I've been at the bike riding thing for just over a month. In that short time I've gone from barely being able to pedal for a mile without gasping for breath and wanting to die to being able to pedal for three miles before I am gasping for breath and wanting to die!
My usual rides have been loops at Laurel Hills which is a section of the former Lorton Prison near the Town of Occoquan. Laurel Hills has a variety of trail types ranging from gravel singletrack that meanders across rolling fields to dirt trails that pass under the forest canopy.
Depending on the amount of time I have to ride my trips can be a quick four miles, or a longer seven miles. The elevation changes at Laurel Hills are not too bad but I still have to stop at the summit of several hills to recover.
Here's my trusty ride at the parking area for Laurel Hills.
There is a large amount of history surrounding the Laurel Hills area. The prison covered a huge swath of land and many of the buildings and other structures remain intact. This bridge is the "Barrel Bridge". The Barrel Bridge is one of the only remaining examples of this style bridge building left in Virginia (according to the sign) and the bricks used in the bridge were made by the prisoners - who also built the bridge in 1922.
A morning view from my cockpit.
This is the entrance to the SlaughterHouse Trail. Slaughterhouse is one of two trails at Laurel Hills that is rated MOST DIFFICULT. The trail really isn't that tough - I think it's more of an insurance requirement to cover the county in the event of an accident.
Aside from the long steep climb to the top of the loop, this is the toughest part of the trail. The creek crossing is about 18" deep and littered with decent sized rocks, but crossing it successfully is as simple as carrying some speed and lifting the front wheel as you begin the drop into the creek.
The photo doesn't show it, but this is part of the long climb up from the creek. That log across the trail is there to help prevent erosion, but really all it does is irritate me as I slowly huff and puff my way to the top!
The other area I've been riding is Fountainhead Regional Park. This park is across the Occoquan Reservoir from my parents' house and has about 11 miles of mountain bike only trails. No horses, no hikers, just bikes!
Now, eleven miles may not sound like an abundance of trails but this place rocks! There are many stupidly steep climbs that will try to rip your lungs out, or attempt to set your legs on fire....but, what goes up MUST COME DOWN! The downhills at Fountainhead are epic. The downhills have perfectly carved berms that allow a rider to sweep down the turns without touching the brakes. Several of the berms are 20 feet tall at the outside apex. Try to not be startled when you are racing along at 35 mph and look to your right only to find that you are looking at the ground! The berms will anchor the bike solidly in the turn if you let it, and you will travel the turns almost parallel with the ground. Super fun!
These are views of the Big Bridge. This bridge was built during the recent 'remodel' and allows incoming riders to ride over the section of trail that the exiting riders are following. This allows for one way traffic on all of the trails and lets riders hit high speed without worrying about oncoming bikes.
This is the steep downhill of the Shockabilly Trail. This downhill section drops about 300 feet in a distance of a quarter mile. I'm not an engineer or math whiz able to tell you the grade, but it's STEEP! The decking ramps are new additions and also seem to be an insurance cover for the county. The old trail had just the cross timbers to stop erosion. Either way, this is about as technical as it gets in Northern Virginia. I can ride it by slowly picking a line down, but the crazy guys carry a lot of speed off the top and just go for it. I watched one rider race down Shockabilly and I swear his tires only touched down three times. Absolutely insane.
The Fountainhead Project was built by members of MORE (MidAtlantic Off Road Enthusiasts) with design support and a grant from the International Mountain Biking Association. The remodel of the trails was done to create a more sustainable trail system and to route the older trails away from ecologically sensitive areas. There are many sections of the trail that have bridges like the one below to keep bike travel off the wet areas.
My trusty ride waiting patiently for me to catch my breath.
