Southeast - 2009 3-State 3-Mountain Challenge (2 May 2009)

Event information (http://www.chattbike.com/events/3_state/3stchlng.htm)

Who's in?

I'm registered but unprepared. Less than four weeks to go.

Not this year once again. I'll be out of town.

i wish. but doing Tour de Cashiers this year. maybe next year...it's a long drive for me to get out there....

... I'm registered but unprepared. Less than four weeks to go.

You got plenty of time then. Just do what one of my buddies says he is going to do to prep for Mt. Mitchell. He says he will make several trips to Sauartown/Sauertown and do the climb repeatedly until he pukes.

You don't even have to drive 2 1/2 hours to get to a "climb 'till you puke" mtn.


wolfie, Bwnc - my bud has done Mitchell too many times for me to count -- so I know he will be okay.

wolfie - PaulN may be on the Apr-18 ride -- if he is not climbing Sauartown that day 'till he pukes.

okie dokie.

I'd rather go the puke-free route, though I do need to get a couple good climbing rides in.

Am I the only person riding this year? If so, they'll have no excuse to run out of pizza this time. :lol:

come ride with me & BWNC on saturday. marion to mt mitchell. 30mi of really good climbing. :)

Bump.

I'm surprised no other participants have responded to this thread. In past years we've had several BikeForumers riding.

Hey Velo Vol,

Count me in for the 100 mi puke-free route. Can we also add thunderstorm-, hail-, wind/rain-, locus-free route? :twitchy:

I hear you. I'm still shivering from the wet start to last year's ride.

Do you know how many people are registered? I haven't seen updates on the website this year.

I'm in....12 days and counting...I just hope my hip is recovered enough (first time testing it out on such a long hard ride in 4 months)

I'll be there again. Trying not to walk Burkhalters. Again.

I'll be there again. Trying not to walk Burkhalters. Again.

I found out that walking could be faster than riding last time I rode it :lol:

Count me in!!!

Chattanooga was my hometown until I moved to the Durham, NC area. Not many mountains, but plenty of hills to work with. I feel strong enough to tackle the route and my bike should be well equipped for the ride (low profile wheels with a 13/26 cassette), but that certainly not to say that it won't be a challenge. I am wondering how many people will skip the first SAG stop because of the 44 mile time limit? I know I will be one of them.

I am skipping 3 State but plan to do Cheaha on Sunday. Anyone going for a double dose? I know some people are doing the Anniston Crit on Saturday and Cheaha Sunday, which was my plan till I found out I have a family reunion Saturday...

Signed up at the last minute and just hope for better weather than last year.......

I rode up Burkhalter Gap on Sat. It has not changed much since the last time I climbed it.I forgot what a heart rate of 192 bpm felt like. :eek:

Wish they would pave "The Wall". It is still rough at the very top which does not help.


The descent off Lookout Mt (Och's highway) is awesome. It has fresh asphalt all the way down. Just be careful of the shoulder and centerline as they have cut "grooves of death" into the road surface. I rode Suck Creek and Signal Mt the following day. The climb up Suck Creek has not changed much from last year, but the descent now has fresh asphalt. I don't know about Sand Mt or the chip seal "shake and bake" portion. The last time I rode that section was the 2008 3-State.

See you on Sat!

I don't know about Sand Mt or the chip seal "shake and bake" portion

That will probably be the last section that gets repaved. Alabama. :rolleyes:

it's in Alabama...we are lucky they even have pavement there.

Once again the weather is a wild card. It could be decent, or it could stink.

Well-sitting in the hotel room after driving 300+ miles and it's raining, lightning, weather warnings on the tube...........just looked at tomorrow's forecast and it went from 40% to 90% chance of Tstorms tomorrow. Could be worse than last year???

it's in Alabama...we are lucky they even have pavement there.

Yeah probably so?! :rolleyes: What a grand observation coming from Tennessee...

Hope those who are out there doing 3 State right now get a break with the weather, most of you anyway... ;)

Did anyone ride? I woke up early, looked at the weather radar, and decided to not even drive down there. It looked like it was going to be worse than last year. :(

I did. Had an absolutely miserable descent off Suck Creek (is that the name of the first one) going practically hypothermic by the time I hit the bottom. Whoever the angelic couple who helped my shivering hands get some coffee in me before I shivered the coffee all over the floor and fashioned a jacket for me from a garbage bag, thank you. My riding partners and I were all soaked and shivering that we almost bailed entirely, but after waiting around, we stopped shivering and decided we would be warmer if we were moving, so we decided to do the metric instead of the 100 - it was a great ride after that. Well, all three of us got flats. The support and reststops were wonderful - as cold and wet as they all must have been, they were wonderful.

Couldn't believe the weather could be worse than last year but sure nuff.........probably some of the hardest rain I've ridden in. Lightning danced all around us for about an hour. It was darn cold rain as well. The rain tailed off about the 80 mile mark though but pretty foggy on Burkalter.

I had no brakes coming down the first descent (Suck Creek??). I even spinning the pedals backwards trying to will the bike to slow down.....Normally you wouldn't even need brakes on that descent but I was trying to be cautious with all the water in the road-didn't know what might have been washed out into the turns or even if someone had gone down or maybe even lightning knocking a tree across the road???

And then nothing but cold water in the showers at the stadium after the ride.......geez.

Props to you guys for toughing it out. How long did it rain? How many riders were there?

If it was 8-10 degrees warmer, I might have ventured it despite the rain. But I got chilled last year, and the radar this morning suggested a high probability of chilly misery again. It's just not fun when I'm cold.

Props to you guys for toughing it out. How long did it rain? How many riders were there?

If it was 8-10 degrees warmer, I might have ventured it despite the rain. But I got chilled last year, and the radar this morning suggested a high probability of chilly misery again. It's just not fun when I'm cold.

Started raining just a few miles into the ride and rained really, really hard forever. A lot of people stopped at about the 30 mile mark just because of the chill. Probably rained about 3+ hours?? I thought it was raining climbing the second climb but I think it was just heavy drops of water off the trees...

There were tons at the start because it wasn't raining then. I'm guessing a lot of people just did the 60. It was tempting to do the shorter route too but I was with a group at the turn point and since I'd driven so far I decided to press on. My group at the decision point dwindled from about 10 to 3 though....

I made a great decision at the start. I was just wearing a cycling jersey and shorts but after seeing 90% chance of rain I put on my lightweight rain jacket. Most folks were not wearing any rain gear at the start. Just a few miles later I was really glad I had it on. Those that got wet really got chilled.

What a miserable ride! It rained and rained and rained some more. It stopped as soon as I got off the bike back at Finley. First climb I got into a good rhythm and it wasn't so bad but I realized my brakes were rubbing so I opened them up for the descent which was quite interesting. The descent was freezing. I didn't have sleeves and I paid for it. My arms were blue by the end of the descent. The rain was also stinging on the descent...it hurt!!! I made the decision to cut the ride short and do the 62 miler and it just kept raining...within an hour of getting off the bike I saw sunshine...ridiculous.

Props to you guys for toughing it out. How long did it rain? How many riders were there?

If it was 8-10 degrees warmer, I might have ventured it despite the rain. But I got chilled last year, and the radar this morning suggested a high probability of chilly misery again. It's just not fun when I'm cold.

funny I said this when passing over the bridge right before the 62/100 mile split...if it had been 10 degrees warmer I would've done the entire 100.

I heard at the start that 2200 were registered. Apparently many riders turned around at the first rest stop. I saw folks coming down the first mtn as I was going up, very confusing. The rain was heavy until the second rest stop, then off and on. I had a light jacket, jersey and t shirt and was comfortable except for being completely soaked all day....This is a very well organized and supported ride. It did not seem crowded after the first 10 miles except for the first rest stop. I think I'd rather have rain on a century than 90+ degree temps.

<< I saw folks coming down the first mtn as I was going up, very confusing. >>.

Usually, the folks climbing ask the people descending how far to the top. When I was descending, I was asking the people coming back up from the rest stop how far to the bottom. Talk about confusing! That was teh worst descent I've ever had.

What a ride. :twitchy: After postponing last year's ride under similar conditions, I decided to take my medicine and ride in the downpour this year. The start was packed and given the forecast, I was a little surprised to see so many riders wearing only short sleeve jerseys. I guess I lucked out, since I wore long sleeve base layer, jersey, raincoat, and short bibs. I was just about the perfect temp. all day. At the base on Burk. Gap, I shed my raincoat and still overheated a bit.

Right on cue and at 8am, I felt my first raindrop. I am not sure that it quit raining for more than 15-20 min the whole ride. By the time we got to the climb up Suck Creek, the skys opened up big time. I have never been outside with rain that hard. I met many riders coming down the mountain as I was climbing, like the road was blocked or something I guess. Weird. At the top, many riders pulled over to wait it out or to contemplate continuing the ride. I keep going. Had very little to no brakes descending Suck Creek. We are talking about putting a gorilla grip with very little response. It was the worst descent I have had in my 3 years of cycling. The only thing the saved me was there weren't very many riders descending at that point.

Anyway, after contemplating the 62 and 90-miles bailout routes, I finished the full century route in 7 hours 55 minutes. The rain really zapped my energy. I guess the extra wind, water on the roads, and weight of my water logged clothes and gear took it out of me. That was the slowest I have ever climbed Burk. Gap. BTW, thanks to the lady that was positioned halfway up the climb who was cranking the music and shouting out words of encouragement. It was a nice distraction from reality. After I got to the top, I was toasted. I was crawling over the rollers at the top of Lookout. Back to the stadium for pizza and beer. At first I was a little disappointed about my time (25 minutes slower than last years ride that I did the next day in sunshine), but overall, it was a good ride and not too uncomfortable. I think if I had not had my rain jacket to keep my heat in, it would have been a LONG day.

the conditions were horrible but i still turned in a good time 5:02 for the full century

rode this event last year and this year.

What a glorious day for suffering!

One of the guys in my group asked if we were bailing out when we saw people quitting. My response? I didn't come all this way to quit. I said, "If I'm going to quit then it is going to be a spectacular explosion at mile 83."

At mile 81, my friend asked me how my legs were for the climb and my response was: "I've got nothing but guts left but I didn't come this far to Fing push my bike now"

Set a PR on the course on this ride.

Only gripes?

Three:

1 The e-mails said the RR track would be covered this year and it wasn't.
2 For the love of all things holy, when will people understand that on a mountain climb and especially Suck Creek, if you are slow climbing...get to the right.
3 I had horrible descents off Suck Creek AND Sand Mountain. I descended Suck Creek like a girl. Sand was much better but dang.

We put in a 6 hour day with breaks.

rode this event last year and this year.

What a glorious day for suffering!

One of the guys in my group asked if we were bailing out when we saw people quitting. My response? I didn't come all this way to quit. I said, "If I'm going to quit then it is going to be a spectacular explosion at mile 83."

At mile 81, my friend asked me how my legs were for the climb and my response was: "I've got nothing but guts left but I didn't come this far to Fing push my bike now"

Set a PR on the course on this ride.

Only gripes?

Three:

1 The e-mails said the RR track would be covered this year and it wasn't.
2 For the love of all things holy, when will people understand that on a mountain climb and especially Suck Creek, if you are slow climbing...get to the right.
3 I had horrible descents off Suck Creek AND Sand Mountain. I descended Suck Creek like a girl. Sand was much better but dang.

We put in a 6 hour day with breaks.

1) Yeah I was a little annoyed they didn't cover the tracks...especially when 3 of the 6 people in front of me crashed. I was smart enough to unclip my left foot and walk my self over the tracks.
2) Being a slower climber the problem I had with getting to the right was that I had Jackasses passing me on my right in the shoulder. The next time I heard "on your right" I was going to clothesline someone. I was riding on the white line.....That being said...the same should go on the descent. If you aren't comfortable descending (especially in that kind of weather) get to the right. I can't tell you how many times I came up on someone hugging the center line grabbing both hands full of breaks. I averaged 20mph on the 1st descent and I was blowing by people. That descent on a normal day would be 40+ mph easy.

The descents were the worst part for me. I had not done the ride before and didn't know what to expect. I tried to stay out of the way! Kool Stop salmon pads worked very well.

1) Yeah I was a little annoyed they didn't cover the tracks...especially when 3 of the 6 people in front of me crashed. I was smart enough to unclip my left foot and walk my self over the tracks.
2) Being a slower climber the problem I had with getting to the right was that I had Jackasses passing me on my right in the shoulder. The next time I heard "on your right" I was going to clothesline someone. I was riding on the white line.....That being said...the same should go on the descent. If you aren't comfortable descending (especially in that kind of weather) get to the right. I can't tell you how many times I came up on someone hugging the center line grabbing both hands full of breaks. I averaged 20mph on the 1st descent and I was blowing by people. That descent on a normal day would be 40+ mph easy.


How was the hip? I descended off suck creek averaging about 22mph. I just didn't feel comfortable going any faster in the rain. It was a freaking thunderstorm going down that puppy.

I was passing people in the freaking left lane the whole way up suck creek. i would have hip checked someone if they passed me right of the shoulder! At one point, I was passing this woman who was climbing in the drops jabbering away to some guy to the right of her. She was talking about her psychologist and her therapy sessions. I had about 4 guys in my group climbing with me and I said, "only a freaking woman would yabber up a mountain climb". I just loved that SAG vehicle going up suck creek. Nice...a big dodge ram diesel (I think it was a dodge) belching diesel fumes.

I wore a Jersey, rain jacket and fingerless gloves. I saw the radar in the morning and knew I needed the jacket. For the Sand mountain climb, I removed the sleeves of my rain jacket and left my jersey and now a vest unzipped. I would zip up for the descents.

rode this event last year and this year.

What a glorious day for suffering!

One of the guys in my group asked if we were bailing out when we saw people quitting. My response? I didn't come all this way to quit. I said, "If I'm going to quit then it is going to be a spectacular explosion at mile 83."

At mile 81, my friend asked me how my legs were for the climb and my response was: "I've got nothing but guts left but I didn't come this far to Fing push my bike now"

Set a PR on the course on this ride.

Only gripes?

Three:

1 The e-mails said the RR track would be covered this year and it wasn't.
2 For the love of all things holy, when will people understand that on a mountain climb and especially Suck Creek, if you are slow climbing...get to the right.
3 I had horrible descents off Suck Creek AND Sand Mountain. I descended Suck Creek like a girl. Sand was much better but dang.

We put in a 6 hour day with breaks.

Yes, it does get crowded on the Suck Creek climb. There is only so much real estate for 2000+ riders. I am not sure if it is as simple as having a "fast" and "slow" lane for climbers, since climbing speed is all relative. What is fast for you may be slow to the 5 hour century riders. You may get in their way. The only suggestion would be to release riders in waves according to their expected finish time. That could have its own set of problems.

My rant of the day would have to be seeing 3 riders urinating on the bushes (front and center) of the Baptist church at the foot of Suck Creek. :mad: I am not sure there is any excuse for that. There was a report on the Chat Bike website that a wedding was taking place on Saturday. Not sure if there were people inside of the church at that time. Anyway, total lack of respect. The Chattanooga Bike Club had a few land owners refuse to let us use their land for rest stops this year because of riders peeing in public. [/END OF RANT]

Yes, it does get crowded on the Suck Creek climb. There is only so much real estate for 2000+ riders. I am not sure if it is as simple as having a "fast" and "slow" lane for climbers, since climbing speed is all relative. What is fast for you may be slow to the 5 hour century riders. You may get in their way. The only suggestion would be to release riders in waves according to their expected finish time. That could have its own set of problems.

My rant of the day would have to be seeing 3 riders urinating on the bushes (front and center) of the Baptist church at the foot of Suck Creek. :mad: I am not sure there is any excuse for that. There was a report on the Chat Bike website that a wedding was taking place on Saturday. Not sure if there were people inside of the church at that time. Anyway, total lack of respect. The Chattanooga Bike Club had a few land owners refuse to let us use their land for rest stops this year because of riders peeing in public. [/END OF RANT]

i guess me stripping down to the birthday suit in the parking lot after the ride was bad form?

Hey...at least i had a towel around me.

That first descent was just so miserable I did the 60. I feel bad now, but the idea of doing another descent like that was just too much. I don't think I topped 15 mph the whole way down. I did like the rain on the climb though. After that first descent it was a lovely ride, but the start just took it out of me.



2 For the love of all things holy, when will people understand that on a mountain climb and especially Suck Creek, if you are slow climbing...get to the right.

This was tricky. I was passing people while being passed, and at the same time, there'd be a guy trying to sneak to the right to get ahead of a crowd. There just didn't seem to be a good way to sort out a spot to ride at a steady speed. A staggered start might be very nice.

How was the hip? I descended off suck creek averaging about 22mph. I just didn't feel comfortable going any faster in the rain. It was a freaking thunderstorm going down that puppy.

I was passing people in the freaking left lane the whole way up suck creek. i would have hip checked someone if they passed me right of the shoulder! At one point, I was passing this woman who was climbing in the drops jabbering away to some guy to the right of her. She was talking about her psychologist and her therapy sessions. I had about 4 guys in my group climbing with me and I said, "only a freaking woman would yabber up a mountain climb". I just loved that SAG vehicle going up suck creek. Nice...a big dodge ram diesel (I think it was a dodge) belching diesel fumes.

I wore a Jersey, rain jacket and fingerless gloves. I saw the radar in the morning and knew I needed the jacket. For the Sand mountain climb, I removed the sleeves of my rain jacket and left my jersey and now a vest unzipped. I would zip up for the descents.

My hip was fine. The day before the ride I slapped a 13-29 cassette and a 50-34 compact on the bike and I spun up Suck Creek in the 26 with no problem...never needed the 29 but would've for Burkhalter. The two things I regret were not bringing my rain coat (only a vest) and not drinking enough. With the cool rain I didn't notice I was thirsty until it was way too late. By the end of the 62 I was done. I'm looking forward to the 100 next year..haven't done it since 2007 and it is an awesome ride. I also plan to lose atleast the 30lbs I've gained from this hip injury so the climbing should be better.

Well, down at Cheaha on Sunday, I had been watching the radar as storms moved in from the Southwest. It seemed to be moving slow, so we decided to ride. The day was mostly cloudy, with some breaks in the clouds and a bit of sunshine. It was hot on the climbs, but cool enough on the descents to zip up your jersey. As always, the rest stations were top-notch.

At the top of Cheaha, we decided to turn back and just do the 88-mile option; I'd had enough climbing for one weekend and figured I'd earned my jersey. I got back in heavy clouds, and as I was putting the bike on the car, the tornado warning sirens went off as a storm came in from Anniston (where we were staying). They moved everyone indoors, then into the interior corridors as the storm hit. There were quite a few folks still way out on the course who were evacuated into houses, stores, and the fire department. Luckily, the touchdown didn't last all the way to Piedmont, which was just at the end of the warning area. Still, it was a little scary for a time.

What a great weekend for centuries, no?

JPPE: glad to see you are still into the big hills, though 3states is (except Burkhalter) not really
a bad hilly century. I was there with three friends, and was really looking forward, but the big
100mile diameter yellow spots on the radar with red mixed in forecasted a nasty day. There was
a window of no rain between ~3-4am and 8am but anyone who looked at the weather radar knew
there was at least 4hours of rain immediately to the west of Chattanooga. The downhills at 3 states
in the best of weather are not worth the uphills, and in the rain and with the multiple RR tracks I
bailed. Riding in the 50s and rain can be done without too much distress if properly dressed but any
time you stop the furnace goes out and you get chilled. You can stay warm if fueled and dressed
appropriately. Cheaha had great weather for about 6hours then the big yellow patch drifting across
Alabama cut loose. Rained cats and dogs and blew 30-40mph gusts in Bham about 1pm, about an hour west of Cheaha so any out on the course about 2:30 or so would be in deep doodoo.