The Chatt Valley … a Perfect Place for a Century Ride

The Chatt Valley … a Perfect Place for a Century Ride

The Chatt Valley area has a rich history of hosting century rides. Cyclists from throughout the U.S. have enjoyed annual rides like the Wilson100, MACC One Love, Lewis Grizzard and Southside Century events for more than 10 years. In recent years, a new crop of events has been added including the Velocity Atlanta, Tour of Coweta, Twice Baked and Semper Fi Century rides. Why is the Chatt Valley a magnet for organized cycling events? Perhaps it’s the area’s convenience to the Atlanta. I like to think it’s due to the Chatt Valley’s topography and rural areas. Better yet, cities and towns like Carrollton, Chattahoochee Hills, Senoia, Newnan and Moreland welcome cyclists to their communities.

The rolling hills of the Chatt Valley provide cyclists of all skill levels with manageable climbing challenges and recovery options after every climb. The communities that line the east and west sides of the corridor are rural, beautiful, and for many cyclists, a safe place for cycling. While these areas are not free from automobiles, the volume of traffic is significantly lower. Surprising to some, the area still offers a number of gravel routes as well. The warm climate of the beautiful south provides a minimum of 10 months of great cycling opportunities each year. The Chatt Valley Century Ride season extends from March to November. The Tour of Coweta kicks off the season in the spring and the Semper Fi and Lewis Grizzard Century rides close the year out in the fall.

Carroll County hosts two of the area’s Century rides. The Semper Fi Century Ride takes off from Carrollton and Twice Baked Century ride starts in Temple, Georgia. The Semper Fi Century hosted by the Carroll County Cycling Club serves as a fundraiser for Toys for Tots. Century rides are evolving to trends in cycling and the Semper Fi is no different. The ride offers three road routes and has introduced two mixed surface gravel routes for this year’s event. The cycling club has partnered up with Printer’s Ale of Carrollton to offer a great event and Oktoberfest afterparty with food, live music and plenty of Ale.

Ben Wood, organizer of the Semper Fi Century in Carrollton notes … “Carroll County is one of the best kept secrets in Metro Atlanta cycling. We have an abundance of routes to suit any riding style, from great road routes, challenging mixed surface/gravel routes, the Carrollton Greenbelt, and even mountain biking trails at Castle Playground (including jump lines!) and Moore’s Bridge. The hospitality is wonderful, and the possibility of fun on 2 wheels is limitless!”

Ben is right, Carroll County is a haven for cyclists and offers every discipline of cycling. Carroll County joins other communities in the Chatt Valley to provide a cycling destination with limitless opportunities to ride. Don’t wait for the Semper Fi Century to check out Carroll County cycling. Downtown Carrollton is 50 minutes west of the Atlanta Airport. Carrollton is a vibrant community connected by the Greenbelt. There are dozens of great local restaurants and pubs for visitors to enjoy. Perpetual Motion Bicycles and West Georgia Cycling bike shops are located in Carrollton and offer sales, services and rentals.

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