If yesterday’s ride was a warm up, then today’s was the real mountain ride. The ride from Sugarlands Visitor’s Center to Clingman’s Dome is only 20 miles – but it’s 20 mile of climbing with only one short break around the 18-mile mark.
This ride always challenges me. Today was probably the fourth time that I’ve completed the climb all the way to the summit. The last time I attempted the ride was about three years ago and we were forced to turn back at Newfound Gap due to very poor weather conditions. It took me 2 hours and 37 minutes of riding time to reach the top today (there were stops along the way to rest and to wait for construction traffic, so in real time it was about 3 hours). This is just a bit slower than my fastest pace of 2:15. That was on my first completion of the climb when I was much younger and the climbing wasn’t so difficult. But still, I made it to the top today and I can’t really complain about that.
Unlike yesterday, there wasn’t a serious threat of rain today – although on the mountain climbs, weather can change quickly. When I started at the Sugarlands, the temperature was nearing 70 degrees but with fairly dense fog. This made the humidity near 100%. While this entire climb is tough, the first five miles seem to be the hardest. By the time I finished the first five miles, I already knew that I wasn’t going to finish this climb anywhere near the 2:15 personal best and that I feared that I may not finish at all.
At around the 8-mile mark, I could feel the temperature starting to drop significantly. Since I’ve done this climb a few times, I had prepared for this. By the time I reached Newfound Gap at around 13 miles, thick clouds had rolled in and the temperature was dropping even further. I stopped at Newfound Gap eat a bit and put on my vest for a bit more warmth.
The first couple of miles past Newfound Gap aren’t too bad, but then the grade kicks up again and the speed drops. By the time I reached the short downhill section at 17.5 miles, I was feeling fairly tired. A downhill at this point is worse than if the climb just continued at a steady pace because when the climb kicks back up again, it feels much worse than before. But with just two miles to go, there’s no turning back at this point. But those last two miles hurt more than the 18 that I’d already finished.
Finally at the top, I can relax for a bit and enjoy the scenery. In this case, the scenery is just the thick clouds that have been rolling through ever since I left Newfound Gap. Still, I’m at the top and I’m going to enjoy it while I can. Before I leave, I put on the arm warmers and swap the usual gloves for the full-fingered pair that I’ve carried to the top in my jersey pocket. Going downhill is fast on these mountain roads and the wind chill is probably about 40 degrees at this elevation.
The downhill really doesn’t begin until I’ve finished the short climb just two miles from the summit. Once I finish this, then it really is all downhill for the next 17.5 miles. The first half of this descent is filled with lots of turns. This makes it a lot of fun and it also means that I’m going faster than the cars on the road since the bicycle can take the sharp corners faster than the cars can. This is one of the rare occasions where I actually have to slow down because the cars on the road are going too slow. Once I get to the bottom half of the descent, the speeds are just as fast but there aren’t as many curves so most of the cars are exceeding the 35 mph speed limit.
I finally return to the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center after just over four hours. A little over three of these hours were spent on the bike. A few rest stops for food and a couple of stops for road construction took most of the other hour. I’m tired and hungry, but also quite satisfied that I’ve once again completed the climb to the highest point in Tennessee. I’m not sure how many more times I’ll be able to do this. I only get to Tennessee every couple of years and my climbing legs aren’t getting any younger. Hopefully, I’ll get another opportunity, but if not I know that my last was a success.
As a side note – the only bad part of this ride is that I had to drive through Pigeon Forge to get to the start. I’m pretty sure Pigeon Forge is the tackiest place on Earth. I don’t think they advertise this on the welcome signs, but I’m not so sure they would deny it either. Just take a look at one of the many dinner theatre attractions in town.
Finally, here’s the entire photo slideshow from today’s ride. Enjoy.
