I Shut Down 400! Hospitality Highway Bike Ride

Over 1,100 riders participated in the second annual Hospitality Highway bike ride held Sunday, July 11, 2010. The ride is a fund raiser for the

Georgia Transplant Foundation (GTP) and has two compelling reasons to elicit your participation. One, the GTP is a great cause to support. No one knows when (if) one of our “intelligently designed” organs will go kaput. It is nice to know that there is an organization that will be there for us. Secondly, you get to “SHUT DOWN 400!”

Through the cooperation of bike-friendly Mayor Jerre Wood of Roswell, the Roswell and Sandy Springs police departments and Brandon Beech representing the Georgia Department of Transportation, GA 400 southbound lanes were closed for 30 minutes between Exits 6 – 7 giving cyclist free reign on this typically forbidden fruit.

A short 8 mile “I Did It” ride option allowed just about anyone to claim temporary dominance over the concrete lanes of GA 400. Other mileage options included 25, 63 and 100 miles. I opted for the century.

The organizers did a great job on their website. The site provided access to ride option maps, online registration, hotel information, a link to a Facebook account as well as directions and timings for onsite registration. A top-notch job all the way around.

Starting on the Exit 7 southbound ramp of GA 400 at 6:30 am, the thrill of zipping down GA 400 was over pretty quickly.

Riders then settled into the yeoman work of pedaling their selected option. About 270 riders who opted for the century rider exited GA 400 and then turned northward to cycle Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton and Mountain Park.

Generally the road selection was good to excellent. Most roads were smooth, well maintained and free of traffic. Course markings were good, but at times inconsistent. Many turns had roadside signage and/or colored road markings. But with any century there were the inevitable missed turns and course re-tracings. SAG stops were well stocked and bicycle mechanical support was provided by Roswell Bicycles.

This year’s century course was not for those who are mulling over the idea of doing their first century. I have been riding the road network north of my Roswell home for more than 20 years. I thought I had encountered every combination of upward inclines possible in this generally hilly part of north Atlanta. The course planners exceeded my discovery skills. They appeared to have made an effort to incorporate more climbs than would typically be found on a hot July century ride in Georgia. Even a small knot of 30-something strong riders, 25 years my junior, mused about their ability to clear the last set of 4 – 5 sharp climbs at the 75 mile SAG stop. We all motored on. My hope is that the course planners will toggle back on the climbing next year and create a more balanced ride profile.

The ride organizers hoping to expand participation for this great cause are considering future course options that will be more appealing to mere mortal cyclists.