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Utah Bike Trip - Ken and Debbie Gamache Sept/2005
| -- Southwest Utah National Parks Bike Tour
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Here's a recap of a bike tour Debbie and I took with Trek Travel
this past September. It was a six-day; five night tour through some
beautiful scenery in southwest Utah.
Day One
Trek Travel picked us up in St. George, Utah at 8 am. After a
five plus hour shuttle ride, we arrived at our first destination,
Boulder Mountain Lodge in Boulder, Utah. Over the course of the next
five days, we would bike our way back towards St. George. After
lunch and getting fit to our Trek Madone 5.2 bikes, we were off on
our first ride. It was an out and back ride of 35 miles down the
Burr Trail into Escalante National Monument and a view of Capital
Reef's Waterpocket Fold. We had some difficulty with breathing
problems at this high altitude. We started at 6800 ft, descended to
5600 ft, climbed back up to a great lookout (7000ft) where we turned
around and headed back to our lodge. We stopped along the way to
take pictures, soak up the sites and catch our breath. Day One
concluded with a welcome reception, overview of tomorrow’s ride
and dinner at Hell’s Backbone Café.
Day Two
The ride today took us from Boulder to Bryce Canyon National Park
along one of the most scenic routes in the states. This 75 mile ride
was the second hardest ride of the week with close to 6000 ft of
climbing to three peaks ending at Ruby’s Inn just outside Bryce.
We were awed at the view just miles into the ride when we rode
through Hell’s Backbone. The shoulder of the rode dropped off (at
least 1000 ft) on both sides and we found ourselves riding closer to
the center while looking at the view both right and left. Lunch was
at the second peak of the day, Powell’s Point at 8000 ft. We ended
the ride with a 2000 ft climb to the Inn. After settling into our
room, we found the outdoor hot tub that helped relax the muscles
from a hard day’s ride. Social hour followed where the 15 riders
discussed the day’s ride, scenery and the day to come. Dinner
followed at Ruby’s Inn and off to bed to rest for yet another busy
day.
Day Three
Today was a combo day, ride in the morning and hike in the
afternoon. We rode into Bryce and climbed to the top, Rainbow Point,
at 9100 ft. We stopped two or three times at scenic pullovers on our
way up. Once at the top, we got off our bikes, hiked to other scenic
views before enjoying the descent back down to Sunset Point. A
chicken fajitas lunch followed served with margaritas made by our
Trek Travel guides. After lunch, we grabbed our change of clothes
from the van and prepared for our afternoon hike into the canyon. We
got a totally different perspective hiking in the canyon and looking
up at peaks and lookouts from our biking viewpoint earlier in the
day. It was a great day for picture taking. We ended the day again
in the hot tub before heading to Bryce Lodge for social hour and
dinner. Another great day!
Day Four
Today was a hotel transfer day, riding 85 miles from Bryce to
Zion National Park. We started the day with rain showers and 52
degrees at 8000 ft. By the time we got into the park, it was sunny
and 95 degrees at 3500 ft. Even though the overall drop in elevation
was 4500 feet, we still climbed for 30 of the miles into a headwind.
The early cold, rain and headwind were quickly forgotten when we
reached Zion. Awesome rock formations greeted us and we stopped many
times at lookouts during the last 1500 ft. of descent into the
canyon. After several pictures, we completed our journey at the
Majestic View Lodge, our home for the next two nights. After another
visit to the hot tub and pool, we settled into happy hour at the
lodge and dinner out in Springdale located just outside Zion.
Day Five
We were up early for breakfast outside where we watched the sun
come up over the rocky mountain formations. Today was the hardest
ride day but also the most rewarding. The 75-mile ride had a 15 mile
ascent of 5500 ft. elevation. Our guides indicated that having
climbed the Alps themselves this was as difficult a climb as any.
Only 9 of our 15 riders rode this climb. The others opted for hiking
in Zion. A much deserved lunch was served at the top of the mountain
at Kolob Canyon Reservoir, a picturesque quiet setting at the end of
the road. After lunch, we enjoyed the downhill descent, again
stopping many times for pictures of the beautiful scenery along the
way. After visiting the pool one last time, we spent our final
evening together reminiscing over the week’s events while we dined
at the Bit and Spur Saloon in Springdale.
Day Six
We decided to hike the last morning in Zion as the planned bike
ride was just a short out and back. We caught the first morning
shuttle into the park to hike up the Virgin River through the
Narrows Canyon. At some points, the canyon walls are only 15 feet
wide and 2000 ft high. It was a great way to cap off a fantastic
week. We hustled back in time for lunch, said goodbyes to new
friends from various parts of the world (Germany. Canada and the
states) and headed home.
The week was everything we hoped it would be. It really made the
trip more enjoyable since we had prepared by putting in many miles
in the six weeks preceding the trip. We ended the trip with 300
miles of cycling, 28,000 feet of elevation and over six hours of
hiking. Our guides were great, offering support and suggestions
along the way. Everything that was needed to make the trip
successful was provided. Debbie and I are already thinking about our
next trip.
-Ken Gamache
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May 2, 2004. Several of our club members rode in the
Chattanooga 3-Mtn, 3-State Ride. ....
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800 cyclists joined before the starting time of 8 AM EST at the
First Tennessee Pavilion in downtown Chattanooga for a mass start
out of town led once again by the city’s mayor. The weather was
overcast and cool with threatening rain clouds to the west and
north. There was a logjam of cyclists all awaiting a spot in the
mass peloton as the "Start" command was given. Spouses,
children, fiancées, and friends all shouted out hearty well wishes
as we exited the downtown area of the city.
I was giddy from all the attention that we cyclists got from
onlookers as traffic cops held up traffic when we passed through
city intersections. We finally passed over a bridge spanning the
Tennessee River and from that point it seemed the pace of the riders
picked up. Within a few miles after crossing the bridge the 25 mile
ride branched off—I saw only one person take the fork for the
quarter century route. The rest of us pedaled on with more mileage
on our brains paralleling for several miles the banks of the
Tennessee River.
The first major climb, Suck Creek Mountain, began about 10 miles
from the starting point, and once we started climbing the macho
folks started passing us ‘weeny’ boys. I did climb the 4.5 miles
to the summit faster by several minutes compared to last year’s
ride. The official photographer for this event had a cameraman
positioned about two-thirds of the way up the mountain. As we
approached him struggling to turn one crank arm after another, his
plea for us to smile for the camera met at least in my case with a
frown. Once I got to the first food stop which came about 15 miles
into the ride, I filled up my water bottles—I had started with the
empty bottles because there was no water available at the starting
point. It took about 3 minutes for me to get on my way, and I had
forgotten that there was still some more climbing to get through
before we reached the apex of this climb. For the descent down the
mountain I decided to not go full throttle, there were some slick
spots from a misty rain that was falling. We reached Powell’s
Crossroads and toured through the backroads of Hamilton County and
Marion County. The countryside was very pretty-the air smelled good.
Foreboding clouds hugged Lookout Mountain which loomed ahead and I
knew I was gonna be climbing it in a few hours. I was really hoping
those clouds did not mean we were going to be rained on as we
climbed the backside of Lookout. Not too far from this point I
bypassed the second food stop—I had ample water. At mile 42 or
thereabouts a decision point comes—take the left fork for about 21
more miles ( a metric century) back to the starting point or the
right fork for another 58 miles (a full century). Unlike the lines
from the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken", I took
the right fork that seemingly invited more pedalers.
I was again paralleling the Tennessee River/Lake Nickajack for
the next 30 minutes. I missed a turn I should have made at about
mile 50 and was headed for South Pittsburgh. After about 6 miles of
not seeing any of those lavender road markers, I finally decided I
had strayed off course and it was now time to back track. Once I got
back onto course, it wasn’t too long until I crossed over into
Alabama----Rollllll Tide!—and of course the climb up Sand Mountain
began. This was an easier climb than the Suck Creek Mountain
ascent.. I rode in tandem up the mountain with several riders and we
talked very little as we struggled. I heard lots of groaning and
some cussing. It could have been me but I’m not sure. At the top
of Sand Mountain we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the
valley we had just traversed less than a half hour before. One thing
I noticed on the climb up the mountain was all the trash dumped on
the side of the road. Among the household trash I saw were home
appliances—stoves, refrigerators—it was disgusting to see some
of this kind of stuff jettisoned by trashy people without concern of
where it might land. A few miles from the scenic vista was the third
food stop, and I tanked up my water bottles. The Alabama-Georgia
border was not too far from this point. About mile 78 I began the
descent off Sand Mountain, and at the bottom of the mountain on one
sharp turn there was a cyclist who failed to make the curve and was
laying in a heap attended to by fellow cyclists and a sheriff’s
deputy. I passed by with a sympathetic look—there was no reason to
stop since there was a crowd of people around him. A couple minutes
later an ambulance passed by me presumably in route to pick him up
for a hospital visit.
One last climb remained that being the Burkhalter’s Gap Road.
Just prior to this climb I stopped at the fourth food stop to top
off my water bottles and next came the toughest climb of the day. My
granny gear allowed me to slowly climb up this road which seemed to
be far steeper than the other two major climbs of the day. The other
climbs had plenty of turns and bends which would give me hope that
around that next turn the gradient would ease. On Burkhalter’s Gap
Road there were few turns and from the bottom of the climb the road
seemed to stretch to heaven with no relief. After climbing halfway
up, I had leg cramps so bad I finally had to get off my bike and
walk for a while. One fellow who was just ahead of me also got off
his bicycle and walked slightly ahead. I asked if I could draft off
him as we walked. Some yahoo dressed in a devil’s costume
challenged me as I walked past and told me for my sin of walking I
was going to have to restart the climb from the bottom of the
mountain. Fat Chance!!! The last quarter mile the gradient seemed to
become even more severe. Argghhhhh!!! I am not sure if the girls in
the bikinis were making fun of me or cheering me on. Maybe that was
a hallucination—I don’t know.
At the top of the mountain, now about mile 92, I bypassed food
stop five and was joined by Melissa Miller—we rode together for
3-4 miles and my leg cramps made me get off my bike for a few
minutes. I bid Melissa farewell as she rode off in the distance.
Soon came the big descent off Lookout Mountain. Someone at the start
of the descent warned me about wet pavement and accidents. My brain
failed to register what they said. At the bottom of the mountain was
the second serious accident of the day that I saw the results of. A
man who appeared to be around 60 years old looked like had slid on
wet pavement and had broken teeth and maybe broken an arm. The last
two miles traffic cops were at every major intersection directing
traffic and allowing us cyclists clear sailing back to out starting
point—First Tennessee Pavillion. My wife Emily and daughter
Heather were awaiting my arrival and I was certainly glad to see
them.
The only person from the Highland Rim Bicycle Club I saw on the
entire ride aside from those people at the start was Melissa Miller.
At the beginning of the ride I did notice Bob Crook, Denny Elston,
Ken and Debbie Gamache, Matt Johnson, Terri Jones, Rebecca McCool,
Kim Hopkins. I also know that Tom Leanza and Jack Shuttleworth were
on the ride but I don’t think I ever saw those fellows.
I think great compliments should be made to the Chattanooga Bike
Club, and also the city of Chattanooga with their various
departments who helped us do this ride. Not enough can be said for
those traffic cops—mostly women—who helped us cyclists naviagate
the streets of Chattanooga at the beginning and the end of the ride.
I had a great time on this ride. My odometer said 112 miles and
it took me over 8 hours to complete the ride. I plan to be back next
year, and I am envious of all the people who plan to do the Mount
Mitchell ride this year.
This is a great sport!!!
Mike Rutherford
Editor note: last 2 pictures are of Tullahoma resident's bike
after a crash at this event. Details are unknown, but the
rider was not hurt badly. |
(Photos above courtesy Mike Rutherford)
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June 8, 2003. We had a very good turnout for
this Sunday Breakfast ride - 16 people. We took over 3 tables at the
Cracker Barrel in Manchester, and hopefully did not annoy too many others
with our stories and laughter.
May 30, 2003. We rode in the first Tennessee Tandem
Rally, hosted by Tim and Sharon Patterson, in Alcoha, TN ( greater
Maryville). We had a great time, due to the hard work of the hosts.
Everything was well organized, with lots of special steps that left me
thinking - "Why didn't I think of that". They worked hard for
the benefit of 100 folks that attended - some from as far away as
California.
On Friday, we did the 1PM ride, that started east of town. We
rode along the Little River, on the other side of the river from the main
highway, to Walland, which is on the west end of Townsend. At
this point, we could have turned around, for a total of 18 miles, but
since the forecast for Saturday was poor, we pressed on with the 36 mile
option.  It is hard to judge what folks mean about "hilly", and
this option was to take us over a gap, into a valley just on the other
side of Cades Cove. We were towing Brian - our 65 lb payload. Well,
the climb was not bad, and the scenery was great. We stopped at the river,
just inside the Great Smokes National Park, for a rest and to let Brian
stretch his legs.
We found that we were some of the last ones in -
we could slowly pass some of the flatland folks who don't get to train in
the hills, but our play stops moved us to last.  We repeated our tail-end-charlie
status every day after that.
During the ride briefing, before the Friday ride, Brian was rearranging
the rocks in the hotel landscaping, and he was soon joined by another boy
Ryan. 
They hit it off quickly. Ryan(4) and his older brother Austin(6) ride with
their parents Tom and Donna on a quad Co-Motion with 2 child conversion
kits. Thereafter, Brian
was always looking for and asking "Where is Ryan?" We
played with them a lot but we just could not keep up on the road.
The one time they passed us, Brian started yelling " pedal harder,
pedal harder."
Saturday's forecast was poor - rain and 20-35 mph winds. It turned out
not as bad, just 25-35 mph winds. Looking at the numerous route
options, we decided to do the remote start, that would cut 4.5 miles each
way, and allow us to stretch out further to a neat destination - the
Chilhowee dam. I almost had second thoughts when the crowd gathered for
the mass start from the hotel, but we would have been dropped pretty
quickly, on some fairly busy roads.  At
the remote start ( the park which was the lunch stop later) ,the road out of the park seemed straight up, and it seemed
like I got loaded up on lactic acid right from the start. Then we
turned into the wind. That was tough until we got further out of
town, into the rolling hills. After a while, we started descending to the
Chilhowee river , and that was a little easier. When we rounded the
curve, at river level, we were pushed by a tailwind. We were
supposed to follow the river for some miles, but I thought we don't need
to be proceeding so far downwind ( a lesson from my sailing days), and we
turned around at the boat dock. The quad with the kids went roaring by on
their return leg. We headed back, and after fighting the headwind,
got into the climbs. Later our direction shifted and we had a good
tailwind returning to the park. We made it back 1/2 hr before lunch
was over, and ate a great lunch, provided by our hosts. We rode a massive
39 miles - others did 110 and went into NC !
Sunday was our last day. The ride options were 25 miles, with a
remote start, or 39 if one started from the hotel. Again, we would
have liked to be part of the mass start, but the hotel checkout time and
our pace dictated the remote start. The remote start was from a park on
the lake.
I tried to outsmart the system, and drove to the remote start early, with
the hopes that the group would come by and we would get to chat with
everyone, but alas, as it turns out, the routes were slightly different,
and we saw few of the faster people. We did cruise in a group of 4 bikes
for quite a while. Although we did not have the big climbs, we had
more short steep pitches. At mile 18, we supposedly were close to a ranch
with camels, lamas, etc, but we missed them.  This
was a pretty route, again with many homes out in the country. I
suspect that much of this area is occupied by folks who work in Knoxville.
Near the end of the route, we frequently rode alongside the lake, dipping
up and down on the rolling terrain. - Stuart Coulter
reporting
May 17th, 2003. Rimmers Assault Mt.
Mitchell Again
By Bob Crook, Road Captain, Touring
Continuing a long tradition, a crew of Highland Rimmers once again
attacked and conquered Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in North Carolina.
The Assault on Mt. Mitchell, organized by the Spartanburg (SC)
Freewheelers, is considered the toughest ride east of the Mississippi.
This year's riders were Melissa Miller, Al Hennigan, Sam Harper, Kevin
Zysk, Mike Rutherford, and Denny Elston. I accompanied them as SAG support
driver. We had the normal good time caravanning to Spartanburg on Friday,
May 16th. Going by way of Knoxville and Asheville, the first and essential
pit stop was at the Crackerbarrel in Cookeville. After arriving in
Spartanburg and checking in at the hotel and at the Assault Headquarters,
the gang headed for the Capri Restaurant (another long-standing
tradition), for a carbo-loading session. The morning of the ride dawned
dry, but the skies shortly opened while the bikes were being loaded for
the ride to the start at the War Memorial. The rain then persisted all day
long with no relief. I had a good look at the entire group as the ride
began. Despite the gloomy and wet conditions, the sight of all those eager
riders as they took off was awe-inspiring. I traveled to the first SAG
stop in Al's mighty impressive BMW X-5 SUV and got there in time to see
the whole pack stream through-very few stopping. At Marion, NC, the
conclusion of the first 72 miles and a major SAG stop for most riders, the
weather was still atrocious. As our HRBCers straggled in, they each had to
decide what to do. Denny and Kevin, each having successfully climbed the
mountain in previous years and having no need to prove anything, opted to
end their efforts right then, and proceeded eventually back to
Spartanburg, warm, dry and well-fed, while their compatriots were slugging
it up the mountain. The remaining four each decided for very different
reasons to continue on and did so. Sam, the most experienced, with one
previous conquest of Mitchell, added one more notch to his belt. Mike made
his agonized way up the mountain, fighting off his normal cramps, and
arrived at the top next. Melissa, having established only two weeks before
that she could tackle a tough 100-mile ride when she defeated the dreaded
Burkhalter Gap at Chattanooga's Three State, Three Mountain Ride, slowly
but surely rode the Blue Ridge Parkway and the final five miles of the Mt.
Mitchell State Park to finish triumphantly. Al finished last but quite
respectably in abominable conditions at the top. He had only decided to
ride Mitchell two weeks previously and was certainly not over-trained for
the event. At least twice along the Blue Ridge he seriously considered
bailing out and giving his recovering knee a rest. (It goes without saying
that he did not receive permission from his orthopedic surgeon for this
ride.) Indiscretion prevailed, however, and Al did decide to continue and
made it in great adequate style. Mitchell continues to be a supreme
challenge. The route is tough enough in good weather with 11,000 feet of
climb in 102 miles. With weather like last year (windy and very cold
(38ºF)) and this year (reasonably warm but constant fairly heavy rain
with fogged in conditions all along the Parkway and at the top), the
Assault is truly a supreme physical and mental effort. My congratulations
to all! After we all got back together in Spartanburg, it was a little
late to continue our traditional visit to the Outback so we opted for
pizza. This was a tactical error because while were carousing at the Pizza
Hut, the final truck delivered the bikes and the crew went home, leaving
three of our crew without their beloved machines. Sunday morning all was
resolved as we met the event originator and director, John Bryan, who
returned with the missing bikes. I hope this tale will inspire some of our
HBRCers who have never tried the Assault to give it a try. This is not
something that can be attempted casually, since it is very early in the
riding season and demands plenty of training (Hennigan's example
notwithstanding). To conclude, as Mike Rutherford said as he was lifted
half dead and dripping wet off his bike at the top, "Let's do it
again next year!"
May 17th, 2003. Stuart and Jeanie led a ride to
Pope's Cafe on the square in Shelbyville. We try and do this
annually, on the same date as the Mt. Mitchell ride, to give the slow
pokes a fun destination. This year, the weather just about halted
the event. It was raining at dawn, but cleared up in the last half
hour before the 7 AM start, so even though the forecast was poor, I felt
we had to go with blue skies overhead. Rebecca and Rick joined
us. On the way we ran into JoAnn and did a little flat repair. We
had a good breakfast at Pope's which fortunately was not too busy, and
returned on the same route which was a good plan since the wind had kicked
up from the storms brewing around us, and was right in our face. A
bad storm arrived about 1/2 hr after we got home, causing damage in
town.
2002 Elk River 100 - We had our usual turnout for the
ERV 100 and good weather. The breakout of who rode what is:
| 17mile |
7riders |
| 35 |
9 |
| 65 |
34 |
| 100 |
24 |
The course was blocked for a while by a crash (that did not involve any
cyclist)
Pictures:
2002 Murfreesboro and Huntsville Centuries.
We have been attending some of the local, regional
century rides and have had a good time. We teamed up with Bob Crook to go
to both the Murfreesboro HOT 100 on Aug. 24, and the Huntsville Century on
Sept 15th. The ride options on the HOT 100 were 31, 62, and
100. We thought the 31 was too short and 62 too long, so I looked at the
map and picked a road to cut across their long narrow loop and give us
about 50 miles. It turned out that this route was more of trail than a
road, with 2 creek fords (dry), a hill we had to push up which was so
steep on the backside that neither of us could stop. Fortunately we were
going slowly. When we finally got stopped at the bottom, our rims were too
hot to touch. So I guess in the end we expended as much energy as if we
had ridden the 62.
The Huntsville club had a 50 mile option that was what
we were looking for. It rained on us at the beginning, but not enough to
wet the road. The wind was at our backs, and I hoped that it would die
down, but it blew all day long, and the back 25 miles were very tough. We
were all worn out, but luckily, at the end, the route turned back west and
the wind was at our backs.
For those of you trying to find new century rides to
attend next year, each of these are good choices. Each has a post-ride
meal, where we enjoyed talking with folks we see year after year. – Stuart
Coulter reporting
2002 Assault on Mt. Mitchell.
Bob Crook wrote an excellent review of the trip of several of our club
members to Marion and Mt. Mitchell NC.
Eleven members of the Highland Rimmers Bicycle Club completed the
notorious Assaults on Mt. Mitchell and Marion on Saturday, May 18. This
was the 27th running of this group ride, sponsored by the Spartanburg (SC)
Freewheelers bike club.
Melissa Miller, Al Hennigan, Mike Rutherford and Kevin Zysk completed
the extremely difficult 72-mile Assault on Marion. The remaining riders
continued on for another 30 miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway, finishing at
the top of 6684-ft high Mount Mitchell, NC, the highest point east of the
Mississippi. They were Tony Zarraga, Debbie Gamache, Ken Gamache, Denny
Elston, Sam Harper, Brian Bacon, and Jim Herron.
Over 1600 riders started the assaults in Spartanburg, SC at 6:30 AM in
near darkness, 69F temperature and light-to-heavy rain. A persistent
headwind plagued the riders for the entire event. After about 90 minutes
the rain let up and the skies gradually brightened. The riders were forced
to alternately wear and then remove their rain gear in response to the
ever-changing conditions. The hosts of the ride provided several food
stops along the way, which enabled the riders to get a little rest along
with some nourishment.
The mass start of the Assaults is always a spectacular sight. All the
riders are packed into five lanes of traffic about 500 yards long. The
electronic clock on the marquee of the Spartanburg War Memorial counts
down the last few seconds and at the GO! signal, one can hear only the
sound of 1600 pairs of bicycle cleats clicking into their pedals. The
group then moves off at a very fast pace, the lead riders already bidding
for position as they try to beat the course record (about 5 hours for the
102 miles). The group sweeps through the city streets with all auto
traffic temporarily halted. As the ride progresses the riders naturally
stretch out into a very long line, eventually separated by as many as 30
miles.
Each of the Tullahoma riders attained his or her personal goal. The 72
miles of the group finishing at Marion, NC has been described as
"challenging". This is a charitable description. This segment of
the ride contains many tough hills, several in the last few miles. The
four Marion finishers were very happy to have attained the finish line.
The finish is at a park in Marion where a meal is furnished and good
bathroom and shower facilities are available. Each rider is encouraged to
send a bag with dry clothes ahead to the finish line. This was a
particularly good idea this year.
For the seven who continued on to the top of the mountain, the
conditions this year were among the toughest that any of them had ever
experienced. The ride is very difficult, even with good weather, with a
constant grind along the last 27 miles. The never-ceasing head wind and
the continually dropping temperatures made this section of the ride a real
test of fortitude and endurance. Conditions at the top were 39F and
extremely windy. After quickly drinking the hot tomato soup provided by
the Freewheelers, everyone got into the first available bus for the ride
back to Marion. At Marion, larger busses were available for the drive back
to Spartanburg. All bikes were collected from the riders as they finished
and put onto trucks for transportation back to Spartanburg.
This year, for the first time, the Tullahoma group had the luxury of a
personal "sag" wagon, driven by Bob Crook. He had dry clothing
and food and drink and bike tools and was available via cell phone to come
to the aid of a rider in distress. Happily, no mechanical difficulties
were experienced and the sag wagon was barely called into service.
A difficult ride like this so early in the riding season means that
extraordinary training regimens are necessary. Most of the group either
rode as much as possible during the winter or trained on indoor bikes.
When the Highland Rimmers' scheduled rides began in April, many of the
rides were designed with plenty of hill climbing. The central training
event used by most of the riders was the standing after-work Monday
afternoon ride from Alto to Sewanee and Sherwood and return. This 34-mile
route provides a pretty fair simulation of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt.
Mitchell State Park gradients with its two strenuous climbs. Of course the
route also affords the fun of two screaming descents, something not
possible on the one-way-only Mt. Mitchell ride.
Tullahomans' participation in this ride has a long and chequered
history. Bob Crook and Stuart Coulter made the first Assault on Mitchell
in 1988. They repeated it the next year with Greg Wannenwetch, then of
Manchester. Participation gradually grew to the present level. The ride
has become so popular that the Spartanburg club has had to restrict the
number of riders to avoid problems with the National Park Police and the
NC State Highway Patrol, who objected to the hordes of bikes with their
support vehicles clogging the narrow roads and small parking areas.
Therefore it has become a race when the application blanks are mailed to
see who can get the scarce Mt. Mitchell slots. It's hard to believe, given
the agony of achieving the finish line, but generally the conversation on
board the bus soon turns to making plans for doing it again next year. story
by Bob Crook
Joint Huntsville Ride - On April
28th, we met many fine folks from Huntsville for a joint bike ride.
We met in Fayetteville, ate breakfast, and then headed out for a hilly 40+
miles in the Coldwater area. There were tow tandem teams, each
towing Burleys with a wee one onboard.
Pictures from our Spring 2001 Garbage Pickup:
Fall/00
- Brian, Denny, Joe, and Rita rode in the Murfreesboro Hot 100 ride in
late August, and Denny, Mitch,Stuart, Jeanie and Brian rode in the
Huntsville All-You-Care-To-Eat ride in mid-September.
Sunday Breakfast Rides - we have had
some good rides to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast in the last few
weeks. Call Ken at 455-3252 if you are interested.
Alabama Tandem Weekend - Jeanie,
Brian, and Stuart Coulter attended the 6th Alabama Tandem Weekend, April
14-16th, in Auburn Alabama. 44 teams attended. The event was held at
the Auburn Univ. Conference center, and was very well organized.
Fortunately, the forecasted terrible weather did not materialize. On
Saturday, we rode out to the lunch stop on the intermediate loop route,
and directly back for a total of 35 miles. Several other loops were
available - a team could ride about 75 miles, on the well marked route, if
they wanted too. The whole gang had a pizza party afterwards.
Sunday we rode about 25 miles. The team behind us ( pictured ) had a
blowout that sounded like a gun shot, which fortunately happened just before a long decent.
We saw a few triples, and one family of 5 with the parents on a tandem, 4
and 2 yr old children on a trailer-cycle, with a one yr. old in a trailer
hitched to the trailer-cycle ( pictured).
(Click on thumbnail to view)
Elk River 100 Photos - intrepid
photographer and club member Mike Ruthorford captured these digital photos of club members
participating in the our Elk River 100 century ride held 9./11/99.
(Click on thumbnail to view)
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