Half way through the ride someone sent me a write-up that I will paraphrase, and unfortunately cannot give credit to because I can't remember. In any case, the up-shot of it was that this is a difficult undertaking and you should use this criteria for planning: if you can ride one hundred miles in a day on flat ground, plan to go thirty; if you can ride one hundred hilly miles, plan on forty, and if you can do it without strain, plan on fifty. He wasn't wrong. Both Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway have precious few sections of flat road. Mostly you are climbing or going down hill.
All of my rides started from the north. Skyline Drive begins in Front Royal, Virginia. If you start at mile post (mp) 0, be prepared to stop at the ranger station about a mile up the road. Not being a purist, I just drove to the ranger station, showed my pass, then pulled over and prepared to ride. In any case, the first eight miles are up. I started by seeing 4-5% on the Garmin and after a few miles it seemed I was seeing a lot of 6-8% ramps. Skinner says you climb 2,800 feet in the first 22 miles, and most of the first thirteen are climbing.
I started at 9:00 am and it was cloudy, some fog, and a slight breeze at my back. The plan was to cycle fifty-two miles to Big Meadow Lodge and then fifty-three to Rockfish Gap which is where Skyline Drive ends and The Blue Ridge Parkway begins, seamlessly. At mile 34 I had just climbed my fifth hill and was out of energy. In front of me I had a short downhill then a climb to the highest point on Skyline Drive so I decided not to kill myself and called it a day. Fortunately my wife, Marilane, was doing sag duty, and had parked at the overlook. We drove to the lodge and checked in and I recuperated with a lunch and beer and enjoyed their view.
The next morning she drove me back to the overlook and I started from there. It wasn't like yesterday wasn't difficult, I climbed 4,793 feet in those 34.4 miles. Today, aside from the first climb up to Skyland, the rest of the riding appeared less strenuous. I got out early, 7:30 ish, with cool weather and still the breeze at my back. Most of the climbing was 4-5% and lots more descents. I managed to get in fifty-five miles in four hours, fifteen minutes. That included 4,341 feet of climbing. And once again, I ran out of steam. The remaining fifteen miles would have to wait for day three.
Another 7:30ish start and I was doing ok. The grades were 2-3% and a lot of downhill for the first fifteen miles. As I approached one down grade I saw a road sign indicating loose gravel. Dang! Good news/ bad news. It really was loose gravel; fifteen miles of loose gravel! Going downhill increased my pucker factor and decreased my speed considerably. Going uphill probably didn't affect much difference from the regular chip seal road, although I was constantly searching for the beaten down car tracks. The good news is because I couldn't push hard, I took it easy and my legs thanked me. There were other miles listed as loose gravel, but had seen enough traffic that the gravel was no longer loose. I did fifty miles in four and a half hours.
Let me digress. My original agenda called for me to ride 7-8 hours, which included a stop for refreshment. This was based on my past history of epic cycling (refer to Gotta Go! Cycling Vacations in Fantastic Locations). But I think age is becoming a factor. After three days of strenuous cycling, I realistically didn't want to exceed fifty miles or five hours. This called for a change in lodging plans, which happened and which will be included in Part II.
Day four started out downhill and only included one uphill. Unfortunately, it ran for thirteen miles. Thirteen miles of unrelenting up. I saw multiple 9% grades and a few in double-digits. Not only was I stopping at overlooks, I'd stop on the road in some shade for a quick breather. This was the famed James River climb up to Apple Orchard. So far the weather cooperated with mid-60's and a north breeze. Forty-three miles in under four hours, so it wasn't all a big strain.
Day five gave me a break. The parkway had heavy rain earlier this year and part of the road collapsed. The road was closed and we had to drive around it. This cut out about twenty-three miles of parkway. It also eliminated another thirteen mile unrelenting climb. Hallelujah! This is probably the worse section on the whole parkway. Not only is it a difficult climb, it is also around Roanoke and is heavily trafficked. So I managed the first part of twenty-seven miles in under two hours, mostly small rollers and downhill. We then drove to Adney Gap and proceeded for the second part. This was a tad more hilly, but still twenty-three miles in an hour and forty-five minutes. Both sections added up to 3,723 feet of climbing.
Day six had a climb that showed some 9-10% numbers, but for the most part the ups were short and it was an easy day. If you can call 3,973 feet of climbing easy. Mabry Mill is the most photographed place on the Blue Ridge. It was also one of the very few places that was open. Covid heavily affected the tourist spots, including those with rest rooms. Marilane was hard-pressed to find conveniences; I didn't have that problem, just riding off on a forest road for a few yards. We stayed the night in Fancy Gap at https://fancygapcabinsandcampground.com/. This wasn't on the original agenda, but was a very pleasant surprise. Both of us highly recommend staying, if you are so inclined.
Day seven brought a change of routine. Heavy fog, like couldn't see twenty yards, lasted all morning. This place is restful, but I couldn't see sitting around all day, with only a small lake to walk around. By noon the fog had lifted and the weather looked good. So just before 1:00 pm I started out. Weather couldn't have been better, 73° with a slight breeze out of the SSE. This was forty-five miles in under four hours, but with another eight-mile climb. My legs are not happy. I'm finding that I'm using a slightly different part of my rectus femoris than what I use when climbing hills in Austin. This is partially an explanation as to why I'm going so slow. In any case, forty-five miles in three and a half hours brought me into North Carolina and some really smooth asphalt. Life is good.
Day eight and I put in another forty-four miles in four hours. I lost the good asphalt and found an additional 1,200 feet of climbing, 4,967 total.
Day nine saw us going to Little Switzerland. A couple of climbs, lots of descents. I noticed that the Garmin would record a zero when I knew I'd be on a 6-8% grade. I suspect it just lost gps and couldn't compute the difference in elevation. Either that or I was going too slow. In any case, it was a relatively easy day of forty-three miles in three and three-quarters hours. Plus, the next day was a day off and I was scheduled for a massage. I can tell you now, my legs (and the rest of my body) were more responsive when I resumed cycling.
Day ten. The original last day of cycling. Unfortunately, I had two more days after this. But this took me into Asheville and onto fresh, smooth asphalt and downhill. First I had to get up a six-mile and a three-mile climb, but I really was bombing down the final eleven miles,
Day eleven started out of Asheville on still really nice asphalt. This would be the toughest day, ending with a fourteen mile climb (not so hard as James River) and a three mile climb. I ended up with 5,997 feet of climbing over forty-seven miles. The famed Pisgah Inn was booked, so we opted for the Grand Old Lady Hotel (previously the Balsam Mountain Inn). Not quite the views of Pisgah Inn, but half the price and quite acceptable. We enjoyed a complimentary glass of wine as we rocked on their veranda overlooking a well-kept lawn. Recommended.
Day twelve was uneventful. I did forty-five miles in three and three-quarters hours. Don't believe the rapturous finale. True, the final thirteen of seventeen miles are downhill. True, the final ten miles are downhill. True, you can just sit on your saddle and mostly go thirty mph. More if you tuck. But the road is rough. And if you have already traveled 460 or 565 miles, maybe you just want to sit up and get it over with. Going into Asheville was fun, this is more like work. In any case, you end up in Cherokee. We opted to stay here at the Hampton Inn and have dinner at Brios in the casino.
For those readers who opt out of the other parts, here is a list of where we stayed.
Big Meadows Lodge
Hampton Inn in Waynesboro (2 nights)
Peaks of Otter
Stonewall B&B
Fancy Gap Motel (2 nights)
Hampton Inn in Boone (2 nights)
Little Switzerland Inn (2 nights)
Hampton Garden Inn in Asheville
Grand Old Lady Hotel in Balsam
Hampton Inn in Cherokee
