Mount Mitchell- Highest Point In Eastern North America
Back in July when my wife asked me if I’d be interested in going to Asheville for a few days in August while she attended a conference, I immediately said YES! I had heard lots of good things about the riding in the area plus I had heard good things about the Assault On Mt Mitchell ride that happens each June, but it is tough to get into that ride because of the limited # of riders allowed.
My Assault Of Mt Mitchell
We got to Asheville on Wednesday evening. I got up early on Thursday and drove the 35 miles or so to Marion, NC, where I would start my ride to the top of Mt Mitchell. The starting elevation is about 1220 feet and the summit is a little over 6500 feet. That is 5300 feet of elevation gain in about the 30 miles to the top. There are several good size “rollers” along the way making the total climbing somewhere around 7000-8000 feet for the 60 mile round-trip. Here is a link to the route on MapMyRide.com:
The first few miles are fairly flat and then the road kicks up some for the next 6 miles or so. Then, the next five miles to the BRP are pretty steep and unrelenting with lots of switchbacks. It was quiet, kind of cool, with very little traffic. I felt good and held a fairly hard pace to the top. At the Parkway, I took a left (South) and headed toward Mt Mitchell. In the 11 miles on the parkway I went through several tunnels and past many awe inspiring views. I stopped a few times and took some pictures. The parkway is not flat, there are many rollers, including one large one that was worth about 600-700 feet of climbing. The parkway intersects with the road to the top of Mt Mitchell at about 5150 feet. I turned right and began the final 5 miles to the top. The 1st 3 miles of the climb was steep and I had to concentrate in order to keep my pace up. The last 2 miles to the summit were a lot easier than I expected and I arrived at the top after 2 hours and 27 minutes of riding. I took a few pictures at the top, cleaned off my glasses and headed back down. The descent was a blast. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, especially on the stretch from the parkway down Hwy 180. The roads are in good shape and I was able to carve my turns and keep my speed up. I arrived at my car in a little over 80 minutes from the top. My total ride time was 3hrs 55 minutes. It was a great ride. I ate a foot long Subway roast beef sandwich and had a big Coke on my drive back to the hotel, ready for the next day’s ride.
Friday’s Parkway Loop
On Friday I met up with “BikeWNC”, a Bike Forums member that lives in the area. He was kind enough to show me a nice loop starting on the Blue Ridge Parkway West of Asheville. It was a little over 51 miles and had a total of 4,500 feet of climbing, including a nice steady 8 mile climb up to the parkway. Here is the profile:
The weather was nice, and we made good time, stopping a couple of times to take in the views. It wasn’t as tough as Mt Mitchell but it was still a great workout.
The Totals
In two days of riding in the Asheville area I got in 112 miles of beautiful mountain riding with 11,500-13,000 feet of climbing. This was exactly what I was looking for. It was great preperation for the upcoming Six Gap Century I will be doing in September. As someone who enjoys climbing I am envious of the riders in the Asheville area. They have some fantastic climbing/riding opportunities available to them. I will definitely be back. Fortunately, it is only a few hours away for me so I can get up there a couple of times a year without too much problem. If you have the opportunity to ride in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, take advantage of it. You won’t regret it.
I will post my PowerTap files from these rides in the next day or two for those that are interested.
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