6 Gap- Dahlonega, Georgia

“The Six Gap Century’s ultra challenging route takes you up and down six of the steepest climbs in the North Georgia Mountains. Test your stamina with nearly 12,000 feet of vertical climbing over the 104 mile course. Elevations for the six gaps in this ride range from 2,949 feet to 3,490 feet. The toughest climb, Hog pen Gap, will test even the strongest riders, averaging a 7% grade for seven miles, with sections as steep as 15%.” 

Helen, Sock Monkey and I on Hog Pen

You may not think that’s a very enticing course description but for Helen and I it sounded like a challenge we could not resist!  We took a scouting/training trip to Dahlonega from August 10-13^th.  Roger at Higher Ground (Helen’s Sponsor) did all the coordinating and reserved a very nice cabin for our group to stay in.  We rode the first part of the actual 6 Gap course.  I remember thinking, “this isn’t too bad as I sped up the first 3 mountains”.  Then I met “Hog pen”.  I only made it a little more than half way up before my quads completely locked up.  I decided to call it a day and had our sag wagon pick me up.  The next day we did the “valley ride”.  There is still a lot of steep climbing but they don’t last nearly as long.  I did manage to hit 41 mph though ;)

After our training ride I knew I had to come up with a serious game plan.  For the next month and a half I ramped up my training even more.  Helen and I did several century plus (100+ miles) rides each weekend in addition to the miles I logged during the week.  I also needed to increase my calorie intake to reduce the chance of my muscles cramping.  The last part of the plan involved a slightly easier gear ratio on the bike.

It’s finally time for 6 Gap!  We arrived in Dahlonega on Friday evening, just in time to meet our friends for dinner at Pueblo’s Mexican restaurant.  This time we stayed at a different cabin.  It was really cool.  There were several different rooms for people to stay in.  Ours was downstairs and had a kitchen, living room and laundry room.  It was great!  We had planned to do an easy ride on Saturday to get the blood flowing in the legs and loosen them up after the long drive.  Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate until later in the afternoon.  That was ok though.  We headed down to pick up our race packets and see the expo.  After we got back to the cabin the weather cleared and we went for a nice 8 mile ride up and back down Woody’s.  Just enough to let the legs know what was in store and refresh my descending skills.

The race started at 0730 on Sunday morning.  There were nearly 3,000 people and one Sock Monkey (strapped on to my helmet) at the starting line.    

The first 18 or so miles were nice easy rollers.  Perfect for getting the legs warmed up for the work ahead.  My plan was for Helen and I to stay together and not push the pace too soon.  The first 3 mountains were familiar and not too difficult.  I was a little nervous at the start of Hog pen.  It beat me the first time out and I did not want that to happen again!  I parked it in my granny gear and started my 7 mile climb up the, at times, 13-15% grade.  I had to stand several times just to pedal and keep moving forward.  I began to question if the mountain would win again.  I could not let that happen.  I kept fighting my way to the top.  It felt so good to reach the top of that mountain!!!  I think a “suck it Hog pen” might have passed my lips but hey, I was delirious ;)  The descent down Hog pen made up for every bit of the climb.  I was traveling at over 45 mph most of the way down except for when I hit 50+!!!  That’s the fastest I have ever been on a bicycle and it was AWESOME!  Sock Monkey loved it too!  The next mountain was Wolf pen.  Although it was not quite as long or steep, it was still the 5^th mountain of the day at around 80 miles in.  Next, I had a little excitement down Woody’s, the last mountain of the day.  I was flying down the mountain when I caught up to an SUV.  I was getting very frustrated at having to slow down for this car.  Soon we caught up to two more cars stuck behind a slower cyclist.  I saw and opening and made my move.  I shot around all three cars and the cyclist.  Once I hit the next curve I never saw any of them again!  I pushed hard for the last 14 miles and finished in 7:49.  After reviewing the results I saw that we had stopped for about an hour of that time on the tops of 4 mountains for food and water.  I’m very pleased with our results.                    

River Road Ride

My Dad and I both recently purchased 2011 Kawasaki KLR 650 motorcycles.  These are “Dual Sport” motorcycles made to ride both on and off road.  We both love riding motorcycles and traveling together.  We've taken a few trips in the past and would like to do more of that once I move to San Antonio.  Yesterday we set off on a mini-adventure.  The bikes are both new so you have to go through a very deliberate "break-in" process which involves varying speeds, lots of shifting and heating/cooling cycles.  This means you regulated to a lot of riding in town or on access roads.  We headed north on the access roads of Interstate 35.  The access road speed limit is 50 mph most of the time which is close to the max speed for the bikes during break-in and there are several stops, perfect for cycling through the gearbox.  We then turned left onto Loop 337 in New Braunfuls.  It's a nice two-lane road which makes it easy to let the cars pass by.  The real fun began once we reached River Road.  It's motorcycle utopia and runs thick with bikes all summer long.  Despite it being early January, we saw lots of riders out enjoying the last of the nice weather.  It was near 70!  The speed limit on this road is usually 30 miles per hour and there are LOTS of fun twisty turns and gentle rolling hills.  The road follows alongside the river (hence the name, "River Road") and is encased on both sides by tall, rocky limestone cliffs.  It’s a very scenic road so you have to be careful not to get distracted by the beauty.  We stopped several times along the way and rode slowly over the small bridges to take it all in.  I was starting to get hungry by this time and spotted the “Country Girlz” burger stop.  It’s a nice little restaurant with covered, outdoor picnic tables and a drive thru.  The food was good and the prices are reasonable.  We also scored a bonus with a free cup of coffee for my Dad (Senior citizen special)!  After lunch we rode the bikes over a railroad tie, through a small field and back onto the road (we had to get in a little “off road”).  FM 2673 is a nice 60 mph two lane road with slow rolling hills.  The stretch of FM 3159 between FM 2673 and 46 is great motorcycle ride.  It’s a perfect blend of wide open views, lazy curves and changing elevation.  For the last leg of the trip we took 46 back to 3009 (pronounced “3, double O, 9 locally).  This has been a motorcycle favorite for as long as I can remember.  Our ride ended up being around 85 miles long and was a perfect way to spend the day!  I can’t wait to get the bikes fully broken in so we can hit the curves with a little more authoritie!