Planning

We have taken many cycling trips together over the past 8 years and have become good friends. Joe lives in New York State and Jeff lives in Virginia. Even though we found cycling southwest Virginia difficult when we crossed the United States in 2002 we wanted to do it again. However, this time we will be cycling for a much shorter time period, carrying less gear, sleeping in hotels, and eating in restaurants. Thus we believe our cycling will be more enjoyable and we will have more energy to enjoy the cultural, historical, and social aspects of the region.

Our biggest planning challenge was trying to figure out how to get home after the trip. Initally,we thought we would cycle from Rocky Mount, Virginia to Pikeville, Kentucky. We soon found out that the only way home would be to return by bicycle. Pikeville does have an Enterprise Rental Car but it does not offer a one-way rental. However, the Enterprise at the Roanoke airport does have one-way rental. Therefore, we are driving to Roanoke to get a oneway rental car. While expensive, it allows us to start in Pikeville and cycle norhteast to Roanoke. This change however, is not without consequence. Our longest cycling day and the day with the greatest climbs moves from our last day to our first day.