In its Ride Destinations column, BICYCLING Magazine has curated their selection of “mountain passes that promise jaw-dropping vistas along with major bragging rights” in its feature Top Road Climbs with a View; naming the Alpine Loop #1 on the list.
Nicknamed by professional mountain bike racer Jeremiah Bishop, the Alpine Loop is among his favorite training rides and the namesake for the annual event the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo presented by the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project.
As BICYCLING tells it, “This 104-mile loop starting in Harrisonburg delivers a quad-burning 11,000 feet of Blue Ridge Mountain climbing, complete with two dirt road sections (including a 10-mile haul to Reddish Knob—the highest point in northern Virginia). The terraced farms dotting the landscape are so like Europe’s you’ll expect a plate of gooey raclette at the end.”
The 2016 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo takes place September 25. Registration is open until event reaches capacity.