RVA Bike Month
Every May, cyclists in City of Richmond unite to celebrate #RVABikeMonth and host a full calendar of one-off, bike-centric events.
This year, we wanted to play our part too - so we’re hosting TWO fun reasons to party on your bike.
Our first event lands on Thursday May 16th, where we’re partnering with the Greater Scott’s Addition Association to host a Bike Party and Swap Meet during their three week long, pop-up park demonstration on the 3000 block of West Broad Street.
The GSAA has been gradually improving the amenities in a vacant lot at 3001 West Broad, increasing shaded seating and installing extensive pollinator-friendly native plant beds. We’ll be taking over the street adjacent to the lot to host a B I G Bike Party: think Rodeo, Swap Meet, and general good bike vibes. Come out between 4pm and 8pm on the 16th to enjoy the pop up and buy/sell/trade cycling and cycling-adjacent goods, try your hand at the fun obstacles we set up, and meet other local cycling enthusiasts.
Want to reserve a space to swap your goods or set up a table for your club? Reach out to emily@richmondcyclingcorps.org to coordinate!
Roubaix in may
We’ve always enjoyed following the big cycling road races of the Spring Classics, and thought that Richmond would be a pretty incredible place to host it’s own Roubaix. With that in mind, we made a big list of our favorite cobblestone road sections and crafted a bike route that incorporates them all for our second Bike Month event!
Join us on Wednesday May 22nd at 5:45pm at our headquarters, 13 South 15th Street, to give the route a whirl! Wheels down at 6pm for this 14 mile ride. Bring your road bike if you want to embrace the Spring Classics feelings, but wider tires (like on a gravel bike) will likely be more comfortable. Expect an average pace of 12-13 miles per hour, with four regroups after some pretty long hill climbs. Join us for a social hour afterward, with a special snack pop-up hosted by Waffles On Wheels. We heard they have a Roubaix themed waffle, and we can’t wait to try it out!
2024 VAHS Mountain Bike Season
Race season is upon us, and our team is halfway through the VAHS mountain bike series. We’re gearing up for this weekend’s adventure at Western Albermarle High School (and crossing our fingers for no rain), with a new course specifically built for interscholastic racing.
Our first race of the season took us to the Miller School of Albemarle, just west of Charlottesville. We left Richmond early, giving us plenty of time for breakfast on the road and a good warmup before the race.
Dada got into a great position right out of the gates and snapped off the front on the initial climb, creating a widening gap as he pushed toward the singletrack. Some slippery roots and mud caught him further into the woods, but a top 20 finish for the day was a great award for the big effort!
Junior was not too far behind him - and Mali was midpack, chasing good lines in the woods.
Jaiyon and Jer crossed the finish line later, big smiles as they pulled up to the team to start talking about their race.
Our second race was at the infamous Stokesville Campground, one of our favorite places to take the squad on a camping trip that incorporates great riding. The venue for the day found us in a small campground with a long history of hosting great mountain bike events. It’s particularly special because of the flowy singletrack integrated through the campsites - making for some great vantage points along a sprawling course. So many places for youth supporters to pop in, cheer on the racers, and catch some big efforts!
With rolling hills and a couple steep pitches, paired with dry trails with a dusting of loose rocks - the twisty singletrack and grass course were plenty tough!
You can always tell when the day has been particularly challenging, the drive home is quiet as racers snag a little downtime to nap.
We’re proud of our team for pushing through hard days with a great attitude, for riding up and over some substantial climbs, and finishing their races no matter how hard they were. Keep your eyes out for an update after this weekend’s coming race - though with storms looming on the forecast, we may lean on that later May rain date.