The VeloPigs Ethos: Do Good and Be Kind
From the dark and cold New England winter nights, to the historic gravel roads of Loudoun County, Virginia.
By Kasey Clark
Kasey Clark is the founder of VeloPigs, Beer & Bicycle Social Club and champion for the conservation of Loudoun County’s historic Gravel roads.
Four friends and I would meet regularly for night mountain bike rides, post ride beers, and conversation in the woods of Northwestern Connecticut. After several months of these outings, I thought it would be fun to come up with a name for our little group and print some t-shirts. At the time I was raising pigs, so we found an easy mascot and name for our “club.” We wanted the VeloPigs to focus on and spread the camaraderie found on the bike and the stories we shared over beers.
Not long after founding the VeloPigs, my wife and I took a job building and operating an organic vegetable farm for a nonprofit here in Northern Virginia. We found ourselves living on a historic gravel road in Loudon County. The purchase of a gravel bike was all but inevitable. I still consider myself a mountain biker, but while living in Connecticut I raced early editions of the Rasputitsa and The Vermont Overland, both on a ten-year-old cross country bike, so the transition to more gravel riding in Loudoun County was easy.
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Photo: Dave Kraus/Krausgrafik.com
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Photo: Dave Kraus/Krausgrafik.com
When working as a farmer it can be hard to meet people and I soon realized I missed the social aspect of cycling. So, I printed some new t-shirts and approached Mike and Tom of Plum Grove Cyclery about allowing me to lead rides from their shop. I wanted to continue the tradition of a club where speed and gear were secondary to riding bikes with friends. I also wanted to continue the “shared stories over a post-ride beer” tradition I had with my friends in Northern Connecticut.
On our initial rides we found that 10 riders was a large group. Though, in time we grew to 20 - 25 riders, which meant we often had to split into two pace groups. This growth necessitated some changes and forced us to become more organized. Today, it is not uncommon for our Saturday rides to have over 60 people of varying ability. In order to keep a safe leader-to-ride ratio, we split into multiple groups. None of this would be possible without the help of our 25 dedicated ride leaders. VeloPig ride leaders have become the heart of the club and not only lead and sweep rides, but also serve on our board of directors, help organize special events, and serve as “do good and be kind” cycling ambassadors to the wider community.
It is not uncommon for our Saturday rides to have over 60 people of varying ability…
Our commitment of being a good and responsible example organization has led the VeloPigs to adopt two gravel roads in Loudoun County from the Virginia Department of Transportation. This road adoption effort was led by ride leader and board member Gregg Hyde. Weekly no-drop gravel rides, and twice-yearly road cleanups on these gravel roads has given the club, its members and me a sense of responsibility as stakeholders to protect our “home” roads.
VeloPigs has adopted two gravel roads in Loudoun County from the Virginia Department of Transportation…
This sense of responsibility to our community and our rural roads is what inspired me to do what was later dubbed the “Loudoun Rambler”— my attempt to ride all of Loudoun County’s gravel roads in one day as a fundraising effort. In the end, I rode 284 gravel miles with 24k feet of elevation in just under 24 hours. The ride was intended to raise awareness and funds for America’s Routes, a local nonprofit with the goal of getting the historic gravel roads of Loudoun County protected and listed on the National Historic register. With the help of the VeloPigs, cyclists and friends from other clubs, neighbors and well-wishers, I was able to raise the largest single donation to date for America's Routes with this effort.
These efforts, the welcoming culture of our club and attitudes of our riders have served to set an example of how cyclists can have a positive impact in our communities. It still humbles me as to how many people attend our rides and how many people now identify themselves as VeloPigs.
VeloPig members come from all backgrounds, careers, economic groups, political persuasions, ages and abilities. These diversities are VeloPigs’ greatest strength in our efforts to protect our gravel roads. Our members' enthusiasm and willingness to share their love of the sport helps us raise awareness and recruit more stakeholders for our cause. Changes in perception come slowly, but I am proud to say that the wheelmen and women of the VeloPigs, through their actions, are continually bringing more people into the sport of gravel cycling. In turn, they positively change our communities’ attitude towards cyclists as well as have a positive impact on our rural roads and the communities these roads intersect.
Kasey Clark is the founder of VeloPigs, Beer & Bicycle Social Club and champion for the conservation of Loudoun County’s historic Gravel roads.
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