Loose Leaf Notes

-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 29, 2020.

“We love it!” answered a Tour de Dirt bicyclist wearing a pink tutu over his clothes when he was asked about the rain. Spirits were up in spite of the morning’s poor weather at Sunday’s 14th annual Tour de Floyd, a “Dirt Roads and Byways of Floyd County” fundraiser ride for PLENTY! food bank and programs.

The ride, which is not a race, started at 8 am at Chantilly Farm and concluded at the Farm with a Chili Feast and Deshutes Beer Pub (included in the $40 -60 ride fee). Ride start times were staggered and distances varied, beginning with the Full Pull (80 miles), followed by the Fiddy (57 miles), the Lite (37 miles) and a Funn Ride (16 miles). “We will be socially distancing this year. Please bring a mask to use when around others (you will not need to have it on while riding your bike),” the invite announcement read.

At 8:30 bicyclists mulled around the campgrounds preparing for the rides. Some were snapping up their rain gear. Others were enjoying complimentary donuts and coffee from Red Rooster. Eight-year old Silas Tesauro warmed his hands at a campfire and seemed serious about his first Tour de Dirt ride that he was about to embark on with his father, Joe.  “Next year,” said his younger brother, who was not old enough to do the ride yet.

By 10 am the rain had slowed to a drizzle and Morning Dew (a dirt road that parallels and crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway) was marked with bike lines from the early riders. Phil and Philip Nahser, who came from Greensboro and Charlotte, NC, to do their first Tour de Dirt ride, stopped to adjust their gear.

The father and son had left Chantilly Farm at 9:30 and were approaching the first aid-stop at the Wildman home around 10:30. “We had some second thoughts, but we decided to just do it and have fun,” the senior Nahser said about the rain.  “It’s fun and we’ll take some (hot) showers later,” Phil Jr. added.

At the Wildman home on Tuggles Gap Road, volunteer Amy Slate directed riders into the Wildman driveway. Rima Forrest, president of the Floyd Amateur Radio Society, was there with her radio, providing emergency communication support. Deb and Davis Wildman and several other volunteers served riders P&J sandwiches on bread donated from Big Indian Farm, meat sticks from Field’s Edge Farm and other local donated treats.

Motorcyclists Joshua Horst, Daniel Sowers of On the Water, Aaron Cowan of Buffalo Mountain Adventurers and Shane McHale of McHale’s Arborscape talked with bicyclists. The support team of four led riders out from Chantilly Farm and rode the route to check on riders and make sure signs were up and visible. “We’re the ones keeping everyone in line,” joked Sowers.

Also at the Wildman pit stop was David Musick, who came from Macclesfield, NC, on Friday and camped at Chantilly over the weekend. It was his first gravel/dirt ride. It’s 13.5 miles from Chantilly to the Wildmans, Musick said.  He joked that it felt like 113. “I’m a former fat person. Two years ago, I weighed over 300 pounds,” he said. “If I can do it anyone can. Eat less and move more,” recommended Musick, who also runs 5 and 50K races.

At the Chili Feast (compliments of chili chef and Plenty! board member Tom Schaefer), Kerry Ackerson, Plenty!’s executive director, was checking in returning riders. She expressed her gratitude for the successful fundraiser. Two hundred riders applied and paid registration fees and 146 rode. “It’s the only fundraiser we had this year, because of COVID,” she said.

Chili was served inside, spooned into bowls made by Va Tech pottery students, and riders ate outside, under Chantilly Farm’s roofed main stage. Tour de Dirt founder, organizer and bicyclist, Paul Sullivan reported that the tour filled up about three weeks before the ride. More wanted to register but two-hundred is the Covid restriction for group gatherings. Sullivan recalled some of the challenges of the day. The ground was so soft from rain that he was unable to cruise down some steep hills and had to peddle. “But people had some great rides out there. There are some good stories,” he said.

As Sullivan spoke, veteran cyclist Emily Hairfield returned from her Full Pull ride and received cheers from some fellow cyclists. Hairfield, who grew up in Willis, rode 30 miles from Shawsville to Chantilly Farm before taking on the 80 miles of the Full Pull. The aid stations were great, the fog made it hard to see, she dealt with a flat tire and the cold was the worst, said Hairfield, who currently works as a Physician’s Assistant at Virginia Tech’s Student Health Clinic.

But what made the ride worth it?  Hairfield, who was enjoying a bowl of hot chili, cited the sense of accomplishment that she felt. “But it’s also that this is money in the bank for me, as far as fitness goes,” she said.

__________Colleen Redman