Ride KY to VA

[ride4adventure]

I am a resident of Louisville, KY.  The ride passes through Springfield, KY, about 40 miles from my home.  My interest is to ride from KY, to the end of the route in VA.  I am an experienced rider who rides RAGBRAI each year.  I plan to ride alone, with my wife supporting in an RV.  My daily rides would range 50-80 miles.

My questions:

1. What time of the year would I most likely encounter other riders on the route?
2. Is the path from KY to VA, a safe route with adequate shoulders?
3. Will I find areas to park my RV each day?

Any advice is much appreciated.

[JHamelman]

If by "the ride" you mean our TransAmerica Trail, you can find out a lot of information from the TransAm page on our website. Be sure to read through each of the tabs on that page:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/transamerica-trail/

I don't know if there would be a place to park your RV each night or not. The RV campgrounds we list on the maps are only the ones that allow tent camping, there may be others along the route.

The shoulder widths and road conditions are going to vary a fair amount across this section as well as differing amounts of traffic, lots of short, steep hills and some curvy roads. You might want to restate your question in terms of the TransAm and re-ask it in the Routes discussion area.

Best,

Jennifer

[John Nelson]

Your best chance of encountering other riders is to meet people going the other way (i.e., east to west). The peak time for people leaving Yorktown and heading west is the first half of May. It takes most people about two weeks to reach Springfield, KY.

If you want to meet people going west, I'd leave Springfield going east around May 20. Be aware, however, that many of these cyclists will be staying overnight at places that are less available to you with an RV, such as churches, fire stations, city parks, private homes, hostels. But you'll still see plenty out on the road.

On the other hand, if you are looking to ride with people, you'll need to meet people going east. Eastbound TransAm cyclists aren't going to show up in numbers until August. So if this is your goal. I'd wait until about August 10.

[Pat Lamb]

My answer to your question, "Is the path from KY to VA, a safe route with adequate shoulders?" would have to be yes and no.  The roads the TransAm take generally have very light traffic, they're winding, and the traffic is therefore driving much slower than on some of the major roads in the area.  Shoulders? what are those?

I'd suggest you plan your ride and your wife's route separately, with intersections a couple times a day.  For instance, heading east from Hazard, the TransAm takes the big road (with shoulders, and with occasional rock- or mud-slides on those shoulders) for a few miles out of Hazard before it takes a back road.  Driving a big RV down that back road would be an adventure in itself, but she can take KY 80 to right outside Hindman to meet you halfway through the day.