The Roanoker - July/August 2017 - 79
first love, and he traveled all over the U.S. for competitions. At these events, he'd run his dogs through trials, swap stories with other regulars, and even arrange 'onthe-farm' experiences with ranchers-all with the goal of becoming a better Border Collie competitor. In order to train his dogs, though, Rogers needed sheep, and "after a few years, I realized I was a sheep hoarder," he laughs. "I was leaving 600 sheep behind when I drove away for a competition." Those 600 sheep, of course, required quite a lot of work, and, importantly for the evolution of the farm, Rogers understood that he enjoyed the work more than the competitions. "Chefs are passionate, obsessive people," Rogers muses, then pauses, looking out at the two bearded cooks from South Carolina grilling handmade sausages over an open flame. "To be a great chef, you have to be obsessive about food. I think that's why cycling is so perfect." It's this obsession that drove Rogers to learn how to raise the perfect sheep (it's all about the grass they eat-"you could say I'm a grass farmer," he laughs) and this obsession that, eventually, turned him from overindulgence to road warrior. As a former marathoner, it didn't take Rogers long to realize that pounding the pavement wasn't what he loved anymore. Although he tried walking on the treadmill, it just didn't give him the pleasure that running used to- and as anyone in the industry will tell you, pleasure is just as important to the success of something as any other element (i.e. a dish can't just look good, it also has to taste good). THEROANOKER.COM THAT'S WHEN A CONVERSATION with Chuck and Diane Flynt, the farmer-cidermakers behind Foggy Ridge Cider in Floyd, Virginia, saved Rogers's life. Every year in September, they told him, Chuck celebrates his birthday by riding his age in miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway. That year, he planned to ride 75 miles for his 75th birthday. It seemed like the perfect challenge for Rogers-slightly ludicrous and unimaginable, but something that had to be doable if a friend almost 20 years his senior was up to task. So on April 15, 2015, Rogers bought a Bianchi comfort bike from Mt. Airy Cyclery, drove over to the Emily B. Taylor Greenway, and pedaled the first mile of the rest of his life. From the first mile, he was hooked-road cycling offered both the challenge and the rush that a treadmill lacked. Adding on the miles every day, Rogers quickly graduated from flat rails-to-trails like the New River Trail, and began to tackle the Blue Ridge Parkway, where elevation became the coach he needed. "Chuck's birthday ride was going to be 75 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing," Rogers explains. "It's not easy on that part of the Parkway in Floyd." To prepare, Rogers rode almost daily, taking his bike with him on business trips to restaurants and food festivals, finding saddle time even when it seemed his schedule was slammed. So by Chuck Flynt's birthday that September, Rogers was ready, and he celebrated his friend on two wheels-the best toast either of them could have imagined. Ride, Dine, Imbibe... and Catch your Breath Virginia's rolling hills prove challenging for some flatland chefs, but Craig Rogers's rides are always no-drop. JULY/AUGUST 2017 | 79