Tucker County Tango

APRRS #3 


The Tour of Tucker County RR is a Memorial Day weekend race held deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. This is my 3rd year doing the race.

The Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association promoter, JR, advertises the race by claiming that Velonews readers voted this race as a top ten hardest race in the country. I have never seen the actual citation for that fact on Velonews. But I can attest that this is one tough bugger.

On the dizzying slopes of Sugarland. 

Photo courtesy Fred Jordan

It's not that long at only 34 miles. But it's hilly, and there are two steep, long climbs. The lesser climbs are sometimes over 20%, although most seem to be around 8-11% according to my Garmin Edge. I passed lots of racers; lots of racers passed me. I saw a load of DNFs standing on the side of the road, waiting for the broom wagon to sweep them up. It was a hard day in the saddle. See the terrain below on Strava!


The final climb is especially notorious: it's called Sugarland, and it's name is pure contradiction. It's about 5 miles long and a brute. Each of the past three years, I've encountered (and passed) 7 or 8 strong, young bucks walking their bikes up the slopes of this climb. I'm starting to make friends with it, though, after three tangos. I may not be getting faster, mind you. But Sugarland and I are starting to regard one another.

The top of Sugarland. The bottom of the hill is
on that valley floor, off in the distance.

The last two years the weather has been phenomenal for this race. And this year's edition was also great: mid 70s, low humidity, and bright sun. Any hotter, and it would have been a death march up the hills. Any rain, and the descents would have been murderous. But idyllic it was.

Windmills on the summit of Sugarland

As for results, well, not so idyllic. I didn't DNF, though. And, for once this season, I wasn't lanterne rouge, either. But each of the past two years I was faster. I can blame it on the ole knees, which were still sore from the Pgh-DC voyage. And that brute Sugarland didn't help matters. I think I may have to give it some time off the bike to heal things up.

My race number. A fitting number for the carnage of that day.