This article related to sports in North Carolina is a stub. Mitchell Since the official height of that mountain, the highest in the eastern US, is 6,684 feet with a prominence of 6,089 feet, I am wondering what the 11,000 feet reference is about. All cyclists must be on the Blue Ridge Parkway by 2:15 p.m. All cyclists must be at the Mt. Most got cooked climbing the mt. That makes it difficult for me because it interrupts my pedal flow, making me pedal inefficiently (squares), plus it plays with me mentally. I was still feeling fine and skipped the rest stop just before the climb. or submit this information to me. It is my A event, the one I want to complete every year. More people passed me. While the grades were not terribly steep, Matt found them to have their own unique challenges. entry into The Assault on Mt. We'll be back from 6am, but before you go, here are the highlights from today: the When I turned into the Mitchell State Park entrance, I thought there was a chance of me breaking seven hours. interchange you will be turned around. Absolutely no personal vehicles are allowed on Mt. & were simply scanned into Mistakes are made. As for the riders who do make it to the top, Great ride and I enjoyed the read. I thought that this was a great idea and agreed to I like Accelerade at my end and carry baggies of it in my trunk bag. Let me back up a little bit. I was bonking. All of us did and the pack kept going. To this date, none have been With the injury layoff, the weight came back fast. That is actually a little crazy, so congrats on finishing and improving your time. The toughest 100-mile bike race in Remember that the Parkway is not closed for this event Mitchell, II - YouTube 0:00 / 9:07 The Assault On Mt. The last 27 or so miles takes as long as the first 75, and it is pretty difficult for most people. Here in Central Indiana we have short (3-5 minutes) and steep (7-12+%) and did a lot of repeats to get ready for Mitchell. Im crossing my fingers that well be able get everything working in harmony again, and that I can begin training on the bike soon. You also might want to make sure the park is open up top, although you wont be drinking much on the way down. I ran out of water with a mile to go. Were not through this yet. Even if I cannot train like I have the last couple of years, this is the ride I want to do every year. payable in Federal Court in Asheville NC if you are caught. The biggest thing about the Assault on Mitchell is that the last 12-15 miles is all mental. https://theassaults.com/assault-on-mt-mitchell/. going up to Mt. it pictures, articles, or memories, please contact me for the proper way to provide Are you kidding me? This will probably be base miles only, although knowing myself Ill probably push on a few sections. This will catch up with me on Monday. Mitchell. I saw your time and was impressed! John Bryan and he did not live to see this new project completed. Mitchell, you will need to purchase a spectator bus ticket from Marion to Mt. I wouldnt blame them for locking the whole lot of us up. of climbing or about one half of the total climb to the top of Mt. Mitchell at age 50 ! and p.s. I heard the sound as our bikes connected and I thought this was it, I was going down. My suggestion is find out way before the ride what works for you food and drink wise to stop cramping and stick with it. Mitchell State Park to Tom Johnson Campground (Marion, NC). Mitchell is much harder than its 4% average grade suggests - removing descents from the equation raises the average grade to 6.2% (15% of the climb includes some descent); 31% (7.6 miles) is at 0-5% grade, 52% (12.6 miles) 5-10%, and a fraction is 15-20%. ). Henry's hosted us for 3 days of prep. I tend to agree with @aydraper. Mitchell in western North Mitchell. Mitchell. In two weeks, I will register for the Assault on Mount Mitchell again. The 2009 Assault. Believe it or not, I actually lost fitness when I got back home, as evident by my performance in last weeks Blue Ridge Brutal where I was 91st out of 135. Please respect their work. *Important to note: No refunds will be issued for any bus tickets. Top of Mitchell could be snowing and cold AF. Last year I had made up time on the climbs, so at this point it looked like a good bet for me to break seven hours. Now back to Colorado. I said that you shouldnt think of it as impossible. Crazy is an understatement. Several years ago, in an It could then take me 5 or longer to get the rest of the way. So, were doing what we can in this in-between time to get ready. Thanks for your wisdom and help! Should you have one Good to see you at the start line. Thankfully we have a Bishop who will determine when our church will begin to have face-to-face worship. No personal vehicles are allowed on Mt. Players must reach account level 15 before they are able to join this game mode. Any training I can manage until then will be a bonus. Mitchell State Park Rangers for "bicycle rider safety reasons". See you there each year It is & was in extremely poor However, as we all know, cancer finally caught up with I had prostate cancer at the time and said if I could do a 50 mile ride before the race I could finish it. At 2 miles, I began to wonder if I could continue. Either would prepare you, IMHO. I arrived in Marion at around 3:35. We both deferred our registrations and plan to participate in the 2014 event. Our climbs are also hard, and not to be discounted. Then I get an email saying he had set aside a few days, and wanted to try the Blue Ridge Mountains. At his request I Wes and I left them in the lurch by backing out. you can and will receive a hefty fine in the area of up to $500.00 per ticket Please read more Ground, they are able to have a nice hot shower and enjoy a nice meal provided by I chugged along. I am finding your posts to be very interesting. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The last quarter of the ride is steady, consistent climbing for miles and miles, after having already punished the legs with 70+ miles of rolling hills. We are constantly changing gears and the majority of the time we are in the lower section of the cassette (in the 11-15 tooth gears). He was a veteran of 15 Assaults on Mt. Michael from the Bicycle Please do so in one of these formats: *.TXT >> NO FORMATTING << If Im dealing with some soreness that could carry over, or if Im dealing with cramps or any of the bad things that can happen on an endurance ride, then I may bow out. Miraculously I stayed on the bike. for reference and to be able to get in touch you if necessary. All of us did and the pack kept going. or from some of the older clubmembers The elevation on the Parkway didnt help the temperature much. by the respective authors or photographers. Around midway through the parkway, after having sufficiently hydrated and fueled myself, I started to get the magic back. Many of those climbs were above the treeline, and yielded views that far surpassed anything we have on the East coast. Too many bugs, and I had probably already eaten my share on the way up. Keeping in the spirit of internationalism, they added Julian from Edinburgh, UK, and Patrick from Sydney, Australia. Mitchell. or any MitchellCLICK HERE to view transportation detail for the Assault on Marion. In the past, there have been a number of near misses The elevation on the Parkway didnt help the temperature much. Your bike will be put on a separate truck and transported to the auditorium. Even as I think of the eloquent, but simple language of the 23rd Psalm, there are lots of us that focus on the part that says, Even though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, as if to say were only going to be in it for a short time until we come out on the other side. There is some lingering soreness, and I can tell that my hip still is not quite right. Thanks, Gabe. That's nearly a 25% fail rate, and these are not ordinary people who just grabbed a bike and decided to ride up a mountain. starting from the foot of the mountain, he began 102 miles away in We will have 6 ft. social distancing and probably have limitations on the size of the crowd. of this event! Darkness fell before he made it to the top Ill take that. where he found the gate to the Mt. Insanely hard. Well have to keep doing a lot of that by zoom. 2012 Assault, The Assault on Mt. If I need a break, I will not hesitate to stop. The 11,000 feet includes all the cumulative elevation between Spartanburg and the summit at Mt. I want gyms and churches and everything thats been closed to reopen, too, but is it safe yet? The road has markings for every half a mile remaining. These are the 1st and the 11th year patches for Is Mount Mitchell a difficult hike? Mitchell and Marion in 2021. It is enough of a challenge that everyone who completes it should be proud. I chugged along. We have many peaks in the Rocky Mts. When I push too hard, I get winded. Join us for 60 miles and 10,500 feet of climbing at the 20th annual ORAMM! You killed it! Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. annual event in which thousands have and do participated in. A water bottle came loose in a large pack, maybe five or six riders ahead of me. Step One: Event Registration Select Your Ride: The Assault on Marion: 74.2 miles from Downtown Spartanburg, SC to the Tom Johnson Rally Park Pavilion in Marion, NC. Last year I had made up time on the climbs, so at this point it looked like a good bet for me to break seven hours. It was still painful, but I was going to do this thing and probably at a good time. It became even better on Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday. THWACK! published articles about this event to be included in these That translated into about 220-230 on the road. or valuable for inclusion in these pages. The lack of cardio training, however, is easily apparent. to weather conditions. To my surprise, it didnt seem too difficult this time. Tom Johnston Camp Grounds in Marion. Right now I can probably sustain an 8-minute mile. Ill try to tag along for some of those. Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River. Riders begin at 6:30 AM at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium and follow a 102.7-mile ride to Marion and then climb up Mt. Ill have to be careful not to cause any excess soreness, while still keeping the muscles loose and warm. / DVD. long wait for medical help to arrive and if a chopper is called it will The ride is. Change). and trying to pass the bicycle riders. information to be include in these pages and also provided some of his Why? Id lean more toward century as that will be long sustained effort. Mitchell is a point A to point B ride, not a loop, and no personal vehicles are allowed on the Parkway or Summit. I climbed up comfortably either with or ahead of most of my pack. present it so much to the public. Besides, training is the best part. SHJ newspaper prior to his passing. The parkway fine is up to $500.00 Just a constant and powerful grind. I felt amazing when I started climbing again, like a new man. - Van Epps finished the event in 15:00:00 on a hand powered trike! I was considering You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Its a gorgeous ride along Lake Tahoma, but seems like forever until the climb begins. There is a google graph that illustrates all of the peaks and valleys. Its a great read, and a great adventure. One of the biggest challenges is mental, pushing yourself to continually grind up the hill, knowing that at some point the reward will be worth all this punishment. John Bryan indicated that the rest of the information The choir is doing that, too, but letting there be face-to-face choir practice or sitting in the choir loft together is going to have to be a work in progress. both of the Assaults. They were everywhere. That was the most mentally challenging thing Ive ever done. Thats when all 1,000 riders converge together, mashing the pedals and all trying to get to Marion as fast as possible. tim. Then without I grunted my way up, slowly and surely to the finish line. It is our local rite of passage. The Assault on Mount Mitchell is an annual bicycling endurance contest in South Carolina and North Carolina first held in 1974. We emailed again. He toughed it out, made it up to Mitchell, and came back down elated. You would be surprised by how nice the riding is out here. . GOOD to KNOW: Updated Time Limit + Checkpoints! Its the ultimate cycling feat: a one-day ride that attracts cyclists from around the world. SAG's ~ Please take note of this. lead Moto from 1979 ~ 2006. Mt. Weekday Riding: Daylight savings time is just around the corner. Your choice on volume. A forum community dedicated to Road Bike owners and enthusiasts. Does this sound familiar as we make our assault on COVID-19? On Tuesday, I noticed that something felt different. There are fully stocked rest stops approximately every 10 miles and you can send anything you want to . Due to the popularity of both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt. andy'allyell HI Magnolia Road near Boulder is known for being steep. If you want evidence, just check the results. Thanks for sending them. These are people that trained for months, focused on this one goal. Mitchell all riders MUST be transported off the mountain via bus. I did a similar climb earlier this year in January after sweet spot base 1 high volume, and it was easy work but youve got the climb after riding 80 miles to the base. In my opinion, it is the benchmark against which all other rides are measured. Hwy 80 really took a toll on me. on The Blue Ridge Parkway, nor on the top of Mt. Mitchell. It worked for me. (LogOut/ What Matt didnt find, was that southeast climbing can be STEEP! For those readers who dont know, the Assault on Mount Mitchell is one of the toughest cycling challenges in the Southeast. main riders of this event passed away unexpectedly. One of our three rules that we Methodists live by is Do no harm. We will not violate that! Nice job on your ride as well. That was good advice, but I reflected on it as those last miles slowly ticked by, as I noticed every passing tenth of a mile, reassuring myself that the end was getting closer. The Assaults on Mt. Along with the number of riders wishing to make this trip, there has been an increasing number of rules and regulations I said that you shouldnt think of it as impossible. What Ill try to do is a mile at a time and keep at a certain speed. Ill have to admit Im torn on the reopening issue. approach Robin Michael about creating a history of the Assault on Mt. From this location they either catch yet another First A dull ache existed, at times worse than others, but it was drastically better than it had been a few days before. I was getting thirsty. I positioned myself in my broken handlebars as low as possible and let the mountain breeze cool me down. It always hurts after big rides, and I generally need a good bit of recovery time in between. I could feel the heat intensely. Agree with Bryce 100%! Highway 80 starts out flat with some easy rollers. On Sunday, before the ride, there will be a service bus from Marion to Spartanburg, so you can leave your vehicle at Tom Johnson Campground overnight. below leading the front end of the ride on NC-108. The most stressful part of the ride is in the first 20 miles. It is enough of a challenge that everyone who completes it should be proud. on Mt. Please make sure all your travel plans are worked out with your family and friends prior to purchasing your ticket. My lowest weight during offseason training was 148. Im going for 6:30 next year. I did it back in '89 before I moved west. If you have a compact and an 11-32, the only thing stopping you from getting to the top is you. on The Blue Ridge Parkway It ends 102 miles away at the top of Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern United States. Praying to get prepared! Mitchell for $25 . You did great and Im sure youll improve next year. Heres my tip the ride TO Mt. I had a great ride tooshaved 1hr and 20mins from last year first assaulthope to shave another half hour next year. condition but it is all that I had of this video. Many were cooked from riding too hard in the early miles, others had no clue as to how to climb a long, steady ascent. Cross-Training: Running has worked and Ill keep at it. Mitchell This would be the first big challenge. Mitchell, which at 6,578 feet is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. I reached 161 before I was able to resume training again. Now some of the Ill plan to focus on speed for the first trip up and go slower on subsequent trips. We need to reopen everything at some point, but were not there yet, are we? Beth, We need to save lives! Im not really concerned with the distance but with the 21 mile climb at the end. Ive camped too many times to count. I had put in the work. In the fall of 1975, John Bryan attempted the trip by himself, but instead of In the past, there have been a number of near misses For those readers who don't know, the Assault on Mount Mitchell is one of the toughest cycling challenges in the Southeast. Then all riders get on busses for the return trip All they had at the rest stop was water. For a lot of the old time riders, I was the Thinking out loud or at least in print, we will most certainly avoid handshakes, hugs, and high-fives. By the way this then chose to try to re-mastered my very old, well worn copy from having Therefore, I The problem was that the temperature was really starting to rise and I had not hydrated enough along the way. Read the section found below on what the new However, it was my very first century ride. The biggest thing about the Assault on Mitchell is that the last 12-15 miles is all mental. This would be my day. Assuming there is a place to fill in the park. Mitchell will have a 5:30 p.m. event stop time. For several years starting in 1992, completing The Assault on Marion was a prerequisite implemented to increase the proportion of finishers, but this requirement was dropped in recent years. Mass Start from in front of the auditorium In the beginning The Assault on Mt. the Assaults, be Spartanburg, SC. When I turned into the Mitchell State Park entrance, I thought there was a chance of me breaking seven hours. Freewheeler. and forcing the bicycles into the ditch or up the bank. To my surprise, it didnt seem too difficult this time. of what I have please contact me. A video diary of the 33rd Assault on Mount Mitchell. 7000 of that climb comes in the last 25 miles. It has been a lot of criteriums lately which is definitely not the ideal prep for a ride like Mt. Thats nearly a 25% fail rate, and these are not ordinary people who just grabbed a bike and decided to ride up a mountain. This a policy set forth by the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt. This is something that not everyone can do. own personal pictures and thoughts that he thought would be most apropos Here in Central Indiana we have short (3-5 minutes) and steep (7-12+%) and did a lot of repeats to get ready for Mitchell. to weather conditions. One thing he noticed is that there is not a lot of consistency. I had left some Gatorade with my wife and forgot to refill my bottles. The Blue Ridge Parkway especially is a cyclists paradise. Ive found that even while riding by myself or in group rides, I have been able to move along at a decent pace, far faster than I expected at this point. Were just not there yet, so lets use this gap-time wisely to pray and think it all through. I now have almost four months to train. Here is the Strava segment for the climb: This page was updated last on April 18, 2023. another into riding / biking the 102 miles to the top of Mt. Now, if we can just get everyone on the same page, Roger, Thanks! In March and April I will try to make some other trips for more challenging rides. No dogs or pets are allowed, animals specifically trained to aid a person with a disability is the only exception. Childrens Ministry and Youth are already meeting by zoom. Assault on Mount Mitchell - The Arrival - YouTube Hudson Velo Club ventured to Cornelius, NC as a staging area for our assault on Mount Mitchell. It may seem weird to have this blog title when climbing is my (temporary) weak point. Probably not though. The pack seems to speed up and then abruptly slow down, putting each rider on high alert, sitting on their brakes. Mitchell presented by Greenville Health System will have a 5:30 p.m. stop time. I trained for 7 months primarily indoors with the occasional outdoor ride weather permitting. As for where to climb, my first suggestion was the Blue Ridge Parkway up to Mitchell. I'd stick to Base>Build>Specialty, and do either 'Rolling Road Race' or 'Century'. I was still feeling fine and skipped the rest stop just before the climb. Note: All of these newspaper articles are from the Hiking. I got slower and slower. Mitchell on beautiful Forest Service roads and unbelievable North Carolina singletrack. So the bottom line is make sure your lights has This is a policy set forth by the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mt. If they elected to leave directly from Tom Johnsons Camp Ground then ** Please note that this is a long day with many moving parts. Ill be an editor of sorts as well, working with a few others for different perspectives and tips, varying from beginners to professionals. Mitchell began when John Bryan and family were Mitchell for a picnic in the Spring of 1975. My wife, Helen, said I was crazy, related John Bryan. Mitchell, and a few of you may have done it. Select Your TShirt Size: This years shirts will be a short sleeve unisex performance blend with a slimmer cut. (registration roster) nor whom finished this event. I rode Mt. Corrections and additions to these pages may be sent to: They were everywhere. Lead Moto and front pack crossing over the US-74 overpass in 100k Century. printed picture material that is scanned must be There are fully stocked rest stops approximately every 10 miles and you can send anything you want . Walker takes the challenge. Im very glad you didnt crash during the bottle incident. and smile for the camera! Mitchell will be on May 22, 2023. My guess is that the fracture has mostly healed, but there are some other soft tissue issues underneath the labrum that still need to be dealt with. with SAG's trying to pass bicycles to get up the mountain and end up almost Overview. always comes first. Brad DeLay's bicycle video of the warning one of the My time goal was to finish at around 8 hrs, I finished just under 8 hours riding time. Out of approximately 1,000 riders that started the ride, only 765 succeeded.