Blue Ridge Ramble

[ctankcycles]

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More to come…

[DismalScientist]

Do the all cool kids these days tour with front panniers and no rears? How’s this for at-speed maneuverability?

[ctankcycles]

I ran the same setup last year for Pgh-DC minus the VO front rank and rando bag and found the more evenly distributed weight to be ideal for anything more technical than a sealed road (first day on Skyline Dr was the only day we didn’t ride any gravel roads). Plus I prefer to keep the weight off the rear wheel and with the huge seat bag that doesn’t necessitate a rack the overall setup is much lighter than running a rear rack and panniers. Honestly, the front end is super stable at high speed (40mph+ on numerous switchback descents) but the heavy front end took a little getting used to on the long, steep climb at the beginning of Skyline Drive. After a few miles of adjustment we became used to it and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

[ctankcycles]

@DismalScientist 88199 wrote:

Do the all cool kids these days tour with front panniers and no rears? How’s this for at-speed maneuverability?

I ran the same setup last year for Pgh-DC minus the VO front rank and rando bag and found the more evenly distributed weight to be ideal for anything more technical than a sealed road (first day on Skyline Dr was the only day we didn’t ride any gravel roads). Plus I prefer to keep the weight off the rear wheel and with the huge seat bag that doesn’t necessitate a rack the overall setup is much lighter than running a rear rack and panniers. Honestly, the front end is super stable at high speed (40mph+ on numerous switchback descents) but the heavy front end took a little getting used to on the long, steep climb at the beginning of Skyline Drive. After a few miles of adjustment we became used to it and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

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[ctankcycles]

Day 2 began at Lewis Mountain Campground (Skyline Drive mile 57.5) and ended at Sherando Lake Recreation Area, south of Waynesboro in the George Washington National Forest. 70 miles with 4,665 ft elevation.

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[JimF22003]

Sounds like you had a great time! What was your route out of Goshen? Last weekend I rode in that area, going up Marble Valley and Deerfield Valley through Deerfield, up to west of Staunton. It was some incredible, peaceful, secluded scenery. I’m in the process of buying a house in Lexington. Next time you come through you can camp in my back yard

[ctankcycles]

@JimF22003 88265 wrote:

Sounds like you had a great time! What was your route out of Goshen? Last weekend I rode in that area, going up Marble Valley and Deerfield Valley through Deerfield, up to west of Staunton. It was some incredible, peaceful, secluded scenery. I’m in the process of buying a house in Lexington. Next time you come through you can camp in my back yard

Thanks, it was a great time with perfect weather. We passed through Goshen near the end of the third day (http://app.strava.com/activities/145159748) and continued west on Maury River Rd which becomes Mountain Valley Rd (route 42/39). The next day (http://app.strava.com/activities/145159746) we continued west on Mountain Valley and then made a right on McClung Rd (629) which turns into Deerfield Rd. We were only on Deerfield for 6 miles before picking up Indian Draft (678). Indian Draft follows the Bullpasture River much of the way and was a great road with lots of nice rollers and almost no traffic. There’s also almost no water between Millboro and McDowell, about a 30 mile stretch. We ended up stopping into a Virginia State Fish Hatchery and the guy there was super nice and let us fill our bottles. In the future I’d take a small water filter for situations like this. Eventually Indian Draft turns into Bullpasture River Rd, which took us into McDowell where we hit the Stonewall Grocery (Stonewall Jackson is a local hero for winning a battle there), and then headed east on Highland Turnpike and eventually Hanky Mountain Hwy. This was probably one of the more challenging sections with two very steep, switchbacked climbs and a lot more traffic (including trucks) than we had for most of the trip.

[ctankcycles]

The third day took us from Sherando Lake in the George Washington National Forest (swath east of 81), across Shenandoah Valley, and ended in western swath of the GWNF near Millboro, VA. This was one of two nights we camped in a private campground. Though not our preference compared to federal and state campgrounds, it was a nice spot along the Cowpasture River. The valley rollers (much of them gravel) were a nice change from the long, steep climbs from the first two days, definitely a highlight of the trip. We ended up with 62.8 mi and 4,338 ft elevation. The section through Goshen Pass near the end of the day was also pretty incredible riding and scenery.

http://app.strava.com/activities/145159748

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[JimF22003]

@ctankcycles 88293 wrote:

Thanks, it was a great time with perfect weather. We passed through Goshen near the end of the third day (http://app.strava.com/activities/145159748) and continued west on Maury River Rd which becomes Mountain Valley Rd (route 42/39). The next day (http://app.strava.com/activities/145159746) we continued west on Mountain Valley and then made a right on McClung Rd (629) which turns into Deerfield Rd. We were only on Deerfield for 6 miles before picking up Indian Draft (678). Indian Draft follows the Bullpasture River much of the way and was a great road with lots of nice rollers and almost no traffic. There’s also almost no water between Millboro and McDowell, about a 30 mile stretch. We ended up stopping into a Virginia State Fish Hatchery and the guy there was super nice and let us fill our bottles. In the future I’d take a small water filter for situations like this. Eventually Indian Draft turns into Bullpasture River Rd, which took us into McDowell where we hit the Stonewall Grocery (Stonewall Jackson is a local hero for winning a battle there), and then headed east on Highland Turnpike and eventually Hanky Mountain Hwy. This was probably one of the more challenging sections with two very steep, switchbacked climbs and a lot more traffic (including trucks) than we had for most of the trip.

Sounds wonderful. I’m just getting to know the roads up in that area, so that helps a bunch. You might be interested in the Mountain Mama century ride that starts in Monterey, over in that general area.

[Author]

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