The Mountains are Calling
Appalachia summons cyclists to her rugged backroads and hills
By Elizabeth Poland Shugg
Cyclists are explorers, seeking roads and trails less traveled. Mountains answer their call. Wrapped with wild, remote routes, they unveil forgotten landscapes where abandoned structures dwell.
A grand payoff awaits those who reach the summit. Red spruce, fraser fir, and yellow birch blanket the encircling ridges. Lenticular clouds cap mountaintops like pancake stacks. Unrelenting breezes rustle hobblebush flowers and blackberry bushes. Clarity, gratitude, and peace blossom with the rhododendron.
“Along with enjoying what nature has to share, I appreciate how riding across the countryside clears my mind, while also bringing focus to what is important in my life,” says Bob George of Raleigh, who has been riding since “mountain biking was one of the new ‘extreme’ sports and Greg LeMond was winning the Tour de France.”
Thirty-five years later, the Raleigh cyclist is still on his bike. He also sits on the board of directors for Raleigh’s Capital Cycling Club and its annual Firecracker Ride, which benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Society of the Carolinas. “I tend to ride on the road more often due to the amount of group rides and route options in the Triangle area, but I also ride my gravel bike on gravel, dirt, and paved roads to get away from cars and explore rural areas. I’ve seen old farmhouses, barns, and churches that are probably 100-plus years old—as well as historic plaques and markers.”