Start: Sunday, April 22, 2012 @ 7:30 AM
Mass Start at 7:30 a.m
Piedmont Civic Center500 East McFarland Blvd Piedmont, AL
*Entry Fee - $60 OPTIONAL*Cheaha Challenge Jersey- Limited quantities available: $80
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 @ 1:00 PM PST
*A Gran Fondo! Complete with chip timing, to help celebrate our 20th anniversary! *Chip timing will allow us to crown a "King of the Mountain" rider in various age categories, as well as overall rider on the famously steep "3 Mile Climb" leading to the top of Alabama at Cheaha State Park *Chip timing will allow us to post accurate finish times in various age categories *Upgraded post ride meal *New high end shower trailer at the finish line to supplement the showers already available
Purchase a chance to win a Lynskey Performance Designs (Gold Sponsor) HELIX TITANIUM BIKE FRAME (MSRP $3295) during registration. Only $5 per chance or 5 chances for $20. 100% of proceeds support Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association non-profit community cycling projects, such as the Cheaha Challenge, Noble St. Festival, Coldwater Mt. mountain bike trail project and more. Purchase your tickets when you register online, or at late registration Friday night, Saturday and Sunday before the ride.
The ride begins and ends in scenic Piedmont, AL. The challenge of this ride is that the participants encounter over 7,400 feet of cumulative climbing, which is concentrated in 45 miles of the ride. Shorter route options have much less climbing. The CCC+ is famous for being extremely well organized and supported by local volunteers and businesses
The course is out-and-back and takes cyclists over Cheaha Mountain, Alabama's highest point at 2,407 feet, and home of Cheaha State Park. Given that the route is out-and-back, cyclists also have 7,400 feet of FAST downhill! Most of the 102 mile route takes riders through the Talladega National Forest by way of the Talladega Scenic Drive, affording breathtaking vistas of the beautiful mountains and valleys in this foothills region.
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26, 47, 66, 88, 102 miles
We will again recommend the 12:00 rule at Cheaha State Park. If you reach the park after 12:00 PM (this is 44 miles into the ride), we recommend that you turn around and head back to Piedmont on your bike (thus completing 88 miles of the ride). This is to ensure you don't miss lunch/dinner at the Piedmont Civic Center and that you are off the course by dark!
Mass Start at 7:30 a.m. Central Time. Arrive at least one hour early-earlier if you plan to eat breakfast.
For those who pre-register, rider packets may be picked up Saturday at the Noble Street Festival from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM or at the Piedmont Civic Center on Sunday morning before the ride from 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM
You may late register at the Saturday night Noble Street Festival from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Or you may late-register the morning of the ride from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00a.m. at the Piedmont Civic Center
(NEW!) Chip Timing~complete with King of the Mountain results and results broken down in multiple categories. Light breakfast before the ride, fully equipped rest stops along the rout, high quality post ride meal (NEW!) and a 100% cotton custom t-shirt. Lots of portolets.
Breakfast:Breakfast upstairs at the Civic Center begins at 5:00 AM and ends at 7:00 AM.
Rest Stops:Rest Stops will have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fig newtons, pretzels, popcorn, cookies, PowerAde, water, bananas, orange wedges, and more.
Lunch:Lunch will be catered by a local high quality restaurant and will be a meal that you won't want to miss! Check website for updates on lunch!
Arrive Saturday with the whole family and enjoy the Award winning Noble Street Festival in Anniston. Downtown streets are closed for this annual event, featuring bike races, more than 20 restaurants, live music, art, and lots for children in the Kids Zone.
Riders can enjoy the food at the Red Diamond Restaurant Tour will feature 12 of our community's favorite restaurants. You will be able to find necessary carb loading menus at many of these restaurants; including pizza, pasta and bread!
Known for its tremendous community support, the Cheaha Challenge benefits the Chief Ladiga Trail—Alabama’s longest rail trail. The Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club has donated more than $21,000 to this wonderful project that now connects Anniston, AL to Atlanta, GA with a paved greenway.
Friday evening at the complimentary dinner hosted by Mellow Mushroom in Oxford from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM; Saturday at the Noble Street Festival in downtown Anniston from noon to 5 PM in Classic on Noble restaurant, and Sunday morning before the ride from 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM.
The Cheaha Challenge presented by Wells Fargo Advisors is a Gran Fondo bike tour organized by the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association (NEABA) in Anniston, Alabama and hosted by the City of Piedmont, Alabama. This tour, first run in 1992, leads cyclists along the beautiful, rugged terrain of the Talladega Mountains in the Talladega National Forest, the true foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The ride begins and ends in scenic Piedmont, Alabama-a region used by Olympic cyclists for training during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.The Cheaha Challenge has been selected as a Top 10 Event in Alabama by the state's tourism department.
Click here to view the event organizer's website
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