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.

It's called the Fabulous Fourth Metric

"Early July" probably doesn't include July 14, but this 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.

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.