Was Bike Virginia 2015 the best ride ever in our 28 year history? Veteran riders and staff are saying so. Joe from Northern Virginia, a 10 year veteran participant, said the “2015 event was the best one yet, a 10 on a scale of 10.”
July 1, 2015 was the last day of the 6 day Bike Virginia adventure through Abingdon and Kingsport.
We’ll be sure to share our Survey comments as soon as we have them in. (Survey access will be emailed to participants by 7/12/2015).
Below are a few of the things we (staff and riders) loved about 2015 Bike Virginia
Double Vision Rocks
The new Double Vision bike event format was a big success. This year, for the first time we had all the riders move their own gear forward to the second camp. The environment at the event was much more relaxed than in past years. “Riders had the freedom to come and go as they liked. Moving their own gear really gave some people piece of mind,” said Kim Perry, Executive Director.
“I noticed a lot more chairs and shade canopies being used this year, people had the ability to carry their creature comforts, which makes camping even better,” said Shane Cusick, Event and Outreach Director for Bike Virginia.
The last day of the event was much more relaxed and felt like it was really part of the adventure instead of a rush to get back to the first headquarters. Riders picked the route of their choice that day. Then when they finished they showered and packed their gear at their leisure. After a nice lunch they could relax at headquarters or start for home.
One rider that had been a skeptic said, “it’s been great having my car and not having to move camp back to Abingdon on the last day.”
Smooth Start- Registration and Check In Was a Breeze
Registration was faster than ever this year. Our new online safety briefing was a success and loved by many, 97% of riders completed the online process prior to arrival. That combined with a new process for packet preparation created by our staff meant smooth sailing at check in. “Lines were non-existent,” said Gary Hill, Registration & Logistics Volunteer. There were a lot of smiles on the faces of participants as they left the registration area headed to get on their bikes without stressful waits and complex registration processes. “This was the smoothest year yet for registration,” Christine Hoskins, Program Manager for Bike Virginia commented about the 5 years she has worked for the company.
Safety Minded Riding Pays Off
Thanks to every one of our participants we had the safest event on record for the organization. Fewer crashes were reported than ever before. We had only 1 serious injury (a broken wrist from a bike on bike crash), this is down from an average of 6 serious crashes average. Hats off to all of those who took part in our safety program, and who rode alert and smart.
Loop Routes Every Day Makes a Great Bike Event
Thanks to the Double Vision format we were able to offer loop bike rides on every day including Monday and Wednesday unlike in the past when we had to use one-way routes on “move days.” Now that we move as a group by car, we enjoyed two full days of riding options on what had once been a single route day. More choices means happy riders. Some riders moved camp, sat up at a leisurely pace, then enjoyed a short ride on one of our loop routes Monday. There was no rush to move gear and no rush to ride. It was a win, win for everyone.
Food Truck Fiesta Fed Us Well
“The whole vibe around food was much more relaxed this year,” said Kim Perry, Executive Director. She credits this to the fact that participants had options as well as a long window of serving hours with the on site food vendors. “We had good variety, and delicious, hot meals served all day.” Riders enjoyed sampling from the choices and often went back to their favorite on the next day. Good outdoor seating also gave people a nice place to enjoy their meals and share stories about the day’s ride.
Great Music
Each night the event featured regional artists playing favorite tunes. Whether relaxing over dinner or having a beer with friends was accented by the talent of the performers. We’ll provide more information about the regional acts later on the blog.
Special Guest George Hincapie
On Saturday evening riders enjoyed mingling with cycling superstar George Hincapie, “he was super friendly,” said Deana Sun, Event Logistics Volunteer. Mr Hincapie went out of his way to greet one rider, a teen participant that was a bit shy about meeting the famous rider. Sunday participants had the choice to participate in a group start as the Olympian, Tour de France, and US Cycling Champion led a pack for the 50 mile route. Mr. Hincapie kindly signed 2 jerseys with his autograph for the organization to auction as a fundraiser for the www.ibikeva.com online resource.
Photographs and Social Media
The event had more photography coverage than ever this year. Behind the lens capturing the essence of tour operations was Sam Perry, owner of Hardhat.cc an online image and branding consulting company. Sam, husband of Executive Director Kim Perry, has been capturing archival photographs for the event since 2008. His shots grace the website, the blog, print material, and online features.
Jim of Bike Tour Photography captured the memory shots of riders on the routes. “A photo is a great way to commemorate the vacation,” Jim said. Ever excited about capturing those moments, Jim scouts the routes early each morning looking for the best scenery. “I like taking portraits in beautiful surroundings that people will have that they can reflect on for a lifetime,” said Jim. His shots are available for purchase on the Jim Harris Photography website
Mark Harris of Bike Tour Photography provided a new service for the event this year, Social Media Specialist. Mark was right in the thick of things capturing images and videos for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. “Mark really told the story of what the event is about from the road that adds a whole new perspective to the fond memories of the event,” said Executive Director, Kim Perry.
Great Riding Family
We met so many wonderful people this year. Thanks to all of you for making the 28th Bike Virginia Tour special and memorable! We can’t wait to ride with you again in June 2016 in Harrisonburg and Woodstock!
The Weather
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect forecast. Virginia and Tennessee both delivered cool mornings, pleasant afternoons, and mild nights. We had the occasional passing thunderstorm but were delighted that the weather was perfect for riding. Every day cyclists enjoyed the scenery under near ideal conditions. Let’s put in the order now for next year’s weather to be just exactly the same!
Fall Event Coming Soon
If you didn’t ride with is at Bike Virginia’s 6 day adventure you can still enjoy riding with us in 2015. Our fall event, Velo Virginia September Bike Event is set for September 12-16 in Staunton Virginia. This boutique tour offers fine lodging, good food, social evenings, special guest Pro US Champion rider Timmy Duggan, and some of Virginia’s prettiest mountain cycling.
Stay Tuned
For more information about our events, bike riding tips, and other bike related news read other posts on our Bike Virginia blog.
We post regularly.