March Break Cycling In The Carolinas
By Mike Gorman and Deb Craven
The Carolinas have provided an escape from the wintry blasts of the Kawartha’s for members of the Club. March break of 08 Debbie and I decided to explore new locations to check out their suitability for future training camps.
Rock Hill SC. was our first city. Located just south of Charlotte NC. It has become a bedroom community for that thriving southern city. We checked into the Super 8 just off the interstate. This area hosts the Patriot Stage Race in early April every year. We found the roads in and close to town very busy. Southeast of town they were quieter but the ride out and into town was still too busy. The local club has a Monday ride from the Wachovia Insurance parking lot frequented by about 60 riders broken into ability groups. The Rock hill Bicycle has a website listing all their events
www.rockhillbicycleclub.comColumbia SC the state capital was our next stop. Contrasting Rock Hill there were many bike lanes in town. We asked at Outspokin a local shop www.outspokin.com were the locals train and they pointed us to Ft. Jackson a US Army training base. The Extended Stay Motel we stayed in was just across the interstate from the base through a mall and over the overpass. You need picture ID to enter the base but the guards were polite and friendly. Once on the base roads the traffic is slow limited to under 40km/hr and the busier roads have paved shoulders. The entire base seems to be built on sand, higher than the surrounding country. The “big loop” is 40 km. Around but take the local map as there are many dead end unmarked roads. Challenging rolling hills are all around the circuit. So are rifle ranges and we’re not talking 22 calibre here. The base trains 42,000 recruits each year. You can hear the megaphone bark of the marksmanship instructors followed by the staccato fire of powerful rifles. It’s a little disconcerting when you first hear them but all fire is directed away from the road in sand built firing ranges. Watching the new recruits near the end of a grueling 10 mile march in full gear I was struck by their youth. Some seem like children , the 5 ft. tall women particularly.
Columbia itself is full of history and culture. There are bronze stars affixed to the State Legislature where the Union shells hit the building, and the Baptist Church where the Act Of Secession was signed still stands in the down town. The downtown has the quirky art work of an artist Blue Sky www.bluesky.com The arts scene is very vibrant in Columbia with galleries and bistros and live entertainment.
Our search for warmer weather took us further south to the Atlantic coast at Charleston SC. We stayed in Mt Pleasant which is absolutely flat on the north side of the Cooper River from Charleston. We rode on bicycle lanes to the coastal islands. All the island homes stand on stilts . If the Atlantic rose a meter they all would be awash. Fort Moultrie stands at the end of the island and it’s from there that the opening salvos of the American Civil War were fired unto Fort Sumter a Union held fort on an island in the mouth of Charleston Harbor.
You can get to old Charleston by bike by crossing the 4km. Long Ravenel Bridge , www.cooperriverbridge.org , You are soooo high when you go over this bridge but there are separate bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
Bicycle is the ideal way to see old Charleston. The streets were designed for the traffic of 1670 . Cobbles, brick, and even boulder streets await your wheels . It was amusing to watch the SUV drivers try to find a place to park. Some of the stately homes are the size of hotels, many of them painted in surprising colours. The city is a must for anyone to see.
As a venue for a training camp the Charleston area lacks any variability in terrain, but had the warmest weather on our trip 75 degrees F.
We knew by the weather channel that our last day south would be chilly and wet so we decided to scout out Asheville NC by car. Two thousand feet up in the mountains Asheville is an ideal spot to train. Our Super 8 Motel was 2 miles from the Blueridge Parkway so climbing was right there. The roads along the French Broad River had bike lanes and were flat. The downtown boasts bistros, coffee shops, and 42 galleries. Live Bluegrass ,Blues, Jazz and Indy rock is available in the bars. It has one of the top 100 bike shops in the USA, Liberty Bicycles www.libertybicycles.com . The City hosts many elite cyclists winter training in the area.
We arrived there days after Team Race had left from training in the mountains . Because of the altitude bring your woolies. Temperatures will just squeak into the low 60’s at best. Expect damp weather and high 40-50’s at March break. Asheville even possesses a 500m. Velodrome, a converted stock car track where the likes of the Richard Petty and his dad raced in the early days of Nascar.
As expected our day in Asheville was rainy and cool but it would be an ideal place for training if you can brave the weather.
Next year we’re planning for Seneca SC nearer the foothills of the Blue Ridge and better weather than Asheville. Seneca was the site of the OCA early training camp in 2008. Get in touch with me if your interested in 2009.