Six Gap crew looks to expand to multiple events

The Six Gap bike ride is famous for its on-the-road challenges, but now cyclists are going to see some new options.
A lineup of new rides are being planned that will take cyclists into the woods around Lumpkin County.
The annual Six Gap road bike ride is hosted each year by the Dahlonega-Lumpkin Chamber of Commerce.
Executive Director Robb Nichols said the event, held the last Sunday in September, helps to fund the Chamber’s prosperity programs for local businesses as well as its leadership programs.
“For a small-town chamber it’s tough to get sponsorship,” he said.
Nichols said events like these help to add additional sources of funding for the Chamber’s local programs.
Now that the Six Gap Organizing Committee is a standalone 501(c)3, Nichols has formed a small team to help grow their bike ride brand.
“I thought of adding more events throughout the year,” he said. “We are planning to add one new event per year until we have five total.”
To help expand the ride events, Nichols recruited the expertise of Joe Coddington, a cyclist and event organizer from Asheville, N.C.
“We needed a cycling person,” he said.
Nichols, a former Army Ranger, said it’s good to have someone who can do the job well, but an added bonus when it’s somebody who is also great to work with.
Coddington, a former Marine, owns pedalproductions.com and has experience in organizing events of this type.
The duo, along with local entrepreneur Mea Inglehart, worked together to host the 2021 Six Gap event.
But they were just getting started.
One race, the new “6G2” Gravel Ride has already held one event.  Last April, over 300 cyclists lined up at Camp Frank D. Merrill to test their off-road cycling skills in the northern part of Lumpkin County.
Held on the same weekend as the Ranger Open House, the Gravel Ride helped to highlight the significance of the military tradition in the local area, something important to all three of the organizers.
“We wanted to make the hardest gravel ride in the nation,” Coddington said. “Everyone knows that the 5th Ranger Training Battalion trains in the most difficult place (Camp Merrill).
Coddington said the Gravel Ride includes three different options.
The short ride is approximately 36 miles and includes 4,000 vertical feet of climbing
The medium ride is approximately 61 miles and includes 7,000 vertical feet of climbing
The longest ride is approximately 92 miles and  includes 9,000 vertical feet of climbing
The climbing is what makes the rides difficult, but at the same time, gives the riders a sense of accomplishment.
“We sent out a survey after the gravel ride and most responders said it was very hard, but they loved it,” he said.
Coddington added the 6G2 Gravel Ride is a unique opportunity to experience this area of the state in a new way.
“It’s different than being in a car riding around,” he said. “When you are out there on a bike in the woods in the elements, it’s different.”
Nichols said they ask everyone who registers for the rides to donate at least $1 to two causes that support those who serve in the military: On Point 1-1 (which helps veterans transition into civilian life) and the Camp Merrill Noncommissioned Officer’s Association.
Coddington said now participants have the option to raise more funds to support these charities. And the more they donate, the more raffle tickets they can earn to be in the running for prizes at the events.
“We didn’t want it to be only the fastest riders who had a chance to win some nice prizes during the rides,” he said.

OTHER RIDES

The next ride in the planning stages will arrive in August of 2024—a duathlon at R-Ranch called the 6GD.
The ride will include a mountain bike course of approximately 20 miles and a five mile run, but those numbers are subject to adjustment, said Nichols.
“The R-Ranch is an amazing facility,” Coddington said. “We want the duathlon to be safe, but also epic.”
He said for the first year they want to limit the ride to 300 entrants. Registration will open January 1 on 6gap.com.
Farther down the line, the organization hopes to add a 200 mile mountain bike ride.
It would be similar to the Leadville 100 MTB ride in Colorado, Coddington said.
Nichols added the fifth event could be a sprint length triathlon in Dahlonega. Such an event would include approximately 25 miles of cycling, a 1,500 meter swim and a 5K run.
“Doing multiple events allows us to spread out the visitors to Dahlonega [throughout the year],” Coddington said.
He said because Six Gap is such an epic experience, people already flock to Dahlonega for outdoor pursuits. The goal is to get more riders to come back during the year and participate in the other things Lumpkin County has to offer visitors.
Whatever the future holds, Nichols is looking forward to developing more great events with this group.
“I have a great team,” he said. “We are excited about the next few years.”