THE ROUTE - 2009

Download an Excel Spreadsheet of the routes for 2008; 500 mile 200 mile

The attached word document contains DeLorme profiles of the entire route. Following this is a description of the route with significant climbs.

The HOS 500 route shows over 30,000 feet of climbing per DeLorme 5.0. All who use this program know it probably is accurate buts counts every foot of climbing, so I attempt here to talk about the route and describe the important climbing sections of the route with some DeLorme profiles.

This part of Alabama and Georgia has very flat, beautiful farm country-and some sharp hills/mountains. The Appalachian Mountains peter out just south of Birmingham so the route crosses ridges and a part of that great chain.

Starting at the Hilton you will encounter some short sharp hills before getting out of the Cahaba River area; by mile 20 these are gone. The next 90 miles has no major climbs, rolling farmland and a dam that you cross. After Leesburg comes the first decent hill, a 1.5 mile climb up to Lookout Mountain.

Once on top you will encounter nothing flat. The top of this large ridge is riddled with creeks that have cut ravines to the East and West, and of course you are going across them, not with them. The most climbing occurs once you turn right to route 176 and right again into the Little River Canyon, a 25 miles section that has 2500 feet of climbing. This canyon is the deepest canyon west of the Mississippi, but unfortunately it will be dark. There are a couple of really beautiful lookouts and if the moon is out are worth the time to stop, get a fresh bottle, an energy bar and enjoy the view and peace of the night. A profile has been created, click here; Lookout Mountain.

Leaving the canyon you continue on top of the mountain to Mentone, then off to west and down into farmland again. The route from here to Chatsworth, Georgia, is gentle rolling countryside, about 70 miles. That doesn’t mean there is no climbing, just nothing significant.

At Chatsworth you will encounter significant. Fort Mountain is the first climb on the Tour de Georgia stage out of Dalton. It is a seven mile climb, pretty consistent grade, and you may see the initial stage of road paintings starting to take place, or the faded ones from last year’s race. A profile has been created, lick here; Fort Mountain.

After this climb, a long decent to Ellijay and then a right hand turn on route 382 on the way back to Resaca, Georgia. This section is hilly, not a great deal of climbing, but hilly.
A profile has been created, click here; Route 382.

Once you get to Resaca you are back in the same kind of terrain you were in getting to Fort Mountain. The route terrain has some rolling hills but lots of opportunity to rest your legs; hunker down on the aero bars and watch your average speed pick up.

Once past Cedartown, mile 378, you will turn south and encounter climbing opportunities galore. The first are some climbs in tree farm acreage so road building codes didn’t apply much. Some steep short and one long one. A profile has been created, click here; Borden Springs.

After the back roads you end up at route 78 and the last two significantly long sections of climbing. The first is the run up to Cheaha Mountain, the Scenic Byway, or route 281. The Park Service recently put its’ famous stone and tar covering on the surface of the road. It isn’t bad, just not the perfect surface. You would think the biking community could get them not to do that. They did this on the Natchez Trace a while back. But I digress.

Anyhow, since this is a “scenic” road, there are four steep climbs. A profile has been created, click here; Scenic Highway 281.

After this section you start the climb of Mount Cheaha, a longer, steady climb to the highest point in Alabama. A profile has been created, click here; Mount Cheaha.

A nice decent, with some ups and downs on the way and you are back in the flatter lands of rolling terrain, and across another dam, south of the first one you crossed, same river. Getting close to the finish there are two 1.5 mile climbs, shown on the profile; Last Two Climbs.

You come back in on the same road you left on so those little sharp hills come at you again. And of course, the last half mile gains about 100 feet!!

Welcome back!!