Some 700 cyclists took off from the start/finish line in Sunday morning’s Cheaha Challenge at the Clyde Pike Civic Center.Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club Community Relations Director Mike Poe said the number is the highest the event has seen in its 16 years. The cyclists came from 30 different states.
Poe said the morning’s cool and sunny weather was a stark contrast from Saturday morning’s storms that threatened turnout at the Noble Street Festival in downtown Anniston. “The weather has just made the day,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
While around 400 cyclists pre-registered for the event, Poe said the other 300 registered on Saturday and Sunday, either at the Noble Street Festival or just before the Challenge began. “This year we had a lot of walk-up registrants,” Poe said.
The day began with a high-protein and high-carbohydrate breakfast at the Civic Center. Cyclists then began lining up for the up to 102-mile ride.
Frankie Andreu, a nine-time Tour de France competitor and retired professional cyclist, led off the race. Poe said many of the cyclists were excited to see Andreu there because of his experience in the professional world of the sport. “To these riders, it’s like having a retired pro football player come to your football game,” he said.
Donald Davis and Melissa Coombes, both of a Pensacola, Fla, Jeep-sponsored team, won the top overall and top female spots.
City leaders were just as excited to see the number of cyclists in the event this year.
Councilman Bill Baker, who delivered the welcome to the cyclists from the city, said he is proud the city is a part of such a big event. “This event brings so many people into downtown Piedmont, and it just means a lot to me for them to see what we have to offer here,” he said.
Councilman Kenny Kelley said it was his first time watching the cyclists take off from the start line. Seeing so many people from out of town, Kelley said he would like to see the city create more places for visitors to stay. While glancing around the parking lot behind the old Standard Coosa Thatcher Yarn Mill and seeing a number of campers parked, Kelley said a good idea would be for the city to build an RV park along the Chief Ladiga Trail. “I hope we can work toward getting these people more suitable places to stay,” he said.
Some cyclists even camped in front of the Civic Center in tents on Saturday night.
Piedmont Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Formby said in an interview earlier this month it is not uncommon for cyclists to stay overnight at the Civic Center. He said PARD makes an effort to be hospitable to these cyclists by providing showers and other basic necessities.
That hospitality extended from the inner walls of the Civic Center all the way out onto the event’s route with a number of rest stops manned by volunteers offering riders a snack and some water.
Later that afternoon, cyclists returned from the ride to the Civic Center for a spaghetti and pizza dinner.
Baker said he hopes to see more cyclists returning to Piedmont, not just for the Cheaha Challenge, but for pleasure or business as well.
“We’re proud of what we have here in Piedmont,” he said. “And we want to show these visitors what we have so that they can be proud too.”
