First TransVA done with one road bike cleat?? (May 2022 — Grand Depart — 89:35)

What an epic journey!! Grateful for everyone who sent supportive messages along the way, for David Landis for putting together an incredible route, for Gordon for pushing & encouraging me to keep racing, and to Georgie for surprising me at the finish! BIG Ride Report down below for those who are interested(!):

Day 1 — We all gathered at the Lincoln Memorial around 5:30am eager to beat the record-breaking heat that would swelter us later in the day. Behind us, hundreds of students from Georgetown were partying on the steps of the memorial, a fitting backdrop for our Grand Depart! David Landis (the creator of the route) and Abe (FKT holder) had ridden up from Harrisonburg the day before, and I introduced myself to both of them. Asking for any advice, Sage Abe encouraged me to feel comfortable riding in the night (a suggestion I took on Day 2!) We set off at 6am — and I pushed a strong pace for the first 48 miles along the C&O canal to Point of Rocks, riding just behind my friend Steve McDermott who was doing the DC-Harrisonburg-DC 385 route. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to outpace someone who was (only) shooting for the 385…but I was a fool and still thinking I’d try to match Abe’s/Spencer’s pace from the year before. I made it to Garden Market (mile 132) just before 4pm in time for a delicious Veggie Sub, but had pushed a tough pace & was starting to feel it. With temps in the low 90s and heat indices close to 100, I sat down along stream just before the hike-a-bike section and took a nice bath in ice-cold stream water. Feeling slightly rejuvenated, I biked up the mostly dry Cedar Creek Trail & walked through the hike-a-bike (mi 151) section mostly without incident…until my right cleat gave out and realized I would have to manage the rest of the ride pushing with an unclipped right foot. Around 9pm, thunderstorms starting rolling through and I felt myself (slightly) freaking out about being on the summit of Tibbet Knob…but sheltered for a little while before rolling down into Basore (mile 171) and falling asleep on a church picnic table around 11pm.

Day 2 — Getting about 5 hours of sleep (I slept in!!), I set off around 6am into Mattias. Having not made it to Misty Valley before closing at 9pm the night before, I missed dinner and wasn’t wanting to wait until 9am for their reopening. This was a huge mistake. (in hindsight, The Home Place in Mattias offers breakfast @7am & Capon Run General Store in Bergton just off-route had opened at 5am..notes for…next time..) Extremely thankful for the bathroom at the Valley View Mennonite Church in Criders just before the first huge climb of the day…I slowly set up German River Road…hungry…tired…and thirsty…a lethal combination for a 10 mile rough dirt doubletrack climb. The climb starts off gentle enough, but quickly switches to washout, rocky, steep pitches of 15%…no match for my 34×32 rookie gearing. Having to walk several sections…I summited nearly 3 hours after starting the climb…and then flatted on the rough rolling section at the top of the ridge while Gordon sped along past me on his big boy Salsa tires. Thankful for the huge paved descent down into Switzer Lake, I caught Gordon somewhere up the climb on Dunkel Hollow Rd up to Flagpole Knob. This second climb..while difficult, isn’t nearly as long as German River, and went by much quicker without incident. A taste of what was to come for Day 3…heavy summer showers rolled through…but as quickly as they drenched me, the sun came out shining (and drying!) everything on my way up to Reddish Knob. This was probably one of the high points of the whole trip…as Casey Musgraves serenaded me through Golden Hour on the sweet sweet descent down to West Augusta & the general resupply at mile 254. Gordon and I chatted for a while about All Things Boulder over dinner while I spent $38 on a huge dinner (2 macaroni salads, 2 pimiento/egg sandwiches) & so many tasty tasty snacks. Having not eaten a proper meal for 27 hours…spirits were boosted and morale was high. I was ready for the Night Shift, and with the wise words of Sage Abe (“ride through the night, young grasshopper” and Coach Landis (“you’ve done the hardest part — don’t give up now!!”) strapped to my back, I powered through the next 60 miles to Douthat State Park (mile 311), setting up camp along some Picnic Shelters and falling asleep around 3am. The stars were so so beautiful that night.

Day 3 — Waking up at 6am…I reluctantly crawled out of my bivvy operating on 3 hours of sleep. The first climb into out of Douthat was a bit rough & steep, but went by fairly quickly. Stopping at the BP in Covington (mi 328), I pounded a delicious Subway Sub before heading up the next 2 massive climbs of the trip “Sector 2 – Potts Mountain.” Looking back, I should have loaded up on more snacks (& sandwiches) here, seeing the next reload was at Mountain Lodge at 390. By now it was pissing rain…with temps maaaybe flirting with 50 degrees on the summits, I was freezing cold and completely soaked, unprepared mentally for the shivering and wet conditions. Hungry, cold, shivering, and shaking..I strongly considered bailing for the Day at mile 360 and getting a cabin down the hill in Paint Bank. And just as I had turned around…slinking down the jeep 4×4 trail in the pouring rain…there was Gordon…piercing through the fog like a guardian angel and churning up the mountain like a mad man, looking like he couldn’t be bothered!! (in reality…it’s not like we had much of a choice..even though we both signed up on our own volition..lol) He encouraged me to keep going (we only had 30 more miles until Mountain Lake Lodge), and we rode together through the rest of the climb. The descent down Potts was awful..the 4×4 track having turned into a raging river..my 38mm’s no match for the swaths of washouts and culverts that encompassed the “road.” The next 10 miles through the valley were hard…I was so cold…but I caught Gordon once again on the last climb of the day & we rolled together into Mountain Lake Lodge, chatting about All Things Bike-Touring & grateful just to be with another human being. That part was really nice(!) I couldn’t imagine the look on the front desk clerk’s face when we rolled in the exquisite Lodge…drenched to the core & covered from head to toe in dirt and mud. Ate so much food that night, showered & cleaned all my clothes for the first time in 3 days, and shook hands with Gordon just before bed, thankful for the company (& competition!) as we headed into the final day.

Day 4 — Having slept 5 hours in a comfy bed & powering up the complimentary Keurig, I heard the door next-door slam shut, a sign that Gordon was heading out. It was time to go. 6:15am. We were at mile 390, and had 167 miles to cover to finish…the majority of the elevation on the back-end of the ride. It was going to need to be a huge day. I downed a couple of egg&cheese sandwiches at J&J Grocery, and rolled with Gordon for several miles that morning alongside roads that were quickly flooding as the river roared over its banks. Alum Springs Rd was completely impassible…and the pedestrian wooden bridge swung just barely over the raging river below. In race mode, I called an order-ahead at the Draper Mercantile and crushed a delicious Tomato/Mozz in 10min, ready to move. The next section was GLORIOUS, maybe 30 miles along the New River Trail. Thank you Creator Landis for this gem. I put the hammer down and pushed it along this section, feeling as strong as I had in any of the 3 days before. Stopping at the Dollar General just off-route outside Ivanhoe (mi 472), I was ready for the climbs. 3 mini-mountains and 4 big mountains stood between me and the finish..the first 3 went by without incident, a mix of pavement & smooth gravel. The climb was long…and as I zig-zagged up the mountain in my 34×32…I suddenly realized I could “cut” through the grade by gently swinging the handlebars back-and-forth with each pedal stroke, turning grades of 10-15% into things that felt like 5-10%. I still don’t know exactly how this worked/works..but would recommend this strategy to everybody!! With this new “micro” zig-zagging technique…I flew up the first two big mountains, and rolled into Sugar Grove around 7pm, refueling at the Dollar General and ready to crush the last 2 climbs. This was another high point…by now I knew I was going to finish, and the valley descent after sugar grove was so beautiful, filled with so many Happy Cows and green pastures as First Aid Kit serenaded me. I powered through the last two climbs, summiting around 10pm as thick layers of heavy fog rolled across the summit..barely being able to see 10ft in front of me. The steep straight down the mountain was honestly a bit scary..but once I hit the Creeper Trail I knew I was almost there. Rolling through the Glowing Arch Lights in Damascus at 11:35pm, there was Georgie waving me down at the finish…an incredible surprise. 89:35 after starting, I was done!

TL;DR/Tips: An incredible route & ride overall! A couple things I would have done differently — definitely get less than 1:1 gearing. I was averaging MAYBE 50rpms on so many climbs. Pack extra bike cleats…or maybe don’t do it in road shoes. EAT EAT EAT. If you’re thinking about re-supplying, do it. Some stretches are longer than you think, and 70 miles will take a long time. Also recommend bringing plastic ziplock bags. Our “waterproof” bags didn’t stand a chance, I lost multiple chargers & Gordon lost his phone to the rain. Pack Light! There are so many church shelters with pavilions..you are almost guaranteed to have shelter if you’re racing & willing to rough it on picnic tables. Oh, and with regards to The Dog, just pedal past it. It’s at the crest of a short climb on the right, so you might be going slow, but I never got off and it didn’t bother me. High Point was definitely the descent down Reddish Knob & rolling through the valley out of Sugar Grove…Low Point was shivering & shaking on Potts Mountain in the freezing cold. That’s all I can think of now…but if anyone reading ever has any questions, super down to help answer! Thanks so much again for everyone who supported me & helped me finish — until the next adventure!