Marion

Now mind you my entry won’t be nearly as lengthy as my fathers recap, but I will try my hardest to give you accurate details.

We managed to get to the start of the ride with about 10 minutes to spare, which was amazing because I got out of bed only 15 minutes before that. As the time was clicking away, I observed that it probably wasn’t my brightest idea to drink coffee before the ride. I was already getting cramps in my stomach and we haven’t even started yet. Once we got on the bike and started though, the pain slowly but surely dissipated.

So this was supposed to be a recap of the Assault on Mount Mitchell. A few things conspired against us which I will explain later. We managed to get to the Spartanburg Auditorium at 6:10 AM. There were a lot of riders there but for some reason it just didn’t look as crowded as last year. When the ride got underway at 6:30 AM it was already warm and the group took off rather slowly.

We are headed down to Spartanburg this afternoon to prepare for the Assault on Marion and Assault on Mount Mitchell tomorrow. Wish us luck. Thanks.

Yesterday was the day to sign up for the Assault on Mt Mitchell. Only 1000 riders get to climb to the top. With my number and credit card in hand I signed on to Active.com at 3:58 PM waiting for 4:00 to arrive. By 4:05 PM I was signed up and I ended up with rider number 895. The Freewheeler’s site says that all slots were allotted in seven minutes!

The Dewey Hughes Memorial & Corpening YMCA Bike Ride

The Tour de Lure—100 Mile Bike Ride: A challenging ride leaving from the Corpening YMCA at 8 am on a rolling, beautiful course that winds from McDowell County through farmland, a pull up Stone Mountain, easing along Lake Lure and back into McDowell County via the Assault on Mitchell route, but with a little surprise near the end! This route will average app. 8400 feet of cumulative climbing.

The Assault on Marion covers the first 72 miles of the Assault on Mount Mitchell challenge. The first 72 miles has about 4,500 feet of climbing. This portion of the tour moves through gentle rolling country side of South Carolina. While you are riding in South Carolina - there are several locations that you can see your goal of Mount Mitchell, if you are registered for Assault on Mount Mitchell.