Velo Vol 

On 7 May 2011 I participated in my fourth 3-State 3-Mountain Challenge in Chattanooga, TN. It had been three years since I had last ridden the event, so I was eager to return. But not too excited--it still required effort to respond to the godforsaken 4:30 a.m. alarm.

But I did arise, downed my customary pre-century tator tot breakfast, and made the 100-mile drive to the Finley Stadium staging area. By the time I gathered my registration packet and geared up, the motorcycle-led velo parade had already already started to roll. I waited a few minutes as queued cyclists slowly filed by, then joined the procession at the back of the pack.

At the start line



The first few city miles were at an easy warm-up pace, which was fitting because it was a chilly morning (low 50Fs). Within an hour it started warming up nicely and turned out to be a great day for cycling: 70Fs and dry.

Downtown Chattanooga



Crossing the Tennessee River at Chattanooga





It’s funny how accidents can occur when you least expect them. The closest I came to a mishap the entire day was minutes from the start. I glanced ahead after taking the picture of the river and discovered, to my dismay, that everyone ahead was braking due to a long backup on the exit ramp. I frantically grabbed for my brake levers and narrowly averted what would have been an embarrassing collision with cyclists in front of me.

Once I made it past the bridge off-ramp logjam, the pace picked up because there was more room to pass.

Going into the tunnel on the first hill



After the first ridge, the course followed some open, multi-lane roads, then paralleled the river for several miles. The police blocked motorized traffic in this stretch, so it was uninterrupted sailing through the hills.



One of the interesting things about these kind of events is the diversity of pedal-pushers you see. A majority of participants are 30-50 year-old white male road cyclists from not very far away. But there are also women, seniors, tandems, recumbents, and riders of other shapes and sizes. They come from all over, too. At a picture stop I met a guy from Iowa. Judging from the labored climbing I saw from many riders, he wasn’t the only person who came from flat terrain.

Recumbent bicycle





After about 11 miles the route reaches the first "mountain," Suck Creek Mountain. The climb itself isn't bad (5 miles at a 4-6%), but a couple things about it were annoying.

First, the riders near the back where I was were too slow. I'm hardly the fastest rider around, but my natural climbing rhythm was 3-4 m.p.h. faster than almost everyone around me. So I went the entire way up the left side of the lane, often going into the opposite lane to pass people. I felt like Lance Armstrong, passing hundreds of riders.

The problem was that there were also cars on the road, in the opposite lane, attempting to pass going both directions. (You can see one in the picture below). It seemed more unsafe this year than on prior rides. I even saw one car passing another car that was passing cyclists . . . going around a turn! Event organizers should rethink traffic control on this mountain--it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Climbing Suck Creek Mountain



After a cool, somewhat unpleasant descent on the other side (curves + crazy cyclists are unsettling), the route changed character with a nice long stretch of valley riding. I seldom get to ride extended flat terrain so this section was a rare treat. Along the way I mingled with ad hoc pelotons and was surprised how little effort it took to maintain a 21-22 mph cruising speed in that manner.



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Velo Vol 

A couple hours into the ride I decided it was time to eat, so I stopped at the second rest stop for a snack. It was at a new location this year.



Authorities were prepared for the worst



After a relaxed break, I returned to the road with renewed energy. Most of the larger groups had disappeared by this point, so I rode solo most of the remainder of the day.

Autumn SEC rivals mingle on a spring Saturday



Nickajack Lake



Bridge crossing





Approximately 50 miles into the route the ride reached Sand Mountain. Normally the course ascends the mountain on a quiet, windy back road through the woods. This year, however, it went up a state highway. (I would soon discover why).

The rerouted climb was similar in difficulty to the normal climb (2-3 miles at a 6-7% grade). It’s enough to make you work. And in my case, it brought sweat to my eyes, which always makes ascending even more miserable.

A first-time climb almost always seems worse because you don’t know how long it lasts. And, true to form, I was fooled into thinking I was approaching the top when the road leveled off, only to discover more climbing around the bend. Oh, the humanity!

Climbing Sand Mountain



One detour benefit which I thought we were going to enjoy was that we would avoid the horribly rough Alabama back roads. No such luck. Shortly after topping Sand Mountain we turned down a side road and started to rumble. I looked for as smooth a line as I could find, but there weren’t any. It was the Alabama third-world appreciation segment.

The jarring was not for naught. There was a nice overlook which offered a panoramic view of the valley. Below you could see why we had taken a different course--a tornado had gone right over the normal road.



From the mountaintop, you could trace the path of destruction for miles across the valley. I had never seen extensive tornado damage before; it was quite a spectacle.

Brown path of fallen trees



Me, enjoying the overlook



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Velo Vol 

After enjoying a second round of food at the Bryant rest stop (all of which were well-stocked with sandwiches, snacks, and drinks) I followed the eastward turn toward Georgia. It’s an easy 17-mile cruise along the brow of Sand Mountain. The only remarkable thing I encountered was the number of fallen trees across Northern Alabama and Georgia. I doubt I went a mile on the backstretch without seeing at least one tree or large limb littering the wayside.

Northeast Alabama countryside



Georgia Mountains



About 70 miles into the ride I reached the second major detour. Event organizers axed the third mountain: Burkhalter Gap Road/Lookout Mountain. [Someone on a forum posted that it was because the Town of Signal Mountain opted not to support the ride.] Whatever the reason, I was disappointed because I was looking forward to testing my metal on the ride’s signature climb, which features a 16-18% grade at the top.

To add insult to injury, the revised “century” route wasn’t even 100 miles--it was approximately 88! I understand that there were extraordinary circumstances which the Chattanooga Bicycle Club could not control, but I believe they could have at least sketched out a revised 100 mile route. Fail.

Returning to the homeland



We had our own lane riding back into Chattanooga



Traffic backed up near the stadium (finish line)



After recharging with post-ride food at Finley Stadium (Subway sandwiches), curiosity got the best of me and I decided to survey storm damage up close by rerouting my drive home through Ringgold, GA, which was hit by an EF4 storm.

It didn't take long to find where the storm hit--you could see the path of destruction from the highway exit ramp. I went back and forth for a mile on the exit road, looking at damaged/destroyed businesses and former gas stations.

Ringgold, GA





Destroyed signs





Traffic was backed up on the main roads--filled, in part, with other disaster tourists. I wasn't sure where to go to see the full extent of the destruction when I noticed about a 1/4 mile wide brown path on the ridge to the east. I lined it up with my location, and, sure enough, I had discovered the tornado path.

I followed the rubble compass back through the business section into a several-block-wide, low-end residential area (bordered by the middle school) that had been hammered. Dozens of homes and the school itself were damaged. Workers used the parking lot of the latter as a staging area for reconstruction.

Restoring power lines



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Velo Vol 

I felt conscientious about gawking where people had been killed or were trying to salvage their houses. I tried to be discreet by taking pictures from inside the car or where no one was around. The roaming sheriff cars were an additional reminder to keep a low profile.






Church remains (note the overturned vehicle in the middle)





I’ve never been in a destroyed area so soon after a disaster. The devastation is much more striking in person than it appears on TV. It’s awe-inspiring witnessing how intense natural forces can transform property and trees--which took many years in the making--into rubble piles in a few seconds. I recommend that you avoid being caught in a tornado if at all possible.

All in all, it was an eventful day. I enjoyed the spring ride in the tri-state area (except for the part that got cut off). And encountering storm damage which made me even more thankful that I had a couch awaiting at home to relax on.

Menel

:thumbsup:

mvnsnd

Really nice report and images VV!

That's really some mess the storms caused.

rjones28 

Excellent ride report. Good pictures.

baj32161

Thank you for the excellent ride report and photos. The devastation is really something. Kind of keeps things in perspective, eh?

Cheers,

Brian J.

Velo Gator

Your jersey is kinda large.

miyata man

Very nice trip report, VV.

MrTuner1970

Aw, leave him alone ... he's from East Tennessee.

Loved the report and pix, VV. If I hadn't had knee troubles earlier this year, I woulda been at the ride. Knee is much better now, so hopefully next year (maybe Six Gap this year, though). Also, I have friends in Ringgold (late wife was from there), and have been there quite a few times; so seeing all the damage makes me thankful none of them were injured in what obviously was quite some storm.

HigherGround

Thanks for posting an awesome ride report! Ride reports like these are the best things that Bike Forums has to offer, in my opinion. It's cool to get the first hand accounts of riding in different areas, and the tornado damage photos really put things in perspective. Where I live in PA, tornadoes are extremely rare and damage to that extent is unheard of locally. A 30 second story on the evening news doesn't work as well for conveyng the story. Thanks for taking the time and effort to take the pictures and to post the report.

baj32161

^^^I wish there was a ride report sub-forum. I agree with you Rich.

Cheers,

Brian J.

jbholcom

Fantastic ride report other than your fail comment.

I was one of the lucky souls that experienced this ride. Perfect weather conditions! I only did the metric since I didn't want to climb Burkhalter Gap Road after 80 miles and two other mountain climbs. I'm not ready yet for that self induced torture. Unfortunately I didn't know they cut out Burkhalter Gap until after the ride. So I was a little bit disappointed that I didn't do the entire ride. Next year I'm all in!

Dawn Salyer and the Chattanooga Cycle Club did a fantastic job handling this event, especially under the circumstances. Rerouting a huge ride like this is a difficult task, especially while having to deal with government officials from about 10 different jurisdictions at the last minute. I think it was a complete success!

chasmm

Nice ride report. I'm with ya' on "shortened" centuries.

And thanks for the weather news. Sometimes we don't understand just how tenuous our relative comfort is.

Menel

Pssssh knee issues, HTFU ;-)

I rode the 87 miles in 5 1/2 hours. 8 weeks post knee repair op, and walking for 2. Restricted to platform pedals w/ toeclips, quite a bit of burn due to lack of conditioning, but was survivable and had a blast!

Menel

I ride up an down Signal Mountain fairly often..., it's not even on the course. I can't fathom how it would have been integrated.

Well I guess like some of my training rides, you could go up W Rd, back down Signal Mtn Blvd, and then up Suck Creek... would prevent crossing and still get you on the backside of of the mtns to head around Nickajack Lake.

But I think way to short notice to bring get support coordinated in time.

Velo Vol 

It sounds like you know more details than I do. Did Signal Mountain effectively veto the normal route? Or what happened?

Menel

Again...

What does Signal Mountain have to do with it. Sure it's nearby, and it's a great mountain to ride up and down. However; Signal Mountain was never part of the route, this year, or previous years.

BarryJo

Great ride report.
I never realized Tennesee was such a nice state.

jbholcom

Cool self portrait BarryJo!

BarryJo

don't quit your day job.
Half the people on here probably don't even realize where that came from.
Ok, maybe 25%.

edit: and BTW, I was serious about the excellent ride report, photos, and the beauty of Tennesee. I've never been there but it looks like a nice place to take a bike vacation. And they have hills

jbholcom

Like 99% on this board, I have no clue what you are referring to. I was just deflecting your poor attempt at humor at our expense.

rjones28 

Deliverance. An old movie set in the wilds of Kentucky.

Velo Vol 

Geography fail. I think someone posted that elsewhere and that's where it got into my head. I assume he must have meant Lookout Mountain. The town said it wouldn't supply traffic control for the ride?

Deliverance was filmed in Georgia and the Carolinas.