A Bike Ride of Brasstown Bald, Georgia, USA

Isoprene is a fairly common naturally occurring element.  It is produced predominantly by oak and poplar trees.  The emission of isoprene by large leafy trees occurs round-the-clock during the growing season.  Isoprene is a free radical and mingles freely with the air but the telltale sign of isoprene in the atmosphere is a blue haze.  This colorful fog settles into a region of the Appalachian mountain range of the Eastern United States and produces the aptly named Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge (pictured) stretches from Eastern Pennsylvania to the tip of Northern Georgia.  It is steeped in American history and lore as the Blue Ridge is responsible for coal, moonshine, bluegrass music and food all native to its tall peaks and stately trees located in a series of National Forests and wilderness areas.   The people of the Blue Ridge are mostly descended from early Irish settlers who came to work in rudimentary coal mines.  Today, small farms in protected valleys are aplenty as the coal boom fades into history.  Traditional lifestyles and unique speech patterns remain.  The region is still home to livestock, lumber and some of the world’s best tobacco and finest apples.

The Blue Ridge offers a unique mountaintop—Brasstown Bald in Northern Georgia.  At 4,784 feet it is the highest point in the state.  For a few years in the early 2000s Brasstown Bald was part of Stage 5 on the now defunct Tour de Georgia, a six-stage race across Georgia and parts of neighboring Tennessee.  The Tour ceased operations following the 2008 race due to lack of sponsorship and growing costs.  Stage 5 of the race began in nearby Helen, Georgia, roughly 95 miles from Brasstown Bald and it was a climber’s stage.  The first climb is about 5% at 52 miles into the race.  At 71 miles a climb commences at another 5% grade spread out over nine miles.  At 85 miles the climb begins of Brasstown Bald.  It is 20% over only 10 miles.  It is virtually straight up and riders comment that it is 35 minutes of torture.  If riders can make it to the top they have a spectacular view of four states: Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.  On a clear day the skyscrapers of a glistening Atlanta can be viewed.  A variety of other approaches to the summit can be made at much lesser degrees so fear not riders, you need not take on the beast of Brasstown Bald.

Native American lore credits the baldness of the peak to the Great Spirit who provided the mountaintop as a safe haven from a flooded valley.  He cleared the top of trees so crops could be planted for a growing community.  It is more likely that the treeless summit is such due to poor quality soils created by the rock formations of soapstone and dunite.   The United States Forest Service maintains an observation tower and weather station.  Visit www.fs.gov and search for Brasstown Bald for biking information.

Visit our website for recent RANDOM THOUGHTS concerning the end of the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship at www.stickybottleteam.net.  We have a short video of Levi and Lance climbing Brasstown Bald from a past Tour de Georgia.  Click on VIDEOS at our website.