Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder

[rcannon100]

Casey says “NO BRAKES!!!”

Sunday June 9th

https://www.bikereg.com/41451

QUOTE

The Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder is a scenic bike ride along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. Riding these roads is a sublime experience – like stepping back in time and cycling through history.

With over 300 miles of gravel road dating back to the early 1700s, Loudoun County Virginia boasts the largest and oldest intact network of gravel roads in the United States. When settlement in this area officially began in the year 1725, these roads were first used by mills and farms to get goods to market and by settlers to get to town and church. Today these special routes are used by residents, farmers, visitors, equestrians, and cyclists.

The event will start and finish at Salamander Resort in the quaint town of Middleburg. Salamander is a perfect setting for the event, with plentiful amenities, huge parking areas, and a gorgeous staging area. From Salamander, riders will embark along a 40, 60, or 80-mile route. The ride will be fully marked and supported, with well stocked rest stops, mechanical and SAG support, and great post-ride food and beer!

To help preserve Loudoun’s unique and precious gravel roads, 5% of gross ride funds received will be donated to America’s Routes, a group that is advocating to save these historic rural roads from being paved over by development. Riders may donate additional funds during registration.

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Ride Start Times:

40 milers…start anytime between 7:30am and 9:30am
60 milers…start anytime between 7:30am and 9:00am
80 milers…start anytime between 7:30am and 8:30am

Topic

[sjclaeys]

Done, signed up for the 80 mile route, though will see how I feel after going to Wolf Trap the night before.

[Judd]

Hmmm. It appears that I own a gravel bike… I wonder how well it fits on one of my friends bike racks.

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[Steve O]

@Judd 190530 wrote:

Hmmm. It appears that I own a gravel bike… I wonder how well it fits on one of my friends bike racks.

Hmmm. It seems I own a cross bike that doubles as a gravel bike…and a bike rack. I wonder how well they fit on one of my friend’s cars?

[komorebi]

@Steve O 190535 wrote:

Hmmm. It seems I own a cross bike that doubles as a gravel bike…and a bike rack. I wonder how well they fit on one of my friend’s cars?

Hmmm. It seems I have a car with a 3-bike rack … and sadly, another bike-related commitment that Sunday afternoon. I wonder how well my friends would look sitting behind the steering wheel of my car?

[drevil]

@komorebi 190536 wrote:

Hmmm. It seems I have a car with a 3-bike rack … and sadly, another bike-related commitment that Sunday afternoon. I wonder how well my friends would look sitting behind the steering wheel of my car?

Hmmmm. I have a steering wheel. I wonder how well it fits on my friends’ backs?

[Sunyata]

I like where this is going. Have I ever steered you guys wrong? It is going to be an amazing day. The routes that were picked go on some of my favourite roads.

Come ride bikes with me! 😎

[ChristoB50]

Cool – I used to live at 33697 Snickersville Turnpike when I was a little kid (though the ride routes won’t quite reach Bluemont.)
Question though — seems a cruel joke — when you visit the event website to view the 3 possible routes, they ALL show the 80m map
{Edit – I notified the webmaster, and they’ve now fixed the 2 faulty maps.}

[accordioneur]

I have a car, a rack and a gravel-capable bike … and a music gig that’s not going to get me home until 2 AM the night before. Hmmm, I gotta think about that.

Casey, have they booked the entertainment for the after-party yet?

[Judd]

@accordioneur 190551 wrote:

I have a car, a rack and a gravel-capable bike … and a music gig that’s not going to get me home until 2 AM the night before. Hmmm, I gotta think about that.

Casey, have they booked the entertainment for the after-party yet?

Gravel and accordion are a perfect pair.

[Judd]

@komorebi 190536 wrote:

Hmmm. It seems I have a car with a 3-bike rack … and sadly, another bike-related commitment that Sunday afternoon. I wonder how well my friends would look sitting behind the steering wheel of my car?

Doh. I have a gravel bike and also the same bike related commitment that Sunday.

[smb9600]

I have a gravel bike, vehicle & a bike rack & will be going to THIS bike event. Wonder if I have any bike friends who will ride with me???

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[ChristoB50]

What’s the group consensus on whether my pedelec assist bike would be suitable for this kind of riding? (29×2.0 tires, with a fairly upright posture.)

I have a car, no bike rack, and potentially a bike (which just barely fits into the car with the back seats folded down.)

[Sunyata]

@accordioneur 190551 wrote:

Casey, have they booked the entertainment for the after-party yet?

No idea… But I might be down to sing a few tunes with you!

[drevil]

@ChristoB50 190567 wrote:

What’s the group consensus on whether my pedelec assist bike would be suitable for this kind of riding? (29×2.0 tires, with a fairly upright posture.)

I have a car, no bike rack, and potentially a bike (which just barely fits into the car with the back seats folded down.)

It’ll work. I’m running 29×2.0 semislick tires (or bigger) on my mountain bike for the event. My wife will have 26×2.0 semislick tires on a mountain bike. Your pedelec is icing on the cake.

[reji]

I just registered for the 80 mile. I will have a car and room for another person and bike. Judd, still need a ride?

[Author]

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