E-bike enthusiast Dave Marshall knows a thing or two about bike trails. He should. After all, he’s ridden 251 of them in 21 states plus Canada during the past eight years.
Marshall recently spent four days riding 10 North Carolina bike trails plus one in Tennessee, cycling 186 miles total. He came back impressed and ready to go back to ride North Carolina bike trails he missed on this trip.
“They (trails) were all incredibly well maintained,” Marshall said. “They were absolutely as smooth as you can get, even the ones that were packed stone (not paved) trails.”
The North Carolina bike trails that Marshall visited included both urban and rural routes. Many of them pass through shady woodlands, travel along scenic rivers, or cut through downtown districts.
North Carolina is making good strides toward expanding and improving its biking infrastructure. Several of the trails Marshall rode have been recently repaved and have active plans for expansion. Many of these trails are part of a regional network of trails and blueways called the Carolina Thread Trail. For those interested in planning a bike trip to North Carolina or South Carolina, the Carolina Thread Trail’s website includes a helpful interactive map.
Charlotte Rail Trail
While Marshall said he enjoyed serene trails that took him through the natural beauty that North Carolina is famous for, the bike trail that impressed him the most was a relatively short urban one, the Charlotte Rail Trail.
“The Charlotte Rail Trail is what every city should have,” Marshall said. “It goes right along the transit system.”
The 11-mile-long Charlotte Rail Trail runs parallel to Charlotte’s LYNX Blue Line light rail and into downtown Charlotte. Along the way, it passes shops, restaurants, and housing communities. It also connects to numerous other bike routes, allowing access to other parts of the city.
“The whole town (Charlotte) was bike friendly. It was great,” Marshall said.
Other North Carolina Bike Trails
Another trail Marshall said he enjoyed was the Catawba River Trail, also a relatively short trail with both urban and rural scenery in the vicinity of Morganton, North Carolina.
Other bike trails Marshall rode include:
Tweetsie Trail in East Tennessee
A True Bike Trail Enthusiast
Few people have ridden more bike trails than Dave Marshall. He has clocked 36,000 miles of trail riding over the past eight years, including 251 trails in 21 states plus Canada.
“About once a month I go out of state for three or four days (of trail riding) and then come home,” said Marshall, 67, who lives in Lousiville, Kentucky, which he describes as a great strategic location for driving to some of the best trails in the Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states.
“Being located where I am and having an understanding wife, it’s not at all unusual for me to drive to Columbus, Ohio, or even St. Louis for a day. I leave at 5 a.m., be on the trail by 9 a.m., ride for four or five hours, and go back home.”
On multi-day trips, Marshall said he often starts his day early, rides one or two trails in the morning, and gets lunch. He then checks into a hotel, charges his e-bike battery while catching a quick nap, and then rides another trail or two in the afternoon. Each day is different, but it’s not unusual for him to ride 30 to 50 miles per day.
While he may have an understanding wife who tolerates his frequent trail-riding trips, Marshall said she’s not interested in cycling with him.
“She has zero interest. If it’s some place pretty that I go, she will go just to enjoy the scenery, but she doesn’t ride. She has her hobbies and I have mine.”
Why Marshall Rides an E-bike
A former high school principal and assistant superintendent, Marshall retired eight years ago, which freed up his time to begin his cycling experience. For the first six years, he rode a regular (not e-bike) bicycle.
“I knew I had to get some exercise (after retiring) so I bought a used hybrid bike for $350. I started riding and put about 25,000 miles on it in six years.”
Health issues persuaded Marshall to join the e-bike revolution.
“I had a knee replacement, a stroke, and a shoulder replacement, so I needed a little help,” Marshall said. “I went out and bought an e-bike, which allowed me to keep on moving.”
Marshall has now logged more than 10,000 miles on his e-bike, a full-size Magnum cruiser-style bike.
“What I like most about e-bikes is the freedom it gives me to ride anywhere I want,” Marshall said. “Before I owned an e-bike, when my body started breaking down a little, I found myself avoiding my favorite trails. I just couldn’t handle the hills. E-bikes opened up the trails I had always ridden before.”
Future Plans
After riding this many trails, you might think Marshall would have run out of trails he wants to ride. To the contrary, he still has a long bucket list of trails to visit.
“I have another 110 trails on my list, and that’s just in this part of the country,” said Marhall, who keeps a detailed list of each trail he’s ridden or hopes to ride. Beyond his bucket list, Marshall said he would someday like to visit trails in the Western U.S. or travel to the Netherlands and do a bike-and-barge tour.
Closer to home, Marshall said he looks forward to returning to North Carolina and riding more trails. Of particular interest are two of the state’s better known, longer trails: the Neuse River Greenway Trail in Raleigh and the American Tobacco Trail in Durham.
Marshall encourages other seniors to consider riding an e-bike for pleasure and exercise.
“(Thanks to e-bikes) you don’t have to stay home on the couch.”
Want to Share Your E-Bike Story or Special Trip?
Like Dave Marshall, would you like to share a special bike trip you’ve taken or your personal e-bike story? If you feel your bike trip or personal e-bike story would be of interest to other readers and you have good quality photos to share, please email me at This E-Bike Life and tell me about yourself and either your e-bike story or your special bike trip. I can either interview you and write the story myself or if you have experience writing and want to give it a try, you can write it yourself. Either way, I will look forward to hearing from you!
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