Tour de Fall Line 2025
For 2025, rvaMORE celebrated its ninth annual Tour de Fall Line - a fine sampler plate of the singletrack in the Richmond area. Registered riders get to enjoy a taste test of different trail types and topography as they roll through a 20, 30, or 50 mile course.
Now, we’ve hosted this event for nine years, and we’ve seen it through a lot of change. Not just trail additions and new features, but formats, start and finish locations, weather, and more. We’re loving the headquarters we’ve established at Dogwood Dell for the launch point of everyone’s day, and made the choice this year to run an UNMARKED course. We were worried that everyone would hate it, but we went for the decision after a few points really resonated:
-we use TONS of single use plastic to mark the course: zip ties. Arrows get put up, then taken right down. As an org that cares about environmental stewardship, throwing away a ton of plastic feels pretty bad.
-we are a small, volunteer based org, and the time that it takes to mark such a huge course well is often more than we have. We’ve recruited volunteers in the past and truly could not have done it without them.
-a majority of riders we encounter have a smartphone or a gps capable bike computer - with routes so easy to share between devices these days, we figured: why not?
-TdFL is a TOUR, after all - and one of the great things about touring over a significant distance is the community and other people you meet along the way. Following a new ride friend, showing someone else the way - we think the best unexpected new ride pals come from some of these experiences. At the end of the day, we hoped that folks experiencing route trouble could look to another rider (you’d recognize those TdFL race plates!) and find your way.
Overall - we think it went pretty well! Some of our parks have a bit of a spaghetti-bowl network of trails (cough cough LARUS PARK) and we know that can be tough - but we hope it was more of a fun challenge and less of a stress inducing one. After all - you were never really too far from Dogwood Dell!
Well over 250 riders registered for this year’s tour, and the weather really aimed to please. A perfect ride day, with a surprise WIND challenge for everyone! Those road connections were made a little spicer by the big gusts that nature threw our way about halfway through the day - we’re sure you felt it!
As waves and crews of riders rolled up to the end zone we were excited to dish out a finish line meal - y’all ATE!
As the day wrapped up, we couldn’t help but take a look around and be so grateful to everyone that showed up.
The weather was perfect, generally riders had a great time, as as our event continues to grow in attendance, the amount of money that we raise during this event also grows. We take that sum and use it to help our trail partners in Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico close the gaps in their allocated budgets by funding materials, tools, volunteer workdays, special projects, and even occasionally design. By showing up to the 2025 TdFL, you helped us raise well over $10,000 for our trails this year - so truly…THANK YOU!
