City vs. Country
27 April - Chester-Farmville VA: hazy clouds, 55-70?, 8:45-8:00, 91.4 miles
Today was a tale of two rides: one with a focus on city tourism, with the biking suffering; and eventually a lovely jaunt down a premier Virginia biking road.
The morning took us to National Park sites commemorating the end of the Civil War and its aftermath in and around Richmond. We followed our old friend US301 (also US1) north into the capital, a 4-lane boulevard through urban sprawl. Leaving town found us again on US360, going first past interminable strip malls, then changing into a super-highway with no shoulder.
Ride 2 started at almost 4:00 - with 45 miles under our tires. We stopped at the store in Skinquarter and asked for an alternate route to Farmville. They diverted us onto 603, which took us to 604 and then 616 - which was also signposted VA Bike Route 1. We reveled in the bucolic scenery on the lightly traveled roads, weaving through the forests and farms, climbing the rolling hills, waving at the passing cars, shooing away the occasional dog. At one point I stopped to take a photo, laying my bike down. The next car by promptly stopped, and the female driver asked, "Do you need help? I thought you might have crashed!"
After 36 idyllic miles, we turned onto a more-trafficked road, with a couple of massive hills. For the first time this trip, I shifted into my middle chain ring in front.
By the time we rolled into Farmville, the sun had set, and my odometer had passed 90 miles - making this arguably my longest day of bike touring. (Sure, I did 100 miles one day in Oregon and Idaho, but that was downhill with a tail wind!) My only comparable day was 16 years ago in New Zealand, also around 90 miles while climbing two passes.
Today was a tale of two rides: one with a focus on city tourism, with the biking suffering; and eventually a lovely jaunt down a premier Virginia biking road.
The morning took us to National Park sites commemorating the end of the Civil War and its aftermath in and around Richmond. We followed our old friend US301 (also US1) north into the capital, a 4-lane boulevard through urban sprawl. Leaving town found us again on US360, going first past interminable strip malls, then changing into a super-highway with no shoulder.
Ride 2 started at almost 4:00 - with 45 miles under our tires. We stopped at the store in Skinquarter and asked for an alternate route to Farmville. They diverted us onto 603, which took us to 604 and then 616 - which was also signposted VA Bike Route 1. We reveled in the bucolic scenery on the lightly traveled roads, weaving through the forests and farms, climbing the rolling hills, waving at the passing cars, shooing away the occasional dog. At one point I stopped to take a photo, laying my bike down. The next car by promptly stopped, and the female driver asked, "Do you need help? I thought you might have crashed!"
After 36 idyllic miles, we turned onto a more-trafficked road, with a couple of massive hills. For the first time this trip, I shifted into my middle chain ring in front.
By the time we rolled into Farmville, the sun had set, and my odometer had passed 90 miles - making this arguably my longest day of bike touring. (Sure, I did 100 miles one day in Oregon and Idaho, but that was downhill with a tail wind!) My only comparable day was 16 years ago in New Zealand, also around 90 miles while climbing two passes.
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