What started years ago as a fun ride of more than 100 miles and 7,000 feet of elevation gain, the Cheaha Challenge, has become a weekend celebration with muliple rides and distances.
The Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo is set for May 17-18 in Jacksonville. It began in 1993 after Mike Vickers, former president of the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club (now Association), put the wheels in motion. He wondered why riders would go to north Texas to ride in August on a flat layout, and dreamed of a ride over Mt. Cheaha in Alabama. Surely, riders would want to scale the state’s highest peak and enjoy some incredible scenery while hanging out with like-minded folks.
That happened, and in the time since has evolved into multiple rides on a cool weekend. For the hearty, Sunday’s rides include flat layouts on the Chief Ladiga Trail to the 100- and 126-mile rides with more than 9,000 feet of climbing. A portion of proceeds are donated to the Chief Ladiga Trail, a Rails-to-Trails layout that connects Anniston, Weaver, Jacksonville and Piedmont.
The weekend’s events include an expo with multiple sponsors and exhibitors, along with numerous ride options. Want a short cruise? Available. Longer challenge? Yep. UCI Qualifier with multiple age categories? It’s an option. Some rides are qualifiers for the UCI Gran Fondo and TT World Championships, as well the Gran Fondo National Series. Exhibitor spaces are available.
Or if you just want to go hang but not ride, that’s also possible. More than 1,500 riders and others are expected to attend.
A special link for registration discount, with no code necessary, is available here. The expo is on Saturday at Pete Matthews Coliseum on the Jacksonville State University campus. Plenty of parking is available.
