Dan Casey

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This is a great ride for kids, or for pulling toddlers in a bike trailer. In 11 miles, you'll pass 10 city parks or plazas, many featuring playground equipment. The best setup is in Smith Park along the river. It also has a large picnic pavilion, and bathrooms, although they're generally locked until

There's plenty of food and drink available downtown. If you ride up the mountain, make sure you take sunglasses for the ride down. A bug in your eye speeding downhill at 40 mph is no fun.

Sunglasses also prevent soft contacts (if you wear them) from drying out on your eyes on long downhills.

Getting there

The starting point is Roanoke City's Shrine Hill Park, which stretches along Grandin Road just past Patrick Henry High School in Southwest Roanoke.

To get there from Towers Shopping Center take Brandon Avenue west to Grandin and go left. About a quarter mile down Grandin there are three tennis courts. Park in the small gravel lot next to them.

The ride

Come out of the lot and make a right on Grandin. Cross Brandon, and make the first right on Shirley. Take the next left on Greenwood. Follow Greenwood until it dead-ends on Windsor. Go right, then immediately left on Winborne. Make your first right on Bluemont, just past Evergreen Cemetery. Follow it to Maiden Lane, go right, then make another quick right on Wasena.

Follow Wasena to 10th Street, go left. Make another left on Winchester. Go a few hundred yards up to the next sheet, Wylie Drive (it's unmarked). Make a right and begin to wind your way through Wasena Park. You'll cross a low water bridge into Smith Park, then a second bridge. The river road ends on Wylie Drive proper. Go left, ride to Roanoke Memorial Hospital and turn left on Hamilton Terrace. Make the next left on Piedmont, which follows the Roanoke River. Piedmont will lead you back to Hamilton Terrace. Go left for a short jog to Walnut Street. There's a convenience store here.

Here you have a choice. If you want a killer workout go right on Walnut, go three block up the hill to Sylvan and turn right. It becomes Prospect Road, 1.5 miles of switchbacks that climb up Mill Mountain to Mill Mountain Park. This climb is Kinda Tough. Go down the road on the back side of the mountain, make a left on Fishburn Parkway, and it leads to back to Walnut. The downhill is fast and fun.

Otherwise, go left on Walnut over the Walnut Street bridge, then right on Jefferson. Three or four blocks up you'll see beautifully manicured Elmwood Park on your right. Follow the paved paths through the park to Franklin Road. Cross it, and follow the broad sidewalk between two large office buildings to Church Avenue. Cross Church, and bear right into a parking lot. Make left and go through the lot, which will lead you to Campbell Avenue and the Market Building.

Go halfway up Market Street to a wide alley and hang a right. This turns into Kirk Avenue, which dead-ends on Second St. Go left, then right on Church Avenue. Take Church to Fifth Street, go left. Take Fifth to Washington St. and go right. Make a right on Sixth Street, then a quick left on Highland. Follow Highland to Ferdinand and turn right.

Ferdinand takes you to Elm. Here, get on the sidewalk in front of B&D Comics and cross Wasena Bridge. Take a right on Winona, then a left on Tenth St. Follow Tenth Sheet to Valley Avenue, make a right. Make a right on Hamilton, another right on Brighton, then another left on Wasena. Go left on Maiden Lane at the Church of the Brethren. Follow Maiden across Grandin Road; stay on it until you see Dudding Street. turn left and follow Dudding past Raleigh Court Park and Woodrow Wilson Middle School, where it turns into Carter Road. Stay on Carter until you get to Brandon Avenue. (convenience store here). Cross Brandon and stay on Carter. It brings you back to Grandin Road across the street from Shrine Hill Park.