TransVirginia Gran Depart (This is an Adventure Ride)

The TansVirginia Bike Route is a 550 mile ride starting in Washington, DC and ends in Damascus, VA.  It is mostly (60%) unpaved country and forest roads, double track and rail trails (18%).  You will traverse Virginia’s best backcountry on this new gravel packing (gravel, bikepacking, and touring) route focused on rideable, non-technical, unpaved terrain intended for multi-day trips carrying overnight gear.

Grand Depart (mass start) of individual time trials (ITTs) of the TransVirginia route begins at 6:00 am on May 20, 2023 from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Riders are encouraged to tour or race the route at their preference and self-determined challenge level.  This is a self supported ride. The route is unmarked and remote with areas of no mobile phone service. Self-navigation is a critical skill for all riders.  You can download the GPX file from the Grand Depart Section of the TransVirginia website.

There is a choice of two southbound routes the very challenging 550 mile route or the challenging Valley 520 TransVA route was introduced, offering a more approachable experience with less climbing and better maintained gravel roads.

Don’t have time to ride the full 500+ miles to Damascus? Consider the 215 mile option starting in DC and ending in Harrisonburg, VA. The ride progresses from flatter rail trails leaving the capital to cross the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah River, following the western edge of the Shenandoah Valley along the George Washington National Forest to Harrisonburg.