It’s not a race.

It’s a series of enjoyable rides, winding for the first time in 15 years in southwest Virginia, along the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail.

And on day four of one of the biggest bicycling events in Virginia, about 2,000 participants of every age rolled into the town of Damascus after completing nearly 200 miles of the cycling event. The town park hosted seating tents, music and food for the cyclists, who wearily propped up their bikes and sat down in the grass for a good stretch.

Luckily, the weather in southwest Virginia was sunny and pleasant for the biking masses. From Damascus, cyclists had a choice of a shuttle to the top of the Virginia Creeper Trail to coast down, or they could take a separate route to ride through Shady Valley, Tennessee. This route would increase their day to a generous 100 mile day.

Linda and her husband John Perry from Winston Salem, NC parked their bikes in the town park to check their map with their group. She and her husband have been to the region several times before to ride the Creeper Trail. “This is our seventh time doing Bike Virginia,” tells Linda. “We like the tours that do loops that start and end at the same place, because then you don’t have the logistics of having a car where you end up.”

“(It’s a) very, very well organized and executed event,” expressed one of the riders.

Participants make a lot of friends during their trip. Larry Dunn, of Canton GA joined this group along the way. He has also done bike tours in Florida, Tennessee and Iowa.

Bike Virginia is a non-profit organization based out of Williamsburg, Virginia. Through biking and walking trips, they educate people from all walks of life about the benefits of biking, paddling and walking trails.

Event Director Marc Sartori explained that not only has the event drawn people from Virginia, but many from out of state. “There are four people participating from Canada.”

“We came out here for a month in February”, said Marc Sartori, Event Director of Bike Virginia, explaining how Bike Virginia rounds up support from everyone such as the VDOT, TDOT, local Fire Departments, Police and civic groups to organize the yearly event. “There are over 800 volunteers supporting the event.”

“We get people out into the real towns, the real Virginia, the real people - off the interstate. That’s what we do, feature different areas of the state,” said Volunteer Team Leader Kathryn Blue.

Next year’s plans for Bike Virginia are already underway. 2009 will host a ride between Charlottesville and Culpepper, with a historical corridor between Gettysburg and Culpepper, VA. The rest stops along the way are being planned at historical locations, much like this year’s ride along the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail with stops at locations like Carter Family Fold, White’s Mill and the Barter Theatre.

Per a strict policy, they don’t visit any of the same routes or regions within a five year span of time.

But the Crooked Road is one route they do plan to do again some time in the future.