Cherokee Foothills Preview

This weekend is the Cherokee Foothills Bicycle Tour out of Tigerville, SC. For awhile there wasn’t a lot of information about this event. Even though I was registered, I wasn’t sure if this would be the right event for me. The question was how tough these foothills would be. I’ve developed an affinity for mountains and they would be ideal for my training at this point. After all, Bridge to Bridge is not even three weeks away.

Fortunately I got a hold of the cue sheet and found that this ride will be perfect for me. The century begins in Tigerville and rides around a lot of the rolling country roads before heading up to Saluda. We will take the Greenville Watershed, always a nice ride, up to downtown Saluda. From there it looks like we head up 176 towards Flat Rock, which will mean some additional climbing before heading back down again. My estimation is the century ride will be between 6000-7000 feet of climbing, which is perfect.

Rather than stay overnight, I’ll be leaving early in the morning — VERY early in the morning. I will probably get up around 4am and hit the road before 5am. Depending on the night’s sleep, which probably won’t be too great, I may be a bit weary for the ride. I’ll try to get us some good coffee along the way and I may bring a 5-hour energy to drink before the climbing begins.

My approach will depend on how I feel. It will be tempting and probably good for me to open it up and try to get through fast. But that won’t be necessary. I may go at a moderate pace if it’s hot, I’m tired, or both. For now it looks like terrific weather with a high in the mid-80s. There is a small chance of rain, but it looks like it will hold off until late afternoon or evening.

After pushing the mileage last week, this week I have taken it easy. This is not tapering, but more giving myself some recovery time. I will participate in easy rides on Wednesday and Thursday and rest Friday.