Mountain Training Camp

What a grand adventure Stephen Gerber had planned for us in Dahlonega, Georgia last weekend. Given that the only way you get good at climbing hills is to go climb hills, eleven intrepid riders headed north on Thursday afternoon to meet the Georgia Mountains. The weather was predicted to be lousy and for once, the weatherman was right. Temps in the low 50's and a constant rain made it imperative that everyone dressed properly and stayed warm. Friday's ride was the first loop of the Six Gap century route and featured three Gaps (Neel's, Wolfpen and Woody) and many thousand feet of climbing. Experienced mountain climbers Will Willis, Ashlyn Gerber and David Bush set the pace right away while newbies Bradley Gordon, Michelle Blake, Casey Braga, Jos Chalmers and Eddie Braga learned how to handle the constant climbs that were many miles long. Brad Gordon, Steve Gerber and Diane Blake drove sag vehicles to dispense water, food and clothing. Everyone met at the top of the Gaps to make sure they were warm enough and some would get a free ride down if they chose not to do a fast descent in the rain and fog. The warm showers of the hotel were the reward for the day's hard work and a late run to Dairy Queen was the sweet treat.
The weather saturday morning was identical to the day before with spitting rain, fog and a bit colder. Our group was a little trimmer because some headed home, back to the warmth of Florida while the rest headed for the three other Gaps with the coup de grace of Brasstown Bald. The road up Jack's Gap takes you to the base of Brasstown Bald but they just rode by the first time around, headed to Unicoi Gap and the seven mile grind up Hogpen Gap. Casey and Michelle proved to be quick learners and set a good tempo up the long climbs with much smoother pedalling than the day before. After finishing the loop, everyone met up for some hot soup (thanks Steve!) and PB&J sandwiches before attacking Brasstown's steep face. UGLY is a fine word to describe the slog up Brasstown Bald with it's switchbacks, narrow road and nasty pitch ups. The only good thing is that it is advertised as three miles and is only 2.7! Due to the extremely thick fog, you could not see the summit and it came a a welcome suprise to Casey, Eddie, Michelle, Ashlyn and David. Grand job!
Since the weather report for Sunday included rain, sleet and SNOW, some of us headed home while Ashlyn, David and Steve hit the hills again.
Thank you very much Steve Gerber, for organizing the training ride, printing maps and route sheets and making the hotel reservations. You made it much easier for the riders and parents and we will definitely do it again.