A friend recently brought inaugural The Battle of North Valley’s Hills charity ride to my attention, and it looks interesting:
[The ride] will take you from Town Park in Strasburg, VA down one of Virginia’s most enchanting Scenic Byways, through all of Shenandoah County’s charming and historical small towns, past the famous battlefields of Fisher’s Hill, Toms Brook, and New Market [full century option only] and on to Shenandoah Caverns for lunch.
After leaving Shenandoah Caverns, the real workout begins as you traverse the foothills of the Massanutten and Blue Ridge Mountains. Steep climbs and rolling hills take you past beautiful vintage farmlands while enjoying breathtaking mountain views. This is some of the most beautiful countryside Virginia has to offer.
Much like Bike New York offers you a unique perspective on the city, long rides through the countryside will give you a chance to experience Virginia in a way that a drive just can’t replicate.  So I, along with my regular ride partner D., have decided to sign up.
There’s much to recommend the ride. After the excellent (if challenging) route, you’ve got very enticing rest stop options, including Radner beer and Route 11 chips from the source.  Further, $25 of your registration will go to One Step Closer, a local foundation that modifies the homes of special needs families free of charge (in checking these folks out, I discovered that Virginia isn’t all that impressive, when it comes to servicing those needs).  And on top of all that, everyone who signs up this year gets half off of next year’s registration fees. I don’t know the organizers, so I can’t vouch for them, but between the obvious enthusiasm and low cost, it seems a pretty safe bet. Check it out.