About The
Chattanooga Ride
The
Frazier Cycling Partners' primary event is the annual
Chattanooga Ride, which is held on the second Saturday in
May. The Chattanooga Ride challenges the
Partner/cyclist with endurance, climbing ability, and duration.
The ride starts near Dawsonville, Georgia and ends at the Georgia-Tennessee
border south of Chattanooga. There are two scheduled stops (20-30 minutes each).
The first stop takes place in Talking Rock, Georgia (58 miles) and
the second break occurs near Resaca, Georgia (90 miles). Our
support crews meet us at the second stop where refreshments,
fresh clothing, and moral support are provided before the final
52 challenging miles. At the finish, our support crews, i.e.
spouses/significant others, friends, and family, meet us to
celebrate our accomplishment and then transport us into Chattanooga where we hold a post-ride pizza party.
The
goal of the Chattanooga Ride is to complete the event as a group,
safely, and within a reasonable elapsed time. The "no
drop rule"
is enforced; therefore a solid pace is expected (20 - 21 mph
average speed).
Before
inviting a Partner/cyclist to the Chattanooga Ride, I must be
satisfied that the Partner/cyclist will be able finish the ride
with the group in reasonable condition. Consequently, to help insure group's
continuity and safety, I have established two main qualifiers* prior
to the Chattanooga Ride.
The
first Chattanooga Qualifier is our Spring Century
Group A, which is
held on the last Saturday of March or the first Saturday in
April, about a month before the Chattanooga
Ride. The purpose of the Spring Century is to test the Partner's/cyclist's
endurance and speed. Since the Chattanooga ride is over 140 miles
long,
the Partner/cyclist needs to be able to complete a century,
comfortably, and within a reasonable elapsed time (20 - 21
mph).
The
Spring Century course starts and ends at the
Church of God,
144 Ednaville Road, Braselton, Georgia. It includes
the communities of Talmo, Maysville, Homer, Ila, Arcade,
Hoschton, and Braselton. There is two scheduled stops at
42 miles on SR 51 at the Petro Gas Station and 72 miles at the
Antioch United Methodist Church on Cooper Farm Road.
The second Chattanooga
Qualifier is the Helen Ride. The Helen
Ride is normally held on the second Sunday in April.
An exception to this date is when Easter Sunday is on that date,
and then we hold the Helen Ride one week
later.
The primary purpose of the Helen Ride is to have the Partner/cyclist
to experience pace and climbs similar to those of the Chattanooga
Ride. The secondary purpose is to give each Partner/cyclist
more riding time with the group. The Partners/cyclists
must complete the Helen Ride in the group with an average
speed of at least 18 mph. The required minimum speed can
be less for the group if Frazier Cycling's coaches decide that
circumstances (such as extreme weather) increase to the
difficulty to the degree that the riders are reasonably capable
of completing the Chattanooga Ride.
In addition to
the average riding speed requirement, there is an overall time
constraint for the Helen Ride. The group must
finish by 12:30 p.m. The time constraint is not only for
logistics reasons, but it introduces urgency for efficient stops
and management of the unexpected - necessary considerations when
taking on the Chattanooga Ride.
The Helen Ride starts from
1550 North Brown Road, Duluth, and runs through
Gainesville, Clermont, Cleveland, and Helen. There is one stop,
within Clermont (44 miles). Originally, the Helen Ride was 63
miles long, ending in Helen. Starting in 2000, the finish
was changed to the
Creekwood Resort on
Highway 356, about seven miles northeast of Helen to avoid
increased tourist traffic. In 2008, another course
adjustment was made to avoid traffic on SR 115 in White County. Consequently,
the ride distance is over 75 miles.
Consideration and selection for the
Chattanooga Group is
dependent upon the cyclist's performance during these
qualifiers (in particular the Helen Ride). A cyclist needs only participate in one
of these events as long as his/her performance in the single
event is on par with the team as a whole.
The
Chattanooga Group will be posted on this site within
the week after the Helen
Ride.
Note:
Check the
Partner Events page on this website for the complete
annual Frazier Cycling Partners' event schedule.
*Other qualifiers
may be added for a particular year; however, first time
Chattanooga Qualifiers are urged to participate in the
Spring Century, and most importantly, the Helen Ride.
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