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| 9/21 Day 1: At starting line over the Chattooga river |
Overview
TNGA stands for Trans North Georgia Adventure. It is a self supported bike packing race through the North GA mountains from SC to AL. This is my second time doing this event, my first being in 2019. A big difference for me this year is that I didn't train as much. Things are busy and there just hasn't been as much time for getting out there for super big rides. Earlier this year I "ran" the Cruel Jewel 50 miler and didn't die. I hoped that I'd have enough base fitness from that to get through TNGA in a reasonable amount of time and without injury.
I had several ideas I wanted to try out this year. My feet were the biggest issue the first time around. I wore my SIDIs and they were not the best choice for all of the hike a bike. I wanted to try flats and a walkable shoe. I also wanted to try sandals to see how that would work with all of the water on the course. There are numerous creek crossings, especially in the first few days. These crossings soak your shoes and socks. If your feet stay wet for too long you end up with swamp feet, which can become painful and hard to recover from. I know several riders have a sock rotation protocol that seems to work well for them. I could of tried that, but I had an idea to wear sandals and see how my feet would do. Seemed like it might work. I found a pair of Keen sandals that were comfortable about a week before the race but didn't know if they would be comfortable after 8, 12, 18 hrs of riding. I decided that I needed a back up plan and also took my Shimano bike shoes. Yeah, I carried two pairs of shoes in the name of science. It was all a big experiment. Long story short, sandals are not a good idea. The amount of grit that enters the shoe will grate on your skin and cause a different set of issues. My feet were tore up after a few days and I switched back to my Shimanos. Lessons learned.
Another idea I wanted to try was to use a bivi instead of a tent and to do it without a sleeping pad. Some of my buddies use an emergency bivi with no netting. I'm just not that much of a man yet. I chose to use an Outdoor Research bivi with a bug net at the opening. It worked well. I slept with a hat that kept the net off of my face and I could enjoy the moonlight and stars at night. I think this idea was a success.
Here are a few links that describe the race, course, and some of the bikes/gear of this years race:
- TNGA Route Description
- TNGA 2021 Event
- RIGS of the TNGA <= My Bike is in here!!
9/21 Day 1: Start to Wildcat Campground #2
My buddy Mike Hopton gave me a ride to the start. It was super cool of him to do this for me and it was nice having a friend there. I met up with Jason Fitzgerald at the start. As always, he looked super fit and ready to get after it. We didn't have much time to talk before the race was underway. The race started just like last time for me. I pedaled slow and let everyone else pass me. I wanted to let the race come to me and ease into the climbs. This worked well for me before.
Race Start
It wasn't long before I was joined by another rider. I don't remember his name but he was having some issues with his navigation and he stayed with me for a while to stay on course. I think we rode together for a few hours and then I never saw him again. After that I started to pick up other riders. I passed a few and played leap frog with some others.
2 hour check in
The first real landmark for me was getting to Darnell Creek. Its a rutted out horse trail that several races in the area use. It was part of the Sky To Summit 50k I did a few years ago that goes up and over Mt Rabun 3 times.
Darnell Creek before the crossing
Darnell Creek crossing
After Darnell Creek there is a gravel road descent to pavement that leads to the Rabun Gap/Dillard area where we have a mandatory stop to confirm our race trackers are working.
Rabun Gap check in
I eased on in to the checkpoint at Rabun Gap and stopped for a while to recover and eat a sandwich.
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| In Rabun Gap |
After Rabun Gap the next landmark for me was the crossing at Charlie's Creek. There are several significant climbs to get there. Along the way, somewhere after Patterson gap, I met up Jamie Foster. We rode together for a while on our way to Charlie's creek, where I had a nice bonk and needed to pause and rest. She was feeling good and continued on ahead of me. To get to Charlies Creek you go through the Tallulah river campground along the Tallulah river. Its a beautiful area, the river is filled with massive boulders and tree blow downs. The river was high and flowing strong from all the rain that hit the area the week before.
bob
Tallulah River
was here
There is a woman that comes out each year to provide "Trail Magic" at Charlie's Creek. Bananas and nutty butters for the win! I remember in 2019 she had a chair out in the middle of the creek. She sat there enjoying the show as riders attempted to cross the wide creek filled with rounded baby head stones. It's something to see. If you pick the right line you make it. Choose the wrong line and you may hit a rock that stops you, or you may end up in the deep end with no where to go. It's a cool spot.
Charlies creek crossing and status update
After recovering my next goal is to make it to marina at Lake Rabun. There are a few restaurants there and if I could make it in time I could get a nice meal before heading into the night. I was able to get there about 8pm, I think an hour before they closed and had a pizza and salad at Milton Park. It was super awesome to make it in time.
After Milton Park I headed up towards Wildcat campground in the dark. I decided that I'd sleep at the upper campground. I had hoped of making it to Woody's near Helen the first day but it wasn't going to happen. I was tired and it was time to sleep. I laid out my bivi and was fast asleep.
9/22 Day 2: Wildcat to Aska Trails
I probably got about 3 hrs of sleep before the rain started. It was light at first but got heavier and heavier. I came close to just curling up and trying to wait it out in the bivi but decided it was best to get up and push on. It was about 4am. The next landmark was Helen. I wanted to get there and have a nice breakfast. I would need to get over Addis and Tray Mtn before the trail would trend down into the Helen area. Tray is a crazy long climb. I think about 9 miles on a forest road. The sun came up before I reached the top. On my way I saw two bear cubs climbing down a tree as I passed. I must have scared them up there without knowing and I never saw momma. Those would be the only bears I'd see on the entire ride. After getting to the top of Tray there is a rocky rutted out doubletrack trail that is super technical and challenging to get into a fluid rhythm. If you survive that you then get to ride Hickory Nut, another challenging ride on I think a very old forest service road that is now more like a wide bench cut trail with mail box sized sharp rocks and low hanging trees. Its down hill and you want to fly. With all the enough hidden obstacles I try to keep under control but still come to going OTB a few times. There are a few sections near the end that you can let it rip and it's super fun. After that you hit the pavement and it's mostly a downhill cruise into Helen. My stomach wasn't in great shape since the start of my ride and I reached Huddle House with a poor appetite. I stayed there a while to try to recover and finish my meal. I wondered if I'd get sick right at the bar while staring at my plate and how that might go over with the staff. I probably stayed there for over an hour and left feeling better but not 100%. As I was leaving I saw Matt and Marcus Mustin coming in. I'd end up seeing them later that day and spending alot of time with them over the next several days.
Leaving Helen I saw Lucas, with several other riders, at one of the restaurants before the turn to head out of town. We rode some of the race together in 2019. I had a good idea I'd see him at the next landmark if not sooner. I kept rolling. The next challenge is getting up to the top of the Duncan Ridge Rd. To get there we have to go up Hogpen, WolfPen and then the Duncan Ridge Rd climb. If you look on an elevation chart they are significant climbs that stick out like tall back to back spikes. I think Hogpen is about 9 miles from the start to Vogel. Wolfpen is right after Vogel, it is just as steep but not as long. At the end of Wolfpen you just keep climbing on up to the top of Duncan Ridge Rd. Its a ton of climbing. I would find my climbing legs somewhere on Hogpen. Something just clicked for me and I was able to stay in the saddle at pace just better than walking.
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| At Vogel |
After reaching the top of the Duncan Ridge Rd it is a nice long forest road descent into the Coopers Creek Store area. At this point I've got food on the brain. Wanting to eat is a good thing. I enjoy the downhill and make it to the paved road to cruise on into Coopers Creek Store. Coopers Creek Store is a complete oasis. The owners roll out the red carpet for TNGA riders. They track us, know our names when we come in and provide us with a place to sleep and eat. They are truly wonderful people. When I arrive I see Matt and Marcus placing their order. I find a spot to put my bike and claim a spot to sit for the next hour or so. I'm going to be here a while. I order some food and some of the other riders start to arrive. Lucas and a group of 4 or 6 roll in including Jamie. I enjoy reconnecting with Lucas and find out that he is ending his ride here. We all hang out, tell stories and discuss options for the evening. Some are going to stay and some are going to keep going. Matt, Marcus, Jamie and I would continue on towards the Iron Bridge. I had wanted to get over Stanley Gap but I didn't see that in the cards any more. I figured I could get to the Aska Trails area just before Stanley and tackle it early in the morning. I would leave later than the others and ride solo to the Iron Bridge. It was a nice evening. The rain had stopped earlier and the sky was clear and lit up by the full moon. I crossed the Iron Bridge and met a rider that was pulling the plug. He let me know that the others were sleeping up at the Riverside Restaurant. The were laid out under the entry way and I would have joined them but I didn't want to sleep on concrete without a sleeping pad. I rolled on and made it to the Aska Trails trailhead before Green Mtn. I found a nice soft spot, enjoyed the moonlight and quickly fell asleep.
9/23 Day 3: Aska Trails to Mulberry Gap
bob
