Assault on the Carolinas 2017
Time for Assault on the Carolinas one of my favorite times of the year – time for Assault on the Carolinas! AOTC is an annual bike ride/fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest with 100k, 60k, and 40k options.
The event sees up to 1000 cyclists start and finish in beautiful Brevard, NC. The ride goes through Transylvania County, NC and Pickens County, SC and includes significant climbs at Walnut Hollow, Eastern Continental Divide and Caesar’s Head. As with every year, there was a great showing from Columbia-area cyclists and triathletes, with the FGM team represented by Fiona Martin, Lance Schultz, Doug Lucas, Tami Leonhardt, Les Boan, Tim Bostick, Ricky Sox and Pamela Babbitt.
Last year’s race started with a frigid 20F and got up to around 40F by the end of the ride, so I was excited to start the morning off at 40F with it predicted to get up to 65F.Other riders were not so excited about the 40F start, but the race organizers had arranged for gear drop off points at each rest stop so there was really nothing to complain about.
Doug Lucas shot off at the front of the pack and finished with an impressive 4 hours even. Tami had a slip up with a dropped chain but still finished well with 4:06. Fiona and Lance were doing pretty good until Lance experienced leg cramps halfway up Caesar’s Head.
They both finished with 4:15. Les Boan rolled in 5 minutes later. Finally, the whole team enjoyed the after-party with food, beer, sunshine and catching up. All in all, this was a fantastic ride for everyone – beautiful scenery, challenging climbs, well-placed and well-stocked rest areas, and great support from locals on the side of the road! I highly recommend Assault on the Carolinas for any cyclist looking for a challenging and rewarding event!
Find our Strava activities and stats in the links below.