Day Two. Grab some coffee at headquarters and make your preparations for an epic ride. Hop on the bike between 7am and 9am and truly let the journey begin with one of our famous loop ride options. Our team will treat you to rider’s choice of 3 options that day ranging from a short 20 mile distance ride to a metric century that carries you out for some spectacular sights. Elevation changes from 1,100-4,00 feet  on various routes. Each route will be marked with color signage to keep you on the right track. Your first destination will be the historic town of Lexington and visits to sites like Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University. Civil War buffs will no doubt enjoy a visit to the graves of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The short route will head back to camp from Lexington and the more adventurous routes will take you to the majestic Goshen Pass where you will be in awe as you watch the mighty Maury River flow through the mountains. As you ride you will be pampered with rest stops full of food, drink, and local flair every 20 or so miles. Any route you choose will be a treat and one that only the wonderful roads of Virginia can provide. After a perfect day of riding, pamper yourself with yoga, massage, or meditation followed by good food, drink, and fun music.

Day Three will take you deep into more natural wonders of the area. Our Sunday route options will travel to the historic Natural Bridge, a unique landmark that George Washington was thought to have surveyed before the revolutionary war. Beyond Natural Bridge you will travel to the quaint town of Buchanan where you can rest by the iconic James River. The shorter route for the day will have 20 miles of riding and elevation change of 1,600 feet. The mid-length route will have a nice 40-60 mile distance for your pleasure. For the longest route distance riders, Sunday will offer the first of our two century routes. This 100 mile ride with 5,500 feet of elevation change will take you to Botetourt County and communities like Fincastle. Each of the routes treats you to some terrific sites for rest stops. Either route you choose will have you smiling the whole way and wanting to stay on the bike for just one more mile. Weekend participants will wrap up their ride this day, they can camp over that night, or head on home with fun memories to carry them through the workdays ahead. Sunday marks mid-point for our six day participants, they will crawl into bed that night with dreams of the great riding left to come in the Staunton community.

Day Four will be event move day. On move day, the entire event packs up early in the morning and relocates to headquarters 2, located in Staunton Virginia (about 40 miles north on I-81). From there you will kick off the second half of the event and enjoy riding from another historic community in the Shenandoah Valley. Routes will include 15 to 60 mile options with 1,500- 4,500 feet of elevation change. For those who rode on our 2010 Knights of the Golden Wheel tour you will rekindle some of the fond memories you have as we ride north of town to the scenic natural limestone tower formations of Natural Chimneys. We will also visit one of the highest rated rest stops on the 2010 tour in Churchville Virginia. Rest stops will be conveniently placed at approximate 20 mile intervals. There will be several length options to choose from on Monday so you can ride as much or as little as you want, depending on what you wish to see or how you are feeling from the previous three days of riding. One of the beauties of Bike Virginia’s format is that you can take a rest day any day you wish. Monday night offers a great chance to head into Staunton to enjoy the historic downtown.

Day Five, get ready! We will have several distance options to choose from that will take you into the George Washington National Forest. Pick a route between 15 and 100 miles with elevation changes ranging from 1,200-7,500 feet. On this day you will ride through small towns like Stuarts Draft and Waynesboro, which sit at the eastern edge of the Shenandoah Valley. Tuesday’s routes include the Tour’s second century route. Rest stops will be perfectly spaced for your food and drink needs approximately every 20 miles. For the adventurous soul you can travel routes that take you high into the mountains as we climb the iconic Vesuvius climb, with its many switchbacks, up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, (our access permit is pending). You will then descend a lovely stretch of road and have a rest stop at the Devil’s Backbone Brewery. Don’t get too comfortable at the brewery as you still have to make another famous climb as you ride past the Wintergreen Resort on your way to Reeds Gap where we will cross the Blue Ridge Parkway again on our way back down to Staunton. Whether you choose the short, medium, or century route you will undoubtedly have a smile when you get back to camp.

Day Six it is! This day is the last day of the tour but it is also probably the most remote of our six days of riding. You will travel back in time as you ride deep into the rural routes of the Shenandoah Valley that are rarely explored by bike. We will have 3 options that day so you can choose if you want to get a short ride in before hitting the road home or settle in for another long day in the saddle as you pedal the metric century. Choose from 25 to 60 miles and 1,500-4,500 feet of elevation change. Because we finish at this second location you can wait to pack up camp until after you ride, your car will be conveniently there for your departure. That’s another uniquely Bike Virginia trait. Day six brings a close to the 30th annual Bike Virginia Tour, a time for hugs, smiles, and dreams of the 2018 Bike Virginia Tour.