July 27, 2017 – Birmingham, AL to Carrollton, GA – 120 miles
Thursday’s early wake up brought the team to one of the journeys most anticipated rides. The 120 mile ride from Birmingham, Al to Carralton, Ga is the trip’s longest scheduled ride. With a good sponsored crew chief breakfast the team headed out onto the back roads of East Alabama.
The first thirty miles or so where beautiful. The team climbed through scenic mountain back roads consisting of dense foliage and gorgeous houses. The view was a real treat for the team and those first 30 miles went by in a breeze putting the team in high spirits! The middle 60 miles where tough and full of climbs with not much to look at and they really tested the team but all endured. As we entered the last leg of the ride the team was again in high spirits as the finish line was in sight. Although it was again full of climbs the ride brought us onto some very secluded back roads in West Georgia that also gave us a great view! With the entire team finishing the ride our lodging was filled with an aura of pride and happiness as the longest ride of the trip was over. The team finished the day with a delicious dinner sponsored by Tim Barnes, a Pi Alpha who rode south route in 2015. With this memorable day in the books the team had time for rest and preparation for the next day’s ride into Atlanta, Ga.
Fernando Felix
Alpha Zeta – Oregon State University