Southeast - 2009 Cherohala Challenge (20 June 2009) Tellico Plains, TN

Event Information (http://www.smwbike.org/cherohala/ccMain.htm)

A few BikeForumers are planning on doing the century ride. This is a chance to meet and ride with other members, while enjoying the legendary Tail of the Dragon (http://www.tailofthedragon.com/) and Cherohala Skyway (http://www.cherohala.com/).

i'm in. see ya there. :)

Which bike are you bringing?

:eek: Do I want to move there???
My wife said we should drive up that way to look for a "retirement" home. We want to get away from the noise, traffic, and congestion of Atlanta.
The skyway looks very nice but the tail of the dragon looks like a place to avoid. :eek: ;)

Which bike are you bringing?

which one do you think i'm bringing? :D

:eek: Do I want to move there???
My wife said we should drive up that way to look for a "retirement" home. We want to get away from the noise, traffic, and congestion of Atlanta.
The skyway looks very nice but the tail of the dragon looks like a place to avoid. :eek: ;)

People always think that retirement would be great in places like the area around the Skyway. But, it gets old having to drive long distances to get to a store, there is no good hospital within at least an hour drive and no real activities other than self motivated outdoor sports. I can tell you riding alone everyday gets old fast.

which one do you think i'm bringing? :D

I will be extra impressed if you bring the fixie.

:lol: not likely. i value my knees too much to even attempt anything like that ride on something like that bike...besides it has a huge gear on it....Ruby will be there. :)

My wife said we should drive up that way to look for a "retirement" home.

Lots of people retire in Tellico Village (http://tellicovillageonline.com/) and nearby areas. It's close to (or on) the water and not too far from the mountains.

I can tell you riding alone everyday gets old fast.
I do that now. :twitchy:


Lots of people retire in Tellico Village (http://tellicovillageonline.com/) and nearby areas. It's close to (or on) the water and not too far from the mountains
Not interested in the water but the mountains would be nice -- as long as you're not talking about the "tail" type mountains. :)

No one lives along the Dragon, or the Skyway for that matter. One of the notable features of this ride is how remote it is. You only pass a handful of gas stations along the entire 115-mile route.

Count me in too. I will be driving up from Chattanooga on Sat. morning. Not looking forward to getting up that early to make the 7am start. :twitchy: I hope to meet some of you guys on the ride.

I'll be there and am looking forward to it. Its an epic ride of sorts. Lots of diversity in the landscape. The finger style lakes are particularly scenic.

I will be driving up from Chattanooga on Sat. morning. Not looking forward to getting up that early to make the 7am start. :twitchy: I hope to meet some of you guys on the ride.

Yes, tell me about it. I'm coming from Knoxville. The event starts 1/2 hour earlier this year. I didn't vote for that change. :rolleyes:

I expect that some of us will start together this year, and see how it goes. As far as I'm concerned, you can join us until you grow weary of the slow pace. :lol:


Lots of diversity in the landscape.

It has four distinct sections, each of which bears little resemblance to the others.

--Rolling countryside in Monroe and Blount Counties

--Tail of the Dragon

--Tapoco Dam through Lake Santeetlah

--The Skyway

That's four rides for the price of one. :)

I expect that some of us will start together this year, and see how it goes. As far as I'm concerned, you can join us until you grow weary of the slow pace. :lol:



Perhaps I can keep up in the flatlands. Me dropping the pack in the hills = not going to happen! :roflmao2: I will be in conserve mode as much as possible.

Checking the long-term weather forecast, looks like it could be a little toasty for the ride (95 F on Fri and 90 F on Sat). Sat is still a ways off though. Pray for cloud cover! I did not see much shade when I did the CC metric route a few weeks back. Maybe the NC side of the skyway has all the shade. :rolleyes:

Went for a 6 hour ride with some climbing this past Sat and was boiled like an egg (heat index was 96 F in Chattanooga)!

Maybe the NC side of the skyway has all the shade. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, no. Once you turn onto the access road to the Skyway (just past the lake), you're under the mercy of the sun. If it's hot/sunny, the first 1,500-2,000 feet of climbing can be pretty miserable.

Due to time of day/elevation, I doubt we'll see anything above 90F on the course, but 80s + direct sun can be bad enough.

We should start the Skyway climb about 11am, no? :rolleyes:

yea, i'm sure you guys will. i plan on carrying my extra water bottle for on teh bike showers. i hate the heat. :(

yea, i'm sure you guys will. i plan on carrying my extra water bottle for on teh bike showers. i hate the heat. :(

Second or third time in the last 24 hours I've seen "wolfpack" with this typo. I am so glad that I am not the only one that does that repeatedly. :D:o

LOL @ skiffrun. :)

it's a common typo i do believe. (and thanks - you should know what i'm talking about. :) )

I was happy with the earlier start this year. It should work to our advantage, a little.

You better be on time Velo V.

I'll be there. But I will be in enjoying-the-scenery mode, and I plan to spend the day off the back.

i plan on carrying my extra water bottle for on teh bike showers.

That will be extra weight. :p

A question for those who have done it before: How safe is riding on The Dragon? I have been up there before and driven it and saw the tuner cars and cafe bikes absolutely flying and using all of the road through the corners. Do they shut down the road?

i was happy with the earlier start this year. It should work to our advantage, a little.

you better be on time velo v.

+1

A question for those who have done it before: How safe is riding on The Dragon? I have been up there before and driven it and saw the tuner cars and cafe bikes absolutely flying and using all of the road through the corners. Do they shut down the road?

No the road is still open to traffic. I was talking to a NCHP officer yesterday and he said there would be a car assigned to the NC side and I hope Tenn. would do the same. I plan to ride in a group if I can though to be honest I'm not looking forward to that part of the ride, pretty as it is.

Do they shut down the road?

No, the road remains open. If you're riding during the event there's a safety in numbers factor, as motorists are presumably aware of and looking out for cyclists.

I've never had any scary close calls. Then again, you never know what will come barreling around the next corner. :rolleyes:

Edit: Ditto BikeWNC. :)

Another complicating traffic issue is that there is a scheduled water release on the Cheoah River which runs along 129 in NC. That means we will have some raft and spectator traffic in that area.

When are they releasing water? Do they do it over the top of the dam? We can have a "The Fugitive" reenactment.

No, the road remains open. If you're riding during the event there's a safety in numbers factor, as motorists are presumably aware of and looking out for cyclists.

I've never had any scary close calls. Then again, you never know what will come barreling around the next corner. :rolleyes:



Well I don't know about this Brian, forever stuck in my mind was our descent from Deal's Gap last year when suddenly a Porsche and Nissan 350Z came zooming up through the curves, engines roaring, rear ends fishtailing and their tires squealing like mad. We were trying to hold our line and the female cyclist behind us started screaming. I declare I thought she was going down. Perhaps not a close call after all, but its the most nervous that I've been on a bike to date. Those drivers meant business, getting to Deal's Gap first was far more of a priority than being considerate of anyone else on the road.

Wasn't the dragon claiming an average of one life per month last year?

Anyway, its actually a good cycling road outside the auto and motorcycle traffic. I certainly don't want to discourage anyone or make them apprehensive about riding it. I still feel pretty safe riding this in group event - especially now that there will be a patrol car around this year.

I did Cherohala in '99 and '00 and '08 and the difference in car and motorcycle traffic from 8 yrs ago
to last year was dramatic. Almost no cars on the parkway and about half the number of motorcycles.
About twice the number on cyclists. Reason was $3.50+ gas prices. Expect more gas powered
traffic this year but the rapidly rising prices should dampen car and motor cycle traffic some. Really
nice to be able to go down the hill on the parkway and not have to brake for cars.
Steve

Well I don't know about this Brian, forever stuck in my mind was our descent from Deal's Gap last year when suddenly a Porsche and Nissan 350Z came zooming up through the curves, engines roaring, rear ends fishtailing and their tires squealing like mad.

Oh yes. It wasn't in the really curvy part, but close enough. The downhill descent after the rest stop can be dangerous too.

The Dragon does claim a few motorists every year. Fortunately, I haven't heard of serious accidents involving cyclists during the Challenge the last several years. That's a better safety record than other events have. Knock on wood.

I've been checking the (Knoxville) weather forecast for Saturday.

Yesterday it looked pretty good: Hi 88, 20% chance of thunderstorms.

Today it says: Hi 97, 30% chance of thunderstorms.

That's a dramatic and unpleasant one-day revision. Who knows what's in store? I can say I'd much rather take the heat than one of these thunderstorms we've been having thus far this week. I would not want to be stuck on the Skyway when one of those cells rolls through.

Bummer. I'm glad we're starting earlier this year and hope its cloudy all day. Still, the Skyway climb will be tough in this heat. Good reason to move slow and drink a lot. The temperature prediction for the Raleigh area is in the 100 degree range. Not pleasant riding in these temps.

I can say, if it is going to be that hot with as humid as it is currently, I will probably not do the ride. After AoMM last year I swore I would never ride in those conditions again. The NWS forecast for Robbinsville is for a high of 87º which is bad enough but hopefully manageable because of the elevation gain on the Skyway. It's close though.

Bummer. I'm glad we're starting earlier this year and hope its cloudy all day. Still, the Skyway climb will be tough in this heat. Good reason to move slow and drink a lot. The temperature prediction for the Raleigh area is in the 100 degree range. Not pleasant riding in these temps.

I'll see the morning of the ride, but I don't want to be out all day in the heat and humidity. I may just push through the relative cool of the morning to get to the climb earlier and try to get the ride over with, but who knows.

well, as BWNC and Neal know, i'm out for this ride....:( and, if the temps are going to be what Brian posted above, i wouldn't want to do the ride either. i don't do well in those temps. y'all have fun, take plenty of pics, and be safe. :)

well, as BWNC and Neal know, i'm out for this ride....:( and, if the temps are going to be what Brian posted above, i wouldn't want to do the ride either. i don't do well in those temps. y'all have fun, take plenty of pics, and be safe. :)

Yeah, you're out ok. Well I expect that's the beginning of the end for you. Back to the flatlands, never to be seen in the hills again.

wolfpack's out? :(

I'm surprised by the weather forecast. That's unusually hot for here, even in June. The climbing on the route is at a higher elevation, so it won't be as bad, but still.

Cloud cover would be nice, as long as it doesn't bring another severe thunderstorm. We've got tree debris all over the place from the one today. :rolleyes:

Yeah, you're out ok. Well I expect that's the beginning of the end for you. Back to the flatlands, never to be seen in the hills again.

ha. i wouldn't count on that.

There is always the metric option. Right now NOAA is predicting 91 for Robbinsville on Saturday. If its sunny, it will not be a pleasant ride once we get to the Skyway.

There is always the metric option. Right now NOAA is predicting 91 for Robbinsville on Saturday. If its sunny, it will not be a pleasant ride once we get to the Skyway.

Why is it, I always seem to sign up for these rides for the hottest day of the year? It rarely gets to 90º up here but when it does I seem to have a century planned. :( And it's been so humid too, really tropical lately. :notamused:

I'm going to have to force myself to drink in the morning, or cramping could rear its ugly head.

I am still in for the full course.

Cherohala Challenge weather rationalization process:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Hope it is not too hot -> 95F (oh crap)
* Maybe it will be a dry heat -> 50% humidity (oh crap)
* Hope we will at least have some cloud cover -> mostly sunny (oh crap)
* Surely it would not be windy -> Winds 10-20 mph out of the WEST (going west on skyway = oh crap)
* At least the ride will not be held on Jupiter -> I'm in! :)

I am still in for the full course.

Cherohala Challenge weather rationalization process:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Hope it is not too hot -> 95F (oh crap)
* Maybe it will be a dry heat -> 50% humidity (oh crap)
* Hope we will at least have some cloud cover -> mostly sunny (oh crap)
* Surely it would not be windy -> Winds 10-20 mph out of the WEST (going west on skyway = oh crap)
* At least the ride will not be held on Jupiter -> I'm in! :)

I had the same positive outlook at the AoMM last year. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm sure we'll all get through the ride one way or another. Look for us at the start. I'll be on a white Spec. Roubaix, Neal will be on a black Spec. Roubaix and I forget what VV rides (some old relic with downtube friction shifters I think :lol:)

I had the same positive outlook at the AoMM last year. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm sure we'll all get through the ride one way or another. Look for us at the start. I'll be on a white Spec. Roubaix, Neal will be on a black Spec. Roubaix and I forget what VV rides (some old relic with downtube friction shifters I think :lol:)

BWNC: I hope to meet some of you guys. My parents are from Old Fort,NC. and my grandfather was the mayor there for some time. Old Fort is about 30 miles east of Asheville. Maybe you have seen the exit signs on I-40. Hope to see you guys tomorrow.

PS: I will be on a red Specialized Allez (dreaming of getting a Roubaix) and looking eerily similar to this guy.

Cherohala Challenge weather rationalization process:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Hope it is not too hot -> 95F (oh crap)
* Maybe it will be a dry heat -> 50% humidity (oh crap)
* Hope we will at least have some cloud cover -> mostly sunny (oh crap)
* Surely it would not be windy -> Winds 10-20 mph out of the WEST (going west on skyway = oh crap)
* At least the ride will not be held on Jupiter -> I'm in! :)

Interestingly, I do note this in the forecast "West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph." I think wind will most likely be a drag factor along the lake and river. When you're climbing @ 6-8 mph, how much does it slow you down? However, cross gusts on the descents could make for trickier handling. Something to keep an eye on. Anyway, here are pictures of NealH and me from last year's ride, if you want to look for us. I'm still riding the black and silver Trek.

http://rnhood.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p435653169-3.jpg

http://rnhood.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p227038481-3.jpg

The amount of sunshine we get will determine how bad it feels. This morning the fog didn't burn off until after 10am and it's still in the low 70s at 11am. Let's hope for a cloudy start.

The wind rarely is a factor in the mountains here. Usually it blows uphill regardless of the direction unless a strong storm or front blows through.

Yes, I agree. Wind is rarely a factor on a climb. I find that I can manage the high heat and humidity relatively well as long as I am not frying in the direct sun. Pray for cloud cover.

Neal and I are thinking of getting a headstart on the crowd by leaving at 6:30. That will let us warmup at an easy pace and get a jump on the heat.