Biking the Virginia Capital Trail

Hey everyone. Today was a gorgeous day for cycling, so I drove up to the Virginia Capital Trail in Richmond. The entire trail from beginning to end (Richmond to Jamestown or vice versa) is 52 miles.  

I've done that distance 3 times but today my ride wasn't that long. Here's where you start out if you begin on the Richmond side. 

I love the city's skyline. I'm familiar with it because I've run the Richmond Marathon 3 times. Richmond used to be old and dirty. Nowadays, much of that has changed. Of course, there are still ghetto areas. I mean, there are places in RVA I will not drive in. If you do move there the first thing you'll notice is all the old factory buildings that have been turned into condos. Many of them are right on the James River. For being a small city, the food scene is also good. I've eaten as much Ethiopian food here as I imagine I've eaten in any other city. Taxes are high, and so is crime. Richmond also has food taxes on top of state taxes. Housing isn't cheap, but 300K will get you into a 3 bedroom with bath. Condos are even cheaper, like these.

At any rate, this was my route today. 

I did an out-and-back that took me to a oasis called 4 Mile Park. 

Once there, I dismounted and took a brief break. As I said, it was a perfect day for cycling. 

I averaged about 13 mph. It's slower outbound than inbound because the return trip is net downhill. By the way, history is a big draw for this trail. This is just one of the many historical markers you will find while biking. 

And, if you're a farmer like me, you will enjoy all the agriculture along the way, including wheat fields like this one. 

Acres and acres of soybeans. 

And a handful of cornfields. 

All in all, it was a fun day. I got in a total of 22.5 miles and hope to get in even more miles in the weeks ahead. There's no way I am ever going to improve my triathlon bike times without training, right?

G'Day!