and rode to Petersburg for some sightseeing. Sunday, we transitioned to Williamsburg and rode varing routes there before riding back to Hopewell on Wednesday. LOTS of cornfields and hay fields. We were on some nasty (both pavement and traffic) country roads and some NASTY peagravel in concrete. One route had us going through a national park. We saw about 20 people with flats, including me. 5 wrecks were due to stupidity. 1 severe crash was due to a dog. The cyclist didn't win and fractured his hip and bruised a few things. The food at reststops was top notch and the volunteers were awesome. Unofficial stats- 2000 cyclists. 110 over the age of 70. Many under 5 and the majority between 40-60. I was not impressed with the majority of the other riders. This was not a race, just a tour, but some folks just had NO clue how to ride in large groups (not pacelines here, just large numbers). Single file? What's that? Stay right except to pass? What's that? Pull to the right to stop or dismount? What's that? It's surprising that more folks weren't injured.
Overall, it was an awesome experience. I will pass on doing it next year as it will be in the south west(?) area which is fairly hilly but would highly recommend the experience for those climbing junkies out there. Register early and book your hotel WAY in advance. Rider cut off is 2000 and hotels close to the start go FAST. Search "Bike Virginia" for more info.
Day 1 - 65 miles at 17.5+ mph
Day 2 - 109 miles at 17.5+ mph
Day 3 - 50 miles at 15 mph
Day 4 - 103 miles at 16.5+ mph
Day 5 - 50 miles at 18 mph
It was a rough 5 days of consecutive riding. Most I ever did before was 190 in two days. I burned 18,447 calories during my 377 mile, 27hr 48min ride. There were shorter route options available but I wanted to do the max.
We began in Hopewell and rode to Petersburg for some sightseeing. Sunday, we transitioned to Williamsburg and rode varing routes there before riding back to Hopewell on Wednesday. LOTS of cornfields and hay fields. We were on some nasty (both pavement and traffic) country roads and some NASTY peagravel in concrete. One route had us going through a national park. We saw about 20 people with flats, including me. 5 wrecks were due to stupidity. 1 severe crash was due to a dog. The cyclist didn't win and fractured his hip and bruised a few things. The food at reststops was top notch and the volunteers were awesome. Unofficial stats- 2000 cyclists. 110 over the age of 70. Many under 5 and the majority between 40-60. I was not impressed with the majority of the other riders. This was not a race, just a tour, but some folks just had NO clue how to ride in large groups (not pacelines here, just large numbers). Single file? What's that? Stay right except to pass? What's that? Pull to the right to stop or dismount? What's that? It's surprising that more folks weren't injured.
Overall, it was an awesome experience. I will pass on doing it next year as it will be in the south west(?) area which is fairly hilly but would highly recommend the experience for those climbing junkies out there. Register early and book your hotel WAY in advance. Rider cut off is 2000 and hotels close to the start go FAST. Search "Bike Virginia" for more info.
