About MTMS

The Major Taylor Mountains Summit (MTMS) is an annual gathering of the members of Major Taylor Clubs from around the United States for a spring training camp.  This event began in the early 1990s, and has had as many as 125 participants from more than 15 different clubs in some years – from as far away as Minneapolis on the north end and Atlanta on the South.    The event is usually held in an isolated rural town somewhere in the Appalachian mountains – but for the first time in its history it was be held in a city of some size – although still in the mountains!  After a hugely successful 2015 MTMS, the 2016 version will return to Asheville, North Carolina.

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A SHORT HISTORY OF THE MAJOR TAYLOR MOUNTAINS SUMMIT

According to cycling lore, this event was started by the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Columbus, Ohio in the early 1990s and has been growing ever since with the addition of new cycling clubs from around the eastern U.S. It began with group trips to New York City to ride Bear Mountain with the Major Taylor Cycling Club of NY/NJ.  After a few years, it was moved to Skyline Drive, VA, the northern entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This marked the event’s first foray into “real” mountains.

For a change of venue, it was moved to Gatlinburg, TN around 2001, and the Metro Atlanta Cycling Club participated for the first time.  In the Smokies, the Summit tackled the climb of Clingmans Dome, one of the longest, hardest climbs in the eastern states (20 miles at 4.5%).

Due to automobile congestion in Gatlinburg, the Summit was relocated to the Bicycle Inn in Bakersville, NC where there were several years of excellent Summits hosted by the Inn Keeper,  Mike Davis. Rides from the Bicycle Inn took in Roan Mountain, Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Burnsville Metric Century, and Mt. Mitchell – the tallest peak in the eastern U.S. at 6,586 feet.   The Metro Detroit Cycling Club also attended their first Summit during the Bicycle Inn years.

From 2008-2010, the Summit was hosted by Eddie Sloan of the Metro Detroit Cycling Club and held in Townsend, Tennessee – just outside of the Smoky Mountains National Park.  The event attracted nearly 60 cyclists in 2008, and served as inspiration for a new club, the Baltimore Metro Wheelers Cycling Club.   There were many highlights during the years in Townsend, including climbs up the Foothills Parkway, Butterfly Gap, the Cherohala Skyway, and the participation of pro cyclist Rashaan Bahati in 2010.

The Summit moved to North Georgia in 2011-12, hosted by the Metro Atlanta Cycling Club and the National Brotherhood of Cyclists, where it tackled the roads used by the old Tour de Georgia, including the difficult climbs of Neels Gap, Glassy Mountain, Hogpen Gap, and the unsurpassed downhill of Unicoi Gap. It also visited some of the beautiful high altitude mountain lakes of North Georgia, and the region’s growing wine district.  Attendees also got to hear about the great work being done with Georgia’s Dream Team, which is bringing black youth into cycling, by tackling state-wide rides and unique regional tours.  In 2012 more than 125 cyclists attended, representing 16 different clubs and racing teams.

For 2013 and 2014 the Summit was hosted by the Major Taylor Club of Columbus, and managed and designed with great skill and love by Ken Ashton, and held in Syria, Virginia (about an hour north of Charlottesville).  The best riding visited Skyline Drive, the rural roads around Syria, and the rolling (but challenging climbs) that seemed to be in every direction from the Graves Mountain Lodge.

In 2015 a little over 100 cyclists came to Asheville for 5 days of riding.  We traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway, the rural roads near Marshall, and the spiderweb of narrow roads above the Grove Park Inn.  Baltimore organized a great social event at Barley’s Billiards, and a local diversity organization hosted us at Twin Leaf Brewing, for a wonderful way to connect with the local community.

Over the years the event has been attended by clubs from Columbus, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Detroit, Dayton, New York, New Jersey, Minneapolis, Charlotte, and Baltimore.

Click to read Doctor Spokes memories of the early days of the MTCC

Click to read travel stories from past versions of the MTMS:  MTMS ride reports