ROANOKE, Va. – There is no better way to see the sights in Virginia than from the seat of a bicycle. I found out firsthand when I joined a group riding across the Commonwealth in celebration of our 250th anniversary.
The goal – to get to Williamsburg by the Fourth of July to take in the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
It would be scenic.
And historic.
But it wouldn’t be easy.
We started at Breaks Interstate Park, which is on the Virginia-Kentucky border.
The ride began in the rugged, hard-scrabble counties of far southwestern Virginia. Where coal mining once ruled, and kudzu vines often dominate the landscape.
We biked through small towns and past homes and businesses that seemed to have had better days.
But mountains dominated our thoughts as we struggled over six thousand feet of elevation in 63 miles on the first day.
At one point, I had to stop. The road so steep, I couldn’t get a drink of water without tipping over. Catching my breath was nice too.
The ride moved across the state through beautiful Damascus, still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene… and where the magnolia blooms went on for mile after mile.
We rode through Wytheville and into the New River Valley, where frontier history was front and center at the Wilderness Road Museum.
In Botetourt County – the Dedication of a new roadside marker honoring the TransAmerica bike trail, which we were riding across Virginia.
“Our family is thrilled to sponsor this marker. We hope the marker brings more awareness and interest in the bike route, encouraging non-polluting travel options for our local residents, increasing connectivity for our community," one of the speakers said.
We rode to Lexington, and the history shifted toward the Civil War.
I had been riding my regular bike, while most of my fellow riders were on e-bikes. On day five, with another big climb in front of us, I borrowed an e-bike.
The e-bike helped a lot, and I made the climb, but it was still hard.
We rode into Charlottesville and Albemarle County, where James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson dominated our thoughts.
But by mid-week the heat wave became a serious concern. Record temperatures pushed the mercury to 100 as we rode toward Richmond.
At least the mountains were behind us.
“And the route changes as you go. You start in really steep terrain out in coal country. And then as you come along, it gets a little easier, and it just gets magnificent, you know, coming through the Blue Ridge and then you get on the other side and it’s kind of downhill from there,” said Sharon Bochman of Magical Mystery Bike Tours, the rides’ organizer.
Everywhere across rural Virginia, we saw American flags. Patriotism on display for the 4th of July. And the 250th celebration.
Then - A tour of Civil War battlefields, led by fellow rider Deb Young.
“Right now, we are riding through Richmond National Battlefield. There’s a bunch of ‘em. This is the Harrison one. And then we will stop off at the Fort Harrison National Cemetery,” Young said as we rode through pleasant tree-lined roads.
We rode past the state capital -- and stopped for a picture.
From there it was on to Williamsburg.
We had seen so much.
“Oh wow, poverty to wealth, mountains to sea, literally, rivers and canals, from rural to city, busy cities along the way, and so many that I’ve never seen, so it’s a fabulous experience,” said rider Allison Murray.
And there was so much history to come.
We stopped at Charles City Courthouse; it was built in 1757.
From Richmond it was another 50 or so miles on the Capital Trail to Williamsburg, where we rolled through the College of William & Mary.
From Williamsburg, the beauty of the lowlands replaced the mountains of just a few days before.
Suddenly we rounded a bend to see the York River…
And not far beyond that, Yorktown itself.
We had made it. Over the mountains and through the heat.
“Well, that’s just the way it is. It feels good because you accomplished it. It’s a challenge you met, said rider Gary Durek.
Indeed, we did. An epic bike ride over ten days. And one with a massive payoff, as we sat back to take in the fireworks over Colonial Williamsburg.
A once-in-a-lifetime celebration.