Dan Casey

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We'd pulled up to the Bennett Springs entrance of Carvins Cove and I pulled my cheap but trusty mountain bike off the roof rack on Josh Meltzer's car. I began fitting my front wheel into the forks when I noticed a problem with the front cantilever brake.

The right side's spring had sprung, as it were. And there was no way I could get it into a useful position.

"Take the spring out," suggested one of the six cyclists waiting for me. That would cause the brake pad to rub lightly against the front wheel's rim, although it would work when I needed it to.

"Why not?" I thought. The cloudless sky was blue as new pair of Levis. Outlined against it was the bright yellow glow of autumn maples and a tableau of red, orange and purple on other trees. There weren't many November Sundays this gorgeous. Why let a messed-up brake cause me to miss it?

I took the spring out and put the bike together, then tested the front brake with a squeeze of its handle. The brake cable snapped.

A tingle ran down my spine. It seemed that someone upstairs was sending a message that this was a bad day for me to ride the trails. Meltzer and I packed up and headed home, chagrined.

The road beckons

We didn't stay disappointed for long. Each of us had road-worthy racing bikes at home. We wouldn't waste this sun and 65-degree weather.

Long before we made it back to the city, we'd plotted out a challenging but doable ride up and down some of the steepest mountains in Salem and Southwest Roanoke County.

The core of the run came from Meltzer, a 20-something former college racer who spent last summer riding across Europe. He wanted some steep climbs. I filled in the gaps with roads I've poked along from time to time.

I call this ride Three Peaks: Twelve O'Clock Knob, Chestnut Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain. This triple whammy loop will leave your lungs burning, your legs tight and your hands aching from hard brake action on the steep, twisty descents.

The total ride is about 28 miles. At least 7 of that is climbing, and if it's a gusty day you'll ride about 5 miles into the wind on a flat stretch of U.S. 11. In other words, this is a jaunt for cyclists who love all the adversity that nature and the Roanoke Valley's geography can toss at them.

Along the way you'll see multiple views of the valley from up high; do a short stretch on probably the most dangerous road to ride on in these parts, at least traffic-wise; cross paths with one of Roanoke County's most secluded parks; and wind through a high-altitude (for these parts) vineyard.

You'll also follow the hardest Roanoke area-section of the Tour DuPont's time trial in the Roanoke Valley in 1994 and 1995. Some of these roads are lightly traveled. Often, the views are amazing. And the descents are white-knuckle zigzags that'll leave you pining for more.

The route

The start and finish point is Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. The the idea is to head out of Roanoke to Salem on Brandon Avenue, cross Twelve O'Clock Knob to U.S. 221, then double back part of the way toward Salem by crossing Chestnut Mountain. The icing on the cake is Sugarloaf Mountain, which dumps you out on Virginia 419. You follow Grandin Road for the ride back.

Here's the detailed route:

From Patrick Henry, get on Brandon Avenue and follow it a few miles out to Virginia 419, which you'll cross. Make your first right on Riverside Drive and follow it along the Roanoke River back to Apperson. Cross Apperson, where the road changes to Front Avenue. Continue for five blocks and make a left on Eddy Avenue. Go up Eddy for three blocks and make right on Piedmont Avenue. 12 O'Clock Knob Road is the third left. It's part of a designated bike route through Salem. You'll probably see the little green signs that mark it as such.

This is where the climb starts -- gently, at first. The serious uphill begins about a mile up the road. Ignore the sign that indicates the end of the bike route and advises you to turn around. Instead, bear to the left and head up that steep hill.

This is a tough one. You'll round turn after turn, some of them steeply banked. You'll reach the peak about three miles later, where there's a small yellow Cape Cod house on your right. You'll probably want to ride your brakes on the way down -- some of the turns are very tight, although the downhill isn't as steep as the way up.

Twelve O'Clock Knob Road ends at U.S. 221. Make a left on 221 and go down the road for less than a mile. Then make a sharp left on Chestnut Mountain Road. This climb is about 2 miles. You'll know you're near the end when you see the vineyard on your right.

Be careful when you crest the top of the mountain! This downhill stretch plunges through vicious twists that wind almost on top of each other. One rider on the 1994 Tour Dupont found this out the hard way: he took one turn too fast and hurtled off the road and down a steep bank, breaking his pelvis.

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

Shadows from the leaves that remain cut across Twelve O'Clock Knob Road in this late fall picture. Maples and white oaks were holding onto their leaves, but many other trees' already had fallen.

Related

Map

• Map of the Three Peaks

There's an intersection with Roselawn Avenue at the bottom of the hill. Go straight here, onto Sugarloaf Mountain Road. This will be your third and last climb.

This hill's about a mile. It gets hard near the top, then drops straight back down toward 419. Pass some townhouses on your left, then make a right on Bridle Lane. Take Bridle to Carriage Drive and go left. Take Carriage about a block and go right on Hackney Drive. Make your first left on Grandin Road Extension. This will bring you out to 419 across from Southwest Plaza.

Follow the Grandin extension across 419; a few miles down it ends in a T-intersection. Go left on Grandin; Patrick Henry is less than a mile down on the right.

A few notes

There's a gas station convenience store on U.S. 221 just after you've descended from Twelve O'Clock Knob that's the best place to stop for a snack. Other than this one store (except for spots on Brandon Avenue at the beginning of this ride) the remainder of the ride is residential or country.

Another nice place to stop is Happy Hallow Gardens Park, a small, secluded enclave tucked off Chestnut Mountain Road about halfway up to the peak. Look for the large Roanoke County Park & Recreation sign on the left.

Be careful on U.S. 221! It's narrow with no shoulder and the speed limit is 50 mph. I've had some really close calls with speeding cars and trucks there. I know mountain bikers who will pull all kinds of crazy stunts on a trail but are scared to ride on this road.

In the same vein, be VERY careful on the descents from Twelve O'Clock Knob and Chestnut Mountain. On some of the tighter turns, there's really no margin for error. Either you make it or you'll get pitched off the low side down a very steep slope.