Our Extended Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Tour begins in Strasburg and goes south through the Shenandoah Valley to Lexington. You will bicycle over scenic country roads through rolling hills, farmlands, apple orchards and civil war battle sites, awesome mountain vistas and challenging climbs are just some of what you will experience each day on our tour through the Shenandoah Valley. This tour is rated moderate; although there are many flat stretches, several of the rides are long, most have stretches of country roads over rolling terrain with climbs, a few of which are steep.

Day 1

Arrive in Strasburg and settle into your accommodations. Relax and contemplate the week's rides or explore the village. It is a delightful place to simply stroll the main street shops and restaurants or the surrounding neighborhood to view the period architecture. Close the evening with a relaxing dinner at the Strasburg Hotel.

Day 2***

After breakfast, you will meet at your B&B with the Virginia Bicycling Adventures representative for a tour orientation. After the orientation or on you own time schedule, you can venture off on the day's ride which will take you out of Strasburg and along the base line of the Allegheny Mountains. You will pedal through pleasant countryside with views of both the Allegheny Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. The route starts with a short steep ascent and then levels out to rolling country roads typical of the Shenandoah Valley. Coming into Woodstock, you will have an opportunity for a diversion to visit the local shops. Your route continues back towards Strasburg over pleasant country roads through farms that fed the Army of Virginia and areas where many skirmishes occurred throughout the Civil War. Your arrival back in Strasburg is through the villages of Toms Brook and Fishers Hill. The ride is 39 miles and is in the easy to moderate category.

*** For those riders seeking more of a challenge, the Extended Shenandoah Tour can follow a 58 mile route along the east side of the Massanutten Mountains that brings you into Edinburg from the east over the mountain. The 3 mile climb averages 6.6 percent with a maximum of 8 percent; the downhill is a technical challenge that averages 10 percent with a series of "S" curves. The ride is difficult and only should be considered by those with advanced biking skills and experience.

Day 3

After a short drive from Strasburg, your bike route today leaves Mount Jackson heading towards the Allegheny Mountains with a gradual climb into the foothills where you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Valley and mountain ranges on both sides. Leaving the ridge, you will experience one of the reasons you climb hills as the down hill run into Timberville is long and fast.

The remainder of the day's ride meanders along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River over typical Virginia rural roads with small rolling grades and very low traffic. You will end your ride going through the Meems Bottom Bridge which is the longest covered bridge in Virginia and at one time was destroyed by Stonewall Jackson's troops as they marched through the Valley. This moderate ride is 36 miles.

Day 4

Today's ride begins with a short 25-minute car ride to the Harrisonburg area. The ride is moderately challenging due to the rolling landscape rather than any steep climbs. You depart Harrisonburg by James Madison University and very soon find yourself in the countryside of Rockingham County surrounded by woods and farms. After a short climb, the second half of the ride is not to be hurried as you will bicycle on virtually deserted county roads past pleasant and peaceful scenery while gazing off to the Massanutten Mountains in the distance. This section of your ride is an excellent example of the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and a wonderful opportunity to enjoy its serenity. The last few miles wind through neighborhoods in Harrisonburg to avoid busy city streets. Ride distance is 27 miles.

Day 5

This ride leaves from your B&B and takes you through the center of the Shenandoah Valley along farmlands that once supported the Confederate Armies and over hills and ridges that provide spectacular views of the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. Initially, there are some climbs, none very steep but the terrain flattens out to very sparsely traveled country roads. An excellent detour of a few miles will take you into Natural Chimneys National Park. The chimneys are natural limestone towers reaching over 120 feet. Today's ride also offers the opportunity of a challenging 9 mile detour with 2.5 miles of climbing to Todd Lake in the George Washington National Forest. This is a moderate ride of 55 miles or 64, if the Todd Lake option is taken.

Day 6

Today's ride takes you to the eastern reaches of the Shenandoah Valley as you bike over gently rolling roads to Waynesboro which is named after the Revolutionary War hero Mad Anthony Wayne. You leave Staunton on quiet city streets to bike several miles on scenic country roads and then enter Waynesboro through neighborhood streets passing the P. Buckley Moss Art Museum. Waynesboro is a small, quaint city with numerous specialty shops. Your ride now returns to pleasant country roads running along Calf Mountain and Ramsey Mountain following a mountain stream down to South River. Your route will pass though several quaint villages along rural country roads with spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Coming around Fishersville you will begin your return to Staunton. This is an easy ride of 47 miles on gently rolling country roads.

Day 7

After a drive from Staunton, you will arrive in historic Rockbridge Baths which was a popular resort in the 1800s often visited by General Lee. Today's ride is an out and back one that takes you through the Goshen Pass that provides some of the best mountain scenery that Virginia has to offer as you follow the Maury River cut through the Allegheny Mountains to Goshen. Your challenge today will not be climbs as the grades are gradual but to not be overwhelmed with all that is there to see. The river through the gorge is a fisherman's delight and provides a relaxing place to swim or to wade in on a warm summer day. Arriving in Goshen you will find a perfect place for a picnic lunch or to just relax before turning around and bicycling the pass from the reverse direction. To your amazement, you will observe much that you likely missed from the other direction. In the fall, the Goshen Pass is one of the most heavily traveled roads on the weekend foliage tours. Today's ride is an easy 21 mile run. If you decide to leave from your accommodations in Lexington, its length is doubled to 41 miles.

Some choose to drive the Goshen Pass and devote the remainder of the day to relaxing and taking in the historic sites of Lexington; others choose to take a lag day to spend an extra night in Staunton. The choices are yours.

Day 8

The Lexington ride will take you over some of the most well-known bicycling roads in Rockbridge County. Your ride out of town passes a confederate cemetery then goes into the countryside. You will glide down virtually empty roads through awesome scenic hills and rolling country; making your way up a gradual ascent you will be rewarded with an 11 mile gradual downhill run following a creek downstream that is pure relaxation and among the best experiences the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley has to offer. You will finish your ride into Lexington surrounded by two towering mountains and a last climb that will set you up for a two-mile decent into town. This ride is in the moderate category and covers 43 miles and will provide lasting memories of bicycling in the Shenandoah Valley.

Day 9 Tuesday Depart

After a leisurely breakfast you can leave on your own schedule.

• The cost of the Extended Shenandoah Valley Tour package as described is $1,060 per person/double occupancy; the single supplement is $375.
• This tour is rated moderate because of long rides and rolling country roads with climbs, a few of which are steep.
• Your accommodations will be in excellent B&Bs or equivalent hotels due to availability. After booking accommodations, we can furnish links. Your package includes nine full breakfasts, four lunches and three dinners. You will have arrival orientation, comprehensive route instructions, supporting maps, and emergency support.
• This tour can be booked between March 30 and October 31 and is generally scheduled to start Sunday evening and end Tuesday morning; however other start and end days are workable as well but at certain times of the seasons and on most weekends, room accommodations can be difficult and can carry a premium. With adequate lead time, these can often be overcome.