Bicycle Ride Across Georgia - Riders On The Trail

Riders On The Trail

Everyone has their own reason to ride on BRAG. Many ride to keep in shape, many ride to accomplish a personal goal or complete a personal challenge, many ride for fun with family and/or friends, or on their own, as a hobby. And others ride to enjoy scenery, different terrain, and new country. On BRAG, almost all riders believe that it is more about the journey, rather than the destination. Riders may choose to complete as much or as little of the tour as they want to. This means each rider may travel a different distance during the week. On average, each rider travels between 43 and 100 miles in a day. Each day of riding is pre-mapped out and planned so riders know where to go and what kind of trek is ahead for each day. When the trek for the day is complete, the cyclists stop in a city or town, and set up camp at a local high school or college. In the evenings, bikers can relax or enjoy entertainment and tourism for the remainder of the night. If riders want to go out, a shuttle provides transportation between the camp site and touristic spots around town. At the camp site, riders can chose to either set up camp outside, in a tent, on a field -most likely a soccer or football field-, or inside in a gym. In the morning, most riders begin riding early to avoid the heat. Most of the routes are back roads with beautiful scenery and little traffic. Official BRAG rest stops are spaced every 10 to 15 miles and provide drinks and snacks to riders. Organizers suggest that riders not stop longer than 5 minutes to avoid difficulty restarting that may come from lactic acid. Cyclists not able to take the heat (average temperature is usually around 90 degrees Fahrenheit) or not able to ride up a hill can be picked up by BRAG support wagons. Those not able to bike for a couple days can also use the support wagons to transport them, their bike, and, gear to the next stop on the route if necessary. Riders can purchase a meal ticket plan for the week. Cyclists can choose how many meals they want on their plan. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available. According to Fitz Miller, “The food is good to excellent and the prices are very reasonable.”