Southeast - Southeastern BF Members - Fall Ride in North Carolina Mountains

CPArider - send me all the tips ya got!

Also, for the rest of you mountain goats...is my compact (50/34, 12-27) gonna work that area?

Your compact with a 34/27 combo is great. That's what I will eventually go to once my DA 10 wears out. I want to see what SRAM Red looks like this Fall. Most of the fast guys around here use a 34/27 as the low gear.

A compact will be fine. Just be ready for some lower cadences uphill. I did the mountains in this area on a 36x23 (should have been a 36x26 but shifting issues). A tip: try and save a gear on your cassette. For me I used to drop real fast to my granny on my old triple and spin my brains out then when it got steeper I had issues.

Training tips for Wolfpack: go on group rides that are harder than your usual groups and stay with them, if you do a group your with a lot do more pulls, do long (20 min) intervals to get used to the feeling of having to stick with a hard pace a long time, find hills and do hard repeats (no lolly gagging up it), on those repeats sit and stand and get a feel for what works, do low cadence intervals (60 rpm) for several minutes your HR should stay below LT. Mix it up and don't overdo it, start with a few intervals if you've never done them and work up. You've got several months to get some training in, I usually do my first mountain in March so if you're in decent shape now you can do it.

Couldn't tell if your near hills, but Raleigh has plenty. Find ones with higher gradients. I like Umstead and there are some around my house and Falls Lake that have some steep pitches.

There's always losing weight on your body, I went to ~150 from ~155 last year and could tell a difference. Don't fool with weight weenieing your bike for grams, find the pounds on you (I could stand to lose more if I was real serious :) )

Good luck and keep the rubber side down out there.

I can tell you that the Tour de Tuck is one ride that does not exagerate the elevation gain. The BRP alone between Cherokee and NC 215 has about 8000' of climbing.
Interesting.

<contemplates slow, painful death on the Blue Ridge Parkway>

Are the climbs on that road limited to moderate grades? For example, I believe the roads in the Smokies (or at least the main ones) top out at 5% or 6%. Is the same true for the BRP?

There's always losing weight on your body, I went to ~150 from ~155 last year and could tell a difference.
Alas, I've lost five pounds (since winter) and can't tell a difference. Uphill is still slow. :rolleyes:

Interesting.

<contemplates slow, painful death on the Blue Ridge Parkway>

Are the climbs on that road limited to moderate grades? For example, I believe the roads in the Smokies (or at least the main ones) top out at 5% or 6%. Is the same true for the BRP?

From Sylva there is about 1000' of climbing to the BRP in Cherokee in 20 +/- miles.

For the most part the max grade on tha BRP is around 7%. There are a few short sections about 8%. The climb from Cherokee up to Lickstone Ridge is long at 10.2 miles and 3250'. The grade seems to stick around 7% for most of it. The climb up from Soco Gap to Waterrock Knob is less steep at 5-6%, 4.5 miles and 1450'. The climb from Balsam Gap to Richland Balsam starts at 7% for about 3.5 miles then eases and becomes more stepped to the top, 12.5 miles and 3000'.

From there it is rolling to NC 215, generally down though. NC 215 is all down until the turn at which point the route crosses several ridges some with steep grades. One grade is very steep at 15% but not too long. I did that when it was still a dirt road and on road tires it was a challenge. It's still hard now that it is paved, especially late in the ride. Once on NC 281 it is mostly down back to the finish, but as always there are a few pesky short climbs along the way. Total mileage is about 110.

Velo Vol, if you are really set on doing the Tour de Tuck I will do it with you. I might not be very fast at that time of the year (not that I'm fast at any time of the year) but I think I can survive it. I know the route, for better or worse, so I know what to expect in the way of suffering. We can't let the SoCal forum have all the fun can we?

Not sure if I can make it, but I might join you guys. For future reference for those of you who "ain't from 'round here," even though we bill the Fletcher Flyer as the "flattest century in the mountains," it's not exactly flat, just flat compared to the other organized centuries in the area.

And if anybody's looking for a relatively short warm up ride for this BF ride or the Hilly Hellacious, I'm leading our club's bi-weekendly summer ride on Aug. 4. We'll meet at Ledges Park for 30-35 miles through Buncombe and Madison counties. A little more info at http://www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/weekends.html

I probably should join the BRBC. I usually ride the Flyer and the Hilly and it would be good to get on the mailing list for other functions.

If you guys did this somewhere in Smoky Mountains, I would come. Asheville is a little too much of a drive for me (Nashville).

Velo Vol, if you are really set on doing the Tour de Tuck I will do it with you.
Thanks for the information, BikeWNC. I'm thinking about this ride. The website says it's only half full, so I assume I've got at least two or three weeks to decide.

In terms of total elevation gain, it would be the toughest ride I've tried. So I have to assess if I'm in good enough shape for it to be enjoyable. :o But if you and/or any other BF members get aboard, that will be a factor in favor of doing it.

If you guys did this somewhere in Smoky Mountains, I would come.
crypticlineage, the area we're discussing riding is just a little beyond the eastern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you can swing an overnight trip, I'm sure you'd have an enjoyable time.

Thanks for the information, BikeWNC. I'm thinking about this ride. The website says it's only half full, so I assume I've got at least two or three weeks to decide.

In terms of total elevation gain, it would be the toughest ride I've tried. So I have to assess if I'm in good enough shape for it to be enjoyable. :o But if you and/or any other BF members get aboard, that will be a factor in favor of doing it.

Let me know if you want to do it and I'll sign up. It's not an easy ride for sure but I think we can get through it without dying or throwing up. :)

Couldn't tell if your near hills, but Raleigh has plenty. Find ones with higher gradients. I like Umstead and there are some around my house and Falls Lake that have some steep pitches.

There's always losing weight on your body, I went to ~150 from ~155 last year and could tell a difference. Don't fool with weight weenieing your bike for grams, find the pounds on you (I could stand to lose more if I was real serious :) )

Good luck and keep the rubber side down out there.

I'm in Clayton. It's pretty darn flat on this side of town. I'm still trying to recover from the knee injury (bursitis/tendonistis, right knee) and I'm finding hills to be a bit difficult at this time. Hopefully, by the end of September, I'll be ready to tackle them. If not, you guys will just have to do it without me and I'll try to make it up there for a Veteran's Day ride.

Yea, I know I can't get my bike any lighter...16.5# is good enough for me. I'm working on getting me lighter tho; hopefully will be 15+/- pounds lighter by the end of September <keeping fingers crossed>

15 pounds is a fairly aggressive weight loss goal for 2 months. Have you gained weight due to your knee injury?

<not trying to be snoopy about your weight, just curious to the extent that it's an indicator of how being sidelined has affected your overall fitness>

sent you a PM.

it is aggressive, but can be done. i did gain some due to being off the bike for so long, but have started to lose some since i'm riding again.

I'm in Clayton. It's pretty darn flat on this side of town. I'm still trying to recover from the knee injury (bursitis/tendonistis, right knee) and I'm finding hills to be a bit difficult at this time. Hopefully, by the end of September, I'll be ready to tackle them. If not, you guys will just have to do it without me and I'll try to make it up there for a Veteran's Day ride.

Yea, I know I can't get my bike any lighter...16.5# is good enough for me. I'm working on getting me lighter tho; hopefully will be 15+/- pounds lighter by the end of September <keeping fingers crossed>

Clayton's pretty flat. Headwinds and low RPMs are your best simulation for a mtn. Or just take weekend field trips to other parts of Raleigh for some hilly rides. New scenery and road are always good.

Good luck with the knee, don't rush it the mtns and roads will be there later. 15 lbs is like losing a whole bike or one of Micheal Rasmussens legs :)

i did gain some due to being off the bike for so long, but have started to lose some since i'm riding again.

I hope your knee cooperates with your plans to reach your target. And, more importantly, make it to the mountains. ;)

CPA is correct that battling headwinds helps your overall strength. But winds are hard to control, so don't overdo it.

I hope your knee cooperates with your plans to reach your target. And, more importantly, make it to the mountains. ;)

CPA is correct that battling headwinds helps your overall strength. But winds are hard to control, so don't overdo it.

knee is cooperating a little bit. farkin' knee. my aerobic fitness and general endurance for longer rides is gone now. i've read it could take anywhere from 1-2wks per week off bike to return to pre-injury fitness. i can see that this is true. as far as headwinds and turning those low rpms, i can do the wind, but i'll just have to spin it more because mashing's not good for my knees...

distance-wise, i'm working my slowly up to more - i'm at 25mi right now and will be doing prolly 35 this weekend. it's very frustrating, being able to do 10-12mi at my pre-injury pace (17.5-18mph avg) and then being tired and struggling to maintain on the way back. i guess, for saturday's ride, maybe i should try to hold back on the first half and crank it up more on the way back.

sorry for getting off topic...this injury has been very frustrating and limiting me in what i can do and i've about run out of the tiny bit of patience i have.....

Either Sept 29 or Oct 6 works for me. I'll be there for the Friday evening ride, that's a great idea. I'll do the Saturday ride, but won't be there for the Sunday ride. I only get to ride on the BRP a few times a year, and I've enjoyed every ride there.

BikeWNC, have you tried mapmyride.com for route maps? It has the "follow road" option, so it's quick to create a route. And it can export the route to Google Earth. Here's an example route. (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nc/mt-airy-/532674110)

Either Sept 29 or Oct 6 works for me. I'll be there for the Friday evening ride, that's a great idea. I'll do the Saturday ride, but won't be there for the Sunday ride. I only get to ride on the BRP a few times a year, and I've enjoyed every ride there.

BikeWNC, have you tried mapmyride.com for route maps? It has the "follow road" option, so it's quick to create a route. And it can export the route to Google Earth. Here's an example route. (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nc/mt-airy-/532674110)

Glad you will make it for the ride Sept. 29th weekend. I haven't tried mapmyride but I will. The Sat. ride is pretty easy to follow since it will be an out and back on the BRP. Not sure I want to post an elevation profile. :rolleyes: Don't want to scare anyone away. You know how that goes.

Not sure I want to post an elevation profile. :rolleyes:

Heh.

Just post something like this:

_________-----__________----_________

Looks harmless enough.

Glad this appears to work out for you, rm -rf.

I tried using that "follow road" option a few weeks ago and it kept jumping to adjoining roads I didn't want. Is there a trick to using it?

Heh.

Just post something like this:

_________-----__________----_________

Looks harmless enough.

Glad this appears to work out for you, rm -rf.

I tried using that "follow road" option a few weeks ago and it kept jumping to adjoining roads I didn't want. Is there a trick to using it?


It wants to follow main roads if possible. So you need to click Undo and select a point on the road you want that is closer to the previous selected point. It seems to work better than it did a month ago, too.

Glad you will make it for the ride Sept. 29th weekend. I haven't tried mapmyride but I will. The Sat. ride is pretty easy to follow since it will be an out and back on the BRP. Not sure I want to post an elevation profile. :rolleyes: Don't want to scare anyone away. You know how that goes.

Mapmyride tends to under-report the elevation gains. But we won't tell anybody.

Riding on the BRP shouldn't scare any flat landers. All I have here in Cincinnati is 300 to 400 foot hills, and I did OK on the last BF ride. You and VeloVol took a lot of short breaks, and kept the pace reasonable. It really was a hard but social ride for me. I made it to the end with no problems.

Maybe the one giant climb on the last ride intimidated a few riders. There will be climbs mixed with downhills on the BRP. Since it's an out and back route, a rider could shorten the ride if necessary.

have you tried bikeroutetoaster.com? i like it pretty good. it's good for those of us that use gps..

I tried mapmyride but it crashed my browser twice, so I'm done with that.

bikeroutetoaster.com. use "auto-route" points to place a point at each turn. it won't follow the road yet. when done placing all the points, click on "get route" or something like that and it will make the route and follow the roads.

bikeroutetoaster.com. use "auto-route" points to place a point at each turn. it won't follow the road yet. when done placing all the points, click on "get route" or something like that and it will make the route and follow the roads.

How 'bout we just leave the route as a surprise? That way no one will wig out over this or that. Let's say we should expect some climbing, descents, flats and views while on the route. Good enough?

Good enough for me. I'm gonna be there unless something happens.

Good enough for me. ...
I thought your bike couldn't function unless the way-points were previously entered in the Garmin?

Just funnin'. :p

How 'bout we just leave the route as a surprise?Because it's not as easy to complain it then. :rolleyes:

Last time I tried the follow road function on mapmyride it went out of the way to go on the wrong road. I'll try it again sometime and see if it's better now. The elevation function has also been inconsistent for me. Several times I suspect it has under-calculated gain. But one time it was far higher than my estimate.

I thought your bike couldn't function unless the way-points were previously entered in the Garmin?

Just funnin'. :p

nah, mine works fine. it's JayC's that doesn't work unless the route is preloaded. :D

nah, mine works fine. it's JayC's that doesn't work unless the route is preloaded. :D

Is JayC going to make it for the ride?

Don't know. I haven't mentioned it to him. It'd be nice if I could get him & Erica to come up as well. I'll need all the tow ropes I can get:D.

Don't know. I haven't mentioned it to him. It'd be nice if I could get him & Erica to come up as well. I'll need all the tow ropes I can get:D.

It would certainly make the trip easier. They need some mountain ridin' too. That way when ya'll get back to the Capital City them flat roads will look like speedways.

nah, mine works fine. it's JayC's that doesn't work unless the route is preloaded. :D
Oh, very good. I just figured your bike had become infected with the same problem.

bump

Maybe we could get an Atlanta group together and head up. How far a drive is it?
Amy (my wife) and I are planning on going up for this. It takes about 3.5 hours Atlanta to Asheville.
Any idea on the date yet?

Date has been set. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=326074)

Amy (my wife) and I are planning on going up for this. It takes about 3.5 hours Atlanta to Asheville.
Any idea on the date yet?

Since we are meeting in Dillsboro, it should be less than 2.5 hours drive. Check out the other thread for hotel info. Glad you can make it.

Anyone that's interested in doing a ride this fall in the NC Mountains, please see this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=326074) for all information.

Thanks - WP.