Long day in the saddle

We awoke early and grabbed some breakfast. I felt a sense of urgency because I was concerned that it would warm up fast and become miserable. We hit Town Mtn rd right out of downtown Asheville. You barely go over I 240 before the road goes steep. It was a hard start to a long day in the saddle.
The heat never came. The clouds across the parkway and trees kept the temps in the 70's. I was aware of two things going into this ride. 1. Greg has been riding a lot since Kentucky 2. I haven't ridden much at all. Bro G was pretty much on the gas from the beginning and kept a steady pace to Black Mtn. where he pulled the old switchback sneak and got a good 300 yds ahead of me. He waited up at the base of Mitchell but broke me again on the 5 mile climb to the summit. I reached the park to find him lounging on the Mt. Mitchell sign waiting on me.

At the peak I got a Coke and a Gatorade and found a bench to try to find my will to ride back. Greg got high jacked by some retired Dr. who talked to him forever. His Crimson tide kit always gets more attention that I would want.

When we left the summit, it had to be in the very low 60's and covered in clouds. My legs were toast. We flew down the mountain and suffered the uncomfortable cold. Somewhere between Mitchell and Craggy Mtn., I made a complete recovery and was able to have a good ride all the way home. In the end, the bottom did drop out somewhere just after Craggy Mtn. and the rain jacket had to come out.

With 6945' of climbing and 67 miles of Hell and bliss, I had a great time but was glad to see Asheville.