I wanted to tell you about my ride, Monday, June 11^th. First I want to tell you that I have never been involved in any type of group ride that was this big. According to the local paper there were over 1600 riders.

Local Asheville newspaper article

Local Spartanburg newspaper article

The first 70 miles are relatively flat, you climb one small mountain called Bill’s Mountain at about mile 50. There is about 3000 feet of vertical elevation gain in the first 70 miles to Marion, NC. I rode with a group of guys from TN, they called themselves “The Big Turtles” and had done the ride in years past. Leaving Spartanburg @ 6:30a there was a police escort out of town, then for most of the route there were county sheriffs posted at the major intersections blocking traffic to allow the cyclists to proceed unhindered. It was also amazing to see how many people where sitting outside in their yards, ringing cowbells, holding up signs or yelling out words of encouragement as the riders passed. The weather was perfect, mid 60’s and overcast.

I pulled into the first rest stop about 15 minutes ahead of my schedule, I was averaging about 20mph to the stop. I filled bottles and ate, then moved on to the next stop. I made a habit of stopping at every rest stop, there were 10, to make sure I was well hydrated and fed along the way. By the time I got to Bill’s Mountain I was still about 10 minutes ahead of schedule at about 2:50. About mile 65 my legs started to cramp up. This was my only big mistake during the ride. Although I was well hydrated, I only drank water, I should have been drinking something with electrolytes like the Powerade they had at each stop or this stuff they had called Frete (supposed to be 100% electrolytes that you mix with water). The cramping wasn’t severe but it did slow me down. When I got to Marion, my wife and daughter were sitting along the roadside to congratulate and encourage me. I sat for about 15 minutes and made a small adjustment to saddle height, I had a slight pain in the front of my left knee, it was uncomfortable but not bad enough to stop.

Leaving Marion you head out to NC-80. This is the road you would take to get up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The first few miles are flat, so riding doesn’t seem so bad. The following 8 miles begins a death march that continues until you reach the Blue Ridge. It is 8 miles of constant uphill, about 10% grade for the majority of the way, with a few sections of up to 14% thrown in for good measure. If I wasn’t tired enough, this section took the rest out of me. I had to switch to drinking Powerade with the electrolyte solution mixed in. This was the only way, other than stopping and resting to get rid of the leg cramps. After that climb you stop at another rest stop as you enter the Blue Ridge Parkway.

By this time I am finding that the stops have to be more frequent and just a little longer. People who have done the ride in the past tell you that the Blue Ridge portion is easier, they all lie! That section, about 16 miles, although a little less steep still manages 6% - 10% grades for most of the route. There is one short 2 mile section where you drop about 500 vertical feet, just to make it up later. There are also three tunnels you have to go through. I had to stop at each roadside vista, not to see anything as it was overcast, but just to rest and work out the cramps. At this point in the ride it was all about pain management. Each time I stopped there were other riders either already stopped or stopping behind me to rest. The SAG wagon stopped by during several of these stops to ask if everyone was ok. During one of those stops, about 8 miles from the Mt Mitchell State Park entrance, there were two guys about my age in the back crying because they had to give up so close to the finish.

I finally make it to the State Park entrance, I only have 5 miles to go. These were the hardest and slowest 5 miles I have ever ridden. It took me 1:45 to climb those 5 miles! It was 10% grade all the way to just before the summit. By this time I could only ride about ¼ to ½ mile before I had to get off and walk for a stretch. I don’t every recall being this tired or sore ever in my life, even during some of our longer rides. Just before the summit there is a short flatter section, still uphill at about a 2% grade, but after all the steep climbing it feels like your riding downhill. I was able to pick my pace up to 18-19 mph. I thought that was pretty good after riding 100 miles. Just before the summit and finish line there is one last steep climb I have to get off and walk at the bottom, about ½ way up another cyclist passes and tells me I only have 1000 yards left, so I get back on my bike and ride around the corner. There I see the TN guys, they are cheering me on and ringing cowbells. I only have about 300 feet more and I see the finish line and my wife and daughter waiting for me. I cross the finish line and stop. It takes three people to help me off the bike, two hold it upright while another helps me swing my leg over the bike.

I couldn’t believe I had made it. My official time was 10:08:48, I know this because they issue all the Mt Mitchell riders a timing chip to wear on your ankle during the ride, and there was a big race timer at the top.The last 30 miles took me about 5:40 to complete. There was about 8000 feet of vertical elevation gain. So my totals for the day were:

• 10:08:48 – Official time
• 8:28:35 – Actual ride time
• 102.84 Miles
• 10,935 Feet of elevation gain

When I finished, I said, “thank god this was over, now I never have to do it again.” It took me 2 days to recover from the effort. But now, after its been done, I am planning how to train better for next year. I want to shave off the 8:48 plus more time to make it in under 10 hours. To put my 10 hours in perspective, the first two guys to finish did it in 5:23, so I was a little less than 5 hours longer.