Training

Cycling the entire Blue Ridge Parkway was the biggest physical challenge of my life.  It is very difficult, but also so exhilarating!  I don't think that someone should attempt a trip like this without some sort of serious commitment to training.  Biking 65 miles/day in the mountains carrying 35-45 lb of gear and water is probably equivalent to at least 100 miles/day on flat land without gear.  That being said, keep in mind that I am just a regular guy, not some great athlete.

I started cycling seriously at age 44.  I biked about 3000 miles/year for each of my first two years.  I live in Virginia Beach, VA where the land couldn't be much flatter, so I get very little opportunity to bike in the mountains.  During my second year, I took two one-day trips on the BRP with a friend.  I wasn't sure what it would be like to bike in the mountains, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and I fell in love with biking on the BRP.  I decided to try a 4-day, 240 mile, self-supporting trip later that year (July 2003).  I really didn't do anything to prepare except my normal riding (even less than usual as I was building a garage that summer).  I learned the hard way that I should have done more to prepare.  I completed the trip, but was exhausted each night in camp.  I was sore each morning and I was really dragging during the 3rd and 4th days of the trip.  When we stopped at overlooks, I was often so tired that I would just lie in the grass.  I was missing the beauty of the surroundings as I was too tired to enjoy them.

Since then I have learned that proper training is essential if you want to enjoy the trip, not just survive it.  I cycled the entire parkway in 2004, 2005, and 2006 without ever being sore or worn out.  Even though it is very hard, there is no place that I would rather cycle than the Blue Ridge Parkway!
Here's what I did to prepare:
1)  Increased my mileage to 500+/month or 6000+/year
2)  I  made a few weekend trips to the mountains to get some practice in the mountains
3)  I made regularly trips to Williamsburg (about 50 miles away) where I would ride a hilly, 50-mile course.
4)  I rode longer distances, including 4 or 5 centuries, and numerous rides of 50-80 miles.
5)  For the last month before the Blue Ridge Parkway trip, I rode with a loaded bike (charcoal in the panniers)!  My average speed dropped at first, but after a couple of weeks it crept back up, indicating that I was getting used to the weight.

Perhaps I trained more than necessary.  Perhaps a younger rider or more athletic rider could much more easily handle the trip.  Cyclists that live in mountainous areas may not need to train so much.  But it worked for me and I hope to keep up the training pace this year.

Join me for some training rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway?
During March and April, I will schedule and announce some weekend trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway and/or Skyline Drive.  Maybe you would like to join me?
I have a couple of events scheduled already:
April 12-13, 2008 – Fully loaded 2-day tour. Meet at the Rockfish Gap Visitor Center (Milepost 0 located at Exit 99 from I-64) for a 9am start. I will stay Friday night at the nearby Inn at Afton if you plan to arrive the night before.
On Saturday, April 12, we will cycle from MP0 to MP61 and stay at the Wildwood Campground (hot showers!).
On Sunday, April 13, we will cycle back to MP0. The Rockfish Gap Visitor Center will let us leave our cars there.
Email to confirm.
April 19-20, 2008 - I will be cycling in the 100 mile Tour de Cure (Southeastern VA) on April 19 from Chesapeake, VA to Manteo, NC.  I plan to cycle it with a loaded bike, camp in Kitty Hawk, and cycle back on Sunday, April 20.  No hills, but it is often windy along the Outer Banks, so this should be great training with a loaded bike! Email me if you would like to join me.

Author:  Paul Gordy
Email:  blueridgecyclist@cox.net