This year will unofficially mark my 30th anniversary of riding the Buckhead Hills ride. Unofficially, because I am not exactly sure of the first time I rode this route, but I know that it was after the 1996 Summer Olympics because the stretch of road called the “Olympic Hill” was freshly covered with the names of the riders that rode that hill 6 or 7 times, as they competed in the men’s road race that summer.
I found out about this ride through Free Wheelin’, a monthly newsletter that listed all the group rides in the area, along with upcoming century rides and articles on all-things cycling. It was available in all the bike shops. The Buckhead Hills ride was a weekly “women-only” ride led by Sarah, a mechanic at The Bicycle Link on Pharr Road. (Side note – this bike shop was owned by Eric Rosskopf, son of Ken Rosskopf).
I recall my very first rides. The group of women were strong and fast! I think a lot of them raced on the weekends. At least that is the story I told myself, because I was at the back of the pack, just trying to hold on. Sarah was kind to make sure that there was a group that stayed together, and then, as now, there was a regroup at the top of the Northside climb.
Despite coming in at the back of the pack every week, I loved t his ride! The course runs past beautifully landscaped homes and mansions of Buckhead, on mostly low traffic roads – a pretty distraction when you are suffering. It’s also challenging, and I started to improve my climbing skills. And I loved that it was only for women, who were mostly friendly, and supported each other’s efforts.
A year or two after I started riding, Sarah left the shop to go back to school, and the really fast girls moved on to other rides and other cities. I somehow became the ride leader during that time, as I still loved the ride and by that time, I had memorized all the turns! Other familiar faces joined the group, including Molly Freeman, and Liz King and Stacey Kalberman became regulars again after taking some breaks to have children.
When parking became too challenging on Pharr Rd., we moved the ride to start in the parking lot behind Peachtree Bikes, located at that time on Peachtree Road. (They became the club’s first bike shop sponsor.) Then, 20 years ago, a few cycling women and friends decided to start a women’s cycling club called “Sorella Cycling”. One of the original founders, Molly Freeman, invited me to join, and she asked if the women’s ride could be promoted as a Sorella ride.
Other women became regular riders – Pilar, Janice, Alyssa, Anne, Katie…the list goes on and on. I met friends Jennifer, Carol, Janet and Barb on the Wednesday ride. A work colleague and fellow Wednesday night regular, Denise, provided the floral arrangements for my wedding after a conversation shared during a ride. And Kathy, Paula, Pam, Dana – we have taken other cycling trips together - were our first meetings on this ride too? My list of cycling friends has grown exponentially through this ride.
Today, this is why I still love this ride!! It is sharing in the beautiful surroundings and the satisfaction of riding the challenging hills together. But even more, it is the friendships that have been made and continue today.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Buckhead Hills ride, I would love to invite current and former regulars, “for a season” riders, and one-time riders to come back and ride with us on a Wednesday night again. Of course, join at any time all summer season long. I am also designating May 13th and July 15th as special 30th anniversary no-drop rides, and hope that everyone can gather after the ride (as usual) to eat together at a nearby restaurant.
Please check the Sorella calendar for more details about the Wednesday Night Ride. Join the Slack group to catch any last-minute weekly ride details.