NC Mountains to Coast Ride
 

Anyone else doing this ride? My brother and I will be on it for the third straight year in October.

Do you plan on camping, or using hotels along the route?

We always use the hotels option and we will share rooms this time as well. Do you plan to participate?

I wish I could, but my legs need recovery days after riding in the mountains. Maybe if the hotels had spas for a leg massage? :lol:

Yeah. We were disappointed when most of the hotel pools were already closed for the season in October. Felt good to sink the legs in the ones that were still open.

I'm signed up to do it again in 2025. How about that weather last year??? Last year we finished just a few miles from where we're now living. The roads from Old Dock to the finish were roads I ride regularly. I had a friend drive me home from the finish but I'd planned to just ride my bike to the house and drive back to Ocean Isle Beach and pick up my bag.

We used to ride a lot around the start in Lake Lure several years ago. That area got hit really hard by Helene. I really wouldn't call it mountainous....more foothills. The first day's ride to Lincolnton should go right by the house my Great Grandfather built and lived in and where we had family reunions. The next day we spend the night in Kannapolis where I rode through a lot when I lived close by in Concord for 30 years. A really good brewery (Old Armour) right beside the stadium where we'll be camping.

Just signed up. Debating camping or hotels. I was a little put off by the hotel booking option which from what I see on their website, you have to commit to pay before they tell you the hotels and the prices.

Are the hotels decent? Reasonable distance to start and finish?

I kind of want to camp to be part of the group after the rides, but am not wild about sleeping on the ground.

I've stayed in hotels the two years that I've ridden. The hotels are generally decent and within riding distance of the campground. There is also the option of racking the bike overnight at the campground and riding a shuttle to and from the hotel. The hotels seem to fill up fast, could be a dearth of vacancies by now. To give a sense of the hotel options here is what my brother and I signed up for (dual occupancy, my brother generally picks the nicer and closer options):Saturday, October 4 - Lake Lure

Sunday, October 5 - Lincolnton

Monday, October 6 - Kannapolis

Tuesday, October 7 - Asheboro

Wednesday, October 8 - Fuquay Varina

Thursday, October 9 - Goldsboro

Friday, October 10 - Wallace

Lake Lure Hotel Options (Arrive Sat Oct 4, Depart Sun Oct 5) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Rumbling Bald ( $232.78

Lincolnton Hotel Options (Arrive Sun Oct 5, Depart Mon Oct 6) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Hampton Inn (2.6 miles from camp, Free WiFi & Bfast) - Two Queen Beds - C...49 + 13% hotel tax $168.37

Kannapolis Hotel Options (Arrive Mon Oct 6, Depart Tue Oct 7) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Holiday Inn Express & Suites Concord (4.2 miles from camp, Free WiFi & Bfast) - Two Queen Beds - C...49 + 13% hotel tax $168.37

Asheboro Hotel Options (Arrive Tue Oct 8, Depart Wed Oct 9) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Hampton Inn (Less than 1 mile from camp, Free WiFi & Bfast) - Two Queen Beds - C...99 + 12% hotel tax $222.88

Fuquay Varina Hotel Options (Arrive Wed Oct 8, Depart Thu Oct 9) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Hampton Inn & Suites Holly Springs (6.4 miles from camp, Free WiFi & Bfast) - Two Queen Beds - C... + 13.5% hotel tax $164.58

Goldsboro Hotel Options (Arrive Thu Oct 9, Depart Fri Oct 10) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - Hampton Inn (3.6 miles from camp, Free WiFi & Bfast) - Two Queen Beds - C...+ 12.75% hotel tax $134.17

Wallace Hotel Options (Arrive Fri Oct 10, Depart Sat Oct 11) **ALL Rates INCLUDE all hotels taxes**:

1 - The Inn @ River Landing (Less than 1 mile from camp, Free WiFi & Contl Bfast) - Two Double Beds - ...25 + 13% hotel tax $141.25

By checking this box, I have read, understand and agree to the above Travel Direction 2025 Mountains to Coast Hotel Reservation Refund & Cancellation Policy.: on

Thanks.

The organizers are good about answering questions. They might be able to tell you if it is really necessary to sign up for the hotel options in order to see the choices. Nothing prohibits sleeping in hotels and hanging out at the campground. Seems like the shuttles run fairly late (but I'm kinda asocial so I'm not positive.

So, I think my problem was that the form wasn’t very clear. Initially the form doesn’t show the options or prices. Once you start filling the form out it populates the hotel options and pricing.

Everything was still available except Goldsboro, and I was able to book that hotel directly myself.

Next question. Do you take the meal plan? The food doesn’t look that great. But it may be more convenient than finding food on your own, and there is the socialization aspect.

I've never taken the meal plan. Never had a problem finding good places to eat in the host towns and when the town has been invaded by cyclists there is a good bit of socialization in town and at the campsites in afternoon and evening. There are shuttles from the hotels to the town centers and the campsite. We stay in the hotels rather than camp and the hotels always have some sort of free breakfasts. There are generally food trucks in the campsites, don't know about first thing in the morning.

My brother and I will be the 2 suffering old men on titanium bikes, mine a "Motobecane USA," the brother's a Van Nicholas. Say hello if you see us.

I’m starting to get a negative vibe about all the nickel and diming from the organizers. Every time I turn around it’s another thing I have to buy, and another $10 service charge to buy it.

just realized I have to pay for bike maintenance, which I do not need because I can’t take my bike to the hotel at night. They already are charging me a fee to make the hotel reservation, a fee to get my luggage there, and now they tell me I can’t bring my bike on the shuttle to the hotel or just leave it in a secure location. ( and one night my hotel is 30 miles away). So unless I want to leave an expensive bike at the camp site unsecured, I’m compelled to buy their bike service, and pay a $10 fee for the privilege.

I understand they have expenses they have to cover, but set a reasonable price for the event which covers your cost and makes a fair profit. Just don’t nickel and dime me to death.

We ride our bikes to the hotels when doable, when not, we hang them on the provided racks, lock them to it and cover the seats. Never had a problem other then chips to the clear coat on my carbon from other bikes (leaving that carbon framed Campy Record equipped bike home this time.) I think staff keep an eye open for malfactors. Don't have to hand them over to the mechanics. There are dedicated racks for hotel folks. We carry the bikes up to the room when the ride to the hotel is doable.

So, now 5/7th’s of the way through M2C25. The weather’s been great, ( so far, but a Nor Easter is forecast for Saturday.) roads good and people nice.

i’m still on the fence about camping vs. hotels I do think you miss out on some of the comradely, and post ride activities by not staying in camp.

Also, the logistics for the hotels don’t work out great of you’re riding relatively fast. I’m finishing each day by noon, but the shuttle and bike service aren’t available until 2pm. So it’s hang around for a couple of hours in wet bibs, or ride to the hotel, which tend to not be in easy locations to access by bike without playing in traffic. The one day i did wait for the shuttle, I didn’t get to the hotel until 3 hours after I finished riding; a long time to sit around in wet bibs. Additionally, the bags haven’t gotten to the hotel for several hours after I did on 2 of the 5 days so far.

on the plus side you have the comfort and amenities of a hotel.

All that said, I think if I do it again, I’ll buy the camping package.

The event seemed less well organized and with poorer communication than in the past. We did have to ride to the hotel through city streets in Goldsboro when we had originally intended to leave the bikes at camp because most of the racks (which have usually been available) were monopolized for the paying customers. The issue merlinextralight had mentioned as nickel and dimeing. Why was it announced at short notice and why did the free hotel customer racks disappear? We didn't mind the extra mileage but had to ride on some uncomfortably busy streets. They also could have mentioned that we would be staying in a condo cabin some distance from camp in Lake Lure enjoyed the ride though and met some nice folks. The 88 year old rider took exception when I told him that my 75 year old brother has aged out and we are unlikely to do the ride next year.