By Bob Crook, Road Captain, Touring

Continuing a long tradition, a crew of Highland Rim Bicycle Club members once again attacked and conquered Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in North Carolina. The Assault on Mt. Mitchell, organized by the Spartanburg (SC) Freewheelers, is considered the toughest ride east of the Mississippi. This year’s riders were Melissa Miller, Al Hennigan, Sam Harper, Kevin Zysk, Mike Rutherford, and Denny Elston. I accompanied them as SAG support driver. We had the normal good time caravanning to Spartanburg on Friday, May 16th. Going by way of Knoxville and Asheville, the first and essential pit stop was at the Crackerbarrel in Cookeville. After arriving in Spartanburg and checking in at the hotel and at the Assault Headquarters, the gang headed for the Capri Restaurant (another long-standing tradition), for a carbo-loading session. The morning of the ride dawned dry, but the skies shortly opened while the bikes were being loaded for the ride to the start at the War Memorial. The rain then persisted all day long with no relief. I had a good look at the entire group as the ride began. Despite the gloomy and wet conditions, the sight of all those eager riders as they took off was awe-inspiring. I traveled to the first SAG stop in Al’s mighty impressive BMW X-5 SUV and got there in time to see the whole pack stream through-very few stopping. At Marion, NC, the conclusion of the first 72 miles and a major SAG stop for most riders, the weather was still atrocious. As our HRBCers straggled in, they each had to decide what to do. Denny and Kevin, each having successfully climbed the mountain in previous years and having no need to prove anything, opted to end their efforts right then, and proceeded eventually back to Spartanburg, warm, dry and well-fed, while their compatriots were slugging it up the mountain. The remaining four each decided for very different reasons to continue on and did so. Sam, the most experienced, with one previous conquest of Mitchell, added one more notch to his belt. Mike made his agonized way up the mountain, fighting off his normal cramps, and arrived at the top next. Melissa, having established only two weeks before that she could tackle a tough 100-mile ride when she defeated the dreaded Burkhalter Gap at Chattanooga’s Three State, Three Mountain Ride, slowly but surely rode the Blue Ridge Parkway and the final five miles of the Mt. Mitchell State Park to finish triumphantly. Al finished last but quite respectably in abominable conditions at the top. He had only decided to ride Mitchell two weeks previously and was certainly not over-trained for the event. At least twice along the Blue Ridge he seriously considered bailing out and giving his recovering knee a rest. (It goes without saying that he did not receive permission from his orthopedic surgeon for this ride.) Indiscretion prevailed, however, and Al did decide to continue and made it in great adequate style. Mitchell continues to be a supreme challenge. The route is tough enough in good weather with 11,000 feet of climb in 102 miles. With weather like last year (windy and very cold (38ºF)) and this year (reasonably warm but constant fairly heavy rain with fogged in conditions all along the Parkway and at the top), the Assault is truly a supreme physical and mental effort. My congratulations to all! After we all got back together in Spartanburg, it was a little late to continue our traditional visit to the Outback so we opted for pizza. This was a tactical error because while were carousing at the Pizza Hut, the final truck delivered the bikes and the crew went home, leaving three of our crew without their beloved machines. Sunday morning all was resolved as we met the event originator and director, John Bryan, who returned with the missing bikes. I hope this tale will inspire some of our HBRCers who have never tried the Assault to give it a try. This is not something that can be attempted casually, since it is very early in the riding season and demands plenty of training (Hennigan’s example notwithstanding). To conclude, as Mike Rutherford said as he was lifted half dead and dripping wet off his bike at the top, “Let’s do it again next year!”