I joined a group riding this morning from Abingdon. I only went to Damascus but most of the rest of the crew were going all the way to Whitetop and back. Whew!
Harold Smith of Coastal Cyclists of South Carolina organized a trip up for some of his club members. He was here last year for Lawrence Dye's 100,000th mile celebration and wanted to come back. The group left Abingdon at 7:30, met up with others in Damascus at 9:00 and were headed to the top. They left me in the dust pretty quickly and I joined other members of the VCTC on my section to Damascus. Chris Sullivan, club president, Lawrence Dye, and Randy McMichael of Buchannan Co. (a friend of Lawrence's and frequent trail rider), and I rode together to Damascus.
It was a very beautiful morning, though the early start was a bit chilly. It warmed up as we rode and talked. Lawrence knows so much about the trail that he was kind enough to give me a little history lesson. Between Alvarado and Damascus, just beyond Rt. 858, the trail parallels the South Fork of the Holston, carrying runoff from the Mt. Rogers area. Lawrence pointed out where many years ago VDOT had diverted the river to complete the road. It clearly used to be on the other side of what is now Hwy. 58. That sort of project would never pass muster today for obvious environmental reasons.
1 comment:
I was raised in Piney Flats, TN and have ridden the Virginia Creeper Trail many times over the years...I now live in Charleston, SC, and wanted to share the trail with the Coastal Cyclists Club www.coastalcyclists.org
...we had a total of 11 riders participating in our ride, including some of our racing team members (one of whom was towing her 5-year old all the way up to Whitetop Station on a buddy bike)...
...every one had a great time, and I'm sure that all those folks back in Charleston who missed the ride will be envious when I post our ride report...you can expect to see more of us...those who did come all said they want to come back again soon...
...several comments were made about the condition of the trail - all very positive - reflecting on the obvious love and care you all put into the trail...you can be proud of your efforts...
...I'm afraid that we set an overally ambitious schedule for this ride...we actually had 3 separate groups to coordinate - one group riding from Abingdon at 7:30 AM meeting up with the main group at Damascus at 9:00 AM (this resulted in having to push the pace from Abingdon to make it on time, which we did with 15 minutes to spare)...the third group was made up of those folks who took one of the many shuttles to Whitetop Station to meet with us there...somehow it all came together and we all rode back down to Damascus together...
...my wife Teresa did a 'tail-gate rest stop' with drinks and snacks at Damascus and at Whitetop Station - this turned out very well, with a lot of happy (i.e. well fed) bikers at both sites...
...bottom line, it was a great ride that will be remembered by all who participated for years to come...thanks to you all!
Harold W (Hal) Smith
roadwarriordad@juno.com
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