Bicycle Tour of Black Mountain (Revised)
Come ride the beautiful hills and mountains of Western North Carolina. The agenda is simple. Each day we'll ride a little, eat a little, and have a few cold ones. We may throw in a few runs and hikes to see some additional views.
UPDATE: We are less than a week away from our ride. I am making some route adjustments due to road conditions. We'll probably continue to be flexible as we look at weather and exactly how out of shape Team Jason is.
UPDATE: We are less than a week away from our ride. I am making some route adjustments due to road conditions. We'll probably continue to be flexible as we look at weather and exactly how out of shape Team Jason is.
Date:
June 17th to June 21st.
Agenda:
Tuesday June 16th - Arrival and
Tour Check-in
Upon arrival you will be provided route
maps and information necessary for the week.
We'll be spending the first evening at my house grilling some food and getting
bikes ready for this epic adventure. You
can hit the grocery for your breakfast and snacking needs as well.
Wednesday June 17th - Let's get
right to the Top!
Overview: We will start our tour with a day
on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway gets
a lot of bicycle traffic and the auto speed limit is controlled. Be sure to bring a taillight as there are a few
long dark tunnels. We'll want to use caution
going through them to ensure we are traveling safely. The starting point is a short
20-minute drive to the Folk Art Center and then get to the highest point east of
the Mississippi!
UPDATE
Departure Time: TBD
Because you are all workaholics, we
may need to split our group to accommodate morning and afternoon meetings for some
of us...I'm not going to name any names, but you know who you are. We could also just all start later in the day as there is plenty of daylight.
Route: Folk Art Center to Mt Mitchell
(https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28218252)
Distance: 63 Miles
Elevation Gain: 7,126
Post Ride / Dinner: As we may be out
at varying times, we'll just use my house as a base and figure it out when everyone
gets back in.
Thursday June 18th - Recover and
Relax
Overview: After the long day yesterday, we'll hit some of my
more familiar roads with a shorter easier bit of riding. It is a good day to
recover a bit, maybe throw in some running or hiking. If the weather is good, we can take a dip in a
cold mountain river. The route starts with a climb up to the Eastern Continental
Divide. Keep a look on your right on the
way up to see one of our local natural springs if you want to sample some fresh
mountain spring water. The first descent
is winding but fast but a good introduction to the roads. We’ll roll around the
area a bit before making our way into Old Fort. In Old Fort, we can hit a gas station for a water stop before climbing back
into Black Mountain. For those that like
Strava segments, there is a great little climb after Old Fort on a “bike path”. This isn't your typical bike path as it is a 3.5 mile sustained climb at 5%. It isn't the steepest but it is a good consistent climb. Take a run at my Strava
PR (21:02) if you are feeling spunky.
Departure Time: 10am
Route: Hickory Nut and Bat Cave (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21155057)
Distance 56 Miles
Elevation Gain: 5,504
Post Ride / Dinner: Maybe you are up for a nap in a hammock, hike to a waterfall, take a dip in the stream, back it with a trail run, or get an early start on your cocktail of choice. Lots of options before we get to some dinner in town.
Friday June 19th - Western Pisgah
and BRP
UPDATE: Due to the road conditions
on Curtis Creek, we are going to change to a ride just Southwest of Asheville
in Pisgah. The original route up Curtis Creek had a 10 mile gravel climb and the road is just too
rough. It was closed during our Pandemic
so hasn't gotten smoothed out by cars yet.
Overview: The start is a short but scenic 45 minute drive
over to The Hub (https://www.thehubpisgah.com/). Today will be some early climbing up to the Blue
Ridge Parkway, then more climbing on the Parkway followed by great decent through
the Pisgah Forest. The route should allow
for some food and water stops along the way as well. Most of the hard climbing is in the first 25 miles
but there are some rollers late that will sap some energy. I haven’t ridden any of this but am told it is
beautiful so we can explore this area together.
Get ready for a long day!
Departure Time: 8am
Route: Rossman Loop from the Hub (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32928612)
Distance: 73 miles
Elevation Gain: 7,003
Dinner: We’ll probably grab a cold one
near the finish and then try something new like Mexican for dinner.
Saturday June 20th - Easy, Hard, or Harder?
UPDATE: We're going to scrap
Paris Mountain as the drive is long, the weather is hotter down there, and I've
been told it is a zoo on the weekend.
Overview: By this time, we may need
to adjust our plans depending on energy and saddle sores but I'm going to throw
out 2 options. If you are ambitious maybe
you want both.
Route 1: Mill Creek to Old Fort loop. This is my common "lunch ride" for 18
miles that usually takes me about 1:15. It starts with a fun chunk of gravel and
the same return as Friday up the paved bike
path. This is a chance to get after your
PR from earlier in the week.
Route 2: I got introduced to this route
this week and it is a doozy. There are 4
brutal climbs and 1 wicked fast descent that should be addressed with caution. Let me repeat that, this descent needs caution. It is a mostly untraveled well paved road but
did I mention you need to use caution. Here
is my Strava if you are included to peek https://www.strava.com/activities/3578337536
Departure Time: 9am
Route 1: Mill Creek to Old Fort back
on Point Lookout Trail (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32974569)
Distance: 17.5
Elevation Gain: 1,447
Route 2: HWY 9/Greyock/Mt Hebron (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32951508)
Distance: 40.5
Elevation Gain: 4,522
Dinner: Pizza and Bourbon.
Sunday June 21st - Departures
Departure day! Hug your buds and get the hell out of here.
Accommodations:
All are welcome to stay at my place. I have a guest room and 2 kids rooms. We can toss out some blow up mattresses or even
a hammock in the yard if you are so inclined.
If you want to hotel it there is a Hampton Inn. My wife and kids will be away so we have the run
of the place.
Travel:
Black Mountain is about a 7-8 hours
by car from the Columbus area. If you want
fly into Asheville, I'll pick you up.
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