A
few weeks ago, my family and I rode the Virginia
Creeper Trail. Built on
an old railroad bed, the Virginia Creeper Trail offers a unique biking
experience.
17
miles.
Downhill.
Really.
It’s an amazing ride. The scenery is stunning and the trail is
open to cyclists of all experience levels. As you head down the mountain, you
see professionals wearing their padded bike shorts, wild little boys on their
20” bikes peddling as fast as their legs can go, infants snoozing in their bike
seats, and parents cruising along with their toddler behind them on a tagalong.
For
the most part, the cyclists are respectful of the trail and their fellow
cyclists. There’s a real sense of camaraderie. After all, we’re all on the same
trail, headed in the same direction. We all want to achieve the same thing—to
get to the bottom safely and have a great time doing it.
With
such a variety of skill levels, it would be boring if you had to start down the
trail and ride in single file. Fortunately, that’s not how it works. There may
be a bit of bunching up at the top, but before long everyone finds their own
rhythm. The faster riders start calling
out the standard warning, “On your left!” as they pass the riders taking the
trail at a more leisurely pace.
