What's a recumbent? Check mine out (left) in this picture from the Virginia Capital Trail, eventually set to span from Williamsburg and Jamestown all the way to Richmond.
Here's a photo of me and my recumbent somewhere between White Top and Damascus on the Virginia Creeper Trail.
A recumbent bicycle feels like you are riding a lounge chair, yet is the most efficient human-powered machine. If you can ride a bike, you can ride a recumbent. While recumbents lose some turning agility and some uphill efficiency, they are faster on flat ground than a standard bike. And when other riders are complaining about aches and pains, recumbent riders are still sitting happy.
My 2.7 mile commute to work is pretty flat. It usually takes 11 minutes to drive and 14 minutes to bike.
You can ride a recumbent anywhere you can ride a road bike as well as on hard-packed, smooth, unpaved paths. My favorite places to ride are rails-to-trails: Old railways that have been converted for biking (and other activities).
My favorite Virginia trails:
Virginia Creeper Trail and Virginia Creeper Trail Guide--More or less a bowl shaped trail of about 34 miles with the little Trail Day's town of Damascus in the center. You can catch a ride to either end from one of the many bike shops in Damascus. If you go to White Top, you can cruise back into town downhill for 17 miles. You hardly need to peddle. It's not much exercise, but makes for a great day!
New River Trail--Spanning over 50 miles from Pulaski (which is just south of Virginia Tech) to Galax (near the North Carolina border), this very flat trail parallels the New River (second oldest river in the world [the Nile is the oldest]) for over 30 miles. Our favorite way to spend a weekend there is to camp out in the middle at New River at Millrace Campground, getting taken upriver one day to canoe back (which you can arrange at the campground) and to bike a section of the trail on the other day.
Virginia Capital Trail--Only seven or so of the eventual 50-some miles are complete, but it's the best ride around Williamsburg. We can't wait to ride all the way to Richmond! Right now the trail ends at the Chickahominy Riverfront Park with a pool, playground, camping, boat launch, and cheap canoe and kayak rental.
Other recumbent-friendly links:
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy--Lots of info on trails all over the U.S.
My bike was made by Easy Racers.
