I rode from Raleigh to the mountains a couple of summers ago. My experience there tells me that you need to like climbing! It's really not too bad, after a couple of days in the mts. you'll get used to the constant up and down. If you do go this route you should take the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline drive which is the northern extension to the Parkway. It's so beautiful there, and in about 2 weeks the flowers and trees will really start greening up.