day 6: 5/31

Today was the last day of the tour. We had a short ride to the Biltmore House where we took a walk around the grounds and a self-guided audio tour of the inside the main building.

The Biltmore Estate was built by George Venderbilt and was opened in 1895. It is an enormous set of buildings and grounds and is still a private business, staffed by 2400 employees. The house is 175,000 square feet on 8000 acres. The land was cleared and landscaping designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

https://www.biltmore.com/blog/article/10-fast-fact-about-biltmore

Here is a view of the front.

Here are Mike and Walter walking toward the front with the huge grass lawn from the previous picture to the left of the trees.

Here's the view away from the building. This ramp was so that horses and carts could get up to this area where they staged hunts. Note the steps in the middle of the ramp for wheels.

To the right of the Biltmore House was the garden. The walkway was shaded by plants growing on the trellis.

At the end of the walkway through the garden was the greenhouse. While the greenery was pretty amazing, I was intrigued by the model trains that ran throughout the greenhouse. The attendance said that everything in the greenhouse was built with the same materials used by the life-size models.

After lunch, we had some time to kill. I thought it might be nice to go into Asheville and look around. I also considered going back to the Biltmore to see what I had missed. Apparently, I missed the best parts by listening to each segment of the audio tour in its entirety. The others did "speed touring" and got through more of the building including the basement where there was a pool (that leaked), a bowling alley and a prehistoric gym.

 

After the ride, we packed up and went to lunch. Lunch was in another part of the campus and we didn't feel like walking anymore even though it wasn't THAT far, so to and from the restaurant, we rode in this:

Since we didn't have the time or energy to go into Asheville (we would have to come back to get our luggage) or go back to the Biltmore, or just about anything else, here is what we ended up doing.

Today's stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/2411860249

Totals for the week:
162.4 miles
13,917' of climbing
although 1.57 miles and 203' of climbing were on the e-bike!

Another successful bike trip.

day 5: 5/30

Today's ride required getting into the vans and driving to the Woodfin Riverside Park. When we arrived, there were a dozen or more riders getting ready to start off on a group ride. Clearly, this was the place to be for a ride.

The four of us started out on a lovely route that took us through rolling farmland and along a ridge with a beautiful view of the mountains. It wasn't advertised as a very hilly ride but it was almost 2000' of climbing.

Pictures from a phone never capture the grandeur of the scenery.

Mike wanted a picture of this church and he was having issues with his phone so I took the picture of it.

Mike suggested staging a picture from this spot. Here it is.

There were a lot of churches on all of the rides throughout the week. I wish I had taken a few more pictures of them but I would have had to do it while riding since we weren't stopping often. Today we saw a lot of lawn signs that said: "Thank you Jesus." Yes, it should have a comma.

Here's a picture of Stu and me on the ridge road.

At one point, we were pretty spread out. Mike and Walter were ahead of Stu and me. We were in an area I would describe as exurbia, probably a 20-minute commute to Asheville, still countryside but with a lot of construction of subdivisions of houses that would probably look pretty much alike. About 30 yards ahead of me, a large black animal tumbled out of the brush. As cyclists, the first we think of is "dog on the loose". I thought it was a really big and really clumsy Newfie. It lumbered across the street and into the brush on the left. Unfortunately, I didn't have my Virb action camera on the handlebars and running as proof.

We ended up in a little town called Weaverville where we had lunch.

Morning stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/2410176284

One of the things that makes Backroads different from VBT is that there is a lot more included in the price of the trip. Today's lunch was covered regardless of what we ordered. Yesterday's stop at the end of the ride at The Hub included a beverage of our choice on Backroads. Dinner at any of the Biltmore Estate restaurants last night was covered. VBT includes fewer meals but they do include airfare where Backroads does not.

I decided to do the Ox Creek climb so I loaded up on Clif bars, blocks, and gels and got an order of food "to go" that the guides brought to the end of the climb for me. Kayla asked me if she wanted me to try to convince Haven to ride with me and I felt it would be easier if I rode alone. (Haven was a professional tri-athlete in a former life and was on the US Olympic team, so I would have burned myself up trying to ride at a speed I thought he would expect me to ride rather than to ride at my own pace ) So I started out alone while everyone else was having lunch and it was just a little weird.

I started out on about six miles of flat road and took a right onto Ox Creek road. I texted this picture to Mike so he would know I was still alive.

About a mile up Ox Creek, the Backroads van passed me with the first batch of riders who had completed lunch. They would be delivered to the top of the climb and begin riding back to the Biltmore. Mike, Stu, and Walter were in this group. The plan was for me to meet them at the top but there were going to arrive at the meeting spot long before I got there.

The climb up Ox Creek empties out onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is what we were looking forward to on today's ride.

I don't have any pictures of the climb since I couldn't take my hands off the handlebars. But it was a fun ride and Haven was waiting alone at a turn-out on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The riders from the first van had already left.

I rode down the parkway to the Folk Art Museum, the next meeting point, and most of those riders had left except Walter. I decided to call it a day so Walter set out to try to catch the others. I took the van with Garrett and my lunch back to the hotel.

Here are the stats from my afternoon ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/2410082353

Totals from both segments: 38.40 miles, 3480' of climbing

day 4: 5/29

Today we leave the Domestique in South Carolina and go to the Biltmore in North Carolina. We have come to appreciate spending as many days as possible in one hotel even though the trade-off is riding on some of the same roads.

The Domestique was a nice place for cyclists. Besides the obvious cycling theme, everything was set up with cyclists in mind. (Oddly, there is no elevator, so the second floor is not accessible. If cyclists are coming, you would assume you don't need an elevator but I am not sure how they get away with that in terms of ADA laws.)

There is a room on each floor with snacks, including little bags of Scratch, my preferred sport drink, a mini-fridge with complimentary water, soft drinks and wine!

There are pictures of him everywhere. I suppose it's his hotel and he can do what he wants but it's a little self-indulging. I suppose if you are to become an elite athlete (or elite anything), you have to love yourself a little. Moreover, he was friends with Lance so that probably explains some of this.

The multi-purpose room has two Pelotons (in case you didn't get enough riding) and this is where they held yesterday's yoga class. This picture below plus the second portrait (above) were on the walls.

Here is the view off the balcony where we had dinner last night.

In case you're thinking about going to the Domestique sometime, rooms go for $399-$499/night. Plus you're not likely to actually meet Hincapie. I bought his book, The Loyal Lieutenant hoping I could get him to sign it but, duh, he doesn't live there.

Sidenote: the book is like many books where a celebrity tells his story and a co-author actually does the writing. Spoiler alert: it's not very good writing.

As always, there were multiple options for today's ride. We had our sights on a route that included a climb to Caesars Head. The route would be 40 miles and 4000' of climbing.

We started at the hotel and rode into North Carolina.  We also crossed the eastern continental divide. (I didn't know there was a such a thing.)

We met the support vehicles at the base of the climb. None of the other members of the group chose to do this segment. Instead, they rode to the bottom of the climb and the guides drove them to the top. They cheered us on when they passed us in the van. Very nice.

Here we are at the start of the climb. Mike was ahead so he didn't get into this picture.

The climb was long but not terribly steep. We have 11-34 cassettes on the back and a 50-34 chainring so it was just a question of grinding away. I would stand every once in a while but only because my butt was sore and my back would stiffen up.

Here's the view from the top. It's a state park and there was a nice observation deck. Again, I have a picture of me with the same background, but why ruin the picture?

We rode off the mountain and on to a farm that Backroads had rented for lunch. This is some of what they prepared for us.

And here's a picture of them. They are: Haven, Garrett and Kayla. We couldn't keep the guys straight so we called them Gaven or Harrett.

There was a segment following lunch but I had pretty much made up my mind that I didn't want to eat and then ride. Sorry guys.

But it was fun to watch the other riders as we passed them in the van.

We drove to the meeting place and caravanned to the Biltmore.

More on the Biltmore tomorrow after we take the tour.

Here are the stats for the day: https://www.strava.com/activities/2407446369

day 3: 5/28

Today was the second day of the trip. 

Before the ride, Backroads had organized a yoga class @7:00am. Stu, Walter and I went. I need to do more yoga.

We began the ride at the hotel and did part of a loop called the Gran Fondo Switchback Challenge. The route takes us north into North Carolina.

There is a segment on "hard packed dirt". We beg to differ. It was gravel on top of hard packed dirt. It was not fun. I don't understand the appeal of gravel grinding or the spring classics on cobbles. Amazingly, there are tours that you can pay to go on that will take you on cobbles.

Here's Mike and Stu up ahead. It is hard to believe I didn't fall off my bike trying to take this picture.

Mike got a flat from a slow leak and we are pretty sure it came from this stretch of road. Luckily, we were right by the support van so our guide swapped out the wheel. I wish I had taken a picture of that.

We arrived at a town called Saluda for lunch. Some of the riders had lunch, turned around and went home.  We decided to do at least some of the Gran Fondo Switchback Challenge route. Walter had gone ahead once when we had stopped so when we got to Saluda, he had already left with Kelly, a strong rider from Hattiesburg, MS. Mike, Stu and I had arranged with the guides to skip some of the ride and to shuttle to the end of the loop and do the 17 switchbacks back to Saluda.

Here are the data from the morning's ride before we got into the van: https://www.strava.com/activities/2404940789

I hadn't taken a picture of the bike before, so here it is at the lunch stop in Saluda. It is a titanium frame from some manufacturer in Europe with a carbon fork and Backroads slaps their stickers on it. They are equipped with a rack and a bag that I took off yesterday and never put back on. The drivetrain is full Ultegra Di2. It is the first time I have used Di2 and it takes a little getting used to. On more than on occasion, I went down when I meant to go up and up when I wanted to go down. But it is effortless compared with mechanical Ultegra.

At the endpoint of the loop, we got back on our bikes to do the rest of the Gran Fondo route. Walter and Kelly went ahead while Mike and I fiddled with our computers and our tour guide Kayla fixed that flat.

Stu decided to skip the climb because he had some issue going on with his foot. He took the van back to Saluda but rode from Saluda back to the hotel.

Because Walter had at least a 20 minute head start, we never caught him so Mike and I rode together. When we got to the base of the climb, we did what Mike always says: "climb at your own speed". His climbing speed is much faster than mine so after about a half dozen switchbacks, he glanced down, I saw him look down and gave him a thumbs up. It's a good thing he never saw me after that because I probably wouldn't have been able to take my hands off the handlebars to give him a thumbs up or anything else.

Here is the view from the top of the 17 switchbacks. I took a selfie as proof but I will spare you that since that ruins the view.

We arrived at Saluda to have lunch. By that time, everyone else in our group had headed back except Walter, Kelly, and his wife. Kelly and his wife (the only one riding an ebike on this trip) left and then the three of us rode back.

The return brings us back into South Carolina.

The route included some nice descents and one long climb back to the hotel. Some of the group were out at the pool and cheered us in. Amazing how much that helped.

Here are the data from the second part of the day: https://www.strava.com/activities/2405025604

day 2: 5/27 (memorial day)

This year, we are doing a trip by Backroads. It the first Backroads trip for all of us.

This trip will be more challenging than most of the VBT trips we have done. This trip has three ride options every day, ranging from an easy 10 flat miles to a 62-mile Gran Fondo with over 5000' of climbing. We generally had our eyes on the middle options.

The trip began at 11:00 so we had the morning to re-pack, blog, and go for a walk around town. The downtown area where we are located is called the "riverwalk" and they have done a nice job of creating some pleasant public space.

Here are some of yesterday's pictures from right outside our hotel.

This is the section of the river walk right outside the hotel.

Our evening walk took us by Shakespeare in the Park, a free performance of Romeo and Juliet.

And this was right outside a bike shop that we will have to visit later to replenish Walter's lost supply of electrolyte drink.

Since Mike arrived earlier than us yesterday, he took a segway tour. Here is a picture he took of a local cemetery. Note the flags. As his guide pointed out: "we are in the south, after all".

Here is an example of how they have made the riverwalk pedestrian-friendly.

Of course, there is a bike shop nearby.

Here is an example of some interesting new architecture.

And some re-purposed.

Here are the boyz in front of a statue with a history lesson about individuals who were instrumental in advancing civil rights in a resistant southern city.

And this is a statue of the Mayor of Greenville during the 1970s who had the vision to modernize the city to be a tourist destination.

Any five-year old could tell you what Walter is doing to the statue.

This patch of synthetic grass is actually an outdoor skating rink when the weather is not in the mid-90s.

I took this picture because I am pretty sure I took the same picture two years ago when I was at the Southern Sociological Society's annual meeting.

We met our guides at 11 and after an orientation lunch, we were off. The first 10 miles were along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a stretch of a rail-to-trails system that I had actually ridden two years earlier.

Here I am at the back of our bunch with Mike the first wheel but hidden behind Stu and Walter right in front of me.

The ride must have been pretty engrossing because there are no other pictures of us on bikes.

Here are my data: https://www.strava.com/activities/2402454654

We arrived at the Hotel Domestique, George Hincapie's hotel that caters to cyclists. It is a small boutique hotel and we had the run of the entire place.

Every room is named after a famous climb in the French Alps. This was our room.

There is a lot of stone and rough-hewn wood, giving it a very European feel.

And this looks like it could be someplace in Italy.

The mountains in the background are what we are climbing tomorrow.

We had a picnic BBQ and live bluegrass music over dinner. They were very good.