Riders in the Ocean
While it seems that a lot has been happening all year (good and bad), I haven’t had a truly busy cycling season. That looks to finally change this fall, and thankfully I’ve had a good jumpstart in the late summer.
Believe it or not, I have not had a 500-mile month this year, and so far only tallied approximately 1,700 miles since January. August will get me closer to 500, and September could be a 1,000 mile month if things work out. By October, I’ll likely have doubled my mileage for the year.
The rest of the way will be full weekends, busy busy!
This coming weekend is Flight of the Dove out of Laurens, SC, a local favorite metric (plus). It has some hills, but will be mostly fast with a large group of friends.
From Hendersonville, NC, Tour d’Apple will be another mountain century for Labor Day. This is their inaugural event, and I’m looking forward to tackling climbs such as Bearwallow Mountain and Jump Off Rock.
Tour de Round O. This is in Round O, SC. I hadn’t heard of it either. This one should be flat and possibly fast depending on the group I ride with. Or I may go easy since it is bookended by some challenging rides.
Upstate Forever Preservation Ride out of Chesnee, SC. This is the second year of the event, and I hear people really enjoyed it last year. This will be a metric (plus) with a climb of White Oak / Skyuka Mountain – ugh!
A ton of mileage will come via Bike MS: Breakaway to the Beach, where I plan to ride a double century. The goal will be to maintain a 20mph average on both days, very possible given the terrain, but it all depends on what groups I can find to ride with.
Assault on Little Mountain, SC will be yet another century. I’ve yet to ride this one, although I volunteered one year.
Blue Ridge Parkway – the whole thing. I’ve already talked about that.
Gran Fondo Hincapie. This one is a big maybe. I’d love to do it, and kicked myself for missing it last year. I’m going to wait before committing because I might just need some time off the bike after the Blue Ridge trip.
SteepClimbs.com 
August 23rd, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Hi Aaron, how late into the year do you usually cycle? Moving from Singapore to NC would like to get a grasp on what to expect. Thanks
August 23rd, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Hi John, you’ll love NC. Depending on how you handle cooler temperatures, you could ride year round. I usually do, although I tend to ride a little more during the spring and fall.
August 23rd, 2013 at 2:18 pm
don’t leave out the hilly hellacious hundred (miles or km) on sept 22 out of fletcher nc; and the tour de leaves oct 19 from tryon sc!
August 23rd, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Tour de Leaves is a favorite of mine (Last year’s ride, but this year I have to pass because it is too close to my parkway event. I hear great things about Hilly Hellacious.