TANK TRIP: Two-wheeled adventure

By CAROLYN R. WILSON/Correspondent

Many families are choosing to stay closer to home this vacation season. With gasoline costs rising, one-tank trips are becoming a more attractive alternative for summer travelers.
One way to enjoy the warm weather months is a bike ride along the Virginia Creeper Trail, a retired railway corridor of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad that stretches from Abingdon to the North Carolina state line near Whitetop.
According to Steve Mann, owner of the Bike-Station Bicycle Rental and Shuttle Service in Damascus, the downhill bike trip from Whitetop and Damascus has become a popular recreational for people of all ages. Owners of bike rental and shuttle services in Damascus agree that business has been strong this spring and summer.
Bikers are shuttled along with their bicycles to Whitetop where they begin a 17-mile return trip to Damascus. The gentle descending grades and smooth surfaces make this trail a popular one for people of various ages and abilities. People who do not ride bikes regularly can still enjoy the adventure of the trail ride. The trail from Whitetop is downhill, except for the last three miles where bikers will have to pedal as the trail flattens out.
Mann said a 90-year-old customer returns each summer to experience the wonders of the trail on a tandem bicycle pedaled by his grandson. A large number of his business is repeat customers. A retired group of men from Tazewell travel each Wednesday to Damascus to enjoy the bike ride from Whitetop to Damascus. Overall, Mann said he meets more out-of-town people than local customers, but he hopes more people from the region will begin to take advantage of what the mountain trail has to offer. He said business was better during May this year, a trend he hopes will continue throughout the summer and fall.

Bikers who take their time to enjoy the sites and sounds along the trail can complete the trip in 2 ½ to 3 hours. That gives people time to eat snacks and take photographs along the way, as well as bird watch and look at wildflowers. Deer, rabbits, beavers and squirrels are often spotted by bikers.
Chris McConnell, assistant manager of Blue Blaze Bicycle and Shuttle Service in Damascus, said some bikers carry fishing poles with them on their bike shuttle to Whitetop so that they can stop along the way to fish for trout and other varieties in stocked streams on the trail. Camping areas maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area are available near the trail.
Mann warns bikers to exercise caution while on the downhill excursion. The trail can be crowded on weekends, and people need to be alert when other bikers pass on the trail or follow closely behind. The trail consists of crushed limestone and cinders left over from the railroad days, however, some rocky areas exist along the trail, which could cause a biker to lose control. Helmets are not required but are strongly encouraged.
Shuttle services generally run every hour on the weekends. Shuttle fees range from $11.88 to $13 per person, not including bike rentals. Many of the businesses offer group rates.