Natalie's story: Storming of Thunder Ridge

BaseCamp athlete Natalie Barron shared her experience at the 2026 Storming of Thunder Ridge bike ride in Virginia.

This was a long-running event but the first year offering a gravel route: 77 miles with 7,800 feet of climbing, including a 4-mile climb followed shortly after by an 11-mile climb to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The course was completely unknown to me. The course was mostly gravel and never flat but almost no car traffic and very remote in feel.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the Virginia mountains; unfortunately the temperatures climbed to 95 degrees a couple of hours into the ride, which caused most people to leave the gravel course early. I stuck it out until mile 64, when I decided to take a SAG to my car. It was the first time I've taken a SAG, and it was not because I couldn't finish; it was because I could, but I knew it wasn't going to help me in my preparation for my A event, and that's something I wouldn't have thought about before BaseCamp. So, while it wasn't the event prep I had planned, it was an adventure, and it did prove to me that I have the endurance that I need for Unbound.