Dushore: Lawn Ornament Lollipop
22.5 miles | 2,636’ | 81% unpaved
Climb into the hills surrounding Dushore on this challenging gravel adventure, with quiet back roads, a one-of-a-kind sculpture garden, and sweeping views along the way.
Make sure your climbing legs are ready for the short and steep lollipop loop out of Dushore. For every mile of pavement on this route, riders will find 4 miles of gravel, and the climbs are no joke either. The route passes the old Dushore train station while leaving town and quickly finds gravel as it rolls past a long-forgotten dam fed by a small stream.
Just before returning to the stem of the lollipop, a striking sculpture garden pops up out of nowhere. With more than 20 unique pieces dotting the lawn of the prolific sculptor Richard Pitts, the installation is like nothing else in the region. While it might be tempting to hop off your bike and get a closer look, it's best to enjoy them from the road, as the sculptures are on private property.
Dushore is best known for its yearly festival, Founder’s Day, and its quirkiest tradition, the Outhouse Race. Imagine a soapbox derby where the car is an outhouse fashioned into a throne on wheels, and instead of gravity pulling the driver down a hill, four people push with all their might from behind to make the wheels turn. The lucky captain, sitting on their wooden throne, steers the ship as they race against another team piloting their own outhouse car around town. The Outhouse Race is just one of many fun events that happen at the festival each August.
