Author Archives: juliah

Ride Report: Virginia Creeper

In June, Tim & I rode 68 mi on the Virginia Creeper Trail, a rail to trail that spans 34 mi from Abingdon to Whitetop, VA. We stayed in Damascus, VA, the mid-point of the trail, at a quaint Airbnb “The Inn on Creeper Way.” Bike rentals & shuttles are available in Damascus but we took our mountain bikes fitted with skinny tires, perfect for the crushed limestone surface. Our inn was right on the trail so we began there climbing 17 mi toward Whitetop. (Many riders take a 30 min. shuttle to Whitetop & coast the 17 mi downhill.) After riding to Whitetop and returning to Damascus, we headed toward Abingdon where there were fewer riders, and the landscape changed to trestles & farmland. I suggest riding the Creeper during the off-season or early in the day to avoid lots of novice riders. There were many water stops, one was Creeper Cafe home of the World Famous Chocolate Cake!

ERV100, September 9, 2017

The first Elk River Valley 100 in 1974 was a big club ride and it was FREE. For 2017 we’re going to do the same thing! No fee so none of the usual amenities but some of the finest cycling around.

The ride will start at West Middle School in Tullahoma at 8 am, on September 9. There are 3 great routes-75 mi with Monteagle mountain, 52 mi no mountain, and a 12 mi laid back route; each include store stops where you can purchase snacks. Thanks to Paul Schwer, Grady Wells and Tim Harrison for the routes.

Additionally, the ERV 100 will be limited to HRBike Club members or members of other participating bike clubs. We’re not trying to be exclusive it’s just a restriction placed on us by our insurance. The ERV website has the updated routes, registration and more.

Hope to see ya there!

May is National Bike Month

Local cyclists have enjoyed several HRBike sponsored events related to Bike Month this May. The photo here is from the Wed., May 17 International Ride of Silence. Thanks to Hunter Norris for coordinating the ride. It was a very moving experience.
Also during Bike Month, HRBike has been active in the local schools with the Wheels in Motion program and the ReCycle Tullahoma program. For Wheels in Motion, we partnered with Sunrise Rotary & Woody’s Bicycles, to give two deserving East Lincoln Elementary students bikes and helmets. Thanks Hunter Norris for representing the club at this event. And, thanks to Joe Capezza for heading up ReCycle Tullahoma and mentoring five students at West Middle School. Four girls and one boy learned a lot about bikes and had a great time in the sessions; they even started referring to their teacher as Uncle Joe! Continue reading →