The 2013 Tour de Lure, on April 6th, was the first official event ride of the season. While I had a couple of AOMM Training rides under my belt, this is a terrific event I had ridden in 2012, and remember the signature climb of Stone Mountain. This is a single day event, i.e., no overnights, so it was a great value as well. The ride starts at 9AM, which is common for rides in the early part of the season. The Mayor of Biketown, Jeff V. and his wife Anne were there, as were several people I recognized from Charlotte. With several short, sharp descents and climbs at the begining, it was bunched up and awkward for the first 10 miles. I tossed my chain on one bad shift and had to get out of the line at a very difficult spot, but got back in with the help of those behind being kind and swinging wide.
The gear setup for this ride was my standard, compact crank, 50/38, and a 11-27 cassette. While on the AOMM training rides I had been dropped like a syphilitic brick and had begun to think about changing my gear set up for these mountain events. By the end of this ride, it was a MUST. For the next event, The Assault on the Carolinas, that gear idea would prove to be trouble.
The Long Ride 