Now’s the time to begin “spring cleaning” around your home and business in preparation for the Wheels O’Fire Cycle Tour, slated for Saturday, March 11th! The highly successful event sponsored by the Harris County Chamber of Commerce is expected to have record turnout this year.
“We’ll have cyclists visiting our County not only from our regional area but from throughout the country,” said Geoff Robertson, Event Chairman. “When these cyclists embark from Harris County High School on March 11th, they’ll follow the major thoroughfares through nearly every community and township in Harris County. We want to encourage businesses and residents to pitch in and do what they can to make our roadsides and residential and commercial areas clean and attractive, so these cyclists will want to come back and visit us again and again – and tell their friends about the natural beauty that is characteristic of our area.”
The 4-leg event, with courses of 26-, 45- 68- miles and the “Century” 101-mile leg, kicks off in the High School parking lot at 8:00 a.m. (7 a.m. registration), where cyclists will scale the slopes of Hamilton-Pleasant Grove Road, then east on Hopewell Church Road through Pine Mountain. The first leg splits off at the intersection of Hwy. 354 and 190, where cyclists in the 45-mile leg and the 101-mile Century course scale the crest to Pine Mountain’s Dowdell’s Knob. From there, it’s downhill on GA 85 to Shiloh, then west on King’s Gap Road to meet up with the group on 354. At the second split, 26- and 45-mile riders return to tour headquarters, while the 68-milers and Century riders wind through the abundant Harris County vistas of farmland and forest through Waverly Hall, down Hwy. 208 and 315, and across to 219. At the final split, the Century riders pedal up Lick Skillet Road, skirt across Hwy. 103, and then return to tour headquarters via Hwy. 116.
“These visiting cyclists bring with them a positive and active interest in the Harris County area,” said Robertson. “Not only are they interested in a challenging ride, but in seeing what our county has to offer, as well. The potential for tourism – and the growth in tourism revenue – is substantial through activities like these, and we encourage every citizen to help us put our best foot forward.”
The Wheels O’Fire Cycle Tour kicks off at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 11th at Harris County High School. Registration and sign-in begins at 7 a.m., or cyclists can sign in early and find out about local dining and lodging at the “Meet & Greet” on Friday the 10th from 5 to 7 p.m. at Tour Headquarters in the Harris County High School Cafeteria. Register now by calling the Harris County Chamber of Commerce at 706/628-4381 or online at www.harriscountychamber.org.