Southeast - Asheville area in early July

I will be in the Asheville area the first part of July and am looking for a century or other type of organized ride. Is there any thing going on within a couple of hours of Asheville during that time? Thanks

There is a metric out of Tryon, NC on July 4. It is 62-65 miles with about 6000 ft of climbing. Usually have several hundred riding. Tryon is about an hour south of Asheville just off I-26.

There is a metric out of Tryon, NC on July 4. It is 62-65 miles with about 6000 ft of climbing. Usually have several hundred riding. Tryon is about an hour south of Asheville just off I-26.
It's called the Fabulous Fourth Metric (http://www.polkcounty.org/4th/4th.htm)

"Early July" probably doesn't include July 14, but this (http://www.mhc.edu/hotdoggett/) looks like an interesting ride.

Thanks for the info guys! Both look good and depending on what I have going on I might be able to do both. I am definatly a flat lander here in Houston so I will need to do some hill work beforehand. Would a 39 x 25 be enough for those rides. I don't have anything smaller than that?
There is another interesting ride at the end of July http://www.24hoursofbooty.com/ but I don't think that one is in the cards unless I change things around a bit. 3 mile loops for 24 hrs. sounds a bit tedious but makes for easy night time support. A closed course and the fact that it is for charity also might make it more bearable.

My plans have been finalized and I will be doing the Fabulous 4th Metric. It will be a challenge for me because I don't get to hit the hills very often. The website recommends a 45 inch gear so I should be ok with my 39x25. Has anyone here done that ride before and about how long did it take? What was the most difficult part. I should be used to the heat so that won't be a problem.

My plans have been finalized and I will be doing the Fabulous 4th Metric. It will be a challenge for me because I don't get to hit the hills very often. The website recommends a 45 inch gear so I should be ok with my 39x25. Has anyone here done that ride before and about how long did it take? What was the most difficult part. I should be used to the heat so that won't be a problem.
I did it 2 years ago and lucked out with a cool day in the low 70s. That may never happen again. There are a couple of really steep short hills that you will have to stand to get over in a 39/25. The grade in the watershed is not bad but it is longer than anything else on the ride. I did the 63 miles that year in 3:30 and measured 4420 ft of climbing with my polar 720i. It's a nice ride and gets good attendance. Have fun!

BikeWNC describes it well. The steepest hill I recall is on Callahan Mtn Rd that probably comes about the 45 mile mark. It is about a mile long with the steepest part around 17-19%. If the weather is agreeable they will have 400-500 riders there.