Devils Backbone Road Metric Road Ride and Ramble

An uphill pass while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Devils Backbone metric century.

Let’s get something out of the way.  There are two climbs on this ride that suck.

There. I feel better already.  Now, two days later, if my legs would feel the same.

This is a gorgeous ride that takes you in and around Wintergreen and the surrounding area.  Vistas are so beautiful they hurt your eyes.  We rode by farms where we saw people picking their own apples along country lanes.  Rest stops were well placed and people were cheerful and enthusiastic.

Then there were the two climbs.

Climb 1 on the Devils Backbone Metric Century

No sense warming up first.  Nooooo.

The happy sense that comes from starting at the Devils Backbone Brewery at Wintergreen disappears pretty quickly after you leave the parking lot.

To be fair, the road tips up gradually at first.  So for about the first mile, you can get some blood in your legs.

Then the road turns up like the graph of a shifted paradigm.

In other words, the gradual part disappears and for the remainder of the 5.5-mile climb, it’s a sufferfest.

It’s the kind of effort where a 10-percent grade feels like a relief.

This graph from Strava shows the course profile for the Devils Backbone Metric Century – including the immediate climb to Reeds Gap.

The climb is known as Reeds Gap — a six-mile effort that is rated only as a Category 2 climb.  Reeds Gap is the road that takes resort-goers to Wintergreen and eventually climbs to meet the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I didn’t have enough energy or the clarity of mind to look down at my Garmin to gather all of the steepness data.  I’m sure I saw 17-percent at multiple places, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was steeper.  My heart rate was in the red zone by the time I reached the green sign that serves as the official entrance to Wintergreen. Numerous others riders stopped there to rest and drink some water.  Add my name to the list.  I had added a 32 to my rear cassette prior to the ride in hopes that would allow me to pedal all the way up.

No dice.

I felt like resting was just a shade better than pushing, so rest it was.  Then, it was back on the bike for the remaining mile or so.  I can’t tell you the exact distance, but if you told me it was 100-miles I’d believe you.  For me, it was that hard.

While I did not push, I cheated by using the paperboy technique — weaving back and forth across the road on some of the steepest parts.  Despite the cheat, when the top came into view, it was a victory.

Like Rudy getting into the game at Notre Dame kind of victory.

John 1.  Mountain, zero.

I drained a water bottle and squeezed a stream of sweat out of each of my gloves – before switching to a second pair – and prepared for the rest of the ride.

Only 55 miles to go.

The middle of the Devils Backbone Metric Century

Organizers made no secret of the fact that this ride includes 6,000- feet of climbing.  So more was expected after the ascent to Reed’s Gap.

Once on the Parkway, the route offered climbs of approximately a mile and another at a mile and a half.   Of course, there ware glorious downhills as well.  These climbs were steady and easy compared to the first six miles.  The views were spectacular while traffic was light and mostly polite.

There had been a minor rest stop at the top of the first climb.  Now, as we exited the Parkway at mile 19, there was a more robust stop with food, people ringing cowbells and a very popular porta-potty.

There was a long line for relief at mile 19.

I crossed my legs and managed to snap a photo while I waited my turn.

With a bit of Devils Backbone’s Vienna Lager the night before and a hearty burger and fries — let’s just say this stop saved my ride.

Ahhh the Descent of Crabtree Falls

After a brief climb from the rest area, there is a God’s honest 14-mile descent on Route 56 — popularly called “Crabtree,” because it passes the entrance to the famous Crabtree Falls hike.  (This is a must do.)  The road descends along a twisting path that roughly follows the beautiful Tye River.  When I wasn’t focused on making the next turn, I moved my eyes from the river and the pools that I just knew held trout, to the Garmin, which read above 36 mph for much of the drop down into the valley.

Due to exhaustion from the first climb, lingering caution following my incident in Vermont,  and the fact that I did not know the road — I took it easier than I would have liked.

But it was a blissful rest for weary legs.

Riding the Valley

Bikes lined up along a fence at a rest stop on the Devils Backbone Metric Century.

The rest stop at mile 33, at a place called Pharsalia, marked the beginning of the “easy” portion of the course.  It seems unfair to characterize the ride through the valley as somehow “less” than the rest of the ride.  It’s beautiful and would be remarkable in another context.

It’s just that it wasn’t a screaming downhill or the heart-busting climb produced by the previous miles.

We rode through apple orchards, and past beautiful homes and along rolling country lanes.  On another day, I might go back and just ride this segment.  I will say that there was enough climbing here that my GPS continued to tick up the elevation toward the promised 6,000 feet a bit more than I expected.

And then comes the Cub Creek climb

The Pharsalia rest stop at miles 33 & 54 on the Devils Backbone Metric

The valley ride returned us to the same Pharsalia rest stop at mile 54.  It was here that my mojo perked up a bit.  With only 7-ish miles to go, I was going to make it.

If I could just get over that last climb.

If I knew what was coming, my mojo would have cowered in the corner of a broom closet, or under a rock or behind a cow.  It would not have shown itself

And for good reason.

Cub’s Creek doesn’t look like much on the profile above.  But one rider who had done the course before said he thought it was harder than the Wintergreen climb.  Gary Butcher and I began the ascent together.  It seems innocent enough on the lower portion.  Then it gets steeper and steeper and steeper.

Remembering the seed the other rider had planted in my brain about this climb vs Wintergreen, I rode as conservatively as I could – even on the lower slopes.  It wasn’t long before we passed people pushing their bikes.  On we pedaled, hoping against hope that the top was around the next curve.

It never was.

Ok, not never.  But not soon enough.

Finally, Gary said, “Let’s stop and drink.”  Done.

A bike walker ambled up and offered to take our picture.  Thanks!

Nice photo op.

And an excuse to stand still for just another 30 seconds.

Gary Butcher and I on the Cub Creek climb on the Devils Backbone Metric Road Ride and Ramble.

With our heart rates below boiling, we re-mounted and pedaled the final quarter mile or so to the top, where other members of our group were waiting and cheering.

We joined the crowd and cheered other riders who either walked or rode to the crest.

Remember, this climb is 56 miles into the ride.

That’s just cruel.

Our group assembled at the top of Cub Creek during the Devils Backbone Metric Road Ride and Ramble!

Home free

“It’s all downhill from here!”

Usually, that’s a lie shouted by a spirited volunteer standing along a cycling or running course, as they look at the dispirited weekend warrior struggling to hang on.

Bless their hearts. I’m sure they mean well.

But in this case, it really is downhill.

The immediate drop from the peak of Cub Creek, in fact, is 22-percent.

It’s kind of like falling off a cliff – only on rough asphalt.

We all stayed upright though and bolted through the remaining few miles — which required almost no effort.

Must be the ride organizers just couldn’t find another mountain to climb on the way to basecamp.

Devils Backbone Cold brews awaited

Drinks in one of the several outdoor pavilions at the Devil’s Backbone complex at Wintergreen.

As you may know from my posts on Beers I have Ridden, enjoying a cold one after a bike ride is part of the value of the day.  It seems ride organizers have figured that out.  Finishers received a $10 gift card for the brewery along with a raffle ticket.  A band played under an outdoor pavilion, entertaining us — the weary and proud cyclists who had conquered the course. I enjoyed a Vienna Lager and then a Black Lager while we ingested some Vermont cheddar and crackers.

It was a happy way to augment a serious feeling of accomplishment.

Other notes from the Devils Backbone Metric Road Ride and Ramble

This is a well-organized ride with lots of support from the team at Devils Backbone.  The ride proceeds go to fight ovarian cancer, which made it feel like you were contributing to a good cause.  At packet pick-up, we learned that most of the riders opted for the harder of the two rides — the metric.  A 37-mile route was also offered. The goody bag was nicely done, and there was lots of swag for finishers as well.  The technical T-shirt was one of the best I have ever received at an event and one of the few I will actually wear.

Nice job guys.

Looking up the Road on the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Devils Backbone Metric Century

Nothing like a fence and a bit of a ditch to keep your bike upright!

Sunrise on the morning of our ride. This area is gorgeous.

We saw black bears twice during our stay at the Wintergreen resort, where we rented a condo. Be careful!