For people who love to venture into the great outdoors, the Central Virginia region offers just about all one could ask for. There are mountains to hike, trails to walk and bodies of water to enjoy in the hot summer time.
But for one group of adventurers, the activity of choice is to go off road and hit the trails of Lynchburg on their bikes.
The group, Greater Lynchburg Off-Road Cyclists (GLOC), is a community of off-road cyclists dedicated to building and maintaining trails in the city, with most of them at Peaks View Park.
PHOTOS: Greater Lynchburg Off-Road Cyclists break in new section of trail
Caleb Maxham performs a trick while riding over a jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday.
A sticker reading “Lets Ride Bikes” can be seen on the side of Pax Armock’s helmet on the bike trail Tuesday.
A sticker reading “Lets Ride Bikes” can be seen on the side of Pax Armock’s helmet on the bike trail Tuesday.
A rider flies over a jump on the bike trail.
From left; Pax Armock, Luke Kockler and Devonte Waller wait for their turn on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Colin Smith goes up a jump on the new section of bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Pax Armock rounds a turn on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Luke Kockler rides off of a jump on the new section of the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Luke Kockler takes a video of Devonte Waller performing a trick on a new section of the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday.
John Salmon takes a video while Cooper Payne watches as a rider goes over a new jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Colin Smith, left, and Caleb Maxham ride over jumps on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Luke Kockler rides off of a jump on the new section of the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Pax Armock rounds a curve while taking off to go over a new jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Riders follow Devonte Waller down the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Caleb Maxham goes over a jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Luke Kockler walks his bike back to the starting point on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Luke Kockler rides off of a jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Riders watch as a fellow-rider performs a trick on a new jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Colin Smith goes over a new jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Colin Smith performs a trick on a new jump on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Devonte Waller wears a shirt that reads "sick rides, good vibes" while walking back to the starting point on the bike trail at Peaks View Park on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
GLOC’s latest project is Hamster Kitty, a new trail at Peaks View, which gives riders the opportunity to get some speed and catch some air time on their bikes.
The name comes from GLOC President Jason Kendall’s children, who chose it to honor their family pets.
Hamster Kitty is what the cyclists call a “gravity trail,” which, according to Kendall, means gravity, as opposed to lots of pedaling, takes the rider through the course.
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“It can be innocent and effortless, but your heart rate gets up because it can get pretty exhilarating,” Kendall said.
The trail, roughly a quarter-mile long, weaves through the trees at Peaks View Park, and has jumps, rollers and berms for cyclists to train their skills on.
The specific trail is accessible by riding other trails to get to it, but the closest access point comes at Trail Head II or III.
“We wanted to provide something new, and different from what your normal single-track mountain trail would consist of,” Kendall said. “This one is more fun, and has definitely brought the more thrill-seeking bikers out here.”
Davy Hazlegrove, a founding member of GLOC, and the main person tasked with creating the new trail, has spent 20 years building trails for the organization. He is extremely active in the off-road cycling community with his wife, Kelly; the two own Blackwater Bike Shop on U.S. 221.
Hazlegrove feels the trail is perfect for “everybody from kids to adults over 40,” because it allows them to learn how to jump on the trails and manage their speed around the turns.
“The trail has all the aspects enjoyed by kids and adults. We minimized braking on this trail, because it’s much more fun to get a lot of air,” he said.
Hazlegrove said the trail took only nine days to complete from start to finish.
“Jason [Kendall] had the idea of ‘start here and end here,’” he said. “This corridor was primed for a trail and we didn’t do that much handwork preparing for it, we just flagged the corridor ... and were able to run the machines a week straight.”
By flagging the corridor, they were able to show the exact path of the trail for Hazlegrove, who used a track skid steer and a mini excavator to clear the land, which allowed the project to be finished so fast. The use of the equipment was donated by Blaine Maddox, of Maddox & Sons Construction.
During the past 20 years, Hazlegrove and GLOC have been responsible for roughly 15 trails that span up to 10 miles at Peaks View Park. They don’t just ride the trails, however — they also perform necessary maintenance to keep them in great shape.
GLOC also partners with Lynchburg Area Bikers, a team of youth bikers who compete in off-road cycling competitions in the region.
Michael Staton, who helps with the team, said it has seen exponential growth in recent years, going from only five participants in 2017 to 58 in 2021.
He attributed the growth to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led people to find ways to stay active outdoors in a socially distanced manner.
“We are constantly trying to get new kids on bikes, teach them new skills, and we’re even focused on getting women and young ladies interested in mountain biking, which tends to be a male-dominated sport,” Staton said.
Apart from working with the youth, Kendall said it was his goal when he took over as GLOC president to build a wide community of cyclists of which Lynchburg can be proud.
“It’s created a community of cyclists and brought a different life to the Lynchburg community,” Kendall said. “It’s something that has caught on in the last five years or so. Even ski resorts are building trails for bikers to use in the summer time.”
With off-road trails in Roanoke, Bedford and even up toward Charlottesville, GLOC is hoping it can set itself apart from the rest with this new gravity trail.
Kendall believes the trail takes them even closer to their goal of making Lynchburg the go-to spot for off-road cyclists in Central Virginia.
“When I took over, I wanted to make this the best place to bike,” he said. “Now I feel that, as a team, we have already done that.”
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