{"id":2486,"date":"2014-07-02T13:50:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T17:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/?p=2486"},"modified":"2014-07-02T13:53:30","modified_gmt":"2014-07-02T17:53:30","slug":"2014-cherohala-challenge-ride-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/2014\/07\/2014-cherohala-challenge-ride-report\/","title":{"rendered":"2014 Cherohala Challenge Ride Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On June 14, I completed my 8th <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smwbikeclub.org\/cherohala-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cherohala Challenge<\/a>.\u00a0 It&#8217;s an organized bicycle ride hosted by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smwbikeclub.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Smoky Mountain Wheelmen<\/a>. [For previous ride reports see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/2007\/06\/2007_cherohala\/\" target=\"_blank\">2007<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/2008\/06\/2008_cherohala\/\" target=\"_blank\">2008<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/2011\/07\/2011_cherohala_\/\" target=\"_blank\">2011<\/a>.]<\/p>\n<p>The event follows <a href=\"http:\/\/ridewithgps.com\/routes\/4015199\/\" target=\"_blank\">this route<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/ridewithgps.com\/routes\/4015199\/embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>What made this year&#8217;s ride different for me from prior ones is that it&#8217;s the first time I&#8217;ve attempted a century (100+ mile ride) since my autoimmune disorder flared up in early 2013.\u00a0 The arthritic condition causes chronic joint inflammation (especially in my knees).\u00a0 I&#8217;m taking drugs which reduce the symptoms, but I&#8217;m still not back to &#8220;normal&#8221; (whatever that means now).<\/p>\n<p>Although I had ridden enough miles this spring to prepare for the event, it had been two years since I attempted such a taxing climb.\u00a0 You don&#8217;t know how your body will respond to the physical test until you actually grind up the mountainside.\u00a0 So I was a bit apprehensive<\/p>\n<p>Against that backdrop, I arose at an ungodly hour Saturday morning, downed food and an aspirin, and embarked on the 75-minute drive to Tellico Plains, TN.<\/p>\n<p>The drive down and ride preparation went smoothly.\u00a0 The only issue I had was that my name was missing from the list of preregistered participants.\u00a0 But the gatekeepers were nice enough to add it without giving me the second degree.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-87RPhND-83Y\/U6u2a2dh7VI\/AAAAAAAABRU\/IyCBjojVjbE\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0204.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Starting Line<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The century riders rolled out at 7 a.m.\u00a0 I estimate there was 100-200 of us.\u00a0 It was a pleasantly cool 65F.\u00a0 The first 20 miles of Monroe County back roads were relaxing.\u00a0 Very few cars, and no chasing dogs!<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-EDHKTAI6-H8\/U6u2ahSliII\/AAAAAAAABRc\/oaE2hF3A8kk\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0208.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Clouds Starting To Lift<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-_BhZHn0LCII\/U6u2am0L1OI\/AAAAAAAABRk\/q-5wyZN7kXw\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0209.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Morning Quiet<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-WmUejLysEcU\/U6u2bMxM-II\/AAAAAAAABRs\/XLeHpoABdEM\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0210.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monroe County Farmlands<\/p><\/div>\n<p>About 23 miles into the ride, along the four-lane stretch of Highway 411, I came upon the only cycling mishap I saw that day.\u00a0 A rider had crashed and had road rash on his knee.\u00a0 He otherwise looked OK and had several people already &#8220;helping&#8221; him, so I kept on going.<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, I&#8217;m surprised I haven&#8217;t seen more accidents on the Challenge over the years.\u00a0 There are several high-speed descents and otherwise dangerous sections of roadway on the route.\u00a0 It only takes a slight miscalculation or a couple seconds of inattentiveness to land one in a world of hurt in such spots.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-bgcP0DkZogE\/U6u2bfvYVOI\/AAAAAAAABR0\/LNZvnJct_wg\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0213.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Nice Flat Stretch<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-MIfPM18g1M0\/U6u2bhKV_rI\/AAAAAAAABSA\/p_r0WkBot6s\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0214.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountains Ahead<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-GXtXWGXQ830\/U6u2cLYq-gI\/AAAAAAAABSM\/2tW8Ul9Nn-I\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0220.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chilhowee Lake<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The next thirty miles were relatively quiet, for a summer weekend day.\u00a0 There was plenty of motorcycle traffic on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tailofthedragon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Tail of the Dragon<\/a>, as one would expect, but only a few crotch rockets came zooming through.\u00a0 Most motorists were patient and good mannered with the slow-moving cyclists.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-b_cDVUBtkKQ\/U6u2cY8h37I\/AAAAAAAABSU\/PKBYzPwcr6k\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0222.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calderwood Lake<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-uGOsmqpnpTY\/U6u2c6qSy5I\/AAAAAAAABSc\/cpskyC6jXEc\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0223.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">One Of The Tail Of The Dragon&#8217;s 318 Turns<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 794px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-qDB6Tg9GbHA\/U6vFF3KpNiI\/AAAAAAAABT4\/cOZI9cCxt1A\/w800-h523-no\/thumb_1402787694DAVE2296.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"784\" height=\"523\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Action Photo<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-1L6VRzt7Nhc\/U6vFF68NEGI\/AAAAAAAABUM\/e9FCXJF6NWA\/w600-h400-no\/moonshine4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smiling For The Camera<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I stopped for lunch at the TN\/NC state line rest stop (mile 54).\u00a0 Here I saw something I&#8217;d never before seen during an organized bike ride: hot food being served mid-ride.\u00a0 The hosts were cooking French toast and bacon on a couple of camp stoves.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t eat either one, but appreciated their effort.\u00a0 The food stops on the Challenge are always well-stocked and manned by friendly volunteers.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-Auq64HR_-OU\/U6u2czBtnTI\/AAAAAAAABSk\/1mbw9v4TpGc\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0226.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rest Stop At The TN\/NC State Line<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m not a calorie counter, so I don&#8217;t know how many I consume on a day like this, but it&#8217;s a lot.\u00a0 Breakfast, then at least two stops (peanut butter\/jelly sandwiches, bananas, grapes, chips, power bars, chocolate candy, cookies, and whatever other junk food they load on the tables) and finally a post-ride meal.\u00a0 If I lived this way every day I&#8217;d probably gain weight, odd as that sounds.<\/p>\n<p>After lunch I proceeded to the last easy section of the day: an approximately 45-minute stretch through the Cheoah River gorge.\u00a0 The mid-day weather was fantastic&#8211;seasonably warm with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.\u00a0 My gaze floated upward as I pedaled in solitude along the stream, surveying the profiles of surrounding peaks against the blue sky.<\/p>\n<p>To me, this is what cycling is all about: enjoying the outdoors, at one with your bike, cruising your own course (most days), at your own pace, alone with your thoughts.\u00a0 It&#8217;s a spiritual experience.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s moments like this that I fantasize about when I endure riding in traffic, cold weather, rain, and other less pleasantness a year-round cyclist must face.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-qbL1wTRc-1w\/U6u2dow4LWI\/AAAAAAAABSs\/QZK_T1vCUrE\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0227.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheoah River<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-adzDX_E1tYA\/U6u2do15fXI\/AAAAAAAABS0\/UKMmLRqspEY\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0228.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pedaling Upstream<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After a water\/bathroom\/cool down break at rest stop #3, I followed the course into the Joyce Kilmer Forest, uphill, and along Santeetlah Lake.\u00a0 The solitude I encountered along the Cheoah River was just a warmup for the remoteness of this rough road.\u00a0 The only vehicle that passed me in five miles was the SAG (support and gear) wagon.\u00a0 A real contrast to the traffic I&#8217;m used to riding with around Knoxville.<\/p>\n<p>Once you leave Santeetlah Lake, the climb begins in earnest.\u00a0 It&#8217;s basically 12 miles uphill from mile 70 to mile 82.\u00a0 There&#8217;s two speeds on this stretch: slow (for most of it) and slower (on the painful 9% pitches).\u00a0 Funny how quickly one&#8217;s perception gets re-calibrated, so that moving at 8-9 m.p.h. (versus 6 m.p.h. at the tough spots) seems &#8220;fast.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-VOostdXjJfg\/U6u2f3ChO-I\/AAAAAAAABS8\/w3tEzL9I8Ws\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0229.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ascent<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The biggest hurdle on a climb like this is not physical, but mental.\u00a0 If you dwell on the enormity of 12 miles, the ascent becomes overwhelming.\u00a0 The best approach I&#8217;ve found is to think not about how far you have to go to reach the top, but rather to focus on the next corner ahead, and piecemeal your way to the summit, one small victory at a time.<\/p>\n<p>At one point I started commanding myself to &#8220;Embrace the Pain!&#8221;\u00a0 And really, in contrast to chronic physical pain, or even worse, emotional pain, exercise pain isn&#8217;t bad.\u00a0 You can learn to like it.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-x1gSoxnN9mo\/U6u2eA7hN5I\/AAAAAAAABTI\/Vt3f3HhIntw\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0230.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountains And Clouds Mingle<\/p><\/div>\n<p>About five miles into the climb, cloud cover crept over.\u00a0 For about half an hour this cooling was a welcome development.\u00a0 But as I approached the 5,000 foot elevation range I started wishing for the sun again.\u00a0 It was only 65F at the top of the mountain (compared to 85F in the valley).\u00a0 Combine the cool with a breeze, a few raindrops, and residual sweat, and I was a bit chilly snacking at the <span class=\"irc_su\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Santeetlah <\/span>rest stop.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-rNt_X0w8L34\/U6vFF_dMDrI\/AAAAAAAABUI\/T9TInVXhdfk\/w600-h400-no\/cc3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Survived The 12-Mile Climb<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-w1fDe3szXWM\/U6u2eZoP5mI\/AAAAAAAABTM\/c340O-lsyRU\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0232.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">I Don&#8217;t Know What These Wooden Posts Are For<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-HK2KHMCJ4Zg\/U6u2e0MNwRI\/AAAAAAAABTU\/s2Hb9IQmVQ0\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0233.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santeetlah Rest Stop<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Most, but not all, of the last 31 miles is downhill.\u00a0 There is 3+ miles of climbing mixed in the descent.\u00a0 But if your legs have enough left in them to manage that, it&#8217;s an fun jaunt back to Tellico Plains.\u00a0 There are several stretches where, with minimal effort, you cruise in the upper 30s m.p.h. (or faster), around sweeping turns, watching the forest fly by.\u00a0 An exhilarating reward for the previous two hours of toil.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-jWiZcJXGhzg\/U6u2fPNzkjI\/AAAAAAAABTc\/mXNhU2K5NSA\/w800-h600-no\/DSCN0235.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Side Of The Mountains<\/p><\/div>\n<p>How did my joints fare?\u00a0 I only experienced minor stiffness in my knee and hip during\u00a0 the latter half of the day.\u00a0 I also had a little discomfort in my side near the end of the ride, but the course was mostly downhill at that point, so I could take it easy.\u00a0 I passed the physical demands of the day with no painful joints, cramping, bonking, or walking in shame.<\/p>\n<p>I was glad the ride was 114 miles&#8211;not 124 miles&#8211;when rolled into the Tellico Plains Visitor&#8217;s Center, because I was pretty much spent.\u00a0 I gave a subdued wave of acknowledgment to the volunteer cheerers at the finish line and found my car, right where I left it.<\/p>\n<p>On the way over to the food tent I was surprised to run into an acquaintance from church, who had finished shortly before me.\u00a0 We chatted over pasta and rolls&#8211;more conversation than I&#8217;ve had with him in the dozen years that we&#8217;ve gone to the same church.\u00a0 Such is the fellowship of cycling.<\/p>\n<p>I lingered in the tent a good ten minutes after he left, watching the other cyclists, enjoying the summer breeze, basking in my aura of accomplishment.\u00a0 I savored what for me passes as an afterglow these days.\u00a0 I had triumphed over miles, isolation, heat, mountains . . . and now disease.<\/p>\n<p>The autoimmune monster hasn&#8217;t beaten me . . . yet.<\/p>\n<p>Ride Stats:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>114 miles<\/li>\n<li>10,350 feet of climbing<\/li>\n<li>7:39:06 riding time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<a href=\"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/2014\/07\/2014-cherohala-challenge-ride-report\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permalink to 2014 Cherohala Challenge Ride Report\"><p>On June 14, I completed my 8th Cherohala Challenge.\u00a0 It&#8217;s an organized bicycle ride hosted by the Smoky Mountain Wheelmen. [For previous ride reports see 2007, 2008, 2011.] The event follows this route: What made this year&#8217;s ride different for me from prior ones is that it&#8217;s the first time I&#8217;ve attempted a century (100+ [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2486","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"h-entry","8":"hentry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2486"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2513,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions\/2513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.brianarner.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}