The Tour de Georgia is right around the corner and we’re running around here at Rock Creek making the final preparations for our sponsorship of Stages 3 and 5. We are sponsoring two KOM’s again this year. Here’s the PR from last year). We also had an article in SNews [PDF].
The stages have changed a bit, so we’re sponsoring the Burkhalter Gap KOM on Wednesday’s Stage 3 (Rome to Chattanooga) and the Brasstown Bald KOM at Stage 5 (Dalton to Brasstown). Looking at the arrival times, you know how incredible these riders are because the estimated arrival times are based on a chart with three paces, 24, 26, and 28 miles per hour. So these guys will be riding over 100 miles a day up and down some of the most challenging terrain our region has to offer, all in three to five hours. You can see the log sheets and course maps here. I’ve also uploaded a couple photos from last year onto the Rock Creek Flickr page.
Philip Pugliese, Outdoor Chattanooga’s bicycle coordinator, just stopped by in the middle of my writing this blog and dropped off some spectator guides for the Chattanooga Stage 3 events. They’ll be coming out in tomorrow’s Times-Free Press, so keep an eye out for them.
I also asked him about the “bike in tunnel” lights that are going up on the Brainerd and Red Bank tunnels. The parts are here, so he’s hoping they’ll be able to get them assembled and installed within the next few weeks. This will allow a cyclist to slap a button without getting off the bike and ride through the tunnel with the added safety of a flashing light for motorists. I’m sure it will help some, and I’m very appreciative since I’ve been going through one of those tunnels at dusk a few times a week.