With two long, not too rocky rides recommended by Shenandoah Bicycle in my pocket, I drove south and west 50 minutes to Todd Lake. From there I would ride a loop climbing from 2,000 feet to 4,300 feet at the top of Little Bald Knob, followed by a 2,500 foot descent on Wild Oak Trail along Chestnut Ridge. The trail on Chestnut Ridge had just been restored by Trail Dynamics, a professional trail construction company hired by Virginia Conservation with a federal Recreational Trails Program grant awarded to the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, and I was excited to see it.
But first, as seems the case for all Appalachian Mountain rides, I had to start with a long dirt road climb. The initial ridge segment was quite scenic, with a great view across the valley of where I would top out - Little Baldy. This road eventually dropped and joined a larger gravel road climbing the valley. Continuing up, with the impeccable timing of many pleasant surprises, I ran into the Trail Dynamics crew heading into a trail with mini-excavator and walk-behind skid steer. They were working a re-route, but quickly recommended an out-and-back on a trail to Tear Jacket Knob they had re-constructed earlier this season.
The karma seemed good - when I reached my intended turn off, I continued on the road uphill a few more miles to Shenandoah Mountain Trail to Tear Jacket. What an excellent example of trail restoration with small power equipment. New regular grade reversals and well disguised abandoned trail turned a worn out, eroded bench into an enjoyable climb. Though by this point I was beginning to regret the flatlander's 11-26 cassette I still had on my bike. It was a relentless 13% grade of 1,000 feet in 1.5 miles, with only the grade reversals for a second-long respite.
At the top of the climb I was rewarded with a well established back country single track traversing the ridge. The narrow 10" tread wound along steep, wooded exposures of hemlock, pine, and hardwoods for several more miles before coming to a gorgeous glade of massive oaks. It was here that the trail entered a wilderness area - no bikes allowed. Since I have feet too, I hiked another mile to summit Hardscrable Knob at 4,282 where I found an abandoned cabin, a collapsed fire tower, and a tolerable view. 
Here we'll talk some about leaves. I recommend riding here when the most of the leaves are down (late spring or late fall) if you want distant vistas. Openings revealing the distant mountains are few and far between, but riding these mountainside benches with the leaves down the surrounding ridges were my constant companions behind a scrim of branches. Those leaves, however, also tend to obscure trail 'features' and can reduce traction, which adds excitement on the narrow, exposed benches. Also, these are back country trails, so there are occasional dead falls and steeps to be hike-a-biked. 
The ride back down was as fun as up, and the lower section of the reconstructed trail displayed impressive flow - it was a blast. I rolled back down the road to continue my planned itinerary. North River Trail turned out to be single track on a gradually climbing, overgrown road - becoming a steeper, rockier single track for the last mile. That segment was the only really scenic part, and hard to ride in places. Then another long dirt road climb without much in the way of views, even on the decidedly hirsute Bald Knob. Coming down Chestnut Ridge was great fun. Long, moderate descents, not too rocky, a few short climbs, and all single track but the last mile. 
Still the high point of the day for me was the Tear Jacket ride. Bald Knob was fun, but not quite as scenic in its lower reaches, and with more indifferent road riding to access the sweet single track. It was a great day of riding - 35.2 miles in 7.5 hours (5.5 on bike) with two ascents to 4,300 ft and 6,300 feet of total climbing (and descent). When I dropped back by the shop that evening, I asked for some out-and-back segments to increase the single track-to-road ratio the next day. They happily obliged and sent me and my tired body on our way to dinner and a welcome bed. 
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