The ring of hades

Today was our final training/scouting ride in preparation for the big
TdT ride next Saturday. We rode the ring of hades from downtown
Sylva. Here are my stats: Max 46.6 mph, Ave 14.1 mph, Dist 74.01 mi,
5:13 in the saddle, and 6664 feet of climbing. This was really the
best ride I have done all year. The weather was perfect, the route
was super, and the group worked well together. Jen and Deb are really
impressive, I am pretty slow still. Charley's creek was a nice
challange with a 16% grade that lasted for just over half a mile. It
hurt, but my new cranks are made for for it. I must say I am sold, it
is the way to go. The shots are at Richland Balsam, on the way to
215, and Charley's creek. The scenery on Charley's creek is really
beautiful. So much so that you don't even realize you are suffering.
The three of us gave today a thumbs up. Let's see what we say next week.