Cherokee, NC to Asheville, NC 67.6 miles
Frost was definitely on the pumpkin this morning with the thermometer showing 31 degrees. I put on every bite of warm clothing I had, it was as if I was dressing to go snow skiing. We started at dawn to beat the sightseeing traffic that would soon bear down on us as we headed for Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started our last major climb 3 miles into the 67 mile ride. 10 miles at a 5-8% grade quickly warmed up the body. By the time I reached the summit, I had my coat and jersey completely unzipped with my bare chest fully exposed. With not a cloud in the sky and the early morning sun highlighting the peaks of the Smoky mountains, it provided surreal moments of beauty. The descent was very steep(9-11%) and unbelievably cold. Given the temperature at 5100' was in the upper 20's and you add the windchill of 30+ mph, it was down right brutal. I reached a point were I couldn't feel my fingers, thus inhibiting my ability to apply pressure to my brake levers. What seemed like eternity, but was actually only 20 minutes, I reached the next town and was able to jump in our support van to warm up. The rest of the ride took us through small towns via remote roads and just when you thought the scenery couldn't get any better, it did so all the way to Asheville. I was planning to go visit the Biltmore Estate but unfortunately the ride took longer than anticipated. Tomorrow we cross into our the final state of South Carolina.