The Roanoker March/April 2025 - 66

Outdoors
Take an easy stroll on the Roanoke
greenway, where you can pause on the
bridges for beautiful river views.
" Lots of
families are
looking for
more
approachable
outdoor
experiences
and they can
often find
that on the
greenway. "
KATHRYN LUCAS
Triathlon that was here for several years, the
home-grown Blue Ridge Marathon and the
USA National Cycling Championships that
will bring an Endurance Mountain Bike race
here July 14-20 - all include greenway segments.
The Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24
Team - girls and women, amateur and professional
cyclists training for the Olympics and
other high-profile racing events worldwide
- is now headquartered here after the team
moved its base of operations from Idaho.
We've come a long way from a generation
committee formed in 2023, wants Roanoke
City Council to budget more funding for outdoor
amenities. Finishing the Roanoke River
Greenway is a priority. Former Roanoke City
parks and rec director Michael Clark is a
VOICe executive committee member: " To be
competitive, you have to have quality of life
amenities - like greenways. " (CNN named
Roanoke a " Top 25 Hiking City " in 2023.)
The valley's natural surface trails include
more than 60 miles at Carvins Cove, which has
become a destination for mountain bikers from
novice to expert. The myriad of opportunities to
go off road on two wheels led Visit Virginia's
Blue Ridge to dub the region as America's East
Coast Mountain Biking Capital and earned the
66 march/april 2025
designation as a Silver-Level Ride Center™
from the International Mountain Bicycling
Association.
Kathryn Lucas, Director of Public Relations
with VVBR, calls the greenway system " a tremendous
asset at the center of a lot of our
marketing efforts. It's hugely accessible, a very
family-friendly way for people to experience
the outdoors. Lots of families are looking for
more approachable outdoor experiences and
they often can find that on the greenway. "
Lucas notes that families walking or biking
along the Roanoke River Greenway can also
stop at Blue Cow Ice Cream or in Wasena to
grab a bite at one of several eateries.
High-profile events - like the IRONMAN
ago, in the inventory of trails available - with
more on the way - both paved and natural
surface, and in the number of people accessing
them for walking, running, biking, etc.
Greenway system expansion has led to opportunities
for businesses like Roanoke Mountain
Adventures, located adjacent to the Roanoke
River Greenway in Wasena, where Sean Bryant
is the Adventure Coordinator.
" A lot of traffic comes from the greenway.
We rent a whole range of bikes, from a simple,
comfortable hybrid cruiser style for just going
up and down the greenway ... a lot of e-bike
rentals and e-bike tours as well. " Bicycles
equipped for natural trail and gravel surfaces
are an RMA specialty.
A private foundation working with the City
TheRoanoker.com
ANA MORALES
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The Roanoker March/April 2025

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