Some of the participants start milling around the start line early. It's a beautiful setting to start and end.
Edd Silvers starts the century off with a bang.
Afif
This is the eighth Roan Moan for this young man!
It was very cordial through McKinney Cove and Bakersville.
It was a struggle just outside of town
As I was being dropped I asked that they save me a veggie burger.
One of my favorite barns. This one is past Red Hill toward Tipton Hill.
Descending toward Rock Creek.
Another Michael is ascending Tipton Hill.
I didn't take a lot of pics because of rain so I left in a lot of pics that might have been culled otherwise.
Descending toward the Toe River.
The Toe River
A group of us work together after spreading out with the hills.
Sprattman has really been doing his homework as he takes hard pulls all day.
Sometimes the train is your only competition on these quiet roads.
I've raced this one many times. If it's got a load you have a good chance with it.
Huntdale
Phin Peterson's store. Stop in and say hello to his son and bicycle rider.
Crossing the Toe.
I used a watercolor effect on the picture above. It was a bit blurred anyway
A lot of the pics were blurred, especially if the target and I were moving.
They still give you a sense of what the day was about.
I'm more "into" where the picture is taken and who is in the pic than real photo quality.
It's "25 mile per hour photography".
Try keeping up with some of these racing machines and try to take their picture as well.
SAG stop on the RR Grade. The Railroad Grade is one of the prettiest roads.
The Tweetsie Train ran twice a day, 66 miles, to Johnson City.
It's now a tourist attraction in Blowing Rock. It gets attacked by indians and desparados several times a day.
Clackity clack, clackity clack.
Right along the Doe River. We're now in Tennessee of course.
Tennessee Highway 143
This spot is just before the hanging rock where the "Over Mountain Men" spent the night.
They were on their way to fight the British at Kings Mountain.
There were some great guys to ride with.
I couldn't and can't remember names so everybody help me out when you recognize someone. Or not!
I have no idea who this is. She followed me around all day.
This is the beginning of the Roan climb.
The bottom kicks the 7 mile unrelenting climb off with more than 9% at times.
It was down here that I handed my camera to Chris Boone (Blue Ridge Parkway record holder).
I was very wet and the top of Roan looked like it was sopped in.
The picture part of our program now becomes the Michael and Jane show.
Do these shorts make my butt look big?.
Three miles to go. We're really rolling at several miles an hour.
Ouch!
We are passed by this blur called Bob Scofield.
Bob has won many events including several state championships in NC and FL.
He's always a spectacular climber.
I asked the rest stop at Carvers Gap to radio ahead and hold 2 veggie burgers for me.
Would you believe? The veggie burgers were gone.
Did you beat me in the state championships years ago? Did I have a beard? Yes.
No. That was Bob Scofield across from you there.
He used to wear a beard and pretend he was me. He won the states several times.
I also credit him with winning Cross Florida one year. 170 miles across Florida is very hard.
Doctor Jim Carroll logs the riders back in as he tries to grab a bite.
We were forced to eat, twice, at "Stir Fry" in Johnson City, TN.
Sunday morning after the Roan Moan on Saturday we ate home made waffles.
We strolled down I-26 to Asheville, Columbia, and Charleston.
I-26 is a scenic highway. there are few scenic highways that are interstates.
These pictures were taken from the car at dozens of miles an hour.
The Roan Moan 2004
The Roan Moan 2002