Mountains of Misery & Wilderness Road Ride

[IFjane]

The plan is to do the whole she-bang - Cherokee, NC to Waynesboro, VA (excluding Skyline Drive) - in 6 or so days of self-supported biking (w/ two vans running SAG).

Sounds wonderful. Wish I could do something like that. Is it a tour or are you putting the trip together yourself? If you have any way of doing it, let us know when you get up toward this end (say, Peaks of Otter & beyond). There are a couple of us here who love riding the Pkwy & might just be able to ride out to meet up with you for a day.

IMO the Parkway is much nicer to ride than the Skyline Drive. DH & I ride both each year & the experience is consistently better on the Parkway. Enjoy!!

[7rider]

Sounds wonderful. Wish I could do something like that. Is it a tour or are you putting the trip together yourself? If you have any way of doing it, let us know when you get up toward this end (say, Peaks of Otter & beyond). There are a couple of us here who love riding the Pkwy & might just be able to ride out to meet up with you for a day.

IMO the Parkway is much nicer to ride than the Skyline Drive. DH & I ride both each year & the experience is consistently better on the Parkway. Enjoy!!

That would be great!

A friend and co-worker is organizing it. He's got the books, the schedule, and the plan. And the wife with a minivan. We'll have about 6 riders (I think) and 2 vans riding support.

I actually haven't ever been on Skyline (yet), so I'll have nothing to compare it to -- and looking at those elevation profiles, hoo, boy! I just hope I survive it. I am so NOT a climber!

[tulip]

Bike Virginia is in BRP/Skyline territory this year. It's a great way to get multi-day hard climbing rides in.

A few years ago I did the Skyline Drive from Fort Royal to Big Meadow, spent the night at the lodge, and then came back the next day. 50 very hard miles each way, but really paid off when I went to Vermont for riding a few weeks later. I found Skyline really nice to ride. I drove to FR, spent one night at the Super8 at the base of Skyline, and left early the next day. It's a great 2-day hard ride.

[IFjane]

Skyline Drive is great to ride - but the road surface & width are better on the Parkway, IMO. DH & I ride a century on the Skyline Drive every year. We park at Swift Run Gap (where Rt. 33 crosses), then ride north to Thornton Gap (watch out in the tunnel!), turn around & come back, then ride south to Loft Mountain & back. Great ride, long, tough climbs but lots of great downhills!

7, the same goes for the BRP, though as I said, I think the road surface & grades are even better. Yes, the climbs are long, (sometimes 5+ miles) but are gradual. The downhills are equally as long with big sweeping turns & gorgeous scenery. I need to get Kathi Cville to weigh in on this 'cause she is up there even more than I am. Hope we can hook up - keep us posted!

BTW, have you seen the latest about the shooter up there? Please understand this was something that was not a normal incident up there! Very scary, but at least they caught him:

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/ne..._wounds/54678/

[tulip]

I am not fond of that tunnel. Coming down, fast, I could feel a pickup truck behind me. I had no headlight; not sure if I had a rear blinkie. I could not see a thing. I just became Luke Skywalker and let the Force Be With Me. It worked, but I don't want to be in that situation again. I'll bring a light next time.

[KathiCville]

Howdy.......Weighing in late here on the BRParkway part of the thread. IFJane thought maybe I could toss in a few useful tidbits about the northern stretch, between Tye River and Waynesboro. I didn't get a chance to ride up there this past summer, but I did the year before, several times.

I generally did an out-and-back from about Milepost 10 to Milepost 27 or so. Not a long stretch---33+ miles---but I always found it challenging! If I remember correctly that stretch contains one of the more dramatic changes in altitude in the northern region of the Parkway. (I can believe it, whew!)

Roadway is very well-maintained. Drivers tend to be courteous and pay attention. Plenty of motorcycles, especially on weekends, no surprise. Plus local, fast-moving cycling clubs.

Keep in mind that the vehicle speed limit is 45 on the Parkway, but only 35 on Skyline Drive, so motorized traffic *can* move at a faster clip than you might expect for a scenic roadway......And, boy, is it scenic! Gorgeous!

I'm NOT strong or fast rider, but I could (usually) patiently and slowly granny gear my way up the two- to four-mile steady climbs. I actually found the downhills tougher 'cause they're curvy AND steep on the Parkway. But if you're totally comfortable on your bike and know how to handle it at speeds above 25mph, you'll be just fine.

Have fun! The views more than make up for any grunting and groaning as you pedal!