# Experience Hurt, Pain and Agony Sat., Aug. 7



## ridgerider (Feb 6, 2004)

Here's one for riders in North Carolina and southwest Virginia:

Join the fight against cancer and test your own physical and mental limits in the first annual Hurt, Pain & Agony metric century bike ride.
 
The Relay for Life benefit event, sponsored by the Brushy Mountain Cyclists Club, rolls at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, August 7<SUP>th </SUP>from Traphill, N.C. Traphill is located northwest of Elkin, about an hour from Winston-Salem and 90 minutes from Boone, Greensboro and Charlotte.

Climbers will love this route. The ride opens with a steep six-mile slog from Traphill in the North Carolina foothills to Roaring Gap high atop the Blue Ridge. With about 1,700 feet of elevation gain, a 5% average grade and several stretches of double-digit grades, it's the equivalent of a Category 2 climb in the Tour de France! Plenty of shorter hills follow as the ride winds through the highlands of Alleghany County, North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia. Don't pop a wheelie as you tackle the top of Mahogany Rock Road...at 18%, it's the ride's steepest climb. 

"The Hurt, Pain & Agony ride is tough, but it isn't all torture," says event director Matt Daye. The route includes plenty of rolling terrain along the Blue Ridge Parkway and quiet country lanes. The ride ends with a rush...the fast six-mile descent from the edge of the Blue Ridge back into the foothills. 

Minimum Elevation: 1,317 feet above sea level at the start/finish in Traphill 
Maximum Elevation: 3,288 feet above sea level on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mahogany Rock Road 
Total Climb: 5,546 feet 

The Hurt, Pain & Agony ride is tough, but you'll have lots of support. The HP&A features three rest stops, two of them at scenic Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks. Three SAG vehicles will patrol the route. Local Boy Scouts, volunteer fire fighters and Relay for Life team members will donate their time to help you have a safe and satisfying ride. 

Registration opens at 7 a.m. Saturday. Your $25 registration fee will help the American Cancer Society prevent cancer, save lives and diminish suffering through research, education, advocacy and service. Ride in honor of a cancer survivor or in memory of one who lost the fight. 

Local sponsors have already donated funds and resources to the ride, so 100% of your registration fee will go toward the fight against cancer. 

Directions to the start and lots of other details are available at the event website: http://brushymtncyclists.tripod.com/id42.htm. 

If you have questions about the event, please e-mail event director Matt Daye at [email protected] We look forward to riding with you!


----------



## jppe (Jan 22, 2004)

*HP&A*

I rode in this ride a few weeks ago and highly recommend it in the future. It is an excellent training ride for folks who want some climbing. It also has some really nice views along the Parkway and some good rollers midway through the ride. Matt and team did a super job of support as well. While the 18% grade on Mahogny Rd is not that long of a stretch-it is at least 18%-save a little for that one.

An option to starting at Traphill Elementary is to Park at Stone Mtn State Park and ride down towards the school and then climb back. Oklahoma Rd is now paved which makes it a little easier to ride up and down.


----------

