Dan Casey

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The big rig rolled off Interstate 81, then lumbered slowly along U.S. 220 in Cloverdale to the clogged intersection. It inched a left turn across U.S. 11's four lanes, where Manly Aylor, John Carlin, Jim Palmieri and I were riding. Its engine revved and the smokestack blew out a great cloud of noxious diesel exhaust. The truck headed north for a short distance, then turned left into one of Cloverdale's giant truck stops.

Yuck.

"You hear bicyclists talk, 'it's Route 11 this, Route 11 that.' They're always riding on Route 11," Carlin said. "I don't see why. Doesn't seem so great to me."

The Channel 10 news anchor's point was an understatement. Once the main north-south highway before the Interstate replaced it decades ago, Route 11 is no fun to ride, at least around Roanoke.

It is heavily commercial, crowded with traffic, choked by stoplights and littered with fast food joints and cheap, shabby motels. Glass and sharp metal shards on the roadside will poke a hole in your tire faster than a phlebotomist can stick a needle in your arm. Route 11 is greasy, unsatisfying, frustrating, and, for a bicyclist, potentially deadly. No wonder they named a potato chip after it.

But on this ride, it was a necessary evil.

From Roanoke, Route 11 is the quickest way to get to Mountain Pass Road, a gorgeous ribbon of black tar that rises east from the quaint Botetourt County town of Troutville. On this 33-mile loop from the city, the end definitely justifies the means.

Serene, surging, exhilarating

My friend Ted Remandaban first took me on this little jewel a few weeks ago. After 15 or more unfriendly city miles on a variety of streets, we turned off Route 11 onto Mountain Pass Road. All of a sudden, we were in a different world. The busy rumble of traffic was gone, and the stench of exhaust fumes gave way to springtime's sweet smell of growing grass.

Right away I was hooked.

"Gorgeous" doesn't quite do justice to Mountain Pass Road. It's also serene, serpentine, surging, green, brawny and exhilarating. Along its asphalt swells are mountain meadows, a suburban lake, rolling cow pastures and the Jefferson National Forest's shady woods.

This is what it's like riding on Mountain Pass Road: little traffic, clean air, wonderful views. It's a world away from the industrial landscape you see until you get there. You'll sweat buckets as you curse Mountain Pass' steep (though short) climbs, and the wind will force tears from your eyes as the bike rips down its thrilling plunges. Then you'll squeeze your brake levers with all your might and hang on for dear life as you zip into hard lefts and rights. This road's turns are so sharp you'll swear that whoever designed it was deranged.

Alas, it is also fairly short. On this ride, you're on it only for 4 or so miles. But it leads you to a long stretch on the Blue Ridge Parkway back toward town. The parkway is a challenging road in its own right, but it seems tame in comparison to Mountain Pass.

Notes

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

This is where you get off Mountain Pass Road and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. The guys are starting up a dirt path. At the top of the path, take a right and head back toward Roanoke.

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The Route

• From downtown Roanoke, take Campbell Avenue east until you come to Hollins Road; go left (north) on Hollins.
• Follow Hollins to U.S. 460, cross it, and stay on Hollins all the way up to a T-intersection with Shadwell and go right. Cross the tracks and make an immediate left on Sanderson. (Va. 605).
• This is where you get off Mountain Pass Road and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. The guys are starting up a dirt path. At the top of the path, take a right and head back toward Roanoke.
Follow Sanderson to Read Mountain Road (Va. 654) and go left.
• Stay on Read Mountain to U.S. 11, and go right. Ride about 3 miles. Soon after you enter Troutville, make a right on Mountain Pass Road (Va. 652).
• Follow Mountain Pass Road until you reach the Blue Ridge Parkway overpass. Just before it there's a dirt path on the right. You'll need to walk or carry your bike up it. At the top of the path hang a right and head south on the parkway. Once you're on the parkway, you've got two options:
• 1) The shorter and easier route. Follow the parkway 5-6 miles. A half-mile past the 111 mile marker, you'll see the backside of a deer crossing sign on the left. There's a dirt path here that will lead you off the parkway to Bradford Road. Take a left on Bradford, then an immediate left on Mountain View Road. Follow it all the way to Virginia 24 (Washington Boulevard). Take a right on 24, go to the bottom of the hill, make a left on Pollard, your first right on Lee, then bear left on Walnut. This turns into Wise Avenue as you enter Roanoke. At the intersection with Campbell, hang a left and take it back to downtown. From the deer crossing sign it's about 5 miles back into downtown. This ride is about 33 miles total.
• 2) The longer, tougher route: Stay on the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way back to Fishburn Parkway (about 14 miles). Take a right on Fishburn Parkway and follow it all the way back into town. The hard part about this way is the last 5 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway are a low-grade climb up Roanoke Mountain. This adds about 9 miles to the total length of the ride.

If you're at all spooked by traffic, you probably won't like this ride. The first half is on commercial or industrial city streets, often only two lanes, with little or no shoulder. Traffic often is turning onto or off of the road. Watch those cars carefully.

This is where you get off the Blue Ridge Parkway to head back toward Vinton on Mountain View Road, if you choose that way. Look for the backside of this deer crossing sign on the left. There's a little path that leads from it to Bradford Road.

Between Roanoke and Mountain Pass Road, there are many places to stop and get a drink or a snack if you're so inclined, or to use a bathroom. If you do, it's probably a good idea to lock your bike or have someone stay outside and watch it.

Be careful on Mountain Pass Road. I've ridden it on a Sunday mornings, when traffic was very light, and on a Saturday morning when traffic was more frequent. Cars, trucks, bicycles and tight blind turns can make for a dangerous combination. Keep your eyes up!