We wanted to take a different approach with our latest race preview video showcasing the new 100-mile Brevard cycling event hosted by Blue Ridge Adventures this year. We opted to hire a professional voice over to record a short overview script of the 100-mile-race, and used a combination of aerial video, on-the-ground footage using sliders and cranes and a Google Earth flyover to create our version of the Tour de France preview video that we’ve admired for years. The only thing we’re lacking is some fast-paced motorcycle action to film the cyclists barreling down U.S. 276 from the Parkway to Brevard, but hopefully we’ll have that all worked out in time for our event coverage video in June. Sign up for this and other Blue Ridge Adventures events by visiting their registration page at www.registration.blueridgeadventures.net.
The Looking Glass Tour Course Overview
Cyclists make their way past Looking Glass Rock on the route of the Looking Glass Tour in Brevard.
Located in the heart of the 500,000 acre Pisgah National Forest is the towering granite dome of Looking Glass Rock. The large rock face has been drawing outdoor adventurists to the area for 100s of years to see first-hand the rock walls that seem to shimmer like a Looking Glass when wet or covered in ice, making them visible for miles from multiple locations within the vast Pisgah National Forest and nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
This year, Blue Ridge Adventures is proud to present the Looking Glass Tour. The 100-mile ride begins in downtown Brevard, North Carolina. From there, cyclists will make their way through the scenic, rolling farmlands of the French Broad River valley toward Cedar Mountain and the Connestee community where the first of five rest stops are located. At Mile 17, the first King of the Mountain challenge begins as riders push their way up a steep climb toward the town of Rosman before heading up U.S. Highway 215 to the most challenging climb they’ll face during the race. Before they begin the second King of the Mountain challenge, racers can refuel at the second rest stop, located in the small town of Balsam Grove. The second King of the Mountain challenge is a six-mile-long climb with up to 14% grades of elevation culminating at the Blue Ridge Parkway where the third rest stop awaits.
Once past the Blue Ridge Parkway, racers make a fast 11-mile descent to Lake Logan where rest stop four awaits at mile 73.5. After fueling up, racers will begin their third and final King of the Mountain Challenge as they make their way up the three-mile climb back up toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. From there, racers will descend 10 miles through the heart of the Pisgah National Forest, passing notable landmarks like Looking Glass Rock, Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls along the way.
The final rest stop comes at mile 96 before the cyclists make their way down Brevard’s town pathway to a final series of small climbs to the flat, run out finish in downtown Brevard.