The Appalachian Mountaineer
November 2nd 2024
Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing - New Castle, VA
Welcome to the mountains.
During fall, the weather is perfect and the mountains call for long rides and views. Come shake things up with us in the least populated county in all of Virginia: Craig County.
The Appalachian Mountaineer is a cousin the Journey, in that it is also in Virginia, run on gravel, and built with the same stoke and fire you expect in Floyd in the spring. But that’s where the similarities end.
In Floyd you roll along through the soul of Appalachia farm land, with punchy climbs and amazing descents. In Craig… let’s just say things get a little bigger, a little bolder, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Opposing the “Dragons Back” our current Mountaineer courses traverse the beautiful exposure of Bald Knob before dropping back down to the valley and crossing the river by foot bridge and then fast rolling home.
The Courses
Four distances await, 85,65, a classic 40, and a startlingly swell 22. Each distance will have multiple aid stations.
Youll love riding in Craig County and sharing one of our absolute favorite routes in all of #gravelachia. As for bikes, three of our crew have spent time on the Mountaineer courses, heck one of us chose it for their Birthday ride-it's that good. The debate between cross/gravel bike and mountain style bike is an honest toss up. There's a lot of efficiency to be gained on a gravel style bike but a hardtail will make the long descents and climbs perhaps a little more bearable. If you're looking to go fast and have 38c or bigger tires, a gravel rig is probably your pal. If you wanna carry a little extra rocket fuel, or just ride along, then a hardtail mountain bike will be a great choice!
November weather on Bald can be chilly, especially a the top over 4k feet, so pack your layers! Within a week of the event riders will be emailed the link to download the course of your choice and follow along with your GPS to keep yourself on course!
The Appalachian Mountaineer courses feature four unique routes, each adding mileage, difficulty, and more unique terrain. Even the shortest route has tremendous views and a truly worth the climb descend. The 40 miler is the most “bang for your buck” while the 65 and 85 add a truly special and rare type of dirt road unique to this part of Virginia. Here are their profiles and maps:
