Aussault on Mt. Mithchell 2010

I am not doing it but my husband is. He did it last 16 years ago. We had a baby and a toddler then. They are home alone this time. Wow, how time flies!

Right now I am sitting in front of our trailer at Tom Johnson's Campground sipping water out of my pink Tervis Tumbler. We are directly across the street from the pavilion. The temp is in the low 80s, the sky is blue and there is a gentle breeze blowing. The forecast for the ride tomorrow calls for 60s and rain.

We drove up from Appling yesterday. Followed the route out of Spartanburg. This morning we took a short spin from the campground toward Mt. Mitchell. Very short, 12 miles. But it was my first official high country ride. The plan for the fall is that I will do Three Gaps while Dave does Six Gaps and this was my introduction to the mountains.

Any TEers doing the Assault on Mt. Mitchell?
I will be the lady with the cute Jack Russel and an Airstream at Tom Johnson's who is not riding.

I am leaving for north Georgia on Wednesday. We have the same plan. I will be riding 3 gaps with my husband and our single guy friends who are vacationing with us, but they will be doing 6 gaps the next day. It is my first mountain cycling experience so I am both scared and excited. I have the appropriate gearing so I am leaning toward more excitement.

I've only heard stories and I want to hear yours when it is done! How neat, guys!

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Originally Posted by nolemom

I am leaving for north Georgia on Wednesday. We have the same plan. I will be riding 3 gaps with my husband and our single guy friends who are vacationing with us, but they will be doing 6 gaps the next day. It is my first mountain cycling experience so I am both scared and excited. I have the appropriate gearing so I am leaning toward more excitement.

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Yes, be excited!! My husband and I own a cabin on the 3/6 gap route so we ride up there regularly. I call it my little slice of heaven :) Just take your time, enjoy the scenery and have fun!

A “gotta do at least once” ride
2008
It started like any other organized road ride we have done; rent a car, board the dogs at the kennel, drive our car and the rental 40 miles to the ride-finish, leave our car, drive the rental 63 miles to our hotel, go to packet pick-up for our goodies (ride numbers), find food in a town that closes down on Sunday nights, swim, double check our stash of electrolytes, go to bed…OK, so there was a wee bit more involved than show up and ride but it was worth the experience.
I am not a roadie, never claimed to be, not sure how one likes riding in tightly knit groups at averages of 25-35 mph? But I knew if I was going to make any sort of smidgen of a respectable time this was the ride to swallow my fears of riding in groups and HANG ON & PEDAL!!!! There were only about 1500 riders at the start (most of our rides include about 200-500 of our dearest friends…this was a big party!!!) The huge time clock reached 16 seconds before we were able to actually get on our bikes and pedal…it started out with ease as we made our way through some part of Spartanburg. As we got to the edge of town the riders started to split up in there appropriate groups…the first group is what I call the race-heads (these are the riders who are out for the record time), the second group (those who train as hard but just don’t quite have the genetics to be as fast) hang on in the huge draft the race-heads provide!, third bundle of riders are good riders but just not as fast….and so on… We were in the second group I would say for a while until I had a mild “oh my goodness I am riding in a big group of riders and I don’t like this” attacks which quickly spit me out the back…being well aware of this uncontrollable fear I have I took a few deep breaths and looked for Chris’s wheel to grab onto (this means I rode pretty close to Chris’s rear wheel in his draft…it is called “pulling” or “drafting” so basically he pulled me until we caught up again) Chris was fully aware of this condition as well, he coached…or is that coaxed?... me through more than half the ride.
Somewhere around mile 40 we were STOPPED!!! Yeah stopped at a construction area…they were repaving the road?!?!?!?! OH MY!!!! We had JUST settled into a nice pace and I made it past a second one of my little attacks with no notice to riders around me (if riders see you panic they know you are a newbie, I am just a road-wuss! hehe) Anyway, 20 minutes passed (so I think I should be able to take at least that time off my finish don’t you think?) while we waited riders from miles ago were catching up…it was gonna be another race to get stay in a comfortable group! Ended up being a bit hilly, lots of rollers, which kept riders pretty sparse. I managed to hop on a wheel or two here and there benefiting from a draft now and again…saving my energy for the last 25 miles of pain! At mile 62 I looked at my time-clock and saw that I had ridden my fastest metric century EVER!!! This and riding in a large group at the beginning where huge accomplishments for me! I was satisfied right then and there that I had a good day….

But wait, there is more! The finish of the ride is not really the end…at mile 75 is where they gather…the food is plentiful…the showers are flowing…and the shade looks inviting…but, but, but we have 27 miles of MOUNTAIN to conquer!!! Many will stop at mile 75, I did last year. This year would be different, I would continue….
Now, Chris spent months off his bicycle due to a fractured & dislocated ankle and up to this point had only ridden few rides. He oh so graciously told me to carry on…don’t wait for him…he will make it…it will just take him a little longer. I, of course, jumped on this opportunity to make this my ride to BEAT CHRIS…HEHEHEHE!!!! It may not happen again, he is bouncing back quite fast! So off I went, I looked back now and again watching him get smaller and smaller as I gained distance! It was a bitter sweet parting which I am usually on the back end…oh what a beautiful day!!! When it comes to mountains I just try to sit back and zone out…trying not to focus on the bodies of burned out riders splayed on the roadside or the sun beating down on me. I continued to look forward and stay upright! Can’t say a lot was going through my head at this point…I had already broken two barriers today…making it to the top was just icing on the cake.
To give you an idea of the grueling climb this is…the last 27 miles will take (on average) as long as the first 75 miles!!! I fit right in on this stat…4 ½ hours each. The climb was pretty uneventful….I knew what I was in for and just kept hydrated, fueled and full of electrolytes. At the last turn, the entrance to Mt Mitchell State Park the sun was hot but the road was short! It was a steep couple of miles…I knew this was coming and saved just enough umphf to stand and pedal through this tough section. The road leveled out a bit and the last bit I had left was put to work…I shifted into the big ring and pedaled all I had!!! When I saw the finish I wanted to cry (I didn’t) It was the sweetest thing to know I had done it and in a respectable time!!!
Chris was not too far behind…it was a good day to ride!!!

finished: 9:02:14
(so with the 20 or so minute wait can I say 8:42:14?)

Things I learned:
•trust your domestique (that would be Chris…he guided me through the tough times)
•take your electrolytes
•eat even when you don’t want to
•chamois crème is not for everyone
•I like riding my bike
•Beating Chris is fun!!!
(it won’t happen too many times!)

Is the Assault an organized ride?
Some friends and I are riding self-supported on the Blue Ridge Parkway in September, and our ride leader wants to take some time one day to climb Mt. Mitchell. :eek: I guess he thinks we won't be doing ENOUGH climbing already. :rolleyes: I'd be curious to read up on this.

Home again.
Yes, the Assault is a very large organized ride.

Dave made it to the top. He flatted about 3 miles from the finish. Replaced his tube and used his CO2 cartridge. It leaked. A nice rider gave him a tube and lent him a pump. He put air in the tube prior to installing and it was leaking. Support found him and replaced his tube. He was very thankful. He lost at least 20 minutes but was able to roll over the finish line.
I was waiting at the top for him. I been ready to flip his finish until the clock rolled passed 8 hours. I knew he would not want that memorialized. He finished at 8:11 and change.
When I saw him I thought he had wrecked. His legs and shirt were filthy with tire smudges and he had blood all over his shirt. He had nicked his finger changing the tube and with his sweat and the rain mixed in he looked pretty bad. He would have met his under 8 hour goal without the flat. Sixteen years ago he was the 196th finisher out of 1200. He didn't expect to be in the top half this time.
We rode the bus down to Marion. He was sick all the way. The Bonine didn't help him. He is just so prone to car sickness. Good thing we were in a bus with a bathroom. He said the ride down was worse than the ride up.
I slept most of the way. I took way to much Bonine. I didn't realize one dose lasted for 24 hours and I took two at the bottom and two at the top. I don't even generally have a problem with car sickness but Dave's fretting made me over cautious. I slept for hours when we got back to Marion and for hours on Tuesday too. I couldn't wake up even though I wanted to.
Next year I hope to be ready to do the Assault on Marion.