Southern Traverse Mountain Bike Adventure Weekend

The Southern Traverse in Augusta County, VA is a true backcountry excursion; in fact, it is designated by the International Mountain Bike Association as an IMBA EPIC.

The Southern Traverse: 36 miles long, with about half of it awesome singletrack.  This is certainly not an easy ride, with around 3,600 feet of elevation gain, so a fair amount of climbing is involved.  As far as technical difficulty, there are not a lot of rocks or roots, only 3 real rock gardens, but there is a lot of very narrow singletrack along steep hillsides (no cliffs).  However, it is not a ride for beginner mountain bikers.  You should have intermediate to advanced skill and stamina.  This ride is not a race, so we will be taking breaks from time to time to make sure we are together (if we have enough participants, we will split into multiple groups).  Details on the loop can be found here: MTB Project

Wear warm enough clothes, as it will be cooler on top of the ridge.  Dress in layers, as you’ll likely get warm from exertion.  October is a great time of year for this adventure – the leaves are down, so you can see through the forest, the undergrowth has died off so you don’t get tangled as you ride, and temperatures are mild, but not usually freezing.

Suitable bikes for this ride: any mountain bike.  These loops have been ridden on everything from 6″ travel full-suspension with gears to rigid singlespeeds.  But you will need a bike designed for mountain biking; a hybrid bike, or even a cross bike would not be a great choice.

Be sure to bring plenty of water; a hydration pack is recommended.

Saturday’s Ride: Meet at parking lot on FS 173 (Benson Run Road) at 9:30am
Expected ride time is 5-6 hours.

Directions and registration are on the website!