Thank you everyone for contributing and supporting this Honey Badgers JDRF Ride to Cure in South/North Carolina at the Hincapie Gran Fondo! The ride was exactly as described, long tough climbs and looooong whooping descents amid Blue Ridge forests and rivers and switchbacks and hills, hills, hills. Close to 2000 riders (including many pro riders like Tejay Van Garderen who took 5th in this years Tour de France) enjoyed a sunny day in the 70s with light winds. Former pro and Fondo Host George Hincapie joined us 28 JDRF riders for our warmup ride, and we were invited to the exclusive invitation-only VIP party Sat. night for great food, drinks, music, and dancing. Greenville is a lovely city, with a scenic downtown bisected by a winding river, featuring a variety of shops and overlooks--upscale quaint, very accessible and well done. This is a perfect ride for JDRF riders (you know who you are!!!) looking for the challenge of over 8000 ft. gained in 80 miles, with three tough hills that make the D.Dare and Hilly Hundred toughest look easy...the first, Skyuka Mt. Rd. could be compared to the the steepest section of Blue Mounds Park Rd., but instead of a few hundred yards, it is 4 miles long, with the steep grade relentlessly consistent (most riders had triples or compacts, and many had cassettes w/27 or 30 or 32s). And that wasnt the toughest climb! What fun it was! But best of all, we raised over $100,000 to conquer type one diabetes!
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:38:22 +0000