Academy of Sports recently had a sale on bikes and we have been wanting to get new bikes for the family for… um… quite some time… years… yeah. So we dove in and got 5 new mountain style bikes for the family. We are not professionals and don’t need the best bikes on the market, just decent bikes for the occasional bike ride in the neighborhood, paved trail on the Bicentennial Greenway or more challenging dirt trails at some of the other local parks. Maybe even the Creeper Trail, or other trails in VA.

After getting the bikes, we rode the Bicentennial Greenway a few times, but my boys began complaining that they wanted something more fun, more challenging, more of an adventure. I did some research in the local area and found some ideas. One park looked official, you know a good challenge. We packed up the bikes and went.

We got there, and there was not much room for more than 6 to 8 cars to park. We started unloading the bikes and guys on bikes came out of the trail, looking like they worked out, with helmets and elbow gear on. Helmets… hmmm… that would have been a good idea. We asked which entrance we should use, and they recommended one because we were first timers here. We walked over to check out the map of the trail… wow, lots of turns and switch backs, but no indication of elevation changes…

Well… needless to say, this was a fun bike ride. We went with no helmets or other protective gear “be careful boys, don’t be stupid or your mother may just kill me”. It was tough, steep hills, steep climbs, high berms, sharp turns, narrow paths, skirting between trees about 4 feet apart. This “old” man showed his boys he can ride with the teenagers, keep up with them and at times out perform them.

 

 

 

 

Collin and Austin fail to make it up the hill, but I didn’t either, but I got farther then they did.

Collin and Austin fail to make it through the camel back hills. Austin actualy broke his bike seat on this first attempt.

Collin makes it through the camel back hills.

Austin nearly makes it through the camel back hills but finishes off his bike seat and is forced to ride his bike out with out a seat.