WNCGoater

Starts in Spartanburg, SC and ends at Mt. Mitchell, NC. Over 10k ft. of climbing...therein lies the question. How hard is it?
Road bike gearing or that pesky climbing gear?
https://theassaults.com/assault-on-mt-mitchell/

pdlamb

IIRC the last 5 miles up to the peak of Mitchell hits 8-10%. I'm not sure what the grade is on the climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I think it's steeper than the Parkway itself, which maxes out at 6% in that area.


So the question is, after climbing 8 kft over 95 miles, what do you want to be pushing?


FWIW, I'd go for the lovely climbing gear, but I'm not in shape to climb out of the saddle for 30 minutes or more.

WNCGoater

The last 28 miles is from Marion, NC to Mt. Mitchell. In that last stretch there is 6100 ft of climbing. So over half of the climbing is in the last quarter of that century. Wow, that last 20 miles is always the killer for me. Not sure it is in me to climb over 6k at that point.

sch

I understand, once registration opens it fills up fast, helps to be a club member. Last yr there were 26 out of 530+ riders who finished under 6 hrs.
One was Bobbie Julich who was 3d GC finisher in the 1998 TdF. George Hincapie was at 6:01.

Here is the profile: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2517200

dieselgoat

I did it in 2012. No big deal...for the first 75 miles, but a much different story from Marion to the summit of Mt. Mitchell. The "halfway point" as far as time is Marion. It takes as much time to do the last 27 as it does to do the first 75 for most folks. I climbed a lot in the months leading up to the event, but it is impossible for most people to simulate 27 straight miles of climbing.

WNCGoater

Yeah, when I started looking at the climbing profile, more than half of the climbing is in the last 28 miles. I've driven that road many times in my younger years, headed to trout fishing waters and camping areas. It would be a brutal climb ANY day for most any rider, in and of itself. That it comes after roughly 75 miles of riding, well... I don't know what to say about that other than, the few centuries I've ridden at this age, the tank is pretty much out of gas those last 20 miles and at that point it is all mental for me. It would take considerable training this winter to even realistically expect to finish.
I wouldn't even consider this other than it is in my backyard. But the only reward is to say I did it. Not sure that is motivation enough...

I'm thinking I'll save that entry fee and plan on some tours this coming year, maybe an across state ride late in the year.

shelbyfv

Check this out, next state over. Very well organized! BRAT ? Bicycle Ride Across Tennessee

WNCGoater

There's something similar in NC and VA too I believe. Thanks for the link, I have an old high school acquaintance in middle Tennesee that rides & we follow each other's rides on Strava and FB.

Da Reef

Pretty accurate assessment. Up to the turn at Marion the pace can be really fast. Rolling road race terrain and lots of drafting. This could help conserve energy if you play it smart...or waste a lot if you love rolling road race stuff and go hard like I did. I did find the ride up to the pkwy to be just as, if not more, difficult than the ride from the pkwy to the finish.