# Harris County, GA - Wheels of Fire Century



## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Found this on my club's event schedule...thought I'd pass it along. Harris County is about 90 minutes south of Atlanta, near the GA/AL state line. It's about a 4 hour drive from here in Chattanooga, for reference. 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Location: Harris Couny High School – 8281 Hwy 116 – Hamilton, GA 31811

Mile Routes Available: 26 – 45 – 68 – 101

Rolling Hills – Moderate to Strenuous Terrain

Choose from the full century ride (101 miles) for experienced cyclists or the 26, 45, and 68 mile tours for intermediate or moderate skill levels. All of these options run through the beautiful Harris County countryside. No matter which length you choose, you will start your journey with an ascent up Heartbreak Hill. From there, the course climbs an altitude of approximately 550 feet in the span of about 12 miles. The route then descends just as quickly between miles 25 and 30, followed by 71 miles of gorgeous, up-and-down countryside. The Century Ride is certainly the most challenging but all of the routes are somewhat difficult as this area is known for its rolling hills.

You'll find clearly marked routes, twelve fully stocked rest stops manned by plenty of friendly Volunteer Fire Fighters, and ample SAG support including route monitoring by the LaGrange HAM Radio Club.

Wheels O' Fire | Century Cycle Tour


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## gp3d (Jul 6, 2011)

Looks like a nice ride. Do you know what the approximate attendance has been in the last few years?


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

I haven't a clue, brother. All the information I have/know is what I copied and posted from their site. 

This was posted on my local club's ride schedule. That's how I found it. 

My first full century WAS going to be the 3 State-3 Mountain here in Chattanooga in May, but I've found a couple of other century rides before May, so I'll be doing those as well...or at least am planning on it at this point.


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## wotnoshoeseh (Apr 9, 2011)

I did the metric last year. It's a good day out and the rest stops are manned by fire crews. One rest stop was doing hot dogs! 
Good day, though I wasn't aware of Heartbreak Hill until I was on it. What a way to start a century!


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Okay...spill the beans on Heartbreak Hill, already...


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## GA1911 (May 4, 2010)

I haven't done this century, but planning on it this year. One of my buddies did it a couple of years ago, and Heartbreak Hill is evidently a pretty good hill within the first couple of miles of the start. He said it was not that bad, but tough because he was not warmed up good when he hit the hill. Rest stops are supposed to be good, and overall scenery not too bad. The year he rode, the firemen at one of the rest stops were serving chicken right off the grille.


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Just went online and registereredededed. Gimme my T-Shirt!!! 

Looking forward to the ride (doing the full century). 3 State-3 Mountain will be 2 weeks after.


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Four more days. 

Got meh reservations for Friday...and Saturday, just in case...at teh Days Inn in Pine Mountain.  Giggity! :thumbsup:


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## tconrady (May 1, 2007)

I've got a few ridding buddies that have done this ride and liked it. I never have because there always seemed to be some sort of scheduling conflict but will get around to it someday. Not this year though as I've got to go to my daughter's soccer tournament three hours away.


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Got muh packet and shirt, have fed the tapeworms, have muh stuff ready for the ride, and now I'm off to bed. Looking forward to a great (hopefully) ride tomorrow.


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## tuck (Oct 4, 2011)

Well, did the event this last weekend, and it was great, overall.

I did the complete century, and with that, have a couple of notes for anyone interested in doing it next year:

They have four routes, all of which cross paths at a couple of points, so it's not unusual to see cyclists coming at you from the other direction way into the ride. When you see 'em, doesn't mean you've taken a wrong turn. 

SEVERAL SAG stops along the way...for the first 50 miles. After that, they start getting more spread apart, and the last 30 miles is almost SAG free (only one after mile 70). To me, that's when they're needed most. And this, is my biggest complaint. The SAGs up to the mid-way point are excellent. A couple even were having hot dogs, burgers, etc, along with the standard cyclists fare, i.e. bananas, cookies, fig bars, water, etc. Unfortunately, as I was doing the full century (my first, btw), I couldn't partake in the burgers...but they looked and smelled yummy. :thumbsup:

The full century is said to be 101 miles. According to my computer (Bontrager Node 1), as well as some others that I finished with, it was actually more like 99.6. As this was my first century, I sure as hell was going to make sure I got at least 100. So, I had to circle the parking lot a couple of times to get my trip up and over 100. Finished with 100.1 

And lastly. Heart Break Hill. Sorry. Wasn't a heart breaker. More like a heart starter. It's a good, although, short climb that happens to be within the first two miles or so of the ride. When I got to the top, I was like (seriously...not tryin to sound like a smart azz or a show off), "Is that it?!"  

I think, seriously, the reason they call it Heart Break Hill is because it IS so close to the start, and most people aren't ready for it that soon. This, coupled with the fact that a majority of the riders seemed to have been locals who turn up and do the 25-68 routes, and to them, that' IS a doosey. Me, being from Chattanooga, am used to much bigger hills on an almost regular basis.

For those who like to climb, fret not, however. There are PLENTY of damned good sized hills, a couple of which I think were small mountains (seriously) and an assload of good sized rollers during the last 20 miles of the full century. I had been told that the last 10 miles were rollers. Shaaa. It was more like the last 20. Again, good ones too. I was dyin'.

Overall, GREAT ride for a great cause, and I'm very much looking forward to it again next year! :thumbsup:


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## rider9 (May 27, 2011)

Awesome Tuck! Way to go!


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