Title: Climb Butler Mill, Swearengin Loop, Descend Babe Wright (2 Groups)
Start Location: Old Poplar Ridge School, 745 Poplar Ridge Rd, New Hope
Distance: 52 Miles
Date & Start Time: Saturday, 10 Jun @ 7:30 AM
Ride Leaders: Dennis Bulgatz, dennisbulgatz@gmail.com, 256 508-9810 (cell) &
Hunter Chockley, chockleyj@bellsouth.net, 256 527-8643 (cell)
Description: This moderate route is 52 miles with a major climb up Grant Mountain via Butler Mill and lots of hills/rollers. There will be 2 Groups with different paces- 15-16 mph and 14-15 mph. Dennis will lead the faster group & Hunter the slower group. Each will regroup after the major climb. The route then goes across Grant Mountain for a Swearengin loop and then a fast descent down Babe Wright. After the descent, the route goes to Cathedral Caverns State Park. The route then returns to Poplar Ridge. The major climb has a max grade of ~11.8% & the route has a cumulative climb of ~2490 ft.
Rest Stops: Service station @ ~15.7 miles, Service Station @ ~25 miles & Caverns State Park @ ~37 miles
The link for the cue sheet and map follows: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12715104 . This route is listed in the SCCC RWGPS Club Account.
Bring a cue sheet and/or a map/ Garmin to the ride and have the phone number of the Ride Leader. It is also recommended that you have the phone number of at least one friend.
Again, this is a challenging ride with a major climb so be sure you can do the stated average pace for the distance of 52 miles. If you choose to ride at a much faster pace or deviate from the route then you are on your own.