The last two years we’ve really enjoyed self-supported touring. But we were coming up dry looking around for inspiration this season. Then we found this tour and it sounded unique and appealing. It’s a North Carolina cross state tour. 2024 is the Mountains to Coast Ride’s 25th year so they know what they’re doing. It’s a small non-profit group with lots of volunteer effort. Each year the route changes to showcase different small towns. It’s a huge tour with about 900 bikes, less than ten are tandems. While most riders are camping, we decided with a combined age of 147, it was worth the upgrade expense to stay in hotels along the way. This affords us benefits. Not only a private space with WiFi and our own bathroom, but all our electrical needs can be met without waiting our turn! The tour provides 3 rest stops each day with water, snacks & facilities, as well as a sag wagon for ailing bikes and bodies. There are lots of post-ride activities each day. They include an optional meal program but given our vegan food choices it was unlikely to be satisfying. So we did our homework in advance and carried protein powder and some limited backpacking meals for the communities where there are no viable options in restaurants or grocery stores.
We did a ton of riding getting ready, about 1800 miles before the tour started. It would’ve been more but we got our first bout of Covid the end of August. It had us down for two weeks and then we had to ease back into the saddle. We also had a mechanical issue that eventually lost us another week while Tess was in the shop. Even so, we just surpassed 50K cumulative miles on tandem together since 1999!
Planning included researching the routes and hotels to determine where we could eat (the optional meal add-on was not veg friendly). And if you recall the battery debacle last year, we researched and eventually settled on a plan to get our battery safely to Durham. We worked with FedEx and did the required online course for Hazmat to qualify as dangerous goods shippers. We’re now certified for 3 years. Then I got insider training from Marcia Becker at House of Tandems who we bought our tandem from. She walked me through all the secret-sauce and nuances and there are MANY, via an hour Zoom call. And she remained ready for the many follow-up questions as well. Quite a blessing.
Thursday to Sunday: Oct 3 – 6 Durham Arrival, local rides, Shuttle
Eight days before our ride was to start, Hurricane Helene blew through the Southeast. Massive flooding in North Carolina put our trip up in the air. Despite the devastation Cycle North Carolina leadership put together a safe riding plan – “the show must go on”. After a weekend of uncertainty Spencer boxed the bike on Tuesday and Wednesday we arrived in Durham at midnight. We stayed with a fabulous Warmshowers host at both ends of the trip and he stored our luggage while we were off riding. He’s centrally located with a perfect work area. That’s Alex & Megan checking out the rebuilding process. Alex has a food business called Seal the Seasons and works from home, travels a lot. We had his place to ourselves most of the time and took care of Batman, his black cat on the front end. Then we had 2 days to ride around Durham. Sunday we all were bused to Lenoir. Pre-Helene we would’ve bused to Spruce Pine (that’s their downtown under water) on Saturday and started riding on Sunday. Instead it became a 6 day tour instead of 7. We first headed east and eventually south to Ocean Isle Beach on the Atlantic.
With Tess ready to roll we spent Wednesday afternoon walking to the coop for food supplies and enjoying an excellent Indian late-lunch. We also stopped at Ninth Street Bakery downtown for a treat. The other two murals are right across the street. And how about those wildflowers at the freeway ramp. Lovely.
We did a little 24 mile hake-down cruise on Friday. First stop was getting the tires pumped up at the nearest bike shop. On the way we tightened down the stoker handlebars which the captain’s saddle is attached too and also tightened down a coupling that was causing some troubling sounds. Then we got on the American Tobacco Trail for a mostly flat ride. After lunch and a shower we walked over to Durham Central Park Cohousing for a Happy Hour and visit with past-ED Alice Alexander. Sheila was there when she and Grace spoke at the 2015 national cohousing conference but it was Spencer’s first time. It’s just two years older than our community but significantly larger in scope, with 24 households vs our nine.
After two days of urban riding we figured out what to leave at Alex’s for the week and what essentials we could bring without surpassing the 40 pound limit. We decided to leave all our rain gear as there were no signs it might rain. And it didn’t!
We checked in our tandem, put our 40 pound duffle under the bus and departed with 3 other huge buses for a 3 hour ride to Lenoir. Tomorrow the Tour begins.
Monday, Oct 7 – Lenoir to Statesville
The first day we had many double-digit climbs, meaning steep, 10-12% grades. We rode from Lenoir to Statesville, 58.5 miles with 3360ft of altitude gain. The tour group arranges for State Troopers to accompany the tour. They stop traffic at major intersections for the riders. And the local Sheriff’s provide additional support in each town.
Tuesday, Oct 8 – Statesville to Thomasville
Today was longer at 65 miles but easier climbs totaling only 2772 ft of gain. The rest stops are well spaced and offer a wide variety of options. Since we’re staying in hotels rather than camping we’re not able to connect with folks as easily. So we tend to linger and visit at the rest stops, answering the usual questions about tandeming and where we’re from. We haven’t taken a lot of photos but you can see the blue sky in these. We’ve really been blessed with the weather. Cool at the start of the day, sunny in the high 70s and dry. Can’t ask for anything more.
Wednesday, Oct 9 – Thomasville to Pittsboro
Today was our third day of riding and we’re feeling pretty sassy. We increased our average speed from 14.5 to 15.5 mph as we rode the 66 miles from Thomasville to Pittsboro. Starting at 8 AM it was pretty COLD, in the low 50s. We started riding at 8AM and it was in the mid-50s. Brrr. The sun was in our eyes as we pedaled East directly into it. Today we used our tights and long sleeves for the first time. Eventually it warmed up to a sunny 68. This being the 25th anniversary of Cycle North Carolina they are extremely well organized. The rest stops are mostly at points of interest. Today included a stop at the Petty Racing Museum. The last rest stop included a local ice cream vendor. We didn’t expect to find them offering anything vegan but to our surprise they had Mango Tango Sorbet! Yummy. At one point we rode and visited for a while with a woman name Paula from Virginia. She was decked out in a Navy kit so of course I asked about that. Turns out she’s a grandma and teaches spin at a YMCA but before that she was a Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer. While we were getting the sorbet she discovered two others wearing their military jerseys (Marine & Air Force). Check out the size discrepancy. Last night’s hotel was a one-star and tonight’s is a 5 star we were shuttled to in Chapel Hill. We walked to a nearby restaurant where we enjoyed our first salad since leaving home. We stayed at the Hyatt. Our spacious room, shower and abundant healthy breakfast had us wishing we could stay longer.
Thursday, Oct 10 – Pittsboro to Benson
Day 4 of the Cycle NC Mountains to Beach bike ride. Today we rode from Pittsboro to Benson, 64 miles with 3000 feet of elevation gain. We battled strong headwinds and a few double-digit climbs. One was 16%! It started cold again and eventually warmed up to a sunny 65. Every small town goes all out to make us feel welcome. Each of the 3 daily rest stops features something of interest. Check the photo captions for more.
Friday, Oct 11 – Benson to Elizabethtown
We rode 66 miles to Elizabethtown with under 1000 ft of elevation gain. Once again very cold (44) this morning but it warmed to 71. Unlike yesterday’s headwinds we had mostly a tailwind as we headed south toward the beach. The roads were smooth and flat. One stretch went 20 miles without a single turn. If you zoom in on the long shot you can see cyclists rounding the next bend. We stopped for a photo of these Swamp tupelo trees. Had to do a plant ID to learn what to call them. We pulled into camp by about 2 PM and secured Tess. We waited awhile for a shuttle to our hotel. It’s located 15 miles from camp on White Lake, a very popular summer resort. We enjoyed relaxing on the pier post-shower. All the hotels has some form of breakfast in the morning. But this is a small remote town getting ready to close up for the winter. They ended up opening two hours early in the morning and fed breakfast to a hungry and eager crowd.
Saturday, Oct 12 – Elizabethtown to Ocean Isle Beach
Today we completed this week’s tour at Ocean Isle Beach. We rode 68 flat miles with only 750 feet of elevation gain. About half of the elevation was gained in the last quarter mile as we climbed the causeway bridge to the finish line. Including the two non-tour days we completed 450 miles.
We’d never seen a tree that looked like this, a bit like oversized bottle brushes. Turns out it’s a long leaf pine. Today’s focus was on reaching the beach. Half of the meager elevation gain was this steep causeway bridge to the official tour end. The organizers really went all out. There was a cheerleading squad greeting us as we rolled under the finish line banner and they handed us finisher medals. There was a DJ and lots of food. But the highlight was the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Tonight we’re staying at a cabin at the campsite instead of the hotel. We leave on the shuttle bus back to Durham at 8 AM. We don’t actually fly home until o’dark-thirty on Wednesday morning.
Back to Durham
The return to Durham from Ocean Isle Beach was uneventful with one minor SNAFU before departure from Camp. With lots of buses for multiple drop-sites it was a bit of a logistics nightmare. Fortunately it was quickly remedied. You can tell from the VERY long shadows it was early morning. We had to load at 7:30 but then had to switch many people to different buses before departure. The entire week had been exemplary in all regard so we’re not complaining. Spencer disassembled Tess on the back porch on Monday. and then took care of FedEx’ing the battery. We snapped Halloween decoration on our walk. On Tuesday we worked on this post and took Alex & Megan, our hosts, out for lunch at an all vegan spot named Pure Soul.
Always great to be home…
Yesterday we were awake at 3:30 AM in NC for a 4AM ride to the Durham airport. We went to bed at 9:30 PM in Seattle. So we were awake 20 hours! It was so great to have salad when we got home and our daily smoothie this morning and of course to sleep in our own bed. Today Spencer is re-building Tess and I’m completing this post. I thought I’d share some odds and ends with you.
After researching a half dozen plant-based protein powders we settled on NuGo Protein Powder. We made it for breakfast and post-rides in our new USB chargeable single-serving blender called Blend Jet. It was perfect. We even used it at the airport on the return home. So when we were through TSA we just made our smoothies for breakfast. YAY!
We both downloaded several book options for our Kindles. We don’t typically read the same stuff but sometimes we do. I had chosen The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner. It had a bicycle tour theme and at first appeared to be pretty fluffy. But by the end I loved it for so many reasons including the character development and the issues addressed. So I it along passed it along to Spencer, who also liked it.
On our return flight home we watched a bicycle-themed film called Hard Miles based on a true story about a strong-willed social worker at a youth prison assembles a cycling team of teenage convicts and takes them on a transformative 1000-mile ride. Inspired by the life of Greg Townsend and the Ridgeview Academy Cycling Team.
This tour was EXCELLENT down to every detail…we’re very glad we did it. AND, we’re both of the mind that we prefer self-supported touring. It allows more flexibility for such things as start times and food and we simply get more bang for the buck. We’re already exploring where the next adventure will take us. Maybe somewhere near you! Let us know if you have suggestions.
I enjoyed reading your log and wish I had met you on the ride. I am a vegetarian and really had trouble with the rest stop food options. I really wish I had brought my own nourishment as my stomach is still getting back to normal. I suspect you were referring to the micro Hotel as one star.Lol
You guessed it. They were indeed the worst but the next night was the Hyatt and better than 5 star! Our only salad for the week was at a restaurant there. They had a food coop too. With 900 riders and only some segment on FB it’s hard to make connections. I did post early on if there were any other vegans or vegetarians. We did pretty well considering, and with all the stuff we brought: Builder Bars, PB Pretzels, dried Mango & Bananas, nuts and of course our REI backpacking meals and the protein smoothies. I’m about to sit down for a huge homemade salad.
Vivid photos and descriptive prose. A lovely trip. You two don’t give up!
Steve and Carla
Love reading every one of your trip diaries but this is my all time favorite. First, the photo of the flooded town set a tone for the trip. Then two give-it-all-you’ve got uphill days. As 900 riders rode, their mental fortitude was shared with North Carolinians facing a new “normal” in their state. This is a wonderful example of ‘Right place, Right time.’ And at the end of the trip a painted wall mural sums up the human experience:
LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS SO HARD
Oh Gracie…your comment made me smile and shiver a little. Thanks for the sweet loving message and for always being our fan. Miss you. Let’s connect. -Sheila
Even though I don’t cycle, this was interesting! Thanks for sharing.