FATS Post-Thanksgiving Ride
RSVP at this event’s MeetUp page.
What to do after Thanksgiving? Watch more football? Eat more turkey? Go back to work? Naaah! Grab your bike and join the Tombo crew for an all-inclusive, 3-day, 2-night trip to Augusta, Georgia, to ride the award winning Forks Area Trail System.
We’ll leave Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, ride this wonderful IMBA Epic Trail, enjoy great food and warm campfires alongside the lake and be back in time to punch the clock on Monday morning.
FATS has been referred to as Georgia’s Giant Pump Track! Its 35 miles of wide, well marked trails, with minimal elevation gains, undulating terrain and smooth banked turns. It’s all about flow and speed. And early winter is the perfect time to ride – the air is cool and the bugs have flown off to Florida.
FATS is a great place to
ride with your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife/significant other. Anyone with modest abilities can have a GREAT day on a bike at FATS. I’ve seen families with kids on 24” bikes making a day of it on the Brown Wave, as well as hard-core endurance riders logging more than 50 miles at a whack.
FATS is truly one of the most widely appealing trails of southeast and proof that mountains are not necessary for a world-class mountain bike trail system. (Flat land trail builders take note) This is a must-ride before the winter winds begin to blow.
We’ve long debated as to whether this should be a camping or a hotel-based trip. It’s about 30 minutes from either hotel or campground to the trailhead. But given recent feedback, we’re lowering the price to $250 per person and making this a camping trip.
Make your reservation, grab your bike, tent and sleeping bag and jump onboard the bus. Everything but adult beverages is included in one low price. Naturally, if you care to bring your own, we’ll keep ‘em cold for you.
Minimum capacity = 6 Maximum capacity = 10
Includes all meals, Friday Lunch through Sunday Lunch, transportation, and park fees. $250 per person.
Reserve your place here on Meetup, then send an email to [masked]
letting us know how many are in your party and if you need any sort of camping gear. We’ll get back to you with details and a PayPal link to confirm your ride.
For trail maps, photos and trail descriptions from our friends at Central Savannah River Area SORBA, copy and paste this URL: http:www.sorbacsra.org/trails/fats.htm
ITINERARY
Day 1: Friday November 23, 2012
We leave Wilmington at 8am to drive to the Sumpter National Forest, just across the Savannah River, north of Augusta, GA. Coffee and snacks will be served onboard and we’ll stop along the way for an early lunch.
Arriving shortly after noon, we’ll have a chance to orient ourselves to the trail system, check out our equipment and get a good ride in.
Then its off to Hamilton Branch Park where you can set your tent up and inflate that queen-size, pillow-top air mattress your girlfriend insisted on buying.
Meanwhile, your talented and dedicated crew will whip-up a delightful dinner for you to enjoy around the campfire as the sun goes down. This will be a truly memorable way to relax after a long day.
Meals: Snacks, Lunch, Dinner
Saddle Time: 3 hrs (approx)
Day 2: Saturday November 24
After a tasty breakfast, we’ll shuttle to the trailhead for a big day on the trail, exploring all 35 miles of smooth, fast-rolling fun.
When you’re ready, a picnic lunch will be served at the staging area. There’s water and “essential facilities” on-site.
After you’ve ridden, rested, recovered and ridden again, we’ll head back to the campsite for another great meal and perhaps an evening stroll along the lakefront.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Saddle Time: 6+ hrs
Day 3: Sunday November 25
This is a group option day! We can lounge around after breakfast and make a leisurely return to Wilmington, or get up and out early enough to ride another of the Palmetto State’s fine trails on the way home. Its up to you – majority rules.
Trail options include: Harbison State Forest outside Columbia or The Killer Three Loop in Sumter. Whatever your choice, we’ll have a great time and relaxing ride home with lots of stories to tell.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Saddle Time: 2-3 hrs depending on group desires
Reserve your place here on Meetup, then send an email through MeetUp letting us know how many are in your party and if you need any sort of camping gear. We’ll get back to you with details and a PayPal link to confirm your ride.
