Burkes Garden Century & Metric

The Burkes Garden Century is a 103 mile ride (leaves at 8:00 am) with a 62 mile metric century option (leaves at 9:15 am).  This has been a tradition for the New River Valley Bicycle Association since 1997 when a long-time member initiated this ride for a casual outing to avoid campus traffic on Move-In day for Virginia Tech. This ride has rapidly gained popularity as a fast, easy century for anyone who loves to ride bicycles. Many novice cyclists enjoy this century as their first, while advanced riders test their hammering ability to plug out 100 miles at a fast pace.

The ride is supported with SAG vehicles for emergencies and regular port-a-potties at several locations. There is a gas station for food in Rocky Gap (21 mi & 79 mi) and at the Burkes Garden General Store in Burke’s Garden (56 mi). Bring cash (since not all stores have credit card machines) in some small bills (since the stores can get overwhelmed changing $20s for riders). The ride is minimally supported, and no food or beverages are provided.

The century ride leaves at 8:00 AM, with parking at the Ballfield next to the Head Start in Narrows, VA, and travels along Wolf Creek up to Rocky Gap.

Metric century riders can join the fun at the Rocky Gap Elementary School at 9:15 am.

All participants continue toward Tazwell, turning in Gratton to climb over Rich Mountain into Burkes Garden. There you can pick up lunch at the Burkes Garden General Store: fresh-made sandwiches, hand pies or doughnuts or whatever they have baked that day. Climb back out of the Garden and enjoy a gentle downhill cruise back to Narrows. A whopping 1% downhill grade for 40 miles to make you turn just a bit faster!

Ride with GPS: Burkes Garden Century & Metric Century