USA Certified Cycling Coach and 12 time Assaults Veteran.
It is my sincerest hope that The Assaults will continue to be as popular and notable as it has been for years to come. With a long and healthy tradition, this ride has become one of the greatest one day events in cycling that is still open to all riders of any ability!
Instead of a race against other cyclists, this events pits the will and the strength of every single rider against the mountain. This is an event for anyone and everyone, and hopefully, riders will revel in their successes and boast about their personal records.
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Paul Thomas: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell in Under 6:00
I currently am an assistant professor of Education at Furman Univeristy after teaching and coaching in high school for 18 years. I started cycling seriously around 1984-1985 and rode my first Assault in either 1987 or 1988, finishing in an exhausting and excited 7:15.
In 2011, I turn 50 and will be training in hopes of breaking 6 hours one more time; my best time is 5:57 (62nd place), achieved when I was 46. In two of the past three years, I have finished in 6:09 and 6:10, flirting with that golden 6-hour mark (for me) a few more times. I have entered about 16 Assaults and a handful or so Marion rides, completing about 14 of the Mitchell Assaults. Two of my worst experiences were an 8-hour day in 2004 when I had just returned to serious cycling and abandoning the blistering hot ride the year after my best time.
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Dennis Wiseman: The Assault on Marion in Under 4:00
I'm a professor of French at Wofford, where I have taught for 31 years. This past May I turned 60 but don't feel a day over 59. I began riding after a couple of knee operations, a broken back, and then a ruptured disk. Running ceased being an outlet, I hated swimming, and cycling had tempted me over the years. So I went to BikeWorx and Eric Turner put me on a lovely Cannondale 500 (which I still have as a back-up ride) and I began training for my first Assault on Mt. Mitchell. That was the 25th anniversary Assault, I finished in a bit over 8 hours and felt quite proud of myself. I had ridden a lot (I thought) in preparation, lifted lots of weights, done lots of sit-ups and kept in mind what one Mitchell veteran had told me: If you're not in shape, it'll kick your butt. So, first time, I did fine. I was in shape. Second time, not so much. I have now completed Mitchel 6 times, had to quit once, and I did the ride to Marion once just for the fun of it all. I try to ride as much as work allows me. A normal late spring & summer week has been 150 miles. If I have some event that I'm trying to prepare for I may get 200 miles in a week and I still do the weights and crunches. I tend to ride a lot of the local rides - Tour de Paws, Tour de Peach, Flight of the Dove, etc. When my wife goes to Vermont to teach for the summer, I take a bike up, ride for a a couple of weeks in the Green Mountains. I have discovered that riding at 60 asks more of me than riding at 50. I'm not fast or strong on a bike, but I try to be persistent. This past year, I did not ride consistently during the late winter and early spring and then I had a lot of travel in the late spring. By late June, I was home and on the bike but never got myself in good shape and embarrassed myself a couple of times on group rides. And I hate to embarrass myself. So right now, I'm a bit angry and that helps me focus. When I get back from a month of European capitals and tech workshops, I'll get at the bike consistently.========================
Houck Medford: Human Interest Stories
Houck is a documentary photographer who is journaling human interest stories for this year's event. He is Founder and CEO Emeritus of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, a multi-year sub-6 veteran of AOMM, and a US Cycling Association moto referee.
He would like to hear from riders who have a special story to tell and from riders that would be interested in his chronicalling their quests for national, local, and regional publication.
A photo-documentary exhibit of this years event will be posted online after this year's Assault.
======================== Boyd Johnson: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell in Under 5:00
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Steve Verdell: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell After Injury
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Aaron West: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell for the First Time
http://steepclimbs.com
After a running injury forced my legs off the pavement, I bought a nice road bike. Less than 6 months later, that bike was upgraded. Now I am preparing for a daunting challenge up the highest peak of the Eastern United States. Follow my progress as I make my way towards this monumental achievement.
Steve Verdell: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell After Injury
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Aaron West: The Assault on Mt. Mitchell for the First Time
http://steepclimbs.com
After a running injury forced my legs off the pavement, I bought a nice road bike. Less than 6 months later, that bike was upgraded. Now I am preparing for a daunting challenge up the highest peak of the Eastern United States. Follow my progress as I make my way towards this monumental achievement.
