le tour de shore virginia

Le Tour de Shore

Come bike on the beautiful country roads of the Eastern Shore. The countryside features miles of farmland as well as flat country roads. The charming towns are sprinkled with historic homes, museums, art galleries and shops that you will want to come back and visit after your ride.  Choose from 4 routes: 100 mile (begins 7:00 am), 100k (62 miles begins 8am), 50k (30 miles begins 9:00 am), 25k (15 miles begins 9:30 am). Warm up with a Friday Night Fun Ride (15-18 miles).

This is a fully supported event – so visit the Easter Shore ! The Start and End in 2024 will be at Onancock Town Square at the corner of Market and East Streets .  

Jerseys are included for the first 150 registrants.

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Town Square, Onancock, VA,

Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce

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• Travel Guide

Grab your bike and join the Le Tour de Shore Bike Ride!

• June 9, 2022
• ESVA Places to Go

What’s better than a beautiful day riding your bike along Virginia’s natural coast?  

The le tour de shore bike ride has been giving riders a beautiful opportunity to explore virginia’s rural coast for eight years  .

This June is a wonderful time to get out of the city and enjoy the fresh air and open roads of the Eastern Shore! The Le Tour de Shore bike ride has routes for riders with a range of abilities. All rides start and finish at Onancock Town Square, with beautiful views along the way.  

The 100 mile route leaves Onancock at 7am. It winds through pristine fields, farms and past stately homes. This route and all other routes will be supported by sag drivers, so should you need any help along the way, they will be there to assist! The 100k route leaves Onancock at 8am.   

The 50k and 25k riders will leave Onancock at 8:30am. No matter your skill level, you can find the perfect ride to get out into nature and experience riding in a group in a safe environment while enjoying all that the Eastern Shore of Virginia has to offer.  

Le Tour de Shore is a bike ride that tours Eastern Shore of Virginia’s backroads.  

The routes will take you through small towns and rural areas which means that sometimes your progress may be slowed down by traffic or construction. Please use caution and follow all safety protocols as you ride to ensure everyone is safe and comfortable! Staff and volunteers will be on hand at rest stops and along the routes to help you with anything you need.  

This ride was designed for all levels of cyclists so beginners are welcome! You don’t need to possess any special skills or equipment – just bring your bike! We’ll provide everything else: snacks, drinks, maps, and lunch!  

It is a beautiful, rural area to explore.  

The Eastern Shore is a beautiful, rural area to explore during Le Tour de Shore. The scenery is incredible and peaceful along quiet roads that are mostly flat. There are many interesting places to view during your ride. The Eastern Shore is the last stretch of undeveloped coastline on the Eastern seaboard and your trail will take you by farm fields, water views, and historic sites dating back hundreds of years.  

There are four distances available: 100 miles, 100k, 50k and 25k.  

There are four distances available, the 100 mile ride, which starts at 7am, the 100k, starting at 8am, and the 50k and 25k, which start at 8:30am. All rides start and finish at Onancock Town Square. The routes take riders through rural Virginia’s Eastern Shore countryside. A barbeque lunch is provided to the riders, courtesy of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Onancock Rotary.  

The ESVA Chamber focuses on keeping riders safe, offering sag drivers on the course.  

Safety is a priority and The ESVA Chamber makes sure that the riders are as safe as possible. The Chamber offers sag drivers to help riders who need assistance with their bikes or themselves. They will give you water and bike repair essentials, and they can even provide a ride back to the finish line if you’re feeling too tired to continue on your own.   

What should you pack for the ride?  

Here are a few essentials to bring with you for your ride!  

• All safety equipment you will need, such as your helmet, gloves, sunglasses, etc.  
• Sunscreen (or apply before you ride!)  
• Your water bottle or hydration system  
• Bug spray  

When choosing the essentials to bring, remember that you have to carry everything on your bike, so pack light to aid your comfort during the ride.  

Ready to register? Have questions about Le Tour de Shore? Check out the website at   https://www.esvachamber.org/le-tour-de-shore-event-page  to learn more and to sign up for the ride!  

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission is your guide to all things Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Plan your trip and find the best things to do on our gorgeous peninsula at visitesva.com.  

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• Bay Adventures

Le Tour de Shore: Exploring the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s Backroads

Photos courtesy Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Le Tour de Shore welcomes cyclists with the best scenery the Eastern Shore of Virginia has to offer and caters to pedalers of all abilities. Casual riders can take a relaxed 25-kilometer (15.5 miles) tour, with a halfway pit stop at a beautiful and historic courthouse green for snacks and a rest. Or for the competitive racers (the opposite end of the spectrum) you can don your padded shorts and jersey and draft your racing bike with your squad 100 miles over some of the most beautiful backroads in the Chesapeake region. 

One common denominator? It’s almost perfectly flat.

“We do have a lot of beginners. It’s a perfect, flat ride. It’s people from all over. We’ve had folks from as far as California, but a big following from the Eastern Shore, Maryland, a lot from Richmond and the D.C. area and also from North Carolina,” says Robert Sabbatini, executive director of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the Tour.

On Saturday, June 17, over 400 bikers will descend on Onancock, Virginia, one of the most beautiful and historic villages on the Bay and the jumping-off point for the Le Tour de Shore. The different options include courses covering 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), 50 kilometers (31 miles), 100 kilometers (62 miles) and 100 miles. 

As a longtime resident of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I decided to see what it was all about by taking the lazy man’s tour of the 100-mile course —by driving my pickup. I thought I knew the ESVA fairly well, but the course planners have worked very hard to do two things: keep participants off busier roads and highlight some of the beautiful by-ways to be found in the Chesapeake region. 

The result is tour routes that unfold like a visual poem, with gorgeous vistas, historic homes, quaint hamlets and crossroads, and glimpses of the seafood industry that fuels a large part of the local economy. 

I started at my home at the southern end of the course and passed through some of the longest-cultivated agricultural lands in the United States, past fields of wheat and historic farms and stagecoach inns dating to the colonial period. A little farther on, the course benefits from gentle breezes off the Atlantic. Riders catch periodic glimpses of the Barrier Islands and Atlantic marshes from Willis Wharf, where you will see huge piles of clam and oyster shells, to Wachapreague. 

The highest point of the tour—a whopping 44 feet above sea level—occurs just after riders leave the town of Accomac and cross Route 13. At this “summit,” I looked up and down the road and could barely discern a rise, fall, or swale. After this point, the course follows backroads traveled mostly by residents, many with trees whose canopies meet over the road. You will pass horse farms and historic neighborhood churches. And experience solitude, one of the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s quintessential offerings.

Riders returning to Onancock town square will be greeted with barbecued chicken provided by the local Rotary Club and vegetarian options provided by the Blarney Stone Pub. Many riders linger, enjoying the day, celebrating their accomplishment, and talking to new friends. Others head right to the pub for a pint or two. Sabbatini says some riders who complete the 25km ride decide at this point to keep riding and complete the 50km.

The four courses are marked with color-coded arrows. Rest stops with snacks, drinks and toilet facilities are strategically located along each route. SAG (support and gear) drivers are on hand to aid riders.

“The entire Eastern Shore of Virginia is really a hidden gem,” says Sabbitini. “Riders just need to bring themselves and be ready to enjoy a great day.”

For more information and to register: https://www.esvachamber.org/le-tour-de-shore-event-page . The first 150 riders registered will receive a souvenir jersey. 

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Le Tour De Shore

It seemed like a good idea last January when a friend mentioned Le Tour De Shore to me. He wanted to try a long distance bicycle ride and what better place to try that a place almost completely devoid of hills? There’s almost nothing but flat out on the Delmarva Peninsula. So he convinced me to click on the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce website and sign up. Then I kind of forgot about it for a few months.

100 Kilometre Route

We didn’t care about winning, or even going particularly fast for that matter, so I simply maintained my normal training schedule. It’s also a low-key race with maybe four hundred riders spread amongst 100 mile, 100k, 50k and 25k options. We chose the 100k, a “Metric Century” (62.1 miles) which seemed eminently doable.

This would be my longest ride single-day ride (I’ve done longer over multiple days ). It covered pretty much the entire middle third of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. I’ve done plenty of 50 mile rides in a single day but never a 100k. It’s not that I’m incapable. I simply prefer shorter distance. I have the same preference with running; I can run a half-marathon without any additional training any day of the week but I have no desire to go farther. I had no doubt I could finish a Metric Century especially on flat terrain but I felt ambivalent.

My friend recruited another cyclist to join our tiny peloton. So the three of us assembled on Onancock Town Square at the appointed time ( map ). We would return to the same spot a few hours later although a lot more tired, sweaty and dirty.

The Long Stretch

We left Onancock and headed down quiet country lanes into farm country. A couple of times we rode through small pine forests which were quite pleasant, and then past chicken farms which were decidedly not.

We didn’t reach the first rest stop until Mile 24, just over Occohannock Creek, approaching the town of Belle Haven ( map ). This was our longest segment without a break. Of course that was fine because our legs were still fresh and the sun sat low on the morning horizon. Even the temperature approached perfection, a rare June day where it barely broke 70° (~21° c.).

However, the wind pick-up and we watched as gusts rippled across adjacent cornfields in waves. Soon it rose to a sustained 20 mile per hour Northern blast, and occasionally gusted higher. It offered a helpful tailwind although it also foreshadowed a problem down the road because the route followed a loop. A tailwind now promised a headwind later.

I also noticed I was better trained than my companions. That offered opportunities to pause whenever I spotted something interesting, take a few photos, and then catch up to them a few minutes later.

Into the Wind

Refreshed, we began the second leg, a 16 mile trek to the Wachapreague rest stop. Soon we entered Exmore at the southern tip of the loop. Until that point we’d been cruising through Accomack County and now we briefly entered Northampton County. The 100 mile cyclists spent a lot of time in Northampton but we barely clipped it at the bottom of our route.

Then we turned a corner leaving Exmore and headed straight into the teeth of the wind. This would bedevil us for the next twenty-five miles (Miles 28 through 53). Of course there was nothing we could do about it other than gut it out. So we did.

The rest of the way to Wachapreague was rather strenuous although I did stop and photograph the county line sign as we reentered Accomack ( map ). The four miles from Quinby to Wachapreague were some of the toughest of the ride, cycling directly into overpowering gusts that tried to push us backwards.

The rest stop in Wachapreague at Mile 40 was well earned ( map ). But I also had a contingency plan I figured out earlier. Our hotel was in Wachapreague and I could quit if things got ugly. Thankfully I didn’t have to pull that card though. I still felt great and I had a lot of energy left so the finish line wouldn’t be a problem today.

I also got a surprise visit from my wife and younger son. They’d been tracking our position from my mobile phone and they walked over from the hotel to see how we were doing. Cell coverage was pretty spotty in the more remote corners of the route and sometimes I’d disappear for awhile, but soon enough I’d pop back onto their screen.

Accomack. Or is it Accomac?

Fortunately the next leg covered only 10 miles, extending to the courthouse square for Accomack County ( map ). I say fortunate because we still fought the vicious headwind and by that time we were 50 miles into the ride. One farm blended into another, and yet into another, and all quite hypnotically. I wasn’t disappointed to peddle into the town of Accomac and arrive at the courthouse.

Incidentally, it’s the County of Accomack (with a “k”) and the Town of Accomac (without a “k”), which seemed rather gratuitous and confusing. They both derived from the name of the original Native inhabitants, the Accawmack tribe of Algonquians. When 17th Century settlers anglicized it they spelled it Accomac. Then for some unknown reason the Virginia General Assembly decided to append a “k” onto the county name in 1940. Just to be contrary, I guess.

Anyway, I was way too far into the event to worry about spelling variations. We rode another couple of miles and turned the corner at the northern tip of the loop. Then we regained the tailwind for the final few miles towards the finish. I left my little group behind for the last little chunk into Onancock because I still felt great, and frankly I was ready to be done. My watch recorded a distance of 64.2 miles so we even got a couple of bonus miles out of the deal, too.

I enjoyed the setting and I enjoyed seeing my friends. I also proved that I could complete a Metric Century using my normal training regimen. So now I can concentrate on shorter distances again, right?

Twelve Mile Circle

One response to “Le Tour De Shore”

You mentioned how the county is called Accomack and the town called Accomac (no K). We kinda go through the same thing here. The county where I live in Florida is Seminole County. There is also a city called Seminole, but it is nowhere near Seminole County. It is out near Tampa in Pinellas County, about 100 miles from here. To add to the confusion, both the city and county have a high school called Seminole High School. One is called Sanford Seminole (as the city it is in is called Sanford) and one is called Pinellas Seminole (as it is in Pinellas County).

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Le Tour de Shore Bike Ride

Enjoy a bike on the beautiful country roads of the Eastern Shore. Charming towns are sprinkled with historic homes, museums, art galleries and shops that you will want to come back and visit after your ride.

All routes start and end at the Onancock School, 6 College Avenue, Onancock, VA. Rides start at 8 am. Pre-registration begins at 7:15. Choose from a 17-, 30-, 55-, or  70-mile route. Completion of the ride is optional. Designated rest stops are provided with restrooms, beverages and snacks. Helmets are required. Rain or shine. No refunds. Riders must complete an event waiver prior to riding.

Adults, early registration:  $45 After April 17:  $55 On-site registration:  $60 Children ages 7-15:  $25

Hosted by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Portion of proceeds will benefit Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence. For more info visit our website at www.esvachamber.org , email [email protected] or call (757)787-2460.

Mail registration to: ESVA Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 460, Melfa, VA 23410

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PHOTOS: Le Tour de Shore on the Virginia Eastern Shore

Le Tour De Shore

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