Conference noted::bicycle

2077.0. "Bridge-to-Bridge 1991" by SHALOT::ELLIS (John Lee Ellis - assembly required) Mon Sep 16 1991 10:05

    
    Ok, September being Century Month, yesterday I did a century.
    May I go home now?  :-)
    
    I did the third annual Bridge-to-Bridge Blue Ridge Century, 
    from Hickory NC (1140') to the top of Grandfather Mountain (5960').
    
    I did this because (1) my friend Pat wanted to do it and thought
    it would be a nice change, (2) you can't bike up the Grandfather
    Mountain road (a private road, like Mt. Washington) except on this
    day, and (3) Saturday's double had turned into a 93�-95� sultry
    experience in the Piedmont, so the Mountains began to look inviting.
    
    There were about 800 starters, poised at the Catawba River bridge
    in Hickory, which is in the Blue Ridge foothills.  I was N� 791,
    slipping in about 30 seconds before the start.  The usual hot-shots
    disturbed one's sense of well-being at the start, but I didn't see 
    any accidents.  The day was hazy, mild, about 65� at the 7am start.
    
    I deliberately set a non-breakneck pace, to emphasize which my
    De Rosa had a handlebar pack *and* rear carrier with bag *and* I took
    a small camera.
    
    The route wound through valleys and through small mill towns like
    Granite Falls and Lenoir - at first lots of curves and rolling (ok,
    boisterous) hills.  Then we hit NC 90, in a valley which parallels the 
    Blue Ridge, complete with unexpected sharp climbs every now and again.  
    It was beautifully green, the dew just burning off, the sun coming through.
    
    At mile 50, NC 90 ends at NC 181, a mountain-pass road from Morganton.
    Years of climbing this road made the long, strenuous grades no surprise.
    With the added bonus that the sun was now hitting it full to one's back,
    the mild air and wonderful views offered the only consolation as sweat
    poured.  Psychologically, NC 181 makes you wonder how the rest of the
    ride will be, after 15 miles of largely 7%-9% grade.  But in fact, the
    only tough spot remaining was the 1.9-mile Grandfather Mountain road.
    
    In between we joined the Blue Ridge Parkway, climbing to 4000' and a
    splendid view from Linn Cove Viaduct, a pre-stressed concrete road
    "suspended" out from the side of Grandfather Mountain.  Near Blowing
    Rock, we turned onto US 221, and paralleled the Parkway back to 
    the Grandfather Mountain turnoff (at Linn Cove Viaduct).  So, yes,
    while scenic, this 25-mile loop was just to make up a century's worth.
    
    US 221 is markedly different from the Parkway. (The Linn Cove Viaduct
    segment was only completed in 1985 - 'til then, motorists got on 221
    for the 8-mile gap.)  It is very curvy, somewhat flatter than the
    Parkway, far less "engineered" -- it is kind of a corniche road
    rather than a ridge road.  Huge granite outcroppings hang over the
    road in places, looking like the beaks of gigantic birds.
    
    As we passed under the Parkway, it was 1 mile to the Grandfather
    Mountain gate, and then (shift that chainring fast!) up the 1.9-mile
    road.  This was the crowning "feature" of the B-to-B ride - a road
    steeper than the Mt. Mitchell road (sorry, I don't have the grade
    percentage), which brings out the triples and the big freewheels.
    I'd put on a 39 chainring the night before, which was just about
    adequate with the 13-24 in the back.
    
    Most of the road was moderately strenuous, cool, tree-lined.  Two
    segments were quite steep, though: about �-mile of switchbacks
    at 1.2 miles, and then the last � mile to the summit (hundreds of
    people looking on and making generally encouraging remarks).
    Fortunately, after the tough switchbacks, there is a small parking lot,
    where I rolled off for about 1 minute (still in the pedals) to rest
    the cardiovascular apparatus.  
    
    I did the whole climb without stopping or getting out of the pedals;
    about 30-40% of the people I saw were on foot by that point.  Certainly
    if you are forced to snap out, it would be very hard to get going
    again, except at a couple of turnouts.  The biggest problem was
    meeting oncoming vehicles (including the rider shuttle vans) and
    passing wobbly cyclists (either on foot or in the pedals).
    
    At the top, they then shuttle you and your bike down to McRae Meadows,
    about � mile down from the Grandfather Mountain gate on 221.  I took
    a few pix, waited in line, then went down.  It was a gorgeous day,
    a few thunderheads building, probably 70� at the top.  The previous
    year, they said, it had gotten chilly, with 50-70 mph winds at the
    summit, so they'd relocated the finish line to that intermediate
    parking place.
    
    After visiting for half an hour (friends from Charlotte, and a couple
    from PBP), I biked the direct route to Hickory (221 again, then US 321 
    down the mountain from Blowing Rock) -- 155 miles for the day.
    A few showers, and a l-o-n-g descent, very pretty Blue Ridge horizons,
    but unfortunately mammoth traffic on 321, which is typical of Mountain
    through-roads. 
    
      - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    
    I wouldn't compare this ride with Mt. Washington, but it invites
    comparison with the Spartanburg SC Assault on Mt. Mitchell (102 miles).
    People had said that Bridge to Bridge would be harder (definitely steeper 
    at the top), but more interesting.  I'd say that's true.
    
    The Mt. Mitchell route takes backwoods county roads the first 70 miles
    into Marion, rolling, no big climbs.  The last 25 miles are solid climbs
    only broken by two downhills on the Parkway.  The last 4.7 of those
    are on the Mitchell road, NC 128, probably 12%-15% with a pause midway.
    
    Bridge to Bridge brings you through more little towns, with nothing
    the size of Marion, and then much earlier on gets into the climbs
    (NC 181), so that a good half of the ride is actually in the mountains
    (by virtue of the Parkway-221 loop), hence much more time spent in
    mountain scenery.  The final climb is steeper, but short (I took 19
    minutes elapsed for the 1.9 miles and 1000' climbing), and it comes
    after about an hour of up-and-down corniche road.  By contrast, the 
    Mitchell road hits you after 2 hours of largely unbroken climbing.
    
    Given the early-on mountain climbs, I'd have predicted slower race-times
    than for Mitchell, but the winners still come in at a little over 
    5 hours.  I guess those who know the course can hit the NC 181 climb 
    with full force, looking to the Parkway to "rest up" (relatively).
    
    My time was 7:03; Pat's was about 45 minutes later ("not trying hard").
    This compares with 6:55 my first time up Mitchell, so seems to bear
    out that it's not an essentially longer ride.
    
    Glad I did it!
    
    -john

    	John,
    
    	What a coincidence (maybe).
    
    	BICYCLE GUIDE had some info on this ride in their last issue.
    	I seem to remember them saying that this ride was not easy.
    
    	Scott

    
    I'll look in Bicycle Guide ... is it an article or "upcoming rides"
    list?
    
    -john

    	A short article on the last page. They discussed the ride
    	you were on and Bicycle Across Missouri.
    
    	Ken Carpenter is on the cover riding a track bike. The
    	article is on the last page before the back cover.
    
    	Scott

    
    Statistics excerpted from the route-sheet (*now* I look at it! :-)):
    
    	mileage  altitude   remarks
    	   0       1040'    Hickory NC
    	  50.0     1097'    NC90 x NC181
          62.0     3750'    NC181 at Old Jonas Ridge SChool
          74.0     4400'    Linn Cove Viaduct (Blue Ridge Parkway)
    	  82.2     3600'    Holloway Mtn. Rd. x US-221 (near Blowing Rock NC)
          99.1     4355'    US-221 at entrance to Grandfather Mountain
         101.3     5280'    finish line, summit of Grandfather Mountain
    
    (The last 2.2 miles gain 935 feet.)