For six years many in the Richmond paddling community have gathered every December to hang out, swap stories from the past year of paddling and watch each other’s homemade movies. Retro Movie Night, as it’s been dubbed, has become a popular event — this year it was held at The Camel — one that galvanizes that band of James River lovers.

Crossroads Coffee will the site of a bike-in movie night on March 26th.

Now one of the guys who helped get Retro Movie Night off the ground, wants to create a similar event (or series of events) for bike lovers.

Hunter Davis loves a good bike ride almost as much as he loves paddling the James, and with the success of Retro Movie Night, he figured might enjoy a similar excuse to gather, talk about past and upcoming two-wheeled adventures and watch related movies. Thus next Wednesday (March 26th) at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream at 7 p.m. will be born the first Bike-In Theater Night.

“My dad is an avid bike rider and we were just talking,” the Richmond native said. “He mentioned how it would be neat to do something similar to the Retro Video Night — showing movies and pulling out the biking community…We thought it’d be cool to do something like a drive-in movie theater but for bikers. So when they finish their bike ride, they could just all end up in one spot and talk about their bike ride and the adventures they had been on and then also have some biking flicks on a professional looking screen.”

So, on Wednesday, that’s exactly what Crossroads will host.

“I feel like Crossroads is pretty much the post-outdoor place to go,” Davis said. “If I get off the river, I usually go grab a beer at Crossroads, or a lot of times I’ll end my bike ride there and get a beer. I feel like they’ve always catered to the outdoor community and with the trails being right there and Riverside Drive…it just seemed like a natural fit for a place to be doing bike-in theater.”

Mountain biking in Forest Hill Park. Credit: Phil Riggan

Davis said there will be a couple of short movies made about the biking scene locally. Then they’ll also have a bike-related feature film (I suggested Rad).

The hope is that this will become a once-every-few-months event. “It’s just something to have fun with,” Davis said.

Work continues on the construction of the 55-mile Virginia Capital Trail, which will eventually connect all three of Virginia’s historical capitals — Richmond, Williamsburg and Jamestown. The eight-mile Charles City Courthouse section of the path is complete and offers a great time in the country for cyclists.

This phase of the trail – one of nine — parallels historic Route 5, designated by the Department of Transportation as 
a scenic area. Along this stretch of Route 5 are the birthplaces of two U.S. Presidents, three churches, and several picturesque private farms.

Old Charles City Courthouse

Cyclists may park their vehicles either at the Charles City Courthouse complex or the newly constructed rest area at Little Herring Creek. From either point, the trail offers safe cycling off the main road on a separate paved surface. If you park your vehicle at the 
courthouse complex, you’ll find public rest
rooms, a description of the first courthouse
 that dates from the 1730s, and the
 Courthouse Grille, which is housed in the
 old general store that dates from 1872.

The old courthouse building is made of 
brick and in its original state, was almost 
identical to the old courthouse in Hanover
County. The old and new courthouses are 
off Route 5 on SR 644 and motorists simply 
follow the signs to the complex and park 
in the ample lot.

After checking the air pressure in your 
tires, you’re ready to proceed west for the eight-mile ride. The trail actually starts once you pass by the Post Office and Memorial United Methodist Church, which you’ll see on your left. The first historic site at this point of the trail is the privately owned Greenway Farm. The house was built around 1776 by John Tyler, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1808 to 1811. His son, also named John, became Governor of Virginia and was later elected Vice President during the 1840 Presidential race along with Presidential candidate William Henry Harrison.

The next few miles of the trail pass farms and wooded areas. The bridges on this stretch have been constructed over waterways and have safety rails included. After passing through one of the wooded areas a few miles west of Greenway, the cyclist comes to a clearing then the driveway of Evelynton.

Westover Church

This estate was once part of the huge Westover plantation. In 1847 the Ruffin family took possession of the place. Edmund Ruffin has been described as the Father of American Agronomy. As with most farms in Charles City County, Evelynton was invaded by Federal forces during the Civil War. The main house was burned at that time. The present structure was built in 1937 by Ruffin’s great-grandson and designed by architect Duncan Lee.

Close by Evelynton is Westover Church. As with Evelynton, the tract of land on which the church stands was once part of the vast Westover plantation. This classic brick structure dates from the 1730s and is surrounded by ancient boxwood and mature trees. After the American Revolution and the disestablishment of the Church of England, Westover Church was abandoned by 1803. It was used as a
barn for thirty years before it was revived
as an Episcopal Church. Legend says
that the first building originally stood next
to the Westover house. The mistress of
Westover, Mrs. Byrd, had a new building
constructed on the present site as a
matter of survival. Southern hospitality
dictated that the mistress of the property
on which the church stood, required her
to serve Sunday supper to the
parishioners after services. This practice
stretched Mrs. Byrd’s energies and
resources too much, so she had the
church relocated.

During the Civil War, Westover Church was used as a stable by Federal officers. Damage from that time was repaired and services resumed in 1867 but without several pieces of communion silver, which disappeared during the Federal occupancy. A descendant of the soldier who took the pieces returned them to the church in the 20th Century, and they are used to this day.

Just west of the church is mile marker 27. There will be more of these as construction of the trail continues.

Cul’s Courthouse Grill.

Further west along Route 5, the trail goes off to the left down an embankment to Little Herring Creek. Here VDOT has built a rest area with parking and picnic facilities. For those cyclists who would rather begin the Charles City Courthouse phase at this point and ride east, this is the place to begin. There are no rest room facilities here.

The turnoff at Little Herring Creek also marks the entrances to both Berkeley and Westover Plantations. The Harrison family built the main house at Berkeley in 1726. Benjamin Harrison V served as a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. His son, William Henry, was born here in 1772 and was elected President of the US in 1840 with John Tyler as his running mate. Harrison was the first President to die in office after only a month as a result of catching pneumonia on his inauguration day.

Westover was the seat of the Byrd family of Virginia. William Byrd II gave the city of Richmond its name. The main house is believed to have been built around 1750. It is privately owned.

The trail continues past this point one more
mile to Kimages Road. Cyclists will pass 
Edgewood Plantation, a local bed and breakfast that 
has an interesting history. In the spring of 1862, the famous Confederate cavalry general J.E.B.
Stuart circled the Federal Army to determine what
 positions they held. General Stuart and his officers 
stopped for a time at Edgewood. Legend has it one
 of the owner’s daughters swooned when she saw 
the general ride up the driveway. Her ghost is
 sometimes seen in one of the second floor
 windows.

Pedestrian bridge east of Gunn’s Run on the Virginia Capital Trail

When you return to the
 courthouse, do consider stopping by
the Courthouse Grille. The food and
 service are excellent and have
 received positive reviews in the 
Richmond press. Spend a few 
moments looking over the old general
 store ledgers which are on display 
near the front door.

So plan a bike trip out this way. The trail is separate
 from Route 5, and is a safe and
 enjoyable outing for families.

At the beginning of the General Assembly session, we posted a piece looking at the three major bicycle-related bills in front of the GA. One would have increased the minimum clearance between cars and bikes when passing to three feet. Another would have made “dooring,” opening one’s door into the path of an oncoming cyclist, punishable by a fine. And the third would have barred motorists from tailgating cyclists.

Seen any of these in Richmond? We haven’t either.

Two of the three bills died in committee. Only the first — the three-foot clearance law — is headed to the governor for his signature. According to the Virginia Bicycling Federation:

Though Delegate Barbara Comstock (R – Fairfax/Loudon) wasn’t successful with HB82, requiring motorists to not follow cyclists too closely, she certainly made a valiant effort to get it through the Senate Transportation Committee — where a number of longtime supporters voted against the bill.  Considering that Virginia is the only state which doesn’t protect cyclists from being tailgated, this legislation merely corrected an embarrasing omission to the existing Code.  It seems larger forces (Politics!) may have influenced the outcome of what seems like a common sense bill.

Senator Chap Petersen (D – Fairfax) suffered a similar fate with his SB225 before the Senate Transportation Committee.

You might expect that opinion from a group called the Virginia Bicycling Federation. It’s their job to champion bicycle issue. But in this morning’s paper, the Times-Dispatch Editorial Page offers a similar assessment: The two bills that failed, it said, fell prey to pettiness.

Citing people on both sides of the issue, a report in The Washington Post attributes the fall of the dooring bill to rural resentment and suburban road rage. Not exactly high-minded principles, are they?

The Senate Transportation Committee, which has an 8-7 Democratic majority, passed by the tailgating measure. Chairman Creigh Deeds has supported the proposal in the past. He said he didn’t this year because “you always reserve the right to be smarter than you were the day before.”

That’s one explanation. Here’s another: This year the bill was carried by Del. Barbara Comstock, a Republican who is running for Congress — and Democrats didn’t want to give her another line to put on campaign brochures. So Virginia will remain the only state that does not protect bicyclists from tailgating. Who — besides Deeds — thinks Virginia is smarter on the issue than the rest of the country?

The T-D’s PolitiFact Virginia service also ran their “Truth-O-Meter” on Comstock’s statement that five Democratic state senators were for the bicycle tailgating bill “before they were against it.” They found Comstock’s statement to be true.

As the VBF writes on their site: Until we make our roads and streets safe for all cyclists, we are facing an uphill battle to expect average citizens to choose to ride their bikes to work, school, for errands exercise or vacation.

There was a lot to digest from yesterday’s course route announcement for the 2015 UCI World Cycling Championships to be held here in Richmond. One thing that jumped out at me that wasn’t mentioned in any of the news coverage had to do with the elite men’s road race, the event’s marquee race.

In previous conversations, Lee Kallman, marketing director for Richmond 2015, said there was a possibility of a remote start for the men’s road race before it enters Richmond for a handful of laps on the 10-mile, downtown circuit. There was no mention of a remote start yesterday. Some previous world championships (like last year’s in Florence, Italy) had remote starts. Others did not.

British cyclist Mark Cavendish celebrates his 2011 world championship road race win.

“It hasn’t been ruled out at this point,” Kallman said, when I gave him a call to ask about the remote start. “It’s certainly something that could be added to the circuit. We’re still exploring some possibilities.”

Kallman said it’s not something they’ll do, “just for the sake of it. But if there’s an opportunity to engage another partner around the state or a corporate partner by doing a remote start somewhere…It’s kind of driven by some of those things.”

In other words, if some business (a Charlottesville winery, say) or a locality (maybe the City of Fredericksburg) wants to pony up, and reap the benefits of the TV coverage, there’s a possibility the men’s road race could start somewhere outside of Richmond.

Kallman added that while there is no requirement on whether or not to have a remote start, if they choose to go ahead with one, there are rules about that section of the course. Most significantly, he said, is that it has to be under 100 kilometers.

And, of course, any miles contested outside outside the downtown circuit would take away from miles fans along the circuit could watch.

“Part of the beauty of the road championships is the racing on the circuit,” Kallman said. “It’s extremely fan friendly.”

Kallman said that a number of UCI officials will be in town this May for the Collegiate Cycling Championships to be held here on the same courses as the 2015 races. “If we were going down the route of having a remote site, that would be a great opportunity to take them out and show them those roads.”

The governor, the mayor and a number of cycling dignitaries were on hand earlier this afternoon at the Greater Richmond Convention Center for the unveiling of the courses for the world road cycling championships to be held here in September of 2015.

According to a press release from Richmond 2015 (the organization that helped bring the races here):

Some of Central Virginia’s most iconic views – from Monument Avenue to Libby Hill – will be on display for the world to see when top cyclists from around the globe descend on Richmond to compete in the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.

Richmond 2015, the organizing committee of the nine-day event from Sept. 19-27, 2015, today announced the courses for the 12 World Championship races, which expect to attract 450,000 on-site spectators from the United States and around the world. All of the races will end at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Broad Street in downtown Richmond; individual events will start in the City of Richmond and surrounding counties.

Two of the courses, the time trial and road race circuits, will be used during the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals May 2-4, 2014, which will serve as a test event for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. An additional criterium course also will be used for the Collegiate championships.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones were on hand to make remarks at the announcement. UCI President Brian Cookson and USA Cycling President and CEO Steve Johnson also attended.

This will be the first time the event has been held in the U.S. since 1986, when Colorado Springs hosted.

Here are the races and courses:

• Team Time Trial – Men’s and Women’s (Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015) – Teams depart Rocketts Landing in Henrico County, and head east on Route 5 before winding through Richmond National Battlefield Park. The race enters the City of Richmond in Shockoe Bottom and finishes with a 350-meter-long climb of Governor Street next to the Virginia State Capital and dash down Broad Street to the Convention Center.

• Individual Time Trial Circuit – Junior Men and U23 (Monday, Sept. 21, 2015); Junior Women and Elite Women (Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015) – Racers depart the Convention Center and head to Monument Avenue. A 180-degree turn at the Jefferson Davis monument returns riders toward downtown, where they will speed through Virginia Commonwealth University and cross the James River before finishing with the climb of Governor Street and dash down Broad Street.

• Elite Men’s Individual Time Trial – 33 miles (Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015) – Racers begin their “Race of Truth” in Hanover County at Kings Dominion, and move past Meadow Event Park, birthplace of thoroughbred racing legend Secretariat. Riders will pass the Hanover Courthouse, the third oldest courthouse still in use in the United States, en route to the City of Richmond via Chamberlayne Road and pass through Virginia Union University before finishing with the climb of Governor Street and dash down Broad Street.

• Road Circuit – Junior Women and U23 Men (Friday, Sept. 25, 2015); Junior Men and Elite Women (Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015); Elite Men (Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015) – Riders start a challenging, technical and inner-city circuit at the Convention Center and head to Monument Avenue, ultimately turning around at the Jefferson Davis Monument and heading through Virginia Commonwealth University. At the circuit midpoint, racers will maneuver the cobblestone streets of Shockoe Slip and follow the canal to Great Shiplock Park, the start of the Virginia Capital Trail, a 50-mile pedestrian trail to Williamsburg to be completed by September 2015. From Rocketts Landing, riders face a twisty, cobbled 250-meter climb up Libby Hill, a view that influenced William Byrd II to name the city Richmond based on similarities to Richmond upon Thames. Another 110-meter climb of 23rd Street awaits before the racers speed through Shockoe Bottom and finish with a climb of Governor Street and dash down Broad Street.

Despite the name, Richmond Cycling Corps‘ big fundraiser — the Snowflake Ride — was snowed out…at least temporarily. Originally scheduled for last weekend, the Snowflake Ride has been moved to Sunday, March 2 at 11 a.m.

I caught up with RCC founder Craig Dodson the other day, and he said the event, now in its third year, has become an increasingly important fundraiser for the non-profit that gets inner-city kids into cycling (while teaching leadership development at the same time).

“Last year we raised around $5,000,” Dodson said. “This year the goal is $10,000. If this event goes off [well], this will constitute a good chunk of our programming budget.”

RCC recently started a cycling program at Armstrong High School, which cost $10,000 just to get rolling. Money raised through the Snowflake ride will go mostly toward growing and maintaining that program.

Last year, Dodson said, 200 people participated in the ride, which offers three distances — 19, 34 and 42 miles, all of which start together with a police escort from RCC headquarters in Scott’s Addition to Bryan Park. Along the course there will be a rest stop with hot cider and other goodies and back at the finish line there’ll be a sweet spread: homemade soup, bread, and beer from Isley Brewing (which is next door). A DJ will be rocking the joint and the wood burning stove will be cranking.

It should be a fun party for a great cause. Click here to learn more and to register.

At around 8:10 a.m. yesterday morning (Feb. 20), a woman riding a bicycle was hit at the corner of North Mulberry Street and Monument Avenue in Richmond. The bicyclist was riding west on Monument when a car heading southbound on Mulberry struck her and dragged her 15 feet through the intersection.

The bike involved in the accident. Credit: NBC12

The driver of the Honda CR-V reportedly stopped at the stop sign and couldn’t see the bicyclist because the sun was in her eyes. The bicyclist was reported to have been following the rules of the road.

WTRV6.com first reported that a couple of witnesses were able to push the SUV off the bicyclist, who was pinned underneath.

“They managed to actually push the vehicle up a little bit and slide the bicyclist out and the ambulance and police arrived on scene,” said Sgt. David Selander with the Richmond Police.

“I think it’s kind of miraculous that those people were there and responded like that,” said Julian Pozzi, who lives in the Fan.

The Sports Backers’ Director of Bike Walk RVA, Max Hepp-Buchanan, released this statement yesterday after the accident:

“While traffic collisions happen, poor street design has a played role here,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA for the Sports Backers. “Cars parking too closely to the corners of the intersection have created inadequate sight-lines for anyone trying to make their way across Monument Avenue, regardless of their mode of travel. This condition is not unique to the intersection of Monument and Mulberry – it exists all over the Fan and Museum District. Something needs to be done to fix this situation.”

“The last thing we want is for this to happen again,” said Sports Backers Executive Director Jon Lugbill. “We can build a better environment for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. It’s time for real bicycle infrastructure in Richmond that makes riding feel comfortable and that offers people a safe way to navigate the city.”

With the General Assembly now in session, I gave Champe Burnley a call to talk about bike-related issues in front of the GA. Not surprisingly, Burnley beat me to the punch: “Check out our website,” the Virginia Bicycling Federation representative said.

At Vabike.org, Burnley has compiled a list of three pieces of legislation his group is pushing. “We’ve had these up before (the GA) before and we haven’t gotten them through,” Burnley said. “But we’re feeling pretty optimistic we can get these through this year.”

Here’s the list:

SB97: Three-Foot Passing

This bill would help educate motor vehicle drivers to pass the drivers of any non-motorized vehicle (including a bicycle) with a wider margin of error, and thereby reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries to these legal and legitimate road users. In addition, this bill could improve justice for all lawful and prudent drivers of non-motorized vehicles (including bicycles) who are injured by negligent following motorists. Finally, this bill would make it illegal to harass or endanger the driver of any legal vehicle by “buzzing” them. The current code says “pass by (at least) two feet”, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Click here to read more about SB 97.

HB 82 and HB 811: Following Too Closely

Currently this Code section applies only to motor vehicles following other motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers. The proposed modification would extend the same standard of legal protection to the drivers of all vehicles that are permitted on the roadway, including bicycles, mopeds, and animal-drawn vehicles. The prohibition on following too closely would still only apply to drivers of motor vehicles, so the common (and typically safe) practice of a bicyclist drafting another bicyclist would not be affected.

SB 225: Dooring

As the number of cyclists on roads increase and bike lanes become more prevalent in our urban areas, “dooring” has become a major threat to cyclists.  It’s a threat because there is no way to prevent accidents and serious injuries. Right now, the driver is not at fault.  Drivers are permitted to open the car door at their discretion.  There is no law to find them negligent of causing the injury.

This past Saturday the Times-Dispatch’s Randy Hallman reported that an official from the UCI was in town to inspect the possible courses for the 2015 World Cycling Championships.

Will the road race go up Libby Hill’s cobblestones in 2015?

Wrote Hallman: “(Matthew) Knight arrived Friday to inspect the courses — yet to be revealed to the public — that have been mapped out in Richmond and the counties of Henrico and Hanover by Richmond 2015, the nonprofit organization responsible for organizing, managing and promoting the racing event. The championships will be held here in September 2015.”

On Monday I gave Lee Kallman, head of marketing for Richmond 2015, a call to find out a little more. He said Knight spent the time “driving the courses, getting out, walking around and checking it out in more detail.

“The wasn’t a lot of concern over any of the courses themselves,” Kallman added. “We might make a few tweaks here and there over the distance of some of the courses. Then its looking at things that relate to rider safety.”

For Richmond 2015, the preparations for the races (12 over nine days) have three prongs: “the competition element, the impact element, and that tourism piece — where we want the race to go through parts of the area we want to showcase to the world.”

“From UCI perspective, that competition element is probably most important. And rider safety and just putting on a great race that showcases the sport.”

Kallman said that the UCI should produce their final report on the courses in the next couple of weeks, and Richmond 2015 hopes to announce those to the public six to eight weeks after that, though it could be sooner.

“I want to make sure we’re prepared,” he said. “We have maps right now that are very functional looking. I want some stuff that looks good. Maps that people can really look at and see exactly where the race is going to go. We want local residents to know that on this day, the race is going to come down their street. Nearly two years out, they can start planning and organizing.We want to be able to talk about the impact this will have.

“Also there’s a lot of people that are waiting to see the courses to plan their trip to Richmond.”

The event will feature 12 championship races for Elite Men and Women, Under 23 Men and Junior Men and Women.

There are separate courses for the team time trial for pro men and women; an individual time trial for junior boys and girls, pro women and under 23 men; an individual time trial course for pro men; and the road race for pro men and women.

It is expected to bring 1,500 athletes and 450,000 spectators to the Richmond region. The race has a projected $150 million economic impact, will bring 450,000 spectators, 400 hours of live, global television coverage, 500 global media outlets and a predicted 300 million TV viewers, according to figures from Richmond 2015.

“Gravel grinders” are a hard-to-define but growing category of bike race in which riders pedal mountain or cyclorcross bikes on fire roads or double track (or some combination of the two) over long distances.

There are many Gravel Grinders around the country. In the Mid-Atlantic, Iron Cross in Pennsylvania and Southern Cross in Georgia have gained a level of cache among hardcore racers, but neither of those, nor any other race in the region, can match the attendance figures of Richmond’s upstart Monster Cross.

Started by local race promoter Mark Junkermann three years ago, registration for this year’s Monster Cross (at Pocahontas State Park on Sunday, February 24) is already well ahead of last year’s. The 2013 event drew about 600 riders from nine different states. Junkermann said, if trends hold, this year he could have 700 sign up for the 50-mile sufferfest. Over the 50 miles, the course gains and loses between 2,500 and 3,000 of elevation. It’s hillier than you might think, but it’s no mountain beast.

“It partly depends on what the weather is like between now and then,” he said, explaining that if it’s a mild winter, people tend to ride more and feel like they’re in race shape by late February.

Credit: Potomac Velo Club

As for the popularity of Monster Cross, Junkermann said, “I don’t know a bigger one anywhere.”

He attributed that to “luck.” Part of it is the calendar. Another part is location. “Northern people are just itching to get on their bikes out of the snow,” he said.

This year for the first time, there’ll be a beer garden, provided by Center of the Universe Brewing, and on the Saturday before Monster Cross, Junkermann has added to trail runs a 5K and a 15K race. Click here for registration info.

And if you’re wondering about that video above, that was from last year’s Monster Cross. You never know who you’ll run into out in the Pocahontas woods.