Southeast - Tennessee - Roll Call!

i plan to start commuting from goodlettsville to nashville as soon as the weather gets a little better. i have been riding the greenway from two rivers to priest dam weeknights after 4:30 when the temps are above 40 degrees.

I'm still thinking of a Knoxville-Chattanooga road trip. Maybe the TN folks could all plan a weekend to meet in Chattanooga?

The 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge (http://sites.google.com/a/archerpt.com/3-state-3-mountain/) is a good weekend for cycling in Chattanooga.

i will be there..have already began inquiries on hotels in the area

THat looks like a great ride. wonder who else from K-town will be going....?

THat looks like a great ride. wonder who else from K-town will be going....?

I'll probably do it. In prior years they published the registration list and I'd guestimate that at least 50-100 people from Knoxville usually ride it.

You can find me riding my Trek road bike in and around White House, which is just north of Nashville. Glad to see there are so many other TN cyclists on the board.

I'm thinking of doing 3 state 3 mountain... not sure about an overnight stay though, probably drive out, do the ride and drive home, or maybe do some car camping in the parking lot. (are there any nearby camping places?)

(are there any nearby camping places?)

I'm not sure what you mean by "nearby". The event essentially starts in downtown Chattanooga, so I don't suspect there is any rustic camping within two or three miles.

I'd venture a guess the homeless population may beg to differ.

So, who's doing Jack and Back next weekend?

So who's riding around K-Town these days?

I'm thinking of doing 3 state 3 mountain... not sure about an overnight stay though, probably drive out, do the ride and drive home, or maybe do some car camping in the parking lot. (are there any nearby camping places?)

Raccoon Mountain Campground (http://www.raccoonmountain.com/) is about 7 1/2 miles away from the start/finish. $18+ for a tent site. I have never stayed there, just know it exists.

I am thinking about riding 3S3M but have not decided yet.

West Nashville/Bellevue checking in! I'm a Clyde who is returning to bicycles after many, many years of ignoring my health. I'll be 40 next Friday and I have decided to do something to get rid of my "dunlap"..

I'm new here. Is there any Mountain riders on here in Chattanooga?

I'm new here. Is there any Mountain riders on here in Chattanooga?

Heck yeah! I live on one.

Heck yeah! I live on one.

You ever ride Enterprise South? I went yesterday and going again tomarrow.

You ever ride Enterprise South? I went yesterday and going again tomarrow.

I have not. Since I have beautiful scenery for rides so close to home, I don't go out much unless it's a club ride.

I know East Ridge Bicycles has mountain bike group rides there. They also have group road rides in that area. You might be interested in that.

Northeast Tennessee (specifically Johnson City) represent?

When, pray tell, is it going to get warmer? There was frost on the ground this morning and I've gotta get ready to hit the streets.

I have moved since my last checkin! I am now living in Gallatin tn. and exploring Sumner County!

Hello all. New to the forum. I'm in Memphis. I see most of you are in the eastern part of the state. Glad to see Tennessee represented!

Hello all. New to the forum. I'm in Memphis. I see most of you are in the eastern part of the state. Glad to see Tennessee represented!

Some of us riding here in West Tennessee!
...flood waters leave you alone?

Yes we were lucky here not to get any flooding. But it did get close a few weeks ago with the ole Wolf River spilling onto the street. You?

whos riding in the Tour de Cure in M'boro tomorrow?

Hello from Athens.

Hello all! Absolute newbie here in LaVergne, TN (midway between Nashville and Murfreesboro). I've been riding Smyrna and M'boro greenways the last three or so months on a cheapie MTB. About to go pick up a new-to-me beginner used WSD Georgena Terry 80's model road bike. Can't wait to ride it! If there are any group rides in the area, I'd love to join in and learn from some of you more advanced riders.

`Deidre

Hello group,
I am up in the clarksville area, mostly do rides on friday or saturday on the back area of Fort Campbell. We just moved here so I am still looking and expanding my riding. I have a 2007 BMC SL01.

Check your PMs!

Hello all. New to the forum. I'm in Memphis. I see most of you are in the eastern part of the state. Glad to see Tennessee represented!

Yay Memphis! :)

Anyone else going on the Cycle Memphis ride tonight? http://www.cyclememphis.com/

armybiker, I got your PM, since the website does not allow me to answer PM till I get 50 post. I will

Hey everone. I'm Scott and I'm from Knoxville (Karns area). I usually hit alot of the greenways mostly seems to be third creek. I used to have a group that I rode with on a reg basis, but life happens. So mostly have been solo. I Have jumped from mtb to hybrid, and now on my first raod bike. Would love to meet up and do some group rides if the opportunity presented itself. Current rides are Trek 1.5 and a GF Hybrid.

Welcome Scott. You should check out the Tuesday/Thursday greenway - west knox to downtown rides (you can get emails about them from the smoky mtn wheelmen mailing list). There are some group rides from shops for road bikes (more during the summer...guess this is a transition time right now) that are a good way to meet other road riders.

John from Hermitage, TN here just outside of Nashville. I primarily ride the Stones River Greenway which starts at the Percy Priest Dam and runs to downtown at LP Field. I also recently participated in the Hoover Ride for Hope 62 mile route in Franklin, TN and will be attending the Scarecrow Century on October 22nd at Mt. Pleasant. I signed up for the 68 mile route but would like to attempt the 100 mile route if all goes well.

I usually ride the greenway after work and before school with is about 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Monday - Friday and then really early on Sunday mornings

Louie from Hendersonville, TN here. Over 40 Clyde that started road cycling 4 months ago mainly around the Hendersonville / Gallatin area. Have also been on a number of charity events in the middle TN area over the past couple of months.

Hello Volunteers,
My name is Ben (43)and I live in Nashville, I'm just getting back into biking after a 20yr. break. I plan on training and building a bike with a goal of doing 14 days touring in British Columbia next summer. I just bought a mid-eightys Shogun 500 road bike off e-bay and am enjoying fixing it up. Took a ride on the greenway today two-rivers to downtown and back- what a great ride. Just wanted to say hello and also ask if anybody knows of a easy 2 day ride near by with camping spot at night for a little test trip.
Thanks
Ben

Oh,
and here is a pic of my new/old bike.
225127

Hello Mathias,
I just hit the greenway today (two-rivers to downtown and back) great day to ride. I also bike from the Donelson YMCA on the greeway as well. Enjoy the ride.
Ben

Oh,
and here is a pic of my new/old bike.
225127

Looks fantastic! Great job!

Scott, I'm new to road bikes, too. Heck, I'm new to bikes in general, just bought my first bike in 20 years a few months ago. I did a group ride yesterday that left from Fountain City Pedaler and did a 36 mile loop around House Mountain. This was the longest ride I had done to date, and the folks were very welcoming and accommodating of my pace. Saturdays at 10.

Thanks Brad. I have been meaning to get out there and check that ride out. I have heard nothing but good things about the people that ride. I was about to do the Thursday night ride and then time changed and I work on Saturdays until 3. But maybe I can move some things around on my schedule and pull it off. I have done the House Mountain ride with a friend and really liked it. Thanks for the info.

Been here on BF for almost a year and just found this thread. Ha! I'm Gary and live in Gladeville (find that on your map!) between Nashville and Lebanon. I ride a GF Mendota hybrid. Love it! I ride the roads around Gladeville, the Nashville greenway (my fav!) and the Boro greenway. John from Hermitage, you know once you get to LP field you can ride over the bridge and the greenway continues on out to Metro Center and the TSU area? They're working on the greenway in Metro Center on top of the levee but you can jump off there and ride the roads down by Baptist Sports park. The roads in Metro Center are pretty bike friendly so it's a nice, easy ride. That's my favorite ride going from the dam out to Metro Center and back (except for the hill from hell there at Two Rivers, but I always feel good when I get to the top without having to stop :) It's 40 - 50 miles round trip depending on how many times you loop Shelby Bottoms. That's such a nice, flat loop by the river sometimes I'll ride it 2 or 3 times just to add miles.

This is my first year riding a bicycle since I was a teenager. Started off slow and by August I was up to 600 miles a month and, yes, I have a full time job. Ha! I've put 2800 miles on the Mendota since Memorial Day (when I bought it) and had another couple of hundred on the Schwinn I bought from Amazon before I wanted a better bike. I went from 230 pounds down to 187, but now that the weather is colder and wetter I've already put 10 of those back on and I'll be lucky to get 200 miles in this month.

Those that haven't been over to the Boro greenway, it's worth the drive over if you're close enough. Pretty flat and around 8 miles long if you ride the whole thing, so a 16 miles round trip. They've done a good job with it and the wife loves that one since it has no hills of note. There's nothing like the smell of fried chicken behind Dodge's Store after you've put in 20 or 30 miles. Ha!

I drove over to the Harpeth River ride this year and just watched. At the time I was riding 20'ish miles max. It amazed me when I saw a grandma, 65'ish yo lady come across the finish line after making the 65 mile ride. This year I plan to do that ride and I'm 57, so old enough to be a grandpa although the kids haven't honored me yet. It's been fun watching how the miles add up with time. I've ridden a metric century once and was pretty beat at the end of it, but I'll do 2 or 3 fifty milers a month in good weather, so it's very doable and it will be a good goal. Hope the hills aren't too tough near the end :)

Bought a mountain bike about a month ago thinking it would be a good distraction in the colder weather. Took it out to Jones Mill on my first ride. Boy do I have a lot to learn about mountain biking! I since went to Lock 4 with a friend and crashed trying to make a 2 foot drop. He made it look so easy :) I don't know if I really should be taking this up at my age. I need to spend some more time on the bike and learn some basics and we'll see. I've thought about setting it up like the Mendota and using it as a hybrid with front shock and mainly do paths and gravel roads and such. I'd like to ride the paths there in Shelby Bottoms and a few weeks ago I rode the gravel Cedar Forest road and took off under the high tension lines and that was kinda fun. I just don't know that it is wise to go through the learning curve of jumps and riding 10 mph right next to trees, etc. at my age.

Anyway, that's me. I'm glad I found cycling at my age. I'm pretty much a couch potato except for a 12 year stint playing racquetball a couple or three times a week. Hopefully, this is something that will carry me into old age and keep me in decent shape. Old age... Ba!

Great post Gary! Enjoyed the reading and the info. :thumb:

What's the bicycling scene look like in Knoxville? Small, large, hipsters? Good road scene, mountains, cyclocross? Any information would be more than I have now:p

Thanks in advance!

What's the bicycling scene look like in Knoxville? Small, large, hipsters? Good road scene, mountains, cyclocross? Any information would be more than I have now:p

Thanks in advance!
I think the bike scene is pretty good here in Knoxville. During the cyclocross season we have a local series called Knoxiecross. I have wanted to get in on it but never have. The road scene is pretty good as well with alot of group rides to get in on. And we are right next door to Haw Ridge a mountain bike paradise.