The Transylvania Times • Monday, March 31, 2014 • Assault on the Carolinas 1C
Assault On The Carolinas Celebrates Its 15th Year
Presented by Pisgah Forest Rotary Riders begin the Assault of the Carolinas in downtown Brevard. (Photo by Michael Rogers)
Race Has Grown From 48 To 1,000 Riders The ride on Saturday, April 12, leaving from downtown Brevard will be the 15th annual Assault on the Carolinas. A lot has changed in the years since the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest decided to hold a bike ride rather than sell tickets to a pancake breakfast. Tom Whitesel is a long time member of the club, now traveling the country with his wife Ellen. According to Whitesel, the pancake breakfast wasn’t working for the club. He was looking for a fundraiser that was a daylong event and didn’t require individual members to sell or buy tickets. “The goal was 100 riders for the first event on April Fool’s Day in 2000, but the week before we only had 14 advance registrations. I was very nervous the morning of the ride. We ended up with 48 riders that day and we’ve never looked back,” he said. Jay Coan, another member of the Club, has been involved in the ride since the early years. To get the word out, fliers were sent to bike shops and clubs within a 250 mile radius of Brevard. Coan stated that when online registration was added in 2004, the ride increased from 100 to 450 riders. Although the ride is still only a one day event, something that has changed is the preparation and work required. John Buford is a past President of the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest. “The Assault or AOTC as we call it, takes a tremendous amount of work from our members, sponsors and volunteers before, during and after the event. We have well over 1,200 folks with visitors, spouses and friends who accompany the riders to Brevard. Our community really shines
during AOTC weekend and welcomes everyone,” he said. It’s great to see the response from the community during the last few years when we’ve started and ended the race from downtown Brevard.”
Schedule of Events April 11 2:30pm Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) Doors open for riders and visitors Riders can enter $1 raffle for CTS Camp entry ($200 value) 3:30pm -5pm Above Quotations Coffee Shop Early check-in, T-shirt pickup and registration. April 12 7am8:30am Water Oaks Suites Check-in, T-shirt pickup and registration 8:50am 9am 9:03am 9:06am
Ride announcements/rider lineup Team and 100 K ride start 60K ride start 40K ridge start
3pm Drawing and end of ride celebration 1:30pm-3pm Live music
When asked about the vision for Assault on the Carolinas and the tremendous growth, both Whitesel and Coan agree that the event had opportunity to grow larger. Moving from the high school to downtown back in 2011 was another significant change. With the move downtown came an increase in riders and the event grew to include music, food, and a beverage tent. Coan says, “I was going to other rides in the Southeast and knew we had better roads and that we could have a great event, we just had to do it. It could grow even larger, but 1,000 is a great number to provide and host a quality event. Bigger is not always better.” Although it’s a fun and signature event for riders and the community, Buford stresses that Rotary is first a service organization. “The Assault on the Carolinas is a fundraiser that provides funds to allow our Club to make a difference in the community. Through our Grant Committee, we give back to the programs that make Transylvania County a special place to live and work,” he said. Over the years, there have been many great stories and photographs to accompany the Assault. One year over 100 riders visited from Charleston. Each year there’s a large contingent from Canada who enjoy the ride and this region of the country. A few years ago horses got loose and ran alongside the riders. There’s yet to be a photo seen - although many were buzzing about it the day of the ride and the story remains a favorite. At least one rider, Wes Dickson of Sycamore Cycles has ridden in all of the Assaults on the Carolinas; this year will be his 15th. “It is amazing to look back and see where we started and how it's turned into one of the premier cycling events in the Southeast over the last 14 years,” said Whitesel. “The best thing is that the club members still don't have to sell or buy tickets for a pancake breakfast.”
Photo courtesy of Chuck Gilmore.