A report on our annual Superbowl Sunday Ride from over the mountain in C’ville by Chase Lyne…
This past weekend marked more than 30 annual Super Bowl Sunday Ride for Harrisonburg, Virginia and the surrounding area. I am not sure anyone truly knows the first year the Super Bowl Ride began, but I am about 90% sure it is older than I am. This year was no different than years prior, in that good people came together to ride bikes and have an adventure up on Flagpole Knob (highest point in Rockingham County).
Photo Credit: Nate Shearer
We really lucked out this year as temperatures hovered near 45 degrees all day! At the start of the ride the sky was rather gray, but the cycling gods must have been on our side as the clouds quickly burned away and revealed blue skies. Riders coming from Harrisonburg, Briery Branch Community Center, as well as the Stokesville Lodge all linked up on the paved road to Reddish and made their way to the top of Flagpole. It’s always fun riding and catching up with new and old friends as you make your way up the climb. I am not sure what the final headcount was this year but I know I saw a lot of new faces which is great! At the split for Flagpole the road was a bit slow going with deep snow drifts and slippery slush. Everyone champed it out though and made it to the top in one piece.
Due to all the great trail work and building by the SVBC and other local groups, riders have quite a few options for making their way down the mountain including Red Diamond, Pond Knob, Mud Pond and more. A group of us decided to take Pond Knob this year and boy was it fun. The dirt road coming off of Flagpole felt like you were riding in a creek and people were hollering and hooting as we rolled down the fire road. Collin reminded us how awesome we were at the top of Meadow Knob, and then Nate, Sam, Lindsay, Eric, Nick, and myself took the amazing ridge trail (connecting Meadow Knob to Pond Knob) and then downhill back home. From all the reports everyone had a safe and fun ride off the mountain.
Over the past 30ish odd years, the mission of the Super Bowl Sunday ride has remained the same: Ride from Briery Branch Community Center (or Harrisonburg) up to the top of Flagpole, take a group photo, maybe let off a few season and the great memories to come. While the ride is growing every year, it is also attracting some high profile riders like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney!fireworks, then rip down the mountain. I myself have ridden the Super Bowl Ride 6 years now, and every year I swear it gets better. The mood of the ride is laid back and relaxed, as people dust off their cycling gear they put away in the fall and suit up for a long ride. For me, and I believe many people, it almost signifies the start of the new cycling season and the great memories to come. While the ride is growing every year, it is also attracting some high profile riders like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney!
I hope everyone had a great ride this year, and if you haven’t tried the Super Bowl Sunday Ride before be sure to change that in 2015!
-Chase Lyne
