ROT for 08 Dates are Posted

Mealor’s Stair Steps to Heaven

One Hell of a route!

Anytime the Yonah-Homer stair step climb is included in a route you know it is going to be a challenging ride. Today’s route went through some pretty country side and over plenty of hills in Habersham and Banks County before the big climb at the end. The final attack zone concluded at the Alto city limit sign after climbing the Yonah-Homer road stair step climb but here was plenty of action before the attack zone including our first intermediate sprint into Homer.

Who said global warming was bad? Thanks to El Nino our portion of the earth we had clear skies and temperatures around sixty-five degrees, great weather for training. Sunny skies and a great route persuaded a lot of riders to sign in.

Overall point’s leader Shooting Star Bridges and veteran of several WBL rides into Alto signed in knowing what was in store for today’s riders. Big Motor Andy Bracket started the ride from his home twenty miles away, which we might consider a mandatory starting point for him from now on. Scott Hefner was seen signing in after another rider mistakenly identified him as Floyd Landis. Scott signed the autograph request anyway. SORBA was well represented by Danny Short and El Presidente Keith Owen.

A multitude of riders continued to arrive at the BC Grant Baptist church. Had we know what was in store we might have stayed in the church sung hymns and prayed more, but no this ride was called stair steps to heaven how bad could it be?  The Habersham Hammer representing Ariail Tire rolled to the line along with fast man Ron Cippolini Coker. Riding strong after a brief hiatus from cycling was Professor Mike Cordes. You could tell he was going to have a good ride when we saw him doing mini intervals in the church parking lot. Rick Wallace joined us for the first time and hung with the pack very well. Duane Mahon a veteran of many rides signed in for the short loop today so he could spend the rest of the day reading to the blind and shampooing abandoned puppies at the animal shelter. Maybe he knew what was in store.

 Iron Man Matthew Martin also rode to the start from his home, but it was just across the street. Mountain Man Stan White rolled in from Rabun County ready to take on the small hills in these here parts. Sorry boys she is married Claudia Goicechea and her lucky dog husband Ear Bud Ronny Goiecchea joined us for their second ride of the season.

Dustin Mealor selected this excellent course and he gave a brief description of the midpoint sprint and provided a junior award for the first junior across the line at the midpoint sprint. He is also a sponsored rider by Pfizer’s Neosporin division. Stockers buy now and get ahead of the early season rush. After Darting’s words we were off.

In the too much energy for their own good division a group of young men accustomed to local ride sprint signs and king of the hill contest rode with abandon in the early portions of this challenging ride. Attack Man Mahon and Lighting Bolt Brody Stiarwalt shot off the front at the hint of any contest. Joining in on the early fun was Snapper Stephen Dean and Zipp Man Ernesto Morales and soccer sensation Renaldo Raymond Vazquez.

Beginning the route today we started by following the Habersham Bicycles Saturday morning training loop which follows a course around Alto-Mud creek roads and back to Old Cleveland highway before taking J Warren road and getting us back to BC Grant. We have ridden this road so many times we know which dogs are harmless and which ones need watching. Up Duncan Bridge road we cruised past the old chubby rottweilrer’s home before turning right onto Old Gainesville highway. Our next left would put us on Apple Pie Ridge road which all locals know includes a fifty plus mile per hour straight line descent.

Given the breezy wind condition today I envisioned good possibility of carnage with this group on such a high speed descent, but no one crashed or experienced a high speed harmonic shake or touched wheels. The speeds for the early portion of the bike shop loop provide by the energetic humans combined with the Apple Pie downhill set the tempo for the remainder of the day. Some would survive the high tempo some would not. Others elected to exit the fray and take the bail out loop of fifty miles. The only thing to slow this tempo was Mother Nature. A short pee break stopped the action but it would continue at the same high tempo.

 After a first time bike cleaning Big Motor Brackett’s rear cassette was chattering. Big Motor spent the entire day pulling the group for sixty-five miles despite the loose cassette and losing a spoke. Since Big Motor was pulling he provided a lead out for himself with the Habersham Hammer chasing for the 105 county line sprint sign. No points, just pride. This is a traditional sprint sign for the Tuesday Night throw down in summer on the 105 loop.

  At the end of 105 we turned right on 184 and began to climb again. The pace slowed but only because the hills were getting a little steeper. Pain and agony had set into many legs due to the high tempo and constant hills. Even the Mountain man Stan White took notice of the tempo and hills. The only level spot in Habersham County is the airport and that took months of dirt hauling to acquire and Banks County provided no change in terrain. The younger riders rode slack jawed as they were told stories of WBL attacks on the 184 climb. The French Broad river climb had no one talking only breathing hard and doubling their efforts to try and hold a wheel.

 Headed into Homer we made a small route deviation and riders began to anticipate the mid point sprint. Darting Mealor gave all a heads up on the landmarks for the sprint leading into Homer and everyone took note. Homer loomed just ahead of the pack with the sprint line set at the Leopard Restaurant. Old man Burch set the tempo leading into the sprint then past the post office the pack flew by him headed to the line. Making his way through the pack Lighting Bolt Brody Stiarwalt jumped off the front and pedaled with all he had, his tongue hanging out nearly getting tangled in his spokes he stayed off the front with Shooting Star rolling across for second. Darting Mealor came across third. Lighting Bolt also claimed the junior prize for crossing the line first, a new fusion razor.

Following the Leopard restaurant sprint we cruised on down to the Shell station for our store stop. Everyone took notice of the quickly dropping sun and knew our day would be ending soon. Ironman purchased enough groceries I thought he was going to need a shopping cart to get them home, but he managed to consume most before departing. Riders were looking for the fuel to get them back to the start considering the tempo and climbing where beginning to get to our legs. The store stop concluded with the pack maintaining an average pace to this point of 19.9 mph for forty-five miles.

Considering the setting sun, The Habersham Hammer wisely proposed that we shorten the planned route a tad and head back home straight up Yonah-Homer road. All agreed and away we went. Into the wind and hills our legs complained but no one said anything. Settling into a slower tempo Big Motor continues to pull the pack. Some riders conserved energy for the climb up the stair steps while others gave all they had on the front. Just getting to the finish was the goal of others. Cresting a hill outside of Homer, twenty miles away, you can see the top of the stair steps where a power line cuts through the trees at the top of the ridge. Only the veterans knew what was in store.

Fifteen miles later after catfish corner the road made a steep descent toward a creek. This was only a short lived reprieve since the first of the stair steps was right around the bend. The pack was getting thin and long now with Big Motor being joined by Scott Hefner and Star Bridges. The pace continued at a good tempo in a seated climb, all riders in the 39 and spinning. Mountain Man Stan had an extra gear and was spinning it so fast he sounded like a jet engine turbine. After the second step the pack thinned more. Making that selection was Big Motor, Scott Hefner, Shooting Star Bridges, Snapper Stephen Dean, Old Man Burch, Ron Cippolini Coker, and Mountain Man Stan. Stair step three has a less severe incline and some were able to slide the chain into the big ring as Big Motor and Hefner created a small gap. Shooting Star shot forward to close the gap followed by old man Burch, Cippolini Coker and Mountain Man.

Completing the stair step climb our legs were feeling like lead, wood, and concrete all at the same time, everyone’s legs except Big Motor’s. The attack zone begins after the climb where we turn back toward downtown Alto on to Old Cornelia Highway.  The six people in the final selection lined up behind Andy as we hammered into Alto. Due to the high pace an attack was futile. Ideas of breaking away and running to the finish were squelched with the tempo set so high. The sprinters were content to struggle for the wheel ahead of them and try to hold on for the next four miles to the finish before making a jump. Passing the prison the bad girls lined the fence and cheered as we rode by. I could not pick out any relatives since I was focused on the wheel ahead of me. We motored under the overpass where the press was waiting with lenses long enough to capture action in Homer twenty miles away. They quickly ran to the other side of the overpass to photo the finish at the Alto line.

Two hundred meters from the line Shooting Star jumped from the second wheel position. Shooter has lines etched in his Tifosi sun glasses that help him gage distance like golfers have range finders. Right on Star’s wheel was Scott Hefner riding hard for the line, but Star had a created a gap that could not be closed. Old man Burch followed Scott across the line.

Shooting Star Bridges had enough of a lead to sit up and salute the crowds gathered along the fence at the Mill, and the Dollar General parking lot before being swarmed by the press. Today’s attack zone prize consisted of a packet of coupons for milk and ice cream from the premium dairy provider in the southeast, Mayfield Dairy Farms, and a gift card from Habersham Bicycles in Alto.

After the press conference the competition committee met and agreed to award Big Motor Brackett a point for being the most aggressive rider moving him into third place in the overall point’s rankings. Shooting Star Bridges remains in first position and Scott Landis-Hefner remains in second.

The pack gathered up back at the church parking lot and waited for the best prize of the day. Lovely Lisa Mahon provided us with another sample of her glorious baking abilities, a batch of homemade cookies which were consumed by riders in record time. Had I know he had the cookies I would have faked a flat tire and went back to the parking lot to feast before the rest of the pack had a chance. I think I know where he keeps his car keys.

Next week we will meet at 12 PM at BC Grant Baptist Church in Alto again for another course of seventy miles of hills that Scott Hefner has selected.

Hours Monday-Friday 10-6 Saturday 9-1 Sunday Closed

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