First things first – proof Coach Diablo held up his end of the bet:
That’s his happy face.
Rain poured in Atlanta this weekend, but that didn’t keep my friends Betty, Drew, and I inside. We headed up to the North Georgia Mountains to ride the GAPS.
What are the GAPS?
I get this question a lot, so I Googled it to find the official answer:
Sometimes I find dictionary definitions unecessarily boring, so I also drew a picture:
So when I “ride the GAPS” I’m riding my bike uphill, between what feels like the two highest mountains in the world, until I finally reach the point between the two peaks. Then I get to go down the other side, only to start climbing the next GAP.
I think out West “GAPS” are called “passes” but I’ve never heard a Westerner says he’s “going to the PASSES.” I guess Southern Charm really doesn’t exist in the West. Or caps lock.
The GAPS are my favorite place to ride. I love riding uphill. I absolutely hate descending, but I’m hoping with practice I’ll grow to loathe it a little less.
This was my first trip to the GAPS in 2011 and it was as humbling as ever. Drew and Betty are training for Ironman St. George in early May and they were riding so strong! We escaped the rain, but we did have to deal with a little fog:
Drew & Betty: Oh no, it's foggy! What do we do? Ride like mountain goats!
The good news – I don’t descend any slower in fog than I do on clear days! The bad news – I still get passed by snails and small children regardless of the weather.
We had a blast and plan to return very soon!
