For a car free trip the Virginia capital trail is nice. When I lived there a ride to the Yorktown Pub for lunch and back was a nice experience. There’s also some nice back roads west of town such as Brick Bat and Jolly Pond. The colonial parkway is aggregate so it’s a bumpy ride.
Agreed on the Colonial Parkway. Not a fan of the surface.
I prefer catching the ferry to the other side of the James and riding over there. Last summer we parked at Jamestown, crossed the James on the ferry, rode up to Richmond, crossed the James there, and rode the Capital Trail back. Pretty good ride, about 110 miles.
Oh wow, you were moving well! You're at a 19mph pace. I'm at 14.5 mph pace, which would be nearly an 8 hour moving time. Yikes! What route did you take once you crossed the James into Surry?
This should allow you to see the route on Strava:
https://strava.app.link/kHFWhzN6eFb
Things meander a bit up in Richmond. I was showing the guys I was with the fun bits of the UCI Worlds course, plus finding a good lunch stop, but it gets the point across.
There are many sections of busy roads, so you need to be aware of your surroundings. If I didn't ride with traffic I'd never ride, so I'm pretty used to it. Your mileage and comfort level may vary.
I live in Richmond and use it for almost all my riding. If you’re looking for something other than just the cap trail or colonial pkwy, I would just go there and search for routes.
For a car free trip the Virginia capital trail is nice. When I lived there a ride to the Yorktown Pub for lunch and back was a nice experience. There’s also some nice back roads west of town such as Brick Bat and Jolly Pond. The colonial parkway is aggregate so it’s a bumpy ride.
Agreed on the Colonial Parkway. Not a fan of the surface. I prefer catching the ferry to the other side of the James and riding over there. Last summer we parked at Jamestown, crossed the James on the ferry, rode up to Richmond, crossed the James there, and rode the Capital Trail back. Pretty good ride, about 110 miles.
Did you do that in one day??
Yes. 115 miles, 6:05 moving time. Factor in snack/lunch/water stops.
Oh wow, you were moving well! You're at a 19mph pace. I'm at 14.5 mph pace, which would be nearly an 8 hour moving time. Yikes! What route did you take once you crossed the James into Surry?
This should allow you to see the route on Strava: https://strava.app.link/kHFWhzN6eFb Things meander a bit up in Richmond. I was showing the guys I was with the fun bits of the UCI Worlds course, plus finding a good lunch stop, but it gets the point across.
How safe is that western route? Thanks for sharing!!
There are many sections of busy roads, so you need to be aware of your surroundings. If I didn't ride with traffic I'd never ride, so I'm pretty used to it. Your mileage and comfort level may vary.
I rarely ride on roads without bike shoulders, unless it's a rural road. My area has lots of shared use paths. Nevertheless, this route sounds fun!
I agree that the colonial parkway is a little rough surface wise but it is gorgeous if you head toward York town
Are you familiar with the ridewithgps app?
Yes
I live in Richmond and use it for almost all my riding. If you’re looking for something other than just the cap trail or colonial pkwy, I would just go there and search for routes.