Ostuni

The local paper had this writeup in this morning's paper:



This is a printer friendly version of an article from GoUpstate.com

Article published May 21, 2006
Ride, weather or not
DAN ARMONAITIS, For the Herald-Journal

George Meyer wasn't fazed by the steady rainfall that greeted him when he arrived at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium early Saturday morning for the start of the 31st Assault on Mount Mitchell.

"This is the 19th year in a row that I've done (the Assault), so I'm used to going in all kinds of weather," Meyer said.

Meyer, a Spartanburg resident, was one of nearly 1,000 bicycle enthusiasts who attempted to reach the 6,684-foot summit, the highest point in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

Although Meyer, 47, considers himself "one of the old guys," he was the third person to complete the 102-mile ride.

"The mountain keeps getting steeper and steeper every year," Meyer said.

Meyer finished just minutes behind Justin England, who was the first to reach the chilly peak where temperatures hovered in the upper 40s.

Despite rainy conditions early and low visibility near the top because of fog, England -- a resident of Asheville, N.C., who races professionally as a member of the Toyota/United team -- completed the ride in only five hours, 19 minutes.

"It was really cold and miserable," said England, 27. "It's not too bad physically, but it brings down your mental outlook when you can only see 50 yards in front of you."

Katie Patrick of Boone, N.C., participated in the event for the first time since 1998 and was the first female cyclist to reach the peak Saturday.

"I felt delirious," said Patrick, 28. "I'm still shaking. I forgot how hard it is at the end."

But Kirsten Davis of Decatur, Ga., who was making her first trip to the top of the mountain, said she was pleasantly surprised with the ease of the final stretch.

"I had been told horror stories (about the last few miles of the ride), but it really wasn't that bad," said Davis, 43. "I spent 20 years in Utah, however, so I'm used to mountains."

Brian Miele, a freshman at Clemson University, had a different take.

"The course seemed a lot steeper than last year," said Miele, 19, noting the alternate 117-mile route that was used last year because of road closings on the Blue Ridge Parkway. "It felt longer this year, even though it was about 15 miles shorter."

Among the youngest people to complete the ride was 16-year-old Greer resident Robby Antley, who had never rode such a long distance at any altitude.

"I feel like I'm going to die," said Antley, just after he reached the summit.

Antley admitted that the rain had nearly discouraged him from getting on his bicycle in Spartanburg.

"I was thinking I would rather just stay at Krispy Kreme this morning and eat doughnuts," Antley said.

EDIT: I submitted this photo of my bike the night before for publication but they respectfully declined:

Ostuni

More pics in today's online paper: