Danny Rivers, a long time Bike Virginia participant took home the prize for best essay. Look for him at the Storming of Thunder Ridge event on May 18. 
Danny wrote an essay about riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains near his home in Lynchburg, Virginia. Thanks Danny for taking part in our contest for registered Bike Virginia participants.
“If you can ride around here, then you can ride anywhere!” That one comment seems to flow out of the mouths of the area cyclists who are lucky enough to live in Central Virginia.
We have in our very own backyard some of the most desired cycling terrain in America. We have everything right here from beautiful routes along the James River which can take us into historic Amherst County and challenge us with rolling hills, and the less traveled roads of High Peak Road and Tobacco Mountain, to the back roads of Bedford County which as you past thru Sedalia can seem like Tuscany.
One really cool thing about riding the above mentioned routes is that as you are pedaling you can look out onto the horizon and see “the mountains”!, the jewel of Central Virginia and The Blue Ridge, the Alpe de Central Virginia, otherwise known Thunder Ridge!! What a beautiful sight to see Sharp Top and Thunder Ridge as the sun settles down and you say to yourself “I climb that mountain on my bicycle!!”
People come from all over America to ride The Blue Ridge and as I write this I look out my window and I can see “the mountains”. That is way cool.