Ride Report: Solstice Celebration Night Ride

What a night!  It certainly wasn’t the biggest of these rides we’ve ever done.  There were exactly five of us.  In no particular order, Scott, Wini, Dan, Chris, and I were there and ready at ride time.

It was certainly the coolest evening that we’ve had for this in many years.  The indicated temperature was 77^OF at ride time.  After several previous years of blistering drought, this was a most pleasant change.

Folks rode well, with pleasant bits of chatter and light laughter.  That even held while we climbed the infamous Rockaway Rd into Senoia.

The early evening threatening clouds were tattering and blowing away as we rode out of Peachtree City.  In fact, the scattering of some tattered layers of clouds made for a spectacular sunset, as we turned onto GA-54.

Minix Road was on our route.  We turned onto it, about five minutes after local sunset.

Minix Road.  I recall a story.  Some years ago, an individual who was then new to all this road cycling stuff was chatting with me.  This person had then just recently befun to make solo explorations of the local roads.  He was relating yet another, “I cheated death” story.  I was listening with about half an ear, as I worked on a customer’s bike.  And then my attention was captured.  The guy was telling me he’d ridden into Tyrone via Minix Road.  “It was incredible!”  he said,  “There’s this awful climb on that road!  Have you ever done that?”

I indicated that, yes, I’d done that, and yes, I knew it was a stiff climb.

“Oh yeah!”  my new friend said.  “There’s this stretch that’s two miles long, and it’s ten percent!”

Huh?  Let’s consider that for a moment.  If a grade is 10%, then one climbs 528 feet in every mile.  A two mile climb of 10% would mean a rise of 1,056 feet.  Consider, Stone Mountain rises 825 feet above the surrounding land, and it’s visible for a long way.  I was as gentle as I could be when I pointed out that, if there was, in fact, a rise of over 1,000 feet locally, it should be quite visible from Peachtree City.  No, there is no two mile long, 10% grade on Minix road.

However…  Minix Road is four miles long.  It is pretty much a climb the whole way.  On the right night it can feel like this

K2

Last night, for me at least, Minix Road certainly felt like we were climbing a mountain!

After Minix Road we turned onto Palmetto-Tyrone Road, which becomes Castlewood.  I must say the pavement on this road has deteriorated considerably in recent years.  Rattle-rattle banga-BANG!  And then there was that stinkin’ steep climb up Castlewood, into Tyrone.  Once we passed that, things were pretty much smooth sailing all the way into the end of the ride.

In sum:  We road 38.1 miles, in 2:45.  It didn’t rain.  We had no big bad scary incidents.  Folks behaved well, and rode well.  It was a bunch of fun.  And personally, I am so very glad to be “back in the saddle again”!  Thanks you all!