Welcome to the 23rd Cherohala Challenge!
We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, please use the following information to help make your Challenge experience as smooth as possible.
Packet pickup and late registration:
Friday: June 6th from 4-8pm at Tellico Visitor Center, 225 Cherohala Skyway, Tellico Plains, TN
Day of the Ride: Saturday June 7th
115-mile and 62-mile routes from 5:30-6:50am at the Tellico Plains Visitor Center.
35-mile route from 5:30-9:45 am at the Tellico Plains Visitor Center.
Ride Start Times:
115-mile route starts at 7:00 am.
62-mile route starts at 7:10 am.
35-mile route starts at 10:00 am.
Parking:
If entering Tellico Plains from Highway 68 you will turn on the Cherohala Skyway(highway 165), from there you will make the immediate first left on Bank Street. Parking is available in the paved Community Center Parking lot on your right that is past the Tellicafe and across the street from the laundromat. You can park self-contained RV’s overnight in this parking lot. Please do not park in the first row next to Bank Street, this is reserved for the town’s Saturday morning Flea Market.
Route Information:
Please keep in mind that all routes are on public roads with two-way traffic and ride accordingly.
115-mile route will leave from Visitor Center Parking lot and turn right on the Cherohala Skyway and then right on Bank Street. Route is well marked on the road surface, with white until the split with the 35-mile route and then yellow, except in the National Forest where signs are used instead. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50474404
There are rest stops at mile 20, mile 41, mile 61, mile 75, and mile 83. All finishers receive a Cherohala Challenge Medal with a finisher ribbon, those that finish within 7 hours receive the medal with a Dragon Slayer Ribbon.
62-mile route will leave from Visitor Center and turn left on the Cherohala Skyway and then stay on the Skyway until the top at Santeelah, where you will turn around and ride back down into Tellico Plains. There are two rest stops on the way up the mountain at mile 16 and at the top at mile 31. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50474408
35-mile route will leave from the Visitor Center, turn right on Cherohala Skyway and then right on Bank Street. This route will follow the 115-mile route until mile 15.3 where you turn right on Belltown Road. Route is well marked on the road surface with white paint. There is one rest stop at mile 19. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50474399
All rest stops are well stock and have hydration and water.
Post Ride:
All rides will end at Visitor Center where a post ride meal will be served in the tent. Post ride meal is complementary, beer will be available for purchase. Please note no beer is allowed outside of the tent boundary.
Showers will be available at the Tellico Plains High School. To get to the high school from the Visitor Center, turn right on Cherohala Skyway, and right on Highway 68. Turn left on Bear Lane (at Tellico Plains Center) and follow it all the way around to the back of the High School. Enter the rear doors and the showers are to your left.
SAG (support and gear support):
All routes will be supported by SAG cars, trucks, and motorcycles. These support people will do everything possible to keep you on the road to finish. However, in the unlikely event of catastrophic mechanical failure that will not allow you to continue the rider will be taken to nearest rest stop. Riders will be taken back to the Tellico Visitor Center as the SAG support schedule allows. Cell phone coverage in the mountains is intermittent, but all rest stops, and the Visitor Center have Ham Radio support for emergency response.
If you are in Tellico Plains Friday night, stop by the Tellicafe, tell them you are riding the Cherohala Challenge, and enjoy a 10% discount!
