The Blue Ridge Parkway is a protected two lane highway and arguably America’s best cycling route. It is closed to commercial traffic meaning no trucks or construction trailers. It has a speed limit of 45 miles an hour. With 90% of the traffic riding on only 10% of the road, we will have the roads to ourselves most of the time. The 469-mile scenic route takes you and your bike between Rockfish Gap, VA and Cherokee, NC over the course of seven days of moving the cranks. The route is the longest planned road in the US, with construction starting in 1935 and ending in 1987. The park was built with the intent to allow visitors to be “gorged on scenery,” with “one panorama following right on another.” The rhythm of the road for cyclists is the ever changing landscape and variety of visual experiences.
Concurrent with these views lies a formidable perspective. This is perhaps Threshold Academy’s most difficult tour. Not counting getting on and off the parkway itself, guests will vertically climb 48,722 feet as they travel north to south, riding 3 to 7 hours each day. Our detailed itinerary is thoughtfully planned with consideration for an off day in the middle and a blend of shorter and long days. Our reservations are made months in advance to accommodate everyone, and we must go every day, regardless of the weather. That means “toughness” will play a role as the days progress and your body fatigues.
Each evening, we send out an email to you with the next day's plan, updated with the latest weather and road conditions. It contains links to downloadable GPX files for your bike computer as well as all the details of the day's expectations. We start each morning with breakfast, and people start rolling as soon as we are done. We use the parkway's mile markers for most of our wayfinding and our SAG wagon shuttles from the front to the back of the group, making it easy to take a break and take in refreshments when you need them. We set up our logistics so everyone has lunch together, and we greet you upon arrival with your room key and agenda for the end-of-the-day activities. Before you start, we point out the day's climbs, especially the categorized ones, and we share with you our experience from our previous tours. You need not get permission to stop and take in some views, grab a picture, and chat with your peers. As a cyclist, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the crown jewel of our park system and has no equal.
Our tour starts on Day 1 in Charlotte and ends at a hotel in Waynesboro, VA, with a shakedown for all riders and their gear before the big day starts. Everyone meets each other as we gather for our first meal, and we set expectations and introduce you to the Threshold Team that will be supporting you. You get your "goody bag," which contains your jersey, T-shirt, water bottle, and clear box with your name on it that will always be in the SAG wagon for you to put your daily needs. We get our first group photos and start telling our stories. Life begins the act of slowing down, as the only task in front of you is to ride to the other end of the parkway.
The SAG wagon shuttles people to the start of the parkway, with the slowest riders leaving first. A Threshold guide accompanies the first group as they start their journey, and the second group of faster riders follows them half an hour later. For the first nearly 50 miles, the terrain is a back and forth of up and down experiences, with little flat ground. However, once we finish a big descent from mile 50 to mile 64, we begin the hardest climb of the trek, a 3000+ foot climb over 12 miles that takes us to Apple Orchard Mountain. The UCI would categorize this as an “H/C” climb, ranking it with the most difficult climbs when compared with those found on the Tour de France. The average gradient is a bit over 5%, but our lodgings and views from Peaks of Otter make it all worth it. We eat dinner with a lakeside view and will certainly see lots of wildlife. There is limited cell coverage and internet access at the end of the day, but the refreshments and exceptional lakeside quiet time make it all worth it. Triathletes can go for a lakeside run.
Day 3 is more of the rich greenery from yesterday, as we spend the first part of the day undulating in "rollers" of up and down. The parkway anticipates reopening a section of the parkway that includes a category-one climb up Roanoke Mountain. We stop at the top of the climb for lunch and ride a series of rollers another 30-ish miles until we reach the turn-off to Floyd, VA. The SAG wagon will shuttle you and your bike to the day's lodgings in this quaint little gem of a town. Hopefully, we will get some live bluegrass music and ice cream this evening down in the center of town. Typically, legs are weak at the end of day 2, and we encourage an early-to-bed protocol. Upon arrival, you hand over your cycling kits and laundry to the Threshold staff.
Day 4 is another long day, but the volume of climbs means that pacing yourself is super important. The climb at mile marker 63 takes us up over 1500 feet in about 10 miles, making it a Cat 2 climb. We stop for photos at the state line as you cross from Virginia into North Carolina. Sparta is a quaint little town that you may never forget. At this point, you will have traveled more than half of the parkway, and your legs will be looking forward to a day off. Don't worry-it is coming!
The best part of Day 5 is that you have tomorrow off! Blowing Rock will serve as our home for the next 24 hours. We arrive immediately after lunch and truly get to relax and unwind. We have a group dinner and get breakfast on one of the most beautiful properties east of the Mississippi. With 2 Cat 4 climbs and a Cat 2, the 40-ish miles will not be easy, but the rest and relaxation at the end are well-earned. We encourage a message or sometime in the hot tub for extra recovery.
Don't let the distance deceive you. We are done quickly, compared to other days, but the volume of up and down will take away another thought that this is a day off. Within the first few pedal strokes, you are on a categorized climb toward Grandfather Mountain and over the renowned Linn Cove Viaduct. We descend over the Viaduct and down to the Linville River where there is an optional hike to view Linville Falls. After remounting our bikes, we climb up to Switzerland Inn, our ridge line host for the evening. This day includes a couple of tunnels. The Switzerland Inn makes the ride worth it, with fantastic views, great food, and great relaxation opportunities. A firepit and adult beverages overlooking the valley below are the stuff of long-term memories. For nearly everyone, this is their favorite day.
Today we cycle into the highest mountain ranges along the Appalachian chain, the Black and Craggy Mountains. We use our aid station at the base of Mt. Mitchell to take some great photos before the optional climb to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi. The ride up is only 5 miles, but the round trip travel time is an hour. The photos and views from the top make the climb worth it, as well as all the bragging rights that come with it. Once we leave Mt. Mitchell, we have one more major obstacle: the climb to Craggy Gardens before a mostly downhill run into Asheville. You will feel the temperatures increase as we near Asheville, and the tone of the trip changes as we get into traffic and humanity. Dinner at an eclectic fusion-style restaurant will remind you that the world created by man has not gone away.
We cut out a small section of this route due to congestion on the parkway. However, this day is not easy, as there are two H/C climbs as well as a Cat 2 before the long descent into Cherokee, NC. This is a day to appreciate all that cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway entails. Remind yourself that you have overcome a physical and mental challenge, unlike anything most visitors to this park ever do. Motivate yourself with the truth that you will have lifetime stories for your efforts. The tour ends with a glorious stretch that includes 13.5 miles of descending over the final 17 miles. After the completion of this unbelievable adventure we shuttle you back to Charlotte, and we celebrate our accomplishments!
