6-Gap Users Guide

A DESCRIPTION OF THE RIDE The course consists of an "approach" from Dahlonega followed by six climbs with some rolling hills between the gaps. Each climb culminates at a "gap", or mountain pass. The climb is named for the gap. There are refreshment stops at each gap and an extra one about half way up Hogpen (gap 4). (There may be more, but you won't need them.) The approach is rolling, with some very sharp (but short) hills. It's roughly comparable to a loop around the Havana Hills race course in Gadsden county. You want to be very careful with your energy on these first few miles. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and push hard enough to effectively ruin the rest of the ride before you even get to the first climb. Forget the group - ride your own pace and get warmed up. You absolutely have to ride your own ride on the climbs anyway. Keep in mind: a ride like 6-gap is more about energy management than anything else. You have only so much, and you're going to need a lot of it on the latter part of the ride.

Gap 1: Neels This is a seven mile climb of moderate grade. Use it to get your legs and CV system running well and to get the feel of what it's like to go up hill for an hour. Watch your energy output rate (preferably with a heart rate monitor) and keep it moderate. There will be plenty of opportunity to push harder later in the ride, should you find the workout inadequate. The descent from Neels is fast but straight enough to be relatively safe, with good pavement. (For the 3-gap folks, the left turn to Wolfpen Gap is easy to fly by if you are not looking for it.) 

Gap 2: Jacks After some fairly good Havana-hills-like rolling terrain, this climb goes for about 3 miles at a moderate+ grade. This is where you get the experience of making a long climb that is not the first long climb... The descent from Jacks is long and moderate - let it fly. Beautiful scenery and lots of free miles on this one. It takes you all the way to the start of the climb to Unicoi Gap, no hilly stuff in between: just descend and start the next climb.

Gap 3: Unicoi Unicoi is about 3 miles of moderate++ climbing. The main problem with Unicoi is that it is unshaded and can be very hot facing into the sun. The descent from Unicoi is great. While the climb is relatively short, the descent is over 10 miles all the way into Helen. The grade is steep enough to be fun, but the pavement is good and the curves are well banked so again this is not particularly dangerous. There may be a lot of traffic, the only "down side". But the roadway is wide enough to accommodate autos and bikes in most places. Stay aware of the traffic behind you. At 1445 ft above sea level, Helen is the lowest elevation on 6-gap, thus explaining why the descent is so long. (Dahlonega is 1880 ft.) And you WILL pay a price... 

Gap 4: Hogpen This is the big one. Seven miles at a steep grade, averaging around 7% but with some sections well above that. There are also a couple of false summits. There's a rest stop at mile 4, with 3 to go. (The mile markers on the highway actually correspond to miles on this climb.) Try to skip the intermediate rest stop. If the weather is hot, though, you may need to just get some fluid here. The descent from Hogpen is dangerous. It is very steep. There are sharp blind curves at the end of steep strait sections. The pavement is bad: old chip-seal, broken in places, and loose gravel possible anywhere. The road is narrow, and the camber of the turns is not adequate. The grade is such that speeds in excess of 50 mph are possible just using gravity. Someone said that if you don't brake, you won't flat: well, tell that to all the people who have flatted on, say, our St Marks Trail. You can also come up on wildlife, potholes, stopped leaf peepers, wet roadway, loose gravel, pavement cracks, hickory nuts, crashed motorcycles, motorcycles ascending in your lane, and any number of other hazards that require a very rapid change of plans. Bad stuff CAN happen. I have personally seen everything in my list above on the 6-gap course. It is unwise to descend at a speed that allows for no margin of correction. It is also unwise to brake too much, especially to ride the brakes. You want to avoid heat buildup in your rims - eventually, this will cause a blowout by melting your tube. (If you have plastic rim strips, failure will occur at a much lower temperature. Change to cloth rim tape before 6-gap.) And keep in mind: the heavier you are, the faster gravity will accelerate you and the more heat you will put into your rims when you slow down. There's no simple recipe here, just make sure you control your speed to something that gives you some wiggle room in case of unexpected events. 

Gap 5: Wolfpen The second toughest climb on 6-gap. About 2.5 miles (depending on where you define the beginning) with grades on par with Hogpen. The roadway is shady, however, which is great if the weather is hot. (It's been known to sleet up here, if the weather is wet.) The Wolfpen descent is twisty but on good pavement with good camber to the curves, so not too dangerous. It is often damp, though. Stay out of the paint.

Gap 6: Woody The descent from Wolfpen takes you only down to Suches, home of the highest elevation school in Georgia. Consequently the climb up Woody is a paltry 1.5 miles of moderate grade. From the top of Woody it's a 15+/- mile descent of mild grade all the way back to Dahlonega. Try to have enough energy left to enjoy it.

HOW TO SIMULATE A CLIMB IN FLORIDA IMO: The only way to get a feel for climbing in Tallahassee is on a flat road. We do not have seven mile hills. Hills around here are great for building climbing strength and technique, but they can't give you a feeling for the long sustained effort required for the climbs in the mountains. Here is how to "feel" the climb to Neels Gap: On a 20 mile stretch of relatively flat road, assume a climbing position on your bike (hands on the top of the bar, loose grip, elbows out, chest open, head up) and start a 20 mile time trial. Using your heart rate monitor, maintain a steady heart rate at a sustainable level for the entire 20 miles. Let's say 85% of your maximum sustainable effort. OK, that's Neels. Hog Pen: 30 miles at 90% Wolf Pen: 15 miles at 90% Etc. The entire 6-gap effort can be simulated by riding about 130 miles in Florida, making long sustained efforts of appropriate length. (Except, this simulation is harder on your butt than 6-gap, and it's a lot less fun. Plus, there's essentially no way to simulate the descents.)

ADVICE

• It's all about energy management.
• Stop at the top just long enough to get supplies. Rest on the bike going downhill.
• Be prepared for weather. I guarantee there will be some.
• You can't have too low gears. Take all you have.

DISCLAIMER Descending is never safe. Any time you are going 30+ mph in traffic there is danger to be assessed and managed. 

Fall 2008 Update The pavement is deteriorating. The Hogpen descent is still gravelly, acorny, potholy. There is at least one significant hole on the Wolfpen descent that is almost impossible to see in sunny weather due to the mottled shaddows of trees on the road. The return from Woody has been changed: from Stone Pile you now take a right. Instead of continuing a nice descent all the way to the finish, this new route has some very sharp hills. It is also more scenic. For me, at mile 90, the most beutiful thing in the world is a downhill, and in this sense the new route is much less so. Don't run over the old guys...