New River Trail (92 miles)

My blog has been inactive for a while. When I started CaptainOverpacker.com as a randonneuring-centric site in 2012, I decided to write only about RUSA permanents and populaires. Later, I included other rides that were long enough to have been at least a populaire (100 km or 62 miles)… rides such as BikeMS and the Tour de Cure. That was the format I used for a few years. After an injury during a 600-km brevet attempt, I was relegated to shorter rides that didn’t “qualify” for entry in my blog. Later, I developed health problems that kept me off the bike for the long term. I don’t think I rode even 100 miles in 2016 and 2017. I’ve done a few relatively short rides in 2018, ranging from 20-30 miles. In June, a close friend organized a tour of the New River Trail and the High Bridge Trail, both of which are converted railway corridors (translation: fairly flat). Although no single day had 62 miles of riding, I felt the tour as a whole was interesting enough to feature here. I had not been riding much over the previous years, but I didn’t want to miss the tour. So I decided to just do it “cold turkey.”  😉  

First things first: This ride happened in 2018. I had written some of this article and then stagnated for one reason or another. The tour was test run for fledgling tour organizer, Magical Mystery Bike Tours. There were nine riders altogether. Each of the riders are friends of the organizer, but we didn’t all know each other. It was a good recipe for a small group’s first tour, featuring relatively short days, restaurants, hotel evenings, familiar faces, and relatively flat terrain. The riding began on Thursday with a 10-mile “shakedown” ride on a portion of the High Bridge Trail from Farmville, VA. The three following days would take us along stretches of trail without services other than waterless restrooms. That meant that we needed to carry extra supplies, water, and food. The two trails were also made from a “crush-n-run” substrate, which meant that we were all on bikes with larger tires than what we usually rode on the streets.

Everyone rode a hybrid bicycle with the exception of me and one other rider. But we were on bikes that could accept larger tires. I currently have just two bicycles, both of which are primarily suited for the road. As one who usually carries plenty of supplies to address mishaps (repairs and first aid), I wanted the bike that could carry more weight and float over the rougher road surface in relative comfort. I also carried about eight pounds of camera equipment. I chose my CrossRip for this ride because it accommodates a larger tire. Given my load (and being overweight), my combined rolling weight was nearly 300 lbs. I would’ve sunk my usual 700×28 tires on the terrain. To support this load and provide a relatively smooth ride, I mounted a set of 700×37 Continental Ride Tour and inflated them to 70 psi in the rear and 60 psi in front. They’re a slower tire than my Grand Prix 4 Seasons, but we weren’t shooting for speed records on this tour. The group rode around 12-13 mph on most sections of the trail.

With the shakedown ride a success, I was ready for the longer days. After our brief ride from Farmville, we packed the cars and drove 166 miles to Fort Chiswell to spend the night. We had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. The next morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel and then drove to New River State Park in Max Meadows. From there, we rode 18 miles along the trail to Draper. The riding surface was a little rougher on this section than on the High Bridge Trail. But it wasn’t too bad. The terrain was deceptive since it’s a very gradual climb: Riding along at 10 mph was easy and somewhat boring, 13-14 mph was work, and anything 15 mph got tiring really fast.

I had a plan to take plenty of photographs (see the album below). So it worked out well that each stop for a photo required me to work my legs to catch up. We had loose plans to eat lunch in Draper, but the skies were looking a bit ominous. We decided to eat some snacks that we were carrying and head back in an attempt to beat the rain. Remember, this was a test run with friends and not a paid tour. Since I dropped back for most of the photos, I missed a lot of opportunities to shoot from the front of the group. As the informal mechanic, I didn’t want to get too far ahead or give anyone the impression that they weren’t riding fast enough. It was a technique that seemed to work well. We did catch some rain, but the tree cover was so good that we only felt some sprinkles.

We returned to Fort Chiswell after the ride. The group visited a winery while I took a nap (remember, I tackled this loaded ride without any preparation). Later, we had dinner at The Mansion at Fort Chiswell. It was a quaint place and the group sat outside on a balcony. I had their Cheddar Burger, which seems like an ordinary selection, but it’s touted as being made from local grass-fed cows. I think it was the best burger I’ve ever had! I’ll gladly eat another if I’m ever passing by someday. We spent the evening in the same hotel as the previous night, ate breakfast the following morning, packed our bags, and then drove to the trail head in Ivanhoe.

[edit in 2023] From there, I honestly cannot recall the rest. I do remember it being enjoyable, despite my low fitness, and worth doing again. Overall, we rode 10 miles on Thursday, 36 miles on Friday, 23 miles on Saturday, and 23 miles on Sunday. None of the days were terribly long or arduous. In fact, the 23-mile ride on Sunday was all downhill and quite easy! The primary purpose of the tour was to try out some ideas for organized, supported touring. My health problems continue to keep me from being a motivated rider and maintaining this website, which is why this story has gone unfinished for so long. Still, I’ve revived this story and published it for a very good reason:

This ride’s organizer has made the leap from “trying it out” to actually standing-up a touring business! She has chosen me to serve as her tour mechanic and SAG support. I’m finishing this story as a convenient way to share the photos below with her and, if anyone still reads my blog, to invite my visitors to see what she’s offering in the way of tours at https://www.magicalmysterybiketours.com/. I’m no longer riding in randonneuring or group events, but I do still support rides and cyclists in practical ways. Join us on a tour sometime!

Still Kicking!

Scott