When the complaints about our gravel road popped up on the local community Facebook page, there was a collective groan in the neighborhood.
“Not this again,” I emailed a neighbor.
“Yup, get ready to fight,” he responded.
It was 11 years ago that a battle over paving our 1 1/2-mile-long gravel road split the community of about 50 houses. It started when a new neighbor petitioned Loudoun County, Virginia, to tar over our road under the state’s Rural Rustic Road program.
The petition was a shock at the time. I had thought that all of us who moved into the area liked the dusty country road, a throwback to the 1700s.
Many neighbors use the road as they would a park, riding their horses and mountain bikes on it, some walking with children, stopping to pick blackberries growing in the hedgerows. Paving would certainly end that and turn the 25 mph road into a speedway.
But there was a handful of people in the neighborhood who wanted to change that. They complained the road dirtied their cars and resulted in big repair bills.
With some friends, I rallied the majority of paving opponents and convinced the county to drop the petition. Former Loudoun Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York said the obvious: It may sound weird for a Washington bedroom community, but Loudoun residents like their gravel roads. “In these subdivisions, they chose to live off a gravel road,” added former Supervisor Lori Waters.
While that fight lasted months and was covered by the local Leesburg newspapers, the latest bid petered out in days, even before I could dig out my old “Don’t Pave Shoemaker” bumper stickers.
What happened?
Rural roads, especially those in gravel and dirt, have become cool. I realized that two weeks after the Facebook post when I drove on another gravel road and saw a sign for the inaugural Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder, a bike ride that drew 420.
Part of the draw was a pledge to donate 5% of the entry fees to America’s Routes, a new group dedicated to preserving Loudoun’s 300 miles of gravel roads.
Andy Bacon, the race director and owner of the race organizer EX2 Adventures, said the new rage in biking is gravel roads. “They’ve really become popular,” he said. “It brings something different to rides and races.”
Washington biking enthusiast and spinning instructor Dru Ryan told me gravel grinding has gone nationwide. “Riding in grass, sand, cobblestone, dirt, you know like when we were kids, has catapulted cyclocross to become the fastest-growing segment of cycling in America. Cyclocross bikes are more comfortable than road bikes due to their wider tires and a sturdier frame. The mental skills required to cope with imperfect terrain and navigate the unknown is far greater than road cycling,” he said.
Bacon, who is already planning a second ride for next year, said he hopes the rides and donations will help to keep the roads in their rural state. “It raised awareness. This is a wonderful natural resource.”
He said he was surprised by all the support he received from the communities his ride went through. But it was a real demonstration of how people are rallying to preserve and show off their slice of rural life.
Bacon pointed to my neighbor Drew Bishop, the new owner of the rustic Philomont General Store — on a gravel road, of course — as an example of one of the local businesses that jumped at the chance to participate and set up a pit stop for riders. “Our hope is to get more people to care about preserving this natural beauty,” said Bacon.
Over the weekend, I saw this happening. The son of one of my neighbors was home visiting, and I went over for a chat. “Hi, Mr. Bedard,” he opened. “Can you believe that somebody wants to pave our street?”
Paul Bedard is a senior columnist and author of Washington Secrets.
