Crowders Mountain Metric Century 2008 Report: 
Sunday, April 13, 2008; Crowders Mtn State Park, Gaston County, NC

Event Description:
The Gaston County Cyclists (GCC) sponsored its annual Crowders Mtn Metric Century ride at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 13, 2008. The weather was excellent, with a temperature of about 59 deg F, winds at about 10 mph from the West, & clear skies. The start/finish area was Crowders Mtn State Park in Gaston County, NC. The course was 60 miles long, with 3200' feet of cumulative climbing. Two optional courses were available of 37 miles & 22 miles.


Participants
: 133 riders were registered.  30 were GCC members, 103 were non-GCC members.
108 registered for the 60 mile course, 20 for the 37 mile course, & 5 for the 22 mile.   Actual distances ridden were probably slightly different, as some riders might have registered for the 60 milers, but changed plans to the 37 during their ride.  Two people renewed their memberships, and three joined.

Distance > 22 Miles 37 Miles 60 Miles Totals
Non-GCC 4 10 89 103
GCC 1 10 19 30
Totals > 5 20 108 133

Organizer/Volunteers:
Thanks go to Jack Moore for organizing the event, marking the course, & patrolling the course.
Special thanks to Crowders Mtn State Park Superintendent Larry Hyde and all the park rangers on staff for hosting the event, which benefited the Friends of Crowders Mtn.
www.friendsofcrowdersmountain.org .
Registration:  Club members Roy Peche and Nancy Dartnall helped with registration, along with Verna Neal from the Friends group.
Aid Station #1:  Located at the Peach Stand at Hwy 321, this was manned by Bob Muhl of the Friends Group.
Aid Station #2:  Located at the intersection of Hwy 161 & Hwy 55, this was manned by Jack Moore.
Aid Station #3:  Located on Antioch Rd., this was manned by Verna Neal from the Friends group.


Known Mishaps:
Water Shortage at Aid Station #3:   
Aid Station #3 ran out of fluid before the last riders were through.  This aid station was the last station, and was only used by the 60 mile riders.  In 2006, approximately 50% of the riders rode the 60 mile course, and 42% rode the 37 mile course.  But this year, the 60 mile participation increased from 50% to 84% of total riders registered.  This resulted in a miscalculation of supplies needed at Aid Station #3, and we regret the error and the inconvenience to the riders.
Jammed Chain:  Jack Moore assisted one rider with a lift back to the start/finish when her chain became jammed between the chainrings.

Riders came from the following 30 towns:
NC:  
Belmont, Bessemer City, Charlotte, Clayton, Concord, Cramerton, Dallas, Davidson, Gastonia, Harrisburg, Hickory, Huntersville, Indian Trail, Kings Mountain, Marion, Matthews, Mebane, Newton, Stanley, Sylva, Taylorsville, Waxhaw, Weddington.

SC:   Chapin, Fort Mill, Lake Wylie, Rock Hill, Sharon, York.

NY:  Freeville


Elevation Profile Generated by Garmin Cycle Computer:
(Approximately 3200' of cumulative climbing)

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