Disclaimer: This post recapping our 40-Mile Fauquier and Loudoun Counties Bike Tour contains affiliate links…
39th Wedding Anniversary Ride
Had I thought ahead, I would have asked Bill to plan our August 1st group ride to be a 39-miler in celebration of our 39 years of wedded bliss. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so clever so let’s just say that we rode an extra mile for good luck! We both thought our Fauquier and Loudoun Counties Bike Tour was the perfect start to our laid back anniversary celebration.
The ride was originally planned to start in Middleburg, but we moved our meeting place a little farther around the course to accommodate one of our friends who had to travel quite a distance to join us. The move ended up working in our favor because we were able to enjoy post-ride smoothies where we’d parked at the Haymarket Bicycle Studio in The Plains.
It was foggy as the seven of us rolled out of the parking lot and we were lucky to have cloud cover for much of the ride. The temperature was 71° when we started, but dropped to 68° for several miles. Topping out at 81°, we really couldn’t complain about the weather considering it’s August.
We stopped a few times for fuel before stopping at Safeway for water and Gatorade to top off our bottles.
We gained 2,365 feet of elevation during the ride, but I felt that after a week of riding the hills in southwest Virginia I was much more prepared. Because I hadn’t had a chance to take my new road bike out for a ride and didn’t want to break it in on a 40-mile ride, I rode my gravel bike. I finished the ride with an average speed of 14.4 MPH.
Ride Overview
- • Ride Name: 40-Mile Loudoun and Fauquier Counties Bike Tour
- • Location: Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, Virginia
- • Start/Finish: Haymarket Bicycle Studio, The Plains, VA
- • Course Type: loop
- • Course Surface: paved
- • Bike: Salsa Journeyman
- • Distance: 40 miles
- • Time: 2:49:05
- • Average Speed: 14.4 MPH
- • Elevation Gain: 2,365 feet
- • Elevation Range: 302 to 670 feet
- • Temperature Range: 68° to 82°
- • Ride with GPS: Link to turn-by-turn navigation cue sheet
- • Course Map:
Fun Pictures From Along the Way
A special shoutout goes to my husband Bill for capturing most of the following images with his GoPro (affiliate link).
Along Rokeby Road…
We rode past miles of stone fences and these on Rokeby Road were beautiful…
Cool plank fences…
Fun turns…
Wellbourne Road was a surprise, a gravel road, but at least it was hard packed from rain the day before. I was prepared, though, because I was riding my Salsa gravel bike!
Hills on Foxcroft Road…
After the ride, we had someone take our anniversary picture!
Garmin Stats
Post-ride Garmin picture…
Garmin map and graphs…
Final Thoughts on the Ride
I enjoyed the ride very much, but didn’t think that overall it was quite as scenic as our previous group rides. Of course, it was overcast during much of the ride and that certainly changes the way things look.
Once again, my Garmin (affiliate link) cadence sensor didn’t sync and I’m not sure what’s going on. I actually didn’t miss it as much as I did on a previous ride because I have a better sense of my cadence.
While waiting for smoothies after the ride, one of the cyclists turned to me and said that I was officially welcomed into the group (which I learned is officially called Dawn Patrol); however, my new friend warned me that if I’m too fast on my new bike, he might renege on my invitation.
Questions:
- • What’s your favorite post-workout drink? ~ Chocolate milk for me!
- • If you’re married, what was your fanciest anniversary celebration?
- • Do you typically run a certain number of miles to celebrate your birthday, for example 4.2 miles for your 42nd birthday?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
Sounds like a fun ride!
Yes, it was!