Belmont Bicyclists can collectively breathe a sigh of relief now that they can safely get to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Until now, they had to either enter at the connection at Claiborne Parkway, or take a very risky ride down Belmont Ridge Road.
But now, bicyclists can connect through The Chase Village. A long awaited connection was completed on May 27th, 2010, just in time for the Memorial Day Weekend.
For a long time, the path was half completed. Toll Brothers had laid out the path on The Chase property, and then began working on the plans with the Parks Authority, which ended up taking quite a bit of time.
The path starts at the end of Tall Pines Court (toward Belmont Ridge Road) or in the middle of Belmont Station Drive within The Chase. 
The newly-built path takes a surprising jaunt parallel to the W&OD Trail before banking right and connecting at a right angle. Toll Brothers indicated that this was the wish of the Parks Authority.
When it connects with the W&OD, the elevation is very level. This provides for an easy merge onto the W&OD traffic, which can be quite busy at times.
The connection is at mile marker 29. 
The following are other mile markers to give you an idea of the distance to other places on the trail:
- 24 – Crossing Hwy 28
- 26 – Crossing Ashburn Village Road
- 29 – Belmont
- 29.6 – Overlook of Luck Stone Quarry
- 33 – Crossing Hwy 15 in Leesburg
- 44 – End of Trail at Purcellville
It is a great way to get outside and take a bike ride or go for a walk. The trail is generally surrounded by lush foliage, with views of some of the remaining open land in Loudoun.
But for now, you can take a virtual ride…
-contributed by Katie Ayres, Belmont Web Committee Chair
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