Day Four – Lexington to Christiansburg

I’m not sure we could have asked for a nicer day for riding. Cool and foggy in the morning, mid 70’s and partially overcast in the afternoon. Wow. Doesn’t get much better for enjoying western Virginia scenery. I’ve only driven through this part of VA on I-81 and never really thought much of it. Turns out, it’s beautiful country. Hilly as all get out, but beautiful.

Once again, Heidi was able to score a hotel right on the route, so we we rolled out at (basically) 8am sharp. JP was tougher than I; he was in a jersey and shorts. I threw in arm warmers and a vest. Even then I was a bit chilly on some of the early downhills.

In the morning, Heidi and the boys went to a private zoo near Natural Bridge. It was a unique experience… very different than (say) the national zoo in DC. They saw some neat critters including flamingos, various big cats, and giraffes. A baby tiger stalked Dax from inside its pen. Heidi said it was cute… I think it’s odd to view Dax as prey to a big cat 😉 They were also able to feed a giraffe. Photo provided without comment.

JP was in pretty rough shape today after his epic ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday. He gave it the college try (I mean, he was all decked out in RIT gear), but he ended up jumping in a SAG wagon around lunchtime. We all had lunch at a BK in a gas station in Buchanan VA. I tell ya, there’s nothing like a whopper for a mid-ride meal.

As the day wore on, the hills got steeper. The 16 mile stretch in to Catawba VA was actually pretty tough. No single climb was difficult, but there were a TON of short, steep climbs with short, steep descents. Also, today I realized that roads that have “hill”, “gap”, “hollow”, or “mountain” in their name are bad. Roads with “river”, “creek”, or “mill” tend to be much nicer.

The final climb in to Christiansburg was a doozy. Long, variable pitch, and no shoulder. Hitting a climb like that at 90 miles in to a ride was a bit unfair. But I made it in to town just before yet another severe thunderstorm rolled through. I imagine these storms will be a trend this summer.