Grand Strand Cycling Association

www.strandcyclist.com

March Newsletter, 2003, Volume IV, Issue 1

Next meeting March 9^th 6:30 pm @Hooters at the corner of 38^th Ave North and Kings Hwy.

This is my first effort at the newsletter, so please be kind. Constructive criticism will be welcomed. Wise guy comments will be ignored. (tsvitt@earthlink.net)

Upcoming member events

Still waiting for some details on the Silver Coast Winery ride this spring from Walter Lennon and Ed Parsons.

There was also some talk at the last meeting about a group road trip to the Tour of Georgia to see Lance and the USPS team race. Has there been any further discussion by the social committee?

Next meeting: Tuesday, March 9 at Hooters on 38^th Ave North and Business 17.

Upcoming regional events:

1. Sunday April 4, 2004. After the Bridge Run Spring Century 2004.
1. Full 100 mile century.
2. 68 mile metric century.
3. 30 mile half metric.

Starts and finishes at Charleston Battery Stadium on Daniel Island. Registration is $25 before March 24^th and $30 after March 24^th.

Anyone interested in a day trip to participate in the metric century, call or e-mail Tom Vitt at 902-3727 or tsvitt@earthlink.net. Tom and Bobby Doty are planning on riding the metric century starting at 8:30 AM on the 4^th.

For details and registration form, go to www.coastalcyclists.org.

Our Club Officers are:

The GSCA club was established to promote safer and more accessible cycling conditions in South Carolina and to educate cyclists. The club is open to ALL level of cyclists and ALL ages.

President Richard Kerner 626-2453

Treasurer Bill Thiele 946 0444

Vice President Walter Lennon 946-0493

Membership Maria Shupe 251 4522

New Feature: Great Roads I have ridden.

I will try to relate some of my favorite rides of all time. If anyone would like to contribute, feel free. Try to keep the roads within a day’s drive and don’t worry about too many details.

A wonderful Blue Ridge ride.

The Blue Ridge Parkway from Stewartsville, VA to the Peaks of Otter is a marvelous ride, with plenty of climbing for you mountain goats. It is easily combined with sight seeing at the Peaks of Otter and the Appalachian Trail for spouses, families and friends not inclined to tackle the massive climb. The ride itself is just over 50 miles round trip, just over 25 from the Stewartsville Overlook to the Peaks.

Here is a quick overview of the ride. I’ve forgotten the exact mileage between key points, but here is the gist:

• Park at the Stewartsville Overlook just south of the Stewartsville entrance to the Parkway outside of Vinton, VA on Virginia Hwy 22.
• Head north on the Parkway. The road is rolling and actually gently descending until you reach the Hwy 460 overpass. From here it is about 10 miles, up hill to Black Horse Gap.
• The next several miles are several sneaky climbs until you round a big curve to the right and then it is all up hill to the Black Horse Gap Overlook.
• It is one of the few hills I have found to be worth climbing. Once you get to the top, the Parkway runs along a ridge line and you can look west into one valley and then almost immediately, look east into another valley. A great place to spot hawks soaring and see why they call them the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• After running along the top of the ridge, the Parkway descends slightly back into the forest before climbing the rest of the way to the Peaks. There are several more challenging, shorter climbs on the way to the Peaks.
• The access road to the observation post at the Peaks of Otter is closed to cyclists; or at least it was last time I was there; but there are shuttles to the top.
• There is a lodge, restaurant and gift shop located at the Peaks, as well as one of the few service stations along the Parkway.
• The Peaks are known as a great spot to watch migrating red tail hawks in the spring and fall.
• Deer are usually thick as fleas in the evening.

Stewartsville, VA is about a 30 minute drive from downtown Roanoke, VA. Roanoke has numerous hotel options and has some wonderful cuisine available in the downtown district.

Smith Mountain Lake is also nearby with plenty of lodging and water sports options at the Bernard’s Landing Complex in Franklin County.

I have ridden this part of the parkway in spring, summer and fall and have never felt crowded by traffic. Last time I road there, in the spring of 2001, my brother and I rode (briefly) with the Canadian Olympic Biathlon Team. They were on a spring cycling and shooting training camp in the mountains of VA.

It can be very hot at the top of Black Horse Gap in summer, so take plenty of water.

News from the Peloton.

• Congratulations to Mark and Karen Peterson on the birth of their first grandchild, Mark will now officially answer to “Grandpa Hooters”.

• Congratulations also to Scott Hamilton and Bill Thiele, proud owners of brand spanking new custom Calfee Design cycles.

• Question of the month: Which Saturday morning regular is affectionately known by friends and canines alike as “Milkbone”?