Just got back. Saw the time trial and the final 3 stages. If you haven’t been to one of these it is a must do. Watching Lance rip the legs off the peleton on Hogpen Gap was awesome. The riding in the area is fantastic. Hogpen Gap is just a few miles from Helen (a great place to stay). It is a 6 mile or so climb that is comparable to Palomar (only shorter). In my opinion, it is better than Palomar because there are no cars on the route. I got passed by maybe 3 cars the whole time. You can roll out of Helen, go 4 miles or so and start the climb over Hogpen Gap, descend onto Jack’s Gap, climb about half way back up to the base of Brasstown Bald. Brasstown Bald is a beyond category 3.5 mile climb. After Brasstown Bald you ride out to the 75 and back to Helen. Nice 45 mile or so ride with a ton of climbing and very few cars to deal with. Beautiful area.
If they repeat the same route next year, I recommend staying in Rome for the time trial and then home basing in Helen for the rest. You can ride to the race route from Helen (final 3 stages). There are many great ride options from there. There were organized rides on the race route before every stage but who wants to ride with 2000 other riders when you can do a solo sumit of Hogpen Gap?
The race was well run. Lots of good spots for viewing the race. You can easily catch the start (and wander among the team cars while the mechanics work the bikes and the riders warm up), middle and finish easily. I caught some of each. Hogpen Gap is a great place to watch a mountain stage. You can find a nice isolated spot and not have to fight crowds that are 7-8 deep lining each side of the road. Also, you can park somewhere on the Gap and ride up and down while you are waiting for the riders to come through. There is a nice steep grade about 1 mile from the top that is a great place to park. You can keep the peleton in sight for quite a while. THe combination of the race and the riding in the area makes this an awsome cyclist vacation. I’m going back next year for sure.
Mike
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