# Who is doing Marion/Mitchell?



## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

I'll be there with some friends. They are all attempting Mitchell I will be doing Marion.
Hoping for Good weather.


----------



## BigPiece (May 18, 2004)

*Count me in...*

I'll be headed to Spartanburg also. I managed to round up a good friend to attempt it also. It will be his first century so we'll have to see how that pans out. Fortunately he's from Virginia so he's no stranger to hills. Just as long as it's not raining I'll be happy. I'm wondering how painful the extra 15 miles or so will be. Also, is this similar to bridge to bridge where the majority of the elevation is near the end and just up mitchell? How steep are the grades we'll encounter? I can't wait for the big day to be here.


----------



## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

*Elevation*



BigPiece said:


> I'll be headed to Spartanburg also. I managed to round up a good friend to attempt it also. It will be his first century so we'll have to see how that pans out. Fortunately he's from Virginia so he's no stranger to hills. Just as long as it's not raining I'll be happy. I'm wondering how painful the extra 15 miles or so will be. Also, is this similar to bridge to bridge where the majority of the elevation is near the end and just up mitchell? How steep are the grades we'll encounter? I can't wait for the big day to be here.


Here an older thread that discusses the new route. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=24420&highlight=mitchell 

For those doing Mitchell it will be painful. I hope to enjoy Marion.


----------



## jppe (Jan 22, 2004)

Count me in for Mitchell-Number 3 for me. 

I've ridden the new stretch from the turn off on the old route at Bill's Creek Rd all the way up to the top of Mitchell. From my altimeter there are not what I would call any really steep climbs. Most of the climbs are in the 4-6% range. The steepest climb on the Parkway was around 7% and it was just a few miles once you got on the Parkway and wasn't too long. I have not measured any of the climbs on Hwy 80 but would guess there are steeper climbs on Hwy 80 than what we have on the new route.

I was surprised to see a couple of nice downhill stretches on the parkway as well-in fact it is downhill the last 2-3 miles before you get to the entrance of the Park.

Of course you have the 9-10% stretches once you reach the Park.

I was up there a week or so ago and it was sunny and 60 in Asheville. By the time I got above 4000 ft it was cloudy, rainy, and eventually sleeting. The low temperature reading on my bike was 40 degrees with 15-20 mph winds on Mitchell. I nearly froze.........

Here's hoping for a sunny, cool day.........


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

I'll be there for my first century. I scoped it out (in car, from the folk art center to the top) on Sunday and the training rides provided by the freewheelers had much more severe climbs. 
And like someone else said, lots of downhills too for recovery on the parkway. Of course at the end of 110 miles I'm sure a 2% incline will feel like a wall.  
Lou.


----------



## merckx56 (Aug 16, 2004)

You guys are really in for a rude awakening. This is not a simple century ride. The Assault on Mt. Mitchell is aptly named, as you will be assaulted on the mountain.
If this is your first century ever, my advice is to sell your number the night before. 

It's 110 miles and 12K feet of climbing this year. I've done it more times than I care to remember and it just plain sucks. The ride to Marion, if you plan on trying to stay with the main group, is 75 miles done in a bit over 3 hours!! Even if you make it to Marion in the front, you still have 3-4 hours to get top the top.

Don't take this as negativity on my part. I'm telling you what to expect. It WILL kick your ass. It can be 85 in Spartanburg and 35 and rain at the top of the mountain. There will be crashes and there are a lot of folks who have no idea how to ride in a group that big. There is no way to avoid them!

The easier solution is to find a biker bar in Spartanburg the night before, go in and pick a fight. The ass-whipping you'll get will be far less painful than the one Mitchell will give you the next day!


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

merckx56 said:


> The easier solution is to find a biker bar in Spartanburg the night before, go in and pick a fight. The ass-whipping you'll get will be far less painful than the one Mitchell will give you the next day!


If I live to tell about it I'll use that in my signature.  

I don't think anyone is doing it because it's easy, and, how are you ever going to know how far you can push yourself until you try it? I might end up puking by the time we hit I-85 for all I know but it won't stop me from trying.

I wouldn't mind hearing any tips that anyone might have like a good but safe pace the first 75 miles or things like that but quitting at this point is not an option.

Lou.


----------



## JCHAIN (Sep 22, 2004)

*I'll be doing Marion*

I ran across this guy's account of Mitchell and thought it was very interesting.


http://www.anaerobia.com/fable13.html 


Good luck to those of you headed to the top!


----------



## mtaylor495 (Dec 8, 2004)

I will be doing it again this year, and my personal assault will be similar to last year, only hopefully under 8 hours, as I won't be waiting around for someone on the climbs. Here is the way I survived, and what I will be doing differently.

I tend to lay back from the lead pack. Sure I could sit in the draft, and wheel suck to the parkway, but with the amount of inexperienced riders at this event, I like to play it safe and join in with a smaller group that will still avg 18 to 20 to the split (bills mtn this year). I have done this event several years, and I always pass a few bad crashes getting to Marion. The don't all happen on the decents, most seem to happen on the flats. People touch wheels, or handlebars, or a dog runs out into the peleton. I don't think it is worth the risk, I'll do a little pulling to make sure I make it to the parkway.

There are 2 things that I will be doing different this year. 1 is carrying a thin rain jacket, and 2 is carrying some salty food. After 6 or 7 hours in the saddle, eating & drinking nothing but sweet stuff, something salty is a God send. I finally found an aid station with some potato chips last year. Those were the best chips I think I have ever eaten. The rain jacket is for the inevitable rain/hail storm that always gets me. One year it rained all the way to the top, and last year, I was hailed on while cruising up the parkway.

I can only say to the first timers, ride at your own pace. I was on a bus ride back down last year, that ended up being seriously ill. She was completley out of it, throwing up multiple times on the ride down -- she was in some kind of trance it seamed. When we finally got back to marion, Something happened when we switched busses, because the medics ran to her, and she was life flighted to a hospital in Asheville. It's not an easy ride, but there are harder. Just use your head, and you will survive.

Best of luck,

mt


----------



## fufanu (Mar 26, 2005)

I've never done this ride period, so I'm starting with Marion. The longest i've ever ridden was 72 miles last year. I'm heading into my second full year of road riding. How about any riding tips for Marion. I'm pretty nervous. I feel like I handle the bike well, so i hopefully won't be one of the people who screw up in the peleton. I just did my last training ride for Marion Sat. That was about 62 miles with a good bit of hills around Lexington, SC. Any tips 

thanks


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

The links above as well as this one seem to have some good tips/experiences.
My main concerns are staying out of crashes and whether or not to bring food or rely on the sag stops.
Good luck.
Lou.


----------



## merckx56 (Aug 16, 2004)

Four Days people...

As for the food question, always take something of your own. The sags will have stuff, but you may not like it. 
Rice krispie treats got me thru it a few times. Eat a lot and drink a lot, early! Mile 85 is no place to start to unravel! I usually start eating at mile 20 and try to get something down every 30-45 minutes after that.

Good luck to everyone! The day after isn't the bad day. Sunday will really suck though...


----------



## Mr_Mojo (Mar 14, 2005)

fyi: the guy who "won" mitchell last year was a cat. 4


----------



## fufanu (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks for the tips. I'm nervous but looking foward to it.


----------



## trekman1420 (Feb 19, 2005)

*"(Mitchell) is 90% mental, the other half is physical. "*

"(Mitchell) is 90% mental, the other half is physical. "
Apologies to Yogi Berra for the paraphrasing, but, as long as you have the right gearing (read "triple"), it is possible to do this thing. I'd done my share of centuries before I rode 2003 when it rained all day (the forecast a few days before was just like it is now). Indeed, the problem is the UNRELENTING climbing that comes at the end. It's mentally exhausting to keep turning over the pedals at, oh, say, 5mph for hour after hour. And if it rains, part of the problem is it's just you and the road: there's nothing to look at, nothing else to see to distract you from the sense that you have to be out of your mind to be putting up with it all. 

For those reasons, I am more impressed by the people who finish at 10 hours plus than I am by the racers finishing at, gasp, 6 hours or less. I mean, have you EVER tried riding for 10 hours in something like this (answer to the question- I did see someone last year wearing a P-B-P jersey, so I expect she HAS. The rest of us mere mortals just have to hang in there).

For more see the UNofficial forum for Marion and Mitchell at http://aomm.dgnorton.net/


----------



## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

*Wimping Out!*

I'm half sugar and don't want to melt in the rain so I'm baggging Marion.

Sucks but oh well.

If anyone rides please give a report. Just don;t tell me if the weather turns out ok.


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

Lifelover said:


> I'm half sugar and don't want to melt in the rain so I'm baggging Marion.
> 
> Sucks but oh well.
> 
> If anyone rides please give a report. Just don;t tell me if the weather turns out ok.


Aw, come on, now.  
Just bring a thin rain-jacket and you're good to go. You'd probably need to bring one anyway if it's cool at Marion. Is the rain a sure thing at this point?

I think you have all day today to register, at least from 2 to 10. I'll head down to the auditorium late this afternoon.
If I live to tell about it I'll write up my experience.
Lou.


----------

