Road-Tested Bike Tours LLC

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Road-Tested Bike Tours LLC Based in Richmond, VA I plan bike tours for individuals, groups and companies, and sell e-guides for Each tour has been “Road-Tested” by us.
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Based in Richmond, VA I plan personalized, self-guided, self-supported bike tours featuring the Virginia Capital Trail, Great Allegheny Passage, C&O Canal Towpath, Western Maryland Rail Trail, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Parkway and the Richmond, Virginia region. Please visit my website for details or email [email protected]

I am a passionate tour planner who loves racking up thousan

ds of miles each year riding these trails and roads and want to share my knowledge of them with you at an affordable price. I offer tips and inside information that only a touring cyclist would know. My attention to detail will give you the confidence to ride in an area you may not be familiar with since you will know in advance what to anticipate. Each day of your tour is personalized with your needs in mind so that you don't have to worry about the logistics. You can tour on any day of the year and for any number of days. Your bike tour can be one-way, round-trip or a hub-and-spoke where you overnight in one location and cycle different routes each day. Side trips and rest days are easily incorporated. You carry the gear; I carry the load of planning your trip. I also offer the first and only comprehensive guide to the Virginia Capital Trail, a 52-mile paved multi-use trail stretching from Richmond to Williamsburg, VA. Enjoy and explore the Virginia Capital Trail between Richmond and Williamsburg with confidence! "Bicycling the Virginia Capital Trail" includes more than 50 scenic and historical trail rides, 70+ points of interest, maps, mileages and elevations, where to stay, dine and park, plus more. Explore the Virginia Capital Trail and roads in the surrounding countryside between Richmond and Williamsburg. "Cycling Adventures along the Virginia Capital Trail” includes more than 25 maps with turn-by-turn directions, 70+ points of interest from historic sites to wineries and breweries, plus links to local weather, bike shops, and more! Most of the rides are in the 13- to 27-mile range, and you can easily link them together with the Virginia Capital Trail to make a longer ride.

These shots were my submission in the October study for the RVA Photographers Collective. Our study area included Holly...
05/11/2024

These shots were my submission in the October study for the RVA Photographers Collective. Our study area included Hollywood Cemetery, the second most visited cemetery in the country behind Arlington Cemetery. Every time I go I see something new. The highlight this time was seeing the young girl in the Palmer Chapel Mausoleum. I had way too many pictures and it was hard to narrow it down to ten. This is a wonderful place to walk and cycle through.

The All Saints Parade that starts in Monroe Park and goes through Oregon Hill was the largest I have ever seen. It took...
02/11/2024

The All Saints Parade that starts in Monroe Park and goes through Oregon Hill was the largest I have ever seen. It took 40 minutes for the thousands of people to pass by me. Often I'm part of the bike patrol that starts first and blocks off side streets to protect the paraders. This year I stayed put in one spot so that I could see the whole parade. Low light is not a camera's friend :) but hopefully these will give you a little picture of how unique this grassroots event is.

Halloween trick or treating on Hanover Avenue was so much fun to watch. I especially love seeing the little kids. Brings...
02/11/2024

Halloween trick or treating on Hanover Avenue was so much fun to watch. I especially love seeing the little kids. Brings back the best memories of Halloween with Scott and Erin!

Hanover and Stuart Avenues in the Fan are ready for Halloween! I'll try to get pictures tonight of the crowd. There were...
31/10/2024

Hanover and Stuart Avenues in the Fan are ready for Halloween! I'll try to get pictures tonight of the crowd. There were quite a few people walking last night to check out the decorations.

Post 3 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg Nation...
30/10/2024

Post 3 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg National Military Park which was the halfway point of my drive up from Richmond. I just love it there, especially on a bike. I believe in the early 2000s the National Park Service removed tons of trees and made other landscape changes to recreate what the battlefield looked like in July 1863. There was quite an uproar about it at the time but they were right. You really get a sense for the vastness and also peacefulness of the countryside as a result. The day I was there it was a picture perfect fall day with incredible light. I cycled for hours and could have spent days there taking it all in.

Post 2 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg Nation...
30/10/2024

Post 2 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg National Military Park which was the halfway point of my drive up from Richmond. I just love it there, especially on a bike. I believe in the early 2000s the National Park Service removed tons of trees and made other landscape changes to recreate what the battlefield looked like in July 1863. There was quite an uproar about it at the time but they were right. You really get a sense for the vastness and also peacefulness of the countryside as a result. The day I was there it was a picture perfect fall day with incredible light. I cycled for hours and could have spent days there taking it all in.

Post 1 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg Nation...
30/10/2024

Post 1 of 3 On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg National Military Park which was the halfway point of my drive up from Richmond. I just love it there, especially on a bike. I believe in the early 2000s the National Park Service removed tons of trees and made other landscape changes to recreate what the battlefield looked like in July 1863. There was quite an uproar about it at the time but they were right. You really get a sense for the vastness and also peacefulness of the countryside as a result. The day I was there it was a picture perfect fall day with incredible light. I cycled for hours and could have spent days there taking it all in.

On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg National Military ...
29/10/2024

On my way to see Erin and Andrew in NJ last Wednesday, I brought my bike and cycled around Gettysburg National Military Park which was the halfway point of my drive up from Richmond. I just love it there, especially on a bike. I believe in the early 2000s the National Park Service removed tons of trees and made other landscape changes to recreate what the battlefield looked like in July 1863. There was quite an uproar about it at the time but they were right. You really get a sense for the vastness and also peacefulness of the countryside as a result. The day I was there it was a picture perfect fall day with incredible light. I cycled for hours and could have spent days there taking it all in.

Soon after I moved to Virginia I became a host for touring cyclists since I lived close to Bicycle Route 76 (which goes ...
20/10/2024

Soon after I moved to Virginia I became a host for touring cyclists since I lived close to Bicycle Route 76 (which goes from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia) and Bicycle Route 1 (which goes from Maine to the Florida Keys). My first guests were referrals from the Ashland, VA bike shop. Then in 2012 I joined Warmshowers and began my official career. I've met the most interesting people! This fall I hosted three men - one 29 year old from Boston, one 62 year old from Ventura, CA, and one 25 year old from Chicago. Below is Jacob, the 25 year old who stayed with me Friday night. Because I had off work on Saturday, he asked if I'd be interested in riding with him. We rode from my condo down to the Virginia Capital Trail and stopped for lunch at Indian Fields Tavern. My life is really enriched being a host. Everyone has a story - not only about their journey but also about their life experiences and what motivated them to undertake such an adventure.

Really loved seeing and hearing Kurt Crandall playing at the VMFA's Jazz Cafe Wednesday night. So much energy! It makes ...
18/10/2024

Really loved seeing and hearing Kurt Crandall playing at the VMFA's Jazz Cafe Wednesday night. So much energy! It makes me so happy seeing how much people got into the blues harmonica. Kurt was a real showman, getting off the stage and playing in the crowd. I also loved seeing Lucy Kilpatrick on the keyboard. I first heard her, likely in 2009 at Ashland Coffee & Tea, with Susan Greenbaum when they played Carole King's entire Tapesty album. She is so talented, and so were the other band members Dave Sherman on guitar, Andy Burdetsky on bass, and Johnny Holt on drums. I took a ton of pictures (unusual for me). It was hard to narrow them down to just five to show the energy at the museum. The VMFA is such a joy!

Drove out to the Charlottesville area today to ride gravel with Linda B. We did the Free Union - Montfair route and it ...
13/10/2024

Drove out to the Charlottesville area today to ride gravel with Linda B. We did the Free Union - Montfair route and it was more challenging than usual because of a fair amount of fresh gravel. Needless to say we were careful! It was a beautiful almost fall day with some maple leaves changing. We were starved so we went to Three Notch'd Brewing for a really great lunch. I had a fall special - baked squash stuffed with quinoa, diced apples, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, squash-fennel sauce, topped with pomegranate molasses. Such a great day, thank you Linda!

I rode my bike over to Forest Hill Park Thursday night for the last race in the "Sorry Honey I've Gotta Work Late" cyclo...
06/10/2024

I rode my bike over to Forest Hill Park Thursday night for the last race in the "Sorry Honey I've Gotta Work Late" cyclocross race. This is so much fun!!! My favorite competitors this time were the banana man (first picture) and the young man in the white jersey on the Canyon (last picture), who was a really skilled, aggressive, and fearless rider. I got to see people I knew too. Cycling buddy Keith Van Inwegen (I took a ton of pictures of him, but only one here). Richard Hayes with his wife Page (he is the photographer with the pink mohawk who takes INCREDIBLE pictures at the crit races at Bryan Park). Claire from Carytown Bicycle Company, a mechanic who is so sweet at work but a fierce competitor on the course. Norman, just the best dad to his two young kids, riding them with their bikes on his cargo bike and having pizza for dinner at the race. Macon, one of the young men competitors, that Tom and I met in February the week before the Monster Cross at Pocahontas State Park. I can't wait for these races next year!

Yesterday after work I rode over to Forest Hill Park to watch the "Sorry Honey I've Gotta Work Late" x-c race. I'll do ...
27/09/2024

Yesterday after work I rode over to Forest Hill Park to watch the "Sorry Honey I've Gotta Work Late" x-c race. I'll do just about anything on a bike, except compete haha. So many people of so many ages on so many different bikes. My understanding is that you ride as hard as you can for 45 minutes on this hilly and varied course. CYA. I so admired every competitor! My favorites were the young man (perhaps 12 or so), the old man (I think older than me!) especially when I saw he gave up his race to help the cyclist who flew into the woods after missing his line on a turn, the guy competing shirtless in a jeans bib, and the guy on the late 90's Pinerello in a big ring with a 12/25 cassette, and index shifting. The tire blew out on one of the turns so I got to talk to him about the bike. His name was Paul and he told me he won the crit championship this summer. Such a diverse crowd and so much fun!

I really love the monthly Breakaway RVA rides! Not only do I get to ride through different areas of the city, but I als...
22/09/2024

I really love the monthly Breakaway RVA rides! Not only do I get to ride through different areas of the city, but I also learn a lot of history. This group has to spend a lot of time researching where our stops will be and planning the route. Thursday's ride theme was Back to School. We visited some of the older schools Jackson Ward and Church Hill that are historically and architecturally significant. Now I want to read more about Charles M Robinson, who designed many of the schools we saw and also schools right by where I live. As usual, this was a really fun ride! Thank you Breakaway RVA

Drove almost to Rockfish Gap to do a gravel ride with Linda Becraft yesterday. We chose the Batesville Region ride that...
16/09/2024

Drove almost to Rockfish Gap to do a gravel ride with Linda Becraft yesterday. We chose the Batesville Region ride that we had done together several years ago. This one was more challenging than my gravel ride last week with ~100 feet of climbing per mile - a typical Pgh ride! My Garmin said there were ten climbs, but there were definitely more. We had a blast and then went to Blue Ridge Brewery afterwards for a salad and drink. I'm thinking that I'll redo the Charlottesville RideWithGPS route to start from Batesville. There is ample parking, plus you can end the ride and eat a meal right at the Market!

This weekend was a fun weekend cycling on Charlottesville gravel (Free Union - Montfair route) on Saturday, going out to...
09/09/2024

This weekend was a fun weekend cycling on Charlottesville gravel (Free Union - Montfair route) on Saturday, going out to dinner with long-time cycling buddies Noah, James, Jerry and of course Tom, then riding 50 miles of the Shenandoah Valley Century today. These pictures are from yesterday's gravel ride because Tom and I weren't able to take the time on today's ride to stop and do so. As you can see the skies looked pretty crazy when we got our bikes ready to ride the gravel. But we trusted in the forecast and were able to complete the ride without rain. I believe this was my third time doing this ride and Tom's first. There are three really good (i.e. steep) climbs, definitely a challenge on the gravel bikes. We were super careful and were commenting how much smoother the ride would have been on our mountain bikes with fatter and stubby tires. At the LOVE sign at Montfair two other cyclists rode up, ironically on full suspension mountain bikes :). They spent quite a bit of time talking with us. It turns out they are both elite cyclists. One of them was Peter Hufnagel from The Miller School, which hosts the Virginia mountain bike races. What an ambassador for cycling! Tom and I are avid cyclists, but definitely nowhere near elite status :). Peter treated us like we were so special and had totally positive things to say about us riding on e-bikes once he realized that's what we were on. (As an aside I truly get tired of the "cheater" and "you have a motor" comments even from friends. I often wonder if that's just a road bike mentality, because we don't ever experience that mtbing at Pocahontas State Park.) We really loved all the sights we saw on this ride and the courtesy of the few drivers we encountered. Virginia is really a beautiful state!

Really learned a lot trying my first sunset pictures on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Tom last Friday and Saturday. We co...
28/08/2024

Really learned a lot trying my first sunset pictures on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Tom last Friday and Saturday. We couldn't get any at Peaks of Otter. So he drove to the highest point of the BRP in VA, where we had just cycled. It was the strangest thing riding it in a car! We stopped over at a few spots based on our memories of what was scenic and decided to shoot from the Arnolds Valley overlook. I initially found it very frustrating trying to get a shot because it is the opposite of how I shoot in daylight (completely different white balance and aperture settings). Now that I'm home I'm happier with the results.

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The Raf
The Raf

The Raf - I’m adopting him BTW “Hey get back here so I can take your picture!” And then even MORE fun ensued with him @mortalbicycler

Merry Christmas!

Holmes County, Ohio. So many horses and buggies! I was in horsey heaven!

Linda Becraft, Jeanne Minnix and I were able to Trail Angel a Netherlander, Johan Kooistra, tonight right before he got on the Virginia Capital Trail. He is so charming and spoke some Dutch for us. Hahaha!

Linda Becraft, Jeanne Minnix and I were able to Trail Angel a Netherlander, Johan Kooistra, tonight right before he got on the Virginia Capital Trail. He is so charming and spoke some Dutch for us. Hahaha!

Mountain biking at Pocahontas

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Based in Richmond, VA I plan bike tours for individuals, groups and companies featuring the Virginia Capital Trail, Great Allegheny Passage, C&O Canal Towpath, Western Maryland Rail Trail, Pine Creek Rail Trail, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Parkway and the Richmond, Virginia region. Please visit my website for details or email [email protected] I am a passionate tour planner who loves racking up thousands of miles each year riding these trails and roads and want to share my knowledge of them with you at an affordable price. Each tour has been “Road-Tested” by me. I offer tips and inside information that only a touring cyclist would know. My attention to detail will give you the confidence to ride in an area you may not be familiar with since you will know in advance what to anticipate. Each day of your tour is personalized with your needs in mind so that you don't have to worry about the logistics. You can tour on any day of the year and for any number of days. Your bike tour can be one-way, round-trip or a hub-and-spoke where you overnight in one location and cycle different routes each day. Side trips and rest days are easily incorporated. You carry the gear; I carry the load of planning your trip. I also offer the first and only comprehensive guide to the Virginia Capital Trail, a 52-mile paved multi-use trail stretching from Richmond to Williamsburg, VA. Enjoy and explore the Virginia Capital Trail between Richmond and Williamsburg with confidence! "Bicycling the Virginia Capital Trail" includes more than 50 scenic and historical trail rides, 70+ points of interest, maps, mileages and elevations, where to stay, dine and park, plus more. Explore the Virginia Capital Trail and roads in the surrounding countryside between Richmond and Williamsburg. "Cycling Adventures along the Virginia Capital Trail” includes more than 25 maps with turn-by-turn directions, 70+ points of interest from historic sites to wineries and breweries, plus links to local weather, bike shops, and more! Most of the rides are in the 13- to 27-mile range, and you can easily link them together with the Virginia Capital Trail to make a longer ride.