A word about the reason for this past weekend’s events. Multiple Sclerosis is a wicked and evil disease. It slowly cripples its victims. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society uses these Bike MS weekends as a major fundraiser. Funds from the events go to research for treatments, and a cure. I sincerely hope that each and every one of you will join me in supporting this effort. For more information, please go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Georgia Chapter.
Now on to the fun and game!
On Friday, Chris, Curly, Candy and I rode down to Pine Mountain. Chris and I chose to haul all of our worldly goods and possesions (not really but it sure felt that way!) behind our bikes. The plan was to drop the trailers once we got to our destination in Pine Mountain.
The Trip Down: It was a nice ride. We’re happy to report that it was largely an uneventful trip. The four of us got under way at about 9:00 A.M. on Friday. We took our time on the way down. This was partly because Chris and I were pulling trailers. (I admit it, I was a bit overloaded.)
The route we chose was about 50 miles from Peachtree City to our lodgings in Pine Mountain. We arrived in town a bit too early to check in, so we went in search of food, and had a great lunch.
Check in had a minor glitch, but the nice folks at the Pine Mountain Chalets straightened that out with a minimum of confusion.
After check in, it was time to head back into town and pick up our rider packets. Then to the street party, and dinner!
(Does it sound like food is a big part of our day? You betcha! The calorie requirement for a touring cyclist is absolutely incredible.)
Saturday 105 Miles: We chose to ride the long route on Saturday. It is a tough ride under any conditions. This past Saturday was especially challenging. The heat came on early and kept on coming on. I got behind the hydration curve. I’d been having a pretty good ride through the morning, but by early afternoon, I was pretty well toasted. I withdrew in good order at the mile 93 break point. Sometimes it’s best to chose to “live to fight again another day.”
Sunday “60” miles: What a difference a day makes! Sunday dawned a bit cooler, and with a lovely cloud cover. It stayed a lot cooler on the course. I chose to ride at a bit less strenuous pace, and enjoyed a really nice morning on the bike. Lot’s of smiling faces all around.
This ended the Cox Atlanta Bike MS event. We finished up the ride to the cheers of the wonderful volunteers, and packed up the weekend.
Of course the four of us who were doing the weekend tour style had a slightly different experience. We saw the rest of the crowds leave. We saw our friends and cabin mates climb into their cars and drive away. Then we settled down and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had a pleasant dinner, and retired for the night.
Monday, The trip back home:
It was ind of strange to be down there, at the Pine Mountain Chalets, and see no other riders. We had the place pretty much to ourselves as we prepared to ride into town for breakfast, and then ride back to Peachtree City.
The weather favored us wonderfully. It was blessedly cool! We actually started out in arm warmers and vests. More, the cool didn’t go away quickly. The morning stayed cool, and a delightful wind came up to keep us cooled off as we rode. In fact this was the best riding day of the four.
We chose to take the route over Pine Mountain, and turn north via Warm Springs. We made a slight detour on top of Pine Mountain, and rode out to Dowdles Knob, to enjoy the view and the park.
Generally, all four of us agreed, we were pleased to find that we weren’t overly tired. We all felt the effects of being on the bike for four days, but no one was suffering. Call it a great weekend of super high quality cycling.
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