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Dear Riders:
On behalf of everyone associated with the 2007 Tour de Tuck Bike Challenge, thank you for coming to Sylva on Saturday to ride. We are extremely pleased with the reception the event has received and your comments to date. We had 210 riders register, which is a 24% increase over last year.
As we began planning for this year, we had four primary goals:
1. Ensure the future of the event on the Blue Ridge Parkway by complying with their regulations and requests;
2. Improve the course markings;
3. Increase the number of aid stations and quality of the food served; and
4. Upgrade the post-event experience.
I believe we accomplished each of these goals:
- Indications from photographs and conversations with parkway officials lead me to believe everyone followed the rules of the road most of the time. The reason the event was not timed was part our agreement with the Parkway and stated clearly on the web site and rider instructions. Please do not call the Chamber of Commerce looking for your time as they do not have it.
- With the exception of the Charlie’s Creek turn on the Century ride – which remains a tremendous challenge - all of the turns on the course were adequately marked and successfully navigated.
- The aid stations were in the right place, although we need to adjust the quantities of food offered to insure everyone receives what they need.
- Moving the event to Mark Watson Park provided a great venue for pre and post-race activities and the meal has been very well received.
We believe we have now established this event, particularly the Century ride, as the most challenging bike event in the Southeast. Many riders told me they have ridden all the big rides in the area and none are as demanding as ours. We hope many more riders from across the country will test their mettle in Jackson County on September 20, 2008 and for years to come.
Thank you again for participating and if you haven’t seen the ride photos or submitted your comments, I encourage you to do so.
Best wishes,
Greg Duff
Event Director
2008 Total Riders:
Century
