Jeremiah Bishop’s Alpine Gran Fondo
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A few of us made the trip down to Harrisonburg, VA for the Alpine Gran Fundo last weekend. It was totally worth the trip. It was a lovely, though seriously challenging ride that snaked through the mountains between Harrisonburg and Franklin, WV. There was a 35 mile loop that was comprised of some lovely, rolling hills and a few short climbs, a 75 mile loop with 2 big mountain climbs and a 93 mile loop with 4 big mountain climbs. We chose the 93 mile loop. Each of the major climbs was at least 6 miles in duration and had plenty of elevation gain…. over 11,000 ft. of climbing for the whole loop. What was more entertaining was that the 2 toughest climbs were on dirt roads, the steepest of which was a bit on the muddy side after Friday’s rain.
If you are interested in a Century ride that is very scenic and challenging, this is your baby! I rode with a 34×25 lowest gear (and cyclocross tires) and that was not low enough. I could have used a 27 or 28 tooth cog for sure.
Here’s the loop: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/402398
Here’s the web site: http://www.alpineloopgranfondo.com/
Here are a few photos:
2nd climb of the day. Short (about 6 miles) steep (about 21% gradient at most) and fun.
Riding through H-burg on the way west.
I think a lot of people felt this way toward the top of the last climb.Harrisonburg is a great place to ride both mountain and road bikes. This Gran Fondo was planned perfectly and well executed. For those who brought family down that were not taking part in the ride, the Harrisonburg fair was the same weekend and there was lots to do and see. The downtown restaurants are great and there’s a cool, historic vibe to the town.
I’ll definitely be going back (with a few extra teeth on my cogs) next year… and the year after that.
Love,
Pete
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