Tour de Cashiers - short ride report

I was still a little on the fence about China. Someone found a race report from last year that said the bike course is super hilly. Like 8400 feet of climbing in 70.8 miles. With up to 25% (seriously???) grades. Ouch. So this weekend I decided to go home and do the Tour de Cashiers metric century ride. With 8400 feet of climbing in 63 miles I knew it would be tough. Since I know the area and grew up on Cullowhee Mountain Road, I knew it would be really tough. But I also knew that if I could do this I could likely be ready for China in 20 weeks (BTW, the 20-week training plan starts today!). So Steph and I went up to the mountains to try it out. It was COLD at the start, but sunny and pretty.

The ride is well-supported by local police and fire departments. I wish I was skilled enough to take a picture, but just after the start we rode past a ladder truck with the ladder extended and an American flag hanging down. We were off to a good start.

And then immediately, you have to climb up out of Cashiers Valley on 107. And lots more ups on Bee Tree. Then back to 107 and the left turn on Pine Creek. That hill was TOUGH. Then the first rest stop and a fun cruise down Walnut Creek (fast even for a scaredy-cat downhiller like me!). Once we got down on the Franklin side we meandered around a bit before coming up to 64 (up a hill to a stop sign at a busy road… luckily there was a firefighter there stopping traffic - I told him he was my favorite person I'd seen all day). Then the turn onto Ellijay and I knew what was coming. Up, up, UP Tilley Creek. Seriously the hardest climb I've ever done, and I knew I still had Cullowhee Mountain coming up. Pretty view from the top, though.

Then for a fun downhill on the Tilley Creek side. I got up to 35.1 mph - a new record! Right turn onto Cullowhee Mountain. Cruised through the first part, past the road where I grew up, and we were climbing again. It was hard. Really hard. I was glad that I had driven that road a million times and knew when we were almost done. I couldn't have taken much more. 

After the climb there's a nice downhill back to Pine Creek. Then a right turn back to the first rest stop. But I had seen the hill by that rest stop the first time through and decided I couldn't bear to stop and then have to start again on that hill. So I skipped it. Probably OK, but I didn't realize how much more climbing we actually had! I thought we were basically done after Cullowhee Mountain, but Yellow Mountain goes up and up (thankfully not as long or as steep).  Finally finally we made it through Norton to 64 - left turn and a fun, fast cruise back into Cashiers. The post-ride food from the Gamekeeper's Tavern was really yummy. 

Overall, this was the hardest bike ride I've ever done. But I did it! And I didn't walk!