Mike and I have spent a week solid relaxing, eating, planning, mapping resources on the race course, eating, tuning bikes, swapping gear out to ride lighter, and eating more.
A week of downtime is better than being late for the race!
It is tough to carry what you need for an open-ended ride while also trying to switch to the bare minimum for a race. The folks at The Shenandoah Bicycle Company kept a box we shipped for our resupply and now they’ll keep another box of stuff we don’t want to carry for The RockStar but will pick up when we come back through.
We’re also shipping a box home….fingers crossed we don’t send anything we might need!
Plans are always changing….but if all goes well, we’ll each finish The RockStar trail race in Roanoke and then take a leisurely ride together in reverse on the gravel course back here to Harrisonburg, pick up our stuff stashed at the bike shop and ride the Trans VA route toward D.C.
We’re thinking of picking up the C&O Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage to ride the Trillium section we missed in PA because of the weather.
But things change so I’ll keep you posted.
Friday, Tomorrow
Pre-race meeting, last minute tweaks to the bike and hopefully a good night’s sleep!
If there was a Starship & a coffee shop when I was in college, I would’ve gone broke for sure!
Now Friday is Today
Lunch at the Little Grill. Unique decor!
Someone’s a Muppet fan for sure!
Pre-race meeting was at Ruby’s Arcade. What a trip – Duck Pin Bowling, ping pong, pool & foosball & pizza & a Photo Booth!
Whatever the race brings tomorrow, we are having a blast!
Saturday, April 20, Race Day
For those who like to follow the Trackleaders map, know that you’ll see everyone go “off-course” for a 12-13 mile section and possibly for a 4 mile section. We’re being re-routed for controlled burns but the detours won’t show on the map you see.
Also, there are 3 simultaneous races on The RockStar map: Trail, Gravel & Pavement.
To more easily find us, select the Riders tab on the main map, then choose “trail” in the drop-down option after the tabs near the top left.
There’s 81 racers on the 3 race courses combined. On the Trail course, there’s 22 racers at this point.
After tonight, I’ll go pretty dark even if I get to WiFi coverage since I’ll need to conserve my electronics for maps and other necessities. I’ll try to post at the start line and perhaps a time or two along the race!
Without jumping over the rugged sections in western Pennsylvania threatened by flooding, we risk turning up in Harrisonburg days after the RockStar Grande Depart. Since there’s only two access points to rental car companies along our route, our compromise is to skip a few hundred miles on The Trillium section. That means we drive from Fairport, New York to Cumberland, Maryland.
Week 1 was Training in Inclement Weather but this is a beautiful morning with just a little splattering of rain.
We start pedaling again from Cumberland. Lovely bike paths are immediately accessible— The Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Towpath get us around the city and into The Hellbender.
We cross the bridge over the North Branch of the Potomac River into Wiley Ford, West Virginia — and Hill Training Week begins!
Right out of the gate I miss my picture of the day – a storefront window along the road in Wiley Ford, all by itself, in the middle of nowhere, in between big hills.
A storefront window filled with wedding dresses and pastel formal bridesmaid dresses. That picture in my head is for Karin Muewisson, soon-to-be daughter-in-law! I know Karin is all set, but a backup plan can sometimes be helpful!
A small store is next where we stop to resupply, and the owner makes us a couple of breakfast sandwiches on an electric griddle. Little do we know this will be our last real store until Virginia.
On to more hills.
All we notice of the eclipse is a bit of a chill in the air and a slight overcast. We fill bottles from a spring and go on climbing.
We find a covered pavilion at the Falls Assembly of God Church at 44 miles and call it a day. Richie Wizel, hiker on the American Discovery Trail from coast to coast, is already camped amidst the picnic tables. Richie hikes with a 3-wheeled cart and umbrella. His composite-tipped work boots are high to protect against snakes and are responsible for his trail name, Das Boot.
Das Boot carries an impressive charging system
I use the first of my freeze dried meals and Mike rehydrates his refried beans and pulls out his tortillas – emergency food we’ve carried from home.
As we finish up, the pastor and his grandson stop by to see if we need anything. Not only do we refill water for the next day, but they offer chips and sodas from the church pantry!
The pastor has recently retired at 82 and his grandson fills in for now
Tuesday
Hill climbing intensifies right out of camp.
Our kayaking days in the past took us to many rivers and creeks around the state, but this is a new corner of West Virginia for us.
It’s this day that we start “level climbing.” We face 5-mile+ climbs with 13-15% grades. I’m shocked to be riding them but I do need “stand over the bike” mini-breaks. I pedal up to a slight plateau, stop and stand for a few moments, and then manage to start up pedaling again.
The first little store is closed so we break here instead
Gap, gap, gap, gap
Smoke Hole Road seems to go on forever
We camp at Eagle Rock on the bank of the South Branch of the Potomac River and dig into another package of emergency rations.
South Branch of the Potomac
The river is a little on the high side and we hope this isn’t the one where we need to do a stream crossing.
Wednesday
We have a few snacks and start riding, hopes for breakfast pinned on Kyle’s Store. Ten miles later our hopes are dashed. We pull into a 1950-era gas station/store with a couple of old-timers sitting out front in chairs.
Kyle shows us where he keeps a few cans of diet sodas and we scan the nearly empty boxes of candy on the rack. A bag over the meat slicer cuts Mike’s hope for a deli sandwich. I walk around the dusty aisles, scattered with more hardware items than food, peering into empty coolers, until I spot an empty coffee maker on the counter. Kyle graciously agrees to make me a cup!
I find a couple of protein bars while Mike chats with Kyle about Joe Manchin. Turns out Kyle has known him all his life and says he’s always struggled—with both sides of the fence.
I find a can of corn on the shelf and eat that. We drink more coffee, fill our water bottles and take off.
Mike’s Video Roll:
What about Joe Manchin?
Rain jackets and pants continue to be ready at any moment. It’s another day of “put the rain gear on, take it off, put it back on,” pedal mere feet and then remember to put the zip lock bag back on the phone….and stop again. Another stop to take it all off again. Repeat the cycle (pun intended)!
Oh, the hills….Mike is faster at “level climbing,” but the technique keeps me moving upward.
We turn off pavement and start riding Rough Run Road. Our feet get wet but that’s refreshing.
By the 4th stream crossing though my feet are refreshed enough!
I’m going downhill at this point, but we still have a long, uphill way to go
We stop to filter water and start our cold rehydration—another emergency ration.
I don’t think the climbing can get more intense but it does. I walk up a really long stretch. My pace has slowed and Mike comes back to push my bike for awhile. A Dominion Energy worker stops to tell us the best camping spot, for which I’m definitely ready. I wonder how he got his truck through the two deep stream crossings.
We eat and then I use my last emergency meal to cold rehydrate for tomorrow’s breakfast. We have little water left but hope to find more to filter in the morning.
Thursday
The morning starts with downhill for which I am grateful. The need for “on & off & on again” with the rain gear is even more frequent than yesterday.
But we’re going downhill for long stretches!
Lots of fogMike aims for the next water bar for a tiny plateau up there!
We ride Long Run Road for a long time but eventually drop down and out onto a secondary road in Virginia. I spot a tap on the side of a church and for the first time today I feel I can freely drink the water I have.
Uphill climbs are back to our manageable 10-15% grades and we roll into Harrisonburg around mid-day. We warm up in the Shenandoah Bike Company where we’ve shipped a box of resupplies they’ve kindly held for us.
I arrive with a handful of gorp and 2 goo gel packs. I always pack excess amounts of food but I went through it all on this stretch.
We refuel with an awesome meal at Pulp, the cafe in the bike shop, and then find a discounted motel for the night.
We’re more than a week early for the race, but better than a day late!
Friday
We upgrade to a hotel across the street and catch up on showers and laundry and food.
We meet a couple of Appalachian Trail hikers, father and son, at our hotel. Dad is 82 and a former, long-time endurance runner. They’re frustrated with being sidelined by the weather for days now.
Ghost (Marcus) from Florida on the left; Uncle Mike from South Carolina who got his trail name by hiking an earlier stretch with his nephew.
Saturday
We explore the area, do some bike shop shopping and get to know the lay of the land.
Mike shares his bike with some local admiring bike mechanics.
Ben at Shenandoah Adam at Rocktown
As we ride home through JMU (James Madison University), I nearly take out a starship on a downhill. No cars, no pedestrians, I think the intersection is clear. I only see the squat robot at the last moment because it flashes a green light and backs up onto the sidewalk.
Once I spot my second starship, I see it’s a robotic “box” to deliver hot and cold food to the dorms!
It takes my 3rd starship sighting and 2 days before I get the picture!
Sunday
We ride the first 5 miles of the race and struggle a bit to get the turns down in the trail network in Hillandale Park.
I have my walking strategy down (it’s in the video) but I still need to go back and practice the path through the trail network so I know the turns.
We’ll spend the next few days eating, recovering and organizing for the upcoming RockStar.
I’ll post again shortly before race day, April 20!
We leave home (Benson, NY) on fully loaded bikes, not sure if the adventure will be 2 months long or a little more.
Some time after Fort Plain we meet Skip who gives us the $2 historical tour as we ride along the Erie Canal bike path to Little Falls.
Skip
The weather was decent and we hoped to get out ahead of the impending snow storm.
My plan was to take one memorable picture each day. I missed two opportunities on Monday: the brightly feathered peacock sitting guard over a junkyard from the top of a chain link fence and one at dusk of Mike and Skip pedaling through the tunnel, reflective strips on their gear flashing in the twilight.
Tuesday
I get right to my picture of the day as we leave Little Falls in the early morning.
Another tough day for me. Right out of the gate with little riding in so far this year, I realize I’m basically leg pressing 2/3 of my body weight as I pedal up hills.
My plan had been to ride several days of 50 miles each to start, but the forecast had gone south and camping was off the table. To make it to motels we had to start with two 62-mile days and that is a push for me.
My mistake is putting lightweight polypro bottoms over my chamois shorts to stay dry. Bad move that causes a painful saddle sore. Every mile on the cinder dust bike path is excruciating. And the rain…fortunately our gear keeps us dry and warm…..and the snow will start soon.
Trail Angel of the day: the young woman in the convenience market in Canastota who offers to take our bag of goodies to the hotel for me- that paper bag would’ve been a nightmare in the rain on my bike!
Another missed picture: the Trail Angel!
Wednesday – Layover Day
Two nights at the Days Inn in Canastota. We need to time our departure to avoid the 5-8” of snow predicted. Turns out the 45 mph wind gusts are reason enough for a layover day…..along with everyone along the street telling us to get to the hotel and stay put.
We plot and strategize and think about modifying our original plan.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN was to bike the Erie Canal Trail, pick up the Trillium section and then the Hellbender section of The Eastern Divide Trail, and then drop off that as we approach Virginia. From there we’d pedal back roads to arrive in Harrisonburg to ride The RockStar Trail Race on April 20. I’ve registered to race; Mike may race it, or he may ride it instead of registering….to be determined!
The plan is to be ready for the 270- mile RockStar after riding 850 miles of the Eastern Divide Trail. My slow start and the weather is forcing us to consider other options.
Missed picture of the day: downed power lines whipping around the roadside as we venture across the street for food!
Thursday
Finally, a 50-mile day will put us in a hotel, this one in Weedsport. We depart Canastota at 8 am, after the hard rain but before the snow. Our timing helps but rain, snow and sleet find us anyway. The Canal trail winds through downtown Syracuse, along the river-walk which is under water in places as the creek rushes over the bank, through the gate of the State Fairgrounds and across a long causeway around the edge of the lake.
Highlights of the day: warm knee warmers for me when we stop at a bike shop and a fried chicken dinner at Cook’s Diner.
Video of the day :
Along the river-walk, downtown Syracuse
A few more pics around Syracuse:
Cute little parks along the Canal Trail – seems to be more of them as you travel westThe State Fairgrounds View from the causeway
Friday
Now we have a revised plan. Weedsport to Geneva today, then to Fairport on Saturday.
Off to Geneva we ride where we have a wonderful visit with a fellow TATR rider and his family. We talk all things bikepacking and ponder why some riders are so drawn to these types of rides.
Good weather- more pictures!
Trail approaching GenevaAlmost to Geneva!
Saturday
Sarah & ZiggyOur new friends in Geneva!
In the morning, Mike E. rides out with us, heading north to get back to the Canal Trail. No snow, no rain, just gusty headwinds.
Mike E & Mike The things Mike finds on the trails! He already gave away the pink sunglasses!
From there we continue to Fairport for a phenomenal visit with our son, Matt, and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Karin.
Mike & MattOut on the town in Fairport
Sunday
The revised plan is to rent a minivan so we can hop, skip and jump over the rest of the Trillium section. Flooding could wreak havoc over the rugged sections in western Pennsylvania and we don’t have time to spare.
So we drive the bikes to Cumberland, Maryland and in the morning we’ll start riding The Hellbender section.
Everything fits!
We’ll be on remote trails for some days so I’ll post an update once amenities permit.
Bikepacking 