This was by far the most painful agonizing day of my short, hobbyist, cycling career. I decided to take on the challenge 2 days prior to the ride. The weather couldn’t have been any better….NOT. 103 degrees, hot sun, no wind, and it sucked for the entire 103 miles.

After drinking what seemed like 4 gallons of cold liquid I made it to the base of the climb. Little did I know there was still 31 miles of straight up the mountains roads to go.

It was fun, painful and gratifying when we crossed the line on top of Mt. Mitchell. 11:43 minutes is nothing to write home about. Maybe in 2010 I will cut an hour or 3 off of that time.

[View with PicLens]

If you are interested in riding in the 2010 Assault on Mt. Mitchell, keep checking this website http://www.freewheelers.info/aomm/. Freewheelers of Spartanburg Hosts the ride and will post all of the event details on their site around early January.

See you at the top!