Place: Uwharrie National Forest Woodrun Trail System, Troy NC and Bicycle Post Trails, Greenville, NC
Ridden: March 2015
Sorry, no video this week.
So once again it was a weekend hanging out in the van to escape the cold and snow of the Northeast. But this was a challenging weekend; the entire East Coast was getting hit with a storm; freezing rain and snow were extending as far south as Georgia. Places to ride were dwindling. Joël spent what seemed like countless hours on the phoning talking to people in bike shops and with fellow cyclists who live in the south, and after much discussion eastern North Carolina was the place to go.
First stop on our adventure was Uwharrie National Forest in Troy, NC. Uwharrie is a 51,000 acre national forest open to a multitude of outdoor activities. Primitive camping is allowed in most areas throughout the forest, which made finding accommodations easy. All we did was pull into a parking area, crawl into the back of the van, unroll our sleeping bags and we were set for the night. It was quite eerie but also beautiful sleeping in such a remote area for the night. The clear winter sky and lack of ambient light made for great star gazing and the only sounds were those of the forest animals.
The next morning after some breakfast cooked on the camp stove we headed over to the Woodrun Trail System. These mountain biking trails are made up of three main sections- Wood Run Trail and Road, a 5.5 mile essentially out and back section; Supertree (named for the experimental Loblolly Pines along the route) which is 5 miles; and Keyauwee which is 6 miles. The trails are technically challenging enough to keep you on your toes and not let your mind wander but everything is rideable and quite fun. Some fun descents and a bit of climbing added to the variety of the terrain. Fun riding and a good place for all level riders.
After the day in Uwharrie it was time to head over to Greenville to check out the Bicycle Post Trails the nest day. Our place to stay for the night was a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Nothing more convenient than filling your belly with great food and walking to your parking spot to go to sleep.
Bicycle Post Trails is a 10 mile trail system located on private land just outside of Greenville. A waiver must be signed and a small fee must be paid before riding there- this can be done at the Bicycle Post bikeshop in Greenville or via a drop box at the trailhead. The trails are good to flow through with speed. They are moderately technical in places, but something even beginners can ride. A few climbs and downhills, log crossing, bridges, and creek crossings keep things interesting. There is a "skills park" type of area with teeter-totter, skinnies, log overs- but most of it is too dilapidated to ride (what a shame, this would make for fun times and bring a lot more people in to ride the trails). The trails are set up as interconnecting loops- so one can ride as little or as much as they want. Cut-offs are available to exit the trails when wanted. Visit the shop web site- www.bicyclepost.com- for more info.
Since it was such a nice day (just about 60 degrees and sunny, while it was about 30 and snowing in PA) we decided to go for a little road ride while in the area also. Nice quite roads that were gently rolling. Joël reports having tan lines from his shorts after the road ride.
After visiting Greenville it was time to head home. Shortly outside of Greenville we started to notice snow on the ground. As we drove further and further north the snow got deeper and the temperatures got colder. With sad faces we arrived back in PA later that night; to below freezing temperatures and snow to shovel from the recent storms. Our trip to the south was short, but it was well worth it just to see dirt and feel the warmth of the sun for a bit.
No video this week- while Joël was working on the video the computer crashed. The hard drive died and the information on it could not be recovered. Sorry readers, this week you will just have to settle for photos.
- Jess, Joël, and Cliff
Bicycle Post Trails is a 10 mile trail system located on private land just outside of Greenville. A waiver must be signed and a small fee must be paid before riding there- this can be done at the Bicycle Post bikeshop in Greenville or via a drop box at the trailhead. The trails are good to flow through with speed. They are moderately technical in places, but something even beginners can ride. A few climbs and downhills, log crossing, bridges, and creek crossings keep things interesting. There is a "skills park" type of area with teeter-totter, skinnies, log overs- but most of it is too dilapidated to ride (what a shame, this would make for fun times and bring a lot more people in to ride the trails). The trails are set up as interconnecting loops- so one can ride as little or as much as they want. Cut-offs are available to exit the trails when wanted. Visit the shop web site- www.bicyclepost.com- for more info.Since it was such a nice day (just about 60 degrees and sunny, while it was about 30 and snowing in PA) we decided to go for a little road ride while in the area also. Nice quite roads that were gently rolling. Joël reports having tan lines from his shorts after the road ride.
After visiting Greenville it was time to head home. Shortly outside of Greenville we started to notice snow on the ground. As we drove further and further north the snow got deeper and the temperatures got colder. With sad faces we arrived back in PA later that night; to below freezing temperatures and snow to shovel from the recent storms. Our trip to the south was short, but it was well worth it just to see dirt and feel the warmth of the sun for a bit.No video this week- while Joël was working on the video the computer crashed. The hard drive died and the information on it could not be recovered. Sorry readers, this week you will just have to settle for photos.
- Jess, Joël, and Cliff