Upcoming Virginia Rides

[ASammy1]

I'm so jealous of all of you doing Bike VA... Zack and I were supposed to have company next week, but that was cancelled earlier in the week and we didn't exactly have time to get in

Oh, another good ride for October is the Seagull Century on the Eastern Shore (flat and fast!) if anyone is interested. I'm pretty sure we are going to this one!

[dervilfal]

My fiance and I just started riding 2 months ago and are training for the Seagull ride also

This 'hobby' is addictive! I'm so hooked, if I take this job in Herndon I've been looking at I think I'll ride to work a few days a week!

[tulip]

ASammy, check out the River Ride on the BikeWalk Virginia Website. It's in the Northern Neck, not far from you. I've done it for two years and will do it again this year. There is a century option. It's at the end of September.

[KathiCville]

Howdy! Yep, I still check the TE forums pretty regularly!.....I wish I had focused earlier on the fact that BikeVirginia is based in my backyard this year! Alas, I've got some business travel next week so I won't even be around for much of it......Have FUN, those of you who will be pedaling through this area!!! Even though I've lived here a dozen years now, the beauty of the landscape NEVER fails to amaze me.

And, yep, I do have a new bike!! A Fuji Silhouette. Quite a step up from my Schwinn.....But she's undergoing some component tweaking at the hands of my BF at the moment and won't be fully ready to ride until one last part comes in. (Today! Today!) Followed, of course, by a good fitting!

Keep listing interesting rides for the fall, please. I think I'm going to sign up for the Northern Neck RiverRide on September 26. Might even make it my first try at doing a full century!

[IFjane]

How was the trip?

Oh....and how did I do with the weather?

It was fun seeing bunches of cyclists in and around Orange (I work here) & on the roads. DH and I went on our own long self-supported ride on Sunday, returning home through Orange/Rapidan. We talked to lots of participants & all seemed to be having a good time. Cyclists are few and far between in these parts so to see more bikes than cars was wonderful!

Did you happen to see the kids on the side of the road selling popsicles as you rode through Madison on Tuesday? They are the children of very good friends of mine & they had a ball. Not sure how much money they raised, but they sold all the popsicles! How was the street festival here in Orange?

[tulip]

I had a great time, and you SCORED with the weather, Jane!

I love Rapidan, and the wonderful welcoming crew at the VFD. I did see the kids selling popsicles, but I did not stop. I only had a $20 on me. Next time I'll come prepared with smaller bills.

Here's my ride report:
Saturday was miserably hot and humid, and I saw more than a few folks giving up their lunches. Thankfully, I was not one of them. I just kept pouring water on my head at every rest stop. 60 miles for the day, but it was a very slow day.

Sunday was much better weatherwise, and I felt great after waking up very sore from Saturday. 70 miles from Charlottesville to Culpeper through beautiful horse and wine country.

Monday was a particularly delightful day for me. While some folks got up early to ride 102 miles, I stayed in bed and had breakfast by the pool. I had to work, so I brought my computer poolside and got quite a bit done. Then I rode into Culpeper for lunch and a look-see. Cute town, Culpeper is. Then I took a nap. That's my kinda Monday.

Tuesday was 55ish miles (57 maybe, I forget) and I was feeling strong on those hills. We went to Orange. Since I did not stay at Tent City, I did not participate in the street festival. I like Orange, though.

Wednesday it was back to Charlottesville. There were a few crashes, one involving a deer. There always seem to be more crashes on the last day, perhaps because people are tired or trying to get back in a hurry. Slow down, y'all!! It ain't a race! Nothing could be done about the deer, though. It just leapt out of the woods, hit cyclist, who then hit a passing pickup truck. The cyclist got taken to the hospital and the deer had to be shot because its back was broken.

Back to the riding...I felt really strong by Tuesday, and was delightfully passing all sorts of people on the uphills. Considering I have done very little riding since April, I was pleasantly surprised with myself.

Next year's Bike Virginia will be in the Shenandoah Valley around Harrisonburg. It will be much hillier--longer passes instead of rollers. I will be riding my Bike Friday because it has a triple. My compact double was fine for this ride, but I need a triple for anything hillier. My Luna was just perfect for this ride. Love that bike!

[AnnieBikes]

I will report on Bike Virginia a bit later. We did have a great time, though I never saw Tulip, I did look for her and her Luna, but never saw them. We started riding very early every morning so... Sorry I missed you...and yes, we saw the popsicles and bought one. It was WONDERFUL and cold on a hot day. Lots of people stopped!

We came home to a terrible family tragedy, the death of the wife of a VERY close first cousin of my DH. She drowned in South Holston Lake on Tuesday night and they have not recovered her body yet. She apparently fell while alone after docking the boat at their slip, and while covering the boat. They are guessing that she fell, hit her head, and was knocked out, fell in the water and... Her 14 yr. old son and a friend were there but had gone to the dock store to get a bite to eat and when she did not come to the car to meet them, went out to the slip and saw her purse and keys but not her. Such a terrible thing to happen. The whole family is absolutely distraught. My sister-in-law and I fixed dinner for everyone who is in town but the wait for the inevitable is absolutely beyond imagination. We were ther together as only a family can do to support each other. They have used cameras, deep divers (it is 200 feet at the marina), and sensors but have not had any luck in 48 hours at finding her. Now they are saying that they are going to get a better deep diving person from another city.

The sadness here is just too overwhelming to think about.

[divingbiker]

Oh, Anne, what a horrible tragedy. So sorry to hear this.

[tulip]

Annie, so sorry to hear your news. That's terrible. Last year's Bike Virginia stopped at Holston Dam. It's beautiful, but that doesn't matter when such a terrible tragedy happens. Please accept my prayers and thoughts for your family.

[IFjane]

Annie I am so, so sorry!!! What an awful thing to happen. Please know my thoughts are with you and your family. Take care ~jane

[AnnieBikes]

Thank you all so much for the thoughts. They still haven't found her body. It was in 200 feet of water there.

Last night was heart wrenching, seeing all her family so distraught. Nothing to do but wait now. It seems interminable.