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Graphic Image USA
Great White
Ride
The Great White ride began in downtown Cornelia with a course designed to roll into the southeastern part of White County and over Skitt’s mountain before dipping into Hall County and riding the ridges back into Habersham County. The ride ended in downtown Baldwin where an epic battle in the days attack zone took place which shook up the standings in the North Georgia Winter Cycling League series overall rankings. It has been said that north Georgia is where Hell freezes over and riders had came prepared with an assortment of winter cycling clothes. A great deal of conversation raged among riders as groups discussed which clothing to wear. The early morning started out with temperatures below twenty degrees, but where now a balmy forty-two degrees according to the United Community Bank sign. Riders signing in for today’s Great White Ride were a solid group of cyclist included a former champion and two presidents. Last weeks attack zone champion Shooting Star Bridges answered the call to the line with the swagger of a champ. El Presidente of SORBA nation wide and the best draft on the road Keith Owen signed in and kindly allowed his security detail to stay in the warm limo while he ripped up the roads. The Habersham SORBA chapter El Presidente Danny Short was on hand and provided an overview of his course with the group of cyclist who eagerly waited to get underway. Also joining
in the peloton were Attack Man Reilly Mahon, and Lighting Bolt Brody Stiarwalt.
The Ironman Matthew Martin signed in displaying plenty of carbon and disco moves
on the bike. Jehn Voight Lilly was present and Big Motor Brackett who mercifully
kept his engine at idle for us ordinary humans. Professor Cordes signed in and
scanned over the group picking out the fast and the slow like a tenured pro. Bob
Cervelo Frame was back in business after a minor tune up to correct a shifting
problem only to have to swat Ironman away from his bike. Landis-Hefner signed in
ready to dish out some suffering only to be held in check by Jehn Voight Lilly.
Darting left, right or off the front Dustin Mealor was on hand keeping an eye on
the up and comers. Ron Cippolini Coker was revved and ready for the redline
signed in as well as Steven Man Dean. Man Dean was sporting a goatee that he
plans to dye blue like the United Community Bank
“U” for the Tour De Georgia. The
pack began the ride by pouring out of the US Postal parking lot on to Main
Street and headed out to old Cleveland highway in the draft of El Presidente
Keith Owen and El Presidente Danny Short. The two pulled the pack out of town
until a quick signal was made to the limo and the presidents dropped back to the
car and gave way to strong man Jehn Voight Lilly. Down Duncan Bridge road on the
descent to the river the pack went at 45 mph only to be passed by a very aero
professor Cordes making his trademark breakaway toward the White County line at
the river. The county line sign had the pack motivated but the next one mile
climb up from the river calmed the pace. Left onto Webster Lake road and the
pack was headed to Skitt’s Mountain led by Jehns Voight Lilly who was on
familiar roads and pulled the pack for hours and hours over hill and dale
only relinquishing the front to call a pee break or order a store stop. When
Jehn Voight Lilly calls for a pee break, you go whether you have to or not. Some
riders were seen spraying water bottles on the ground to keep the peloton boss
content. Sorry about that DOT, but do not plan on grass growing there again. For
the next two hours the pack fell in behind and trusted the leadership of Jehn
Voight Lilly as they slogged over countless hills and valleys similar to the
black forest of Germany. After
a brief break at Skitt’s Mountain, the pack rolled on toward Clermont where
the presidents and professor where waiting. Pres. Danny and Prof. Mike had
elected to amend the course and drafted the limo to the store stop. The limo was
drafting El Presidente Owen! At short ride on into Clermont’s downtown
district we stopped for a refueling and refreshment. All
the buzz and chatter you expect at a store stopped ceased when the sound of
carbon dropping on concrete alerted the pack. It was if a skunk had fell out of
a tree into the middle of a pack of wolves. Fangs were bare, but no one wanted
to bite unless it involved their young. Attack Man Mahon was changing bottles on
his bike and accidentally knocked Cippolini Coker’s carbon ride to the ground.
A life saving agreement was made that the Attack Man would not dig deep in the
attack zone without giving Coker the go signal and store stop festivities
resumed.
Leaving Hall County headed back toward Habersham we strolled along the
rolling hills of east Hall County until we encounter a truck driver in a hurry.
The driver bolted around the pack barely missing on coming traffic. On the back
of his truck I noticed he was hauling portable toilets. I could just see a group
of blue stained cyclist joining the pack in heaven after being run over by a
portable toilet. I think we would have to ride at the rear of the pack. What
would they write on our grave marker? He is now in the lord’s house after
getting hit down here by an out house? After
avoiding the close call we hit the steep descent on Belton Bridge road and over
the Chattahoochee River. Landis-Hefner recorded a pack high speed of 49 mph on
the descent which had the group strung out single file. The pack slowed to a
reasonable pace on the climb up from the river and headed toward the famous
Ironman sprint on Mud Creek road. This sprint has more road markings than most
Tour De Georgia sprint lines so you can not miss it. However today there was no
intermediate sprint points on offer and the Ironman won the Ironman sprint
barely beating out Lighting Bolt Brody who had trouble moving through the pack. After
crossing Crane Mill road Cippolini Coker had a mechanical delay. Old Man Burch
waited for him along with strongman Jehn Voight Lilly. With the delay resolved
Old Man and Lilly pulled the fast finisher Coker back to the pack which had
waited for us near the attack zone start.
With the group all together the riders entered the attack zone which
would end our ride. The attack zone today would end in downtown Baldwin just
before the high rises in the cities center. The run into the finish line is very
similar to the famous pro race in Italy, Milan-San Remo with twist and turns
that favor a great bike handler that can climb and also sprint. Similar
to last week the attack zone began with instigator Old Man Burch moving to the
front and upping the pace. He was joined quickly by Landis-Hefner who joined in
the pulled until he had a mechanical and dropped back. The pack cruised down
Level grove road at a steady tempo until Darting Dustin Mealor darted off the
front before J Warren Rd. The pack led by Attack Man Mahon closed down the
attack and Old Man Burch resumed the tempo lead. On
J. Warren road the pack was either traveling at warp speed or my eyes were
watering so much my vision was blurry. Big Motor Brackett idled to the front and
led the pack until Ironman Martin burst out of the pack with a vicious attack.
Big Motor set a steady tempo that reeled in Ironman since Ironman’s motor was
steaming and showing signs of blowing. Following Big Motor Brackett was Attack
Man Mahon who was sticking to his wheel and followed closely by Cippolini Coker
since they had brokered a deal at the store stop. The
pack entered the last mile of the attack zone passing Whitfield funeral home.
Our legs were dying, but not the rest of us so we gave them no new business
today. The course now went under the railroad overpass outside of downtown
Baldwin with riders jostling for position in the pack. Right under the overpass
the pace quicken still and then made a sharp left into the home stretch. It was
here Attack Man Mahon made an effort and led out Cippolini Coker which launched
him towards the line. Coker quickly made about a fifteen meter gap with Shooting
Star Bridges jumping out of the pack closing the gap. Shooting Star has a nose
for the line but this time he was outdone by the tactics of the alliance of
Mahon and Coker and he could not close the gap before the line. Hot on the
Shooting Stars vapor trail was Lighting Bolt Brody Stiarwalt who shot out of the
pack to finish third. Crossing
the line Coker had time to straighten his jersey to make sure the press had a
good shot of his sponsors for the cover page and then threw up his arms for a
victory salute. This was a very animated attack zone with too many attackers for
all to be noted and chronicled, but none the less it had a worthy victor. We
averaged a steady tempo today around seventeen mph for most of the ride and
blurry eyed speeds in the attack zone. The
overall point’s standings have Shooting Star Bridges leading; Cippolini Coker
broke into the rankings with his win now standing in second with Darting Dustin
Mealor moving into third overall. Next
weeks ride will start in downtown Clermont in Hall County at 1 PM on Saturday.
The ride will be sponsored by A. G. Edwards and Associates Strong, Gaddy, Lilly
financial team. The ride will venture into southeastern White County and
Northeastern Hall County covering sixty miles of rolling terrain with two attack
zones meaning this ride is a double points ride for attackers! |
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Hours Monday-Friday 10-6 Saturday 9-1 Sunday Closed
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mail to
jelam@habershambicycles.com
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