Bike the Historic Triangle of Virginia

The "historic triangle" region of Virginia encompassed by Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown offers exceptional opportunities for families, groups or individuals to enjoy recreational biking at its' best.

The Colonial Parkway extends for about 25 miles from Jamestown to Yorktown with Colonial Williamsburg conveniently located in between these two historic locations. Along the parkway are numerous historic markers and rest stops aside the James and York Rivers that provide panoramic views of an awe inspiring landscape. The ride is generally flat with a few relatively small grades along the way that lends itself to those that ride often, but are not necessarily daily riders. I often ride the 20 mile round trip between Williamsburg and Jamestown in the morning. Along the way an assortment of wildlife can be observed. Deer are in abundance along with raccoon and even the occasional wary turkey or shifty fox. The forest and river along the way provide a natural habitant for these creatures as well as for osprey, eagles, ducks, geese and many other native birds.

I am in my early 60's and ride the Trek 7200 which is ideal for roads, paved bike paths or hard packed biking trails through the forests in the local area. While speed is not a consideration, I do like to ride in the 12-16 mph range and on a few downhill runs I have achieved over 30 mph. This is no great news for an accomplished rider, but is provided to set my remarks in context for the recreational rider. I generally ride about 60-75 miles a week, weather permitting. I've had this model for about two years and have logged a little over 6,000 miles so one can see the gap that is attributable to weather. Frankly, I'm a fair weather rider and the purpose of the ride to Williamsburg is to observe the wildlife and beauty along the way as well as to enjoy a hearty breakfast in the Colonial Williamsburg area. About three times a year I make the 50 mile round trip ride from Jamestown to Yorktown.

The trek 7200 has proved to be a reliable bike. The gears shift smoothly and I've made just one adjustment in over 6,000 miles. The only maintenance required other than to oil the chain has been to fix a few flat ties. While fixing a flat tire would seem to be simple, I have encountered difficulty insuring that the tire is properly seated in the rim. When the tire is not properly seated it causes a bump in the ride since the tire is not perfectly round on the rim. Sometimes the tire needs to be adjusted several times to insure the proper seating. However, the bottom line is that I am perfectly satisfied and this is a great bike for a beginner or intermediate road rider.

I did own another Trek mountain bike for about three years (Trek 3900) when for some reason the frame developed a crack. I called the local Trek dealer, brought the bike in so they could examine it and the following week they called to say they had a brand new bike for me at no charge. Needless to say that kind of customer loyalty has made me a very loyal Trek rider.

There is a recently completed paved bike path which enables a rider to enjoy a 16 mile round trip from Jamestown to the Chickahominy River. This ride crosses several specially constructed bike bridges and meanders through the forests, fields and swamps that provide fantastic physical activity as well as the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the natural flora and fauna in the area. Numerous deer graze in the fields, wild turkeys can be heard and occasionally seen in the forest and ducks, geese, eagles and osprey can be observed in the swamps. Morning or evening rides offer the greatest chance to see the wildlife, but the ride is spectacular and invigorating at any time of day.

The point is that if you are coming to Williamsburg for a visit to any of the popular tourist sites - bring your bike and take advantage of the opportunities that are available. You'll be glad you did!