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Spacecoast Freewheelers pwn the Cherohala Challenge!!

1K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  pchrosto 
#1 ·
Gots some pixxors to share w/ my fellow Roadbikereviewers as I sit in my office drinking a Newcastle (or 3) and upload the photo's my clubmate PChrosto. the ride is called the "Cherohala Challenge" since it goes thru the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. A 115 mile loop w/ over 9,000 feet of elevation (we ended up going 118 due to a detour straight up "Happy Valley") One of our clubmates had never done a century before much less one w/ so much climbing but he had done some "hill repeats" here in Florida (climbing causeways) and kicked my fat arse. Anywho, enjoy the pixxors...wish we were still there instead of this hot and humid thunderstorm magnet of Florida....


Gutfiddle loadin up the rental at 5:30am already sweatin my arse off...


Camp is set up in Joyce Kilmer Forest (Horse Cove Loop)


Spacecoast Freewheelers before the ride, represent w00tw00t!


old tobacco barn


Crestin the first hill on the way to the tail of the dragon


old storefront/local abode?


bike p()rn




John Jacob Jinglehiemersmidtz


Smoky Mountains
 
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#2 ·
Gutfiddle shouldve trained more instead of partyin the past two weeks...


Dragon Tail gettin steep


OOOPS!


Sag atop of the dragon


The damn dam


more grapes pwease


arsty butterfly/pedal shot


Gutfiddle w/ leaf in his hair




 
#3 · (Edited)
Pchrosto on the overlook!


what did you do last saturday?




JoeDaddio?


awww brokeback mtn trip


hikin Joyce Kilmer Florida boy style


I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.



Gutfiddle on the Cherohala Skyway courtesy of Pchrosto
<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="https://i219.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=https://vid219.photobucket.com/albums/cc119/pchrosto/Cherohala%20Trip/MVI_1229.flv">



Big Old Twees in Joyce Kilmer (Poplar?)


Back in good ole FLA


slideshow if you just can't get enuf;) warning maybe one NSFW pixxor....
https://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc119/pchrosto/Cherohala Trip/?albumview=slideshow
 
#4 ·
JoeDaddio played by Joe Daddio.

Nice work, duder. I think I'd poo myself with that much climbing.


joe
 
#6 ·
5390 is your high point? That's about the altitude of downtown Boulder.

<img src=https://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc119/pchrosto/Cherohala%20Trip/IMG_1245.jpg>
 
#7 ·
Bocephus Jones II said:
5390 is your high point? That's about the altitude of downtown Boulder.

yeah, yeah... well uh you should try to um bike for miles on end at sea level on a flat grade into a head wind and stuff...
 
#8 ·
DrRoebuck said:
That's a helluva ride. Nice work.

My record elevation gain in one ride was a couple weeks ago: 6300ft.
The Triple Bypass ride has over 10,000 of vertical over 120+ miles. You'll definately know you've done some climbing after that.

<img src=https://www.genisyslasertherapy.com/images/stories/triple_elevation_smaller.gif>
 
#11 ·
You boulderons need to grow some nads. 120 miles for only 10,000' of climbing. That's like a calendar - chock full of weaks. :D

Bocephus Jones II said:
The Triple Bypass ride has over 10,000 of vertical over 120+ miles. You'll definately know you've done some climbing after that.

<img src=https://www.genisyslasertherapy.com/images/stories/triple_elevation_smaller.gif>
 
#15 ·
Alex-in-Evanston said:
Gutfiddle is just about everything a man ought to be.
I had to give the poor boy a ride home after his poasting binge. The commuter in him didn't want to brave a hail storm. One of the worst storms I've seen around here in a few years, hail got so bad we had to duck in and (uhm) hide out at Hooters for a few hours. Poor Darcey got a tingle when the lightning struck nearby.
 
#16 ·
pchrosto said:
I had to give the poor boy a ride home after his poasting binge. The commuter in him didn't want to brave a hail storm. One of the worst storms I've seen around here in a few years, hail got so bad we had to duck in and (uhm) hide out at Hooters for a few hours. Poor Darcey got a tingle when the lightning struck nearby.
'perciate the lift, call me a fairweather commuter but i aint ridin in hail...I heart black Irish Hooter's waittresses:thumbsup:
 
#17 ·
Congrats on completing the ride. I think flatlanders should earn bonus points for attempting a ride like this.

Why did so many people turn off at the Foothills Parkway? Was there a mark painted on the road? This is the fourth year I've done the ride, and I hadn't heard of people making that mistake before.
 
#18 ·
Velo Vol said:
Congrats on completing the ride. I think flatlanders should earn bonus points for attempting a ride like this.

Why did so many people turn off at the Foothills Parkway? Was there a mark painted on the road? This is the fourth year I've done the ride, and I hadn't heard of people making that mistake before.
yeah right after the "unofficial sag stop" there were 3 marks on the road the first one pointed left to turn towards the Parkway but didnt have a CC under it and the last marker was a straight arrow w/ the CC. Alot of ppl just saw the first marker and turned left and climbed straight up (portion of that road is 20%) some added 16 miles and stayed on it all the way back to 129. After Pchrosto checked someone's mail and determined we were on the wrong road at the risk of getting shot we turned around.
 
#19 ·
gutfiddle said:
yeah right after the "unofficial sag stop" there were 3 marks on the road the first one pointed left to turn towards the Parkway but didnt have a CC under it and the last marker was a straight arrow w/ the CC. Alot of ppl just saw the first marker and turned left and climbed straight up (portion of that road is 20%) some added 16 miles and stayed on it all the way back to 129. After Pchrosto checked someone's mail and determined we were on the wrong road at the risk of getting shot we turned around.
i'm always right, just had a feeling that things looked different from last year. another factor was that all the markings were freshly painted and were identical in style, just with the small CC for our ride.
 
#21 ·
10ae1203 said:
That's a nice part of the country. It is amazing to me how clean they keep that particular section of 129.

A few years ago me and the boy went down there on a car club weekend and saw some dumbass tipped over in the ditch.

Get any bbq when you were there?
Tail of the Dragon was in perfect shape, I think some of the motor bikers might be cleaning the road surface. I've seen pix on killboy.com with riders carrying brooms. Also the North Carolina side looked freshly paved, that is one ecstatic descent.

Sadly a no on the BBQ, got there too late Friday, rode Saturday and all the small places stay closed til noon on Sundays it seems.
 
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