Mountains of Misery

Mountains of Misery is a challenging bike ride for dedicated road cyclists through the heart of southwest Virginia. The annual timed event features century (100+ mi) and double-metric century (200 km/124+ mi) options—both ending in a tough, four-mile 12%–16% graded climb to the finish.

Registration will open for NRVBA members on January 1. General registration will begin in February.

There are eight rest stops for Century riders and ten for the Double Metric, approximately every 10–15 miles throughout the course.

All rest stops will have food, water, sodas, Gatorade, HEED, Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, and Port-A-Johns. Some rest stops will have tools.

SAG, Mechanical Support, and HAM vehicles will be roaming the course, and HAM will be stationed at every rest stop. 

Every year we get questions about gearing.

• If you are at all unsure of your ability to climb steep grades for long distances, use a triple. Compact doubles (34–50, etc.) are a good solution too.
• If you insist on using a standard double (39–53), put the biggest gear on the back that you can. Even fit, professional racers would use a 25t gear in the back. Flatlanders beware!
• The final climb to Mountain Lake is a lot harder with over 100 miles on your legs already. Consider this fair warning!

The Finish

Congratulations! Mountains of Misery is a challenging course, and not everyone who starts will make it up the final Category 1 climb.

When you finish, volunteers will immediately stop you from continuing on and will take your bike. Please remove computers and personal belongings from your bike, empty your water bottles, and make sure your bicycle number is attached to your frame. Your bike will be safely transported to the Newport Rec. Center.

We advise having a gym bag containing a change of clothes sent up to the finish. (A changing area will be available.) Bags will be collected at the start area in the hours before the ride at the Penske Truck.

There is no parking at the finish area for riders, family members, or spectators. Please park in Newport, and use the shuttles to get to the finish area.