About Artie
Artie Levin, Mr. Fitness to nearly everyone, lived his long and rich life celebrating the joys of exercise with great zeal, pumping iron until his last day at age 82 in 1996. He was a bona fide Roanoke celebrity as the host and star of the legendary Mr. Fitness television show in the 1960’s, and as a columnist for The Roanoke Times & World-News. As founder of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, Artie Levin was later playfully nicknamed the club’s “oldest living fossil.” He was—and remains—an inspiration to everyone he touched.
Now the ride that honors his name and legacy is better than ever. The Artie is a splendid cycling adventure along rolling valley byways amidst towering Alleghenies. At the outset, you’re handed the key the Shenandoah Valley’s southern gate in Roanoke. Once through, you’re on the way from Botetourt to Rockbridge County, where inordinate beauty is common, and cars are uncommon. This is a rare ride of exceptional caliber honoring a man of equal caliber.
