Hardwick Gregg

I have done the Tellico Highland route twice and in May of this year I did the DMR in about 11 hours. I had been avoiding the Dirty 130 for obvious reasons but I decided that if I was ever going to ride it I should do it before I get any older. The D 130 is not just 130 miles it also includes 14 to 15,000 feet of elevation gain including 2 climbs up Kimsey Mountain from opposite sides. The first one is at the start and is 9 miles with about 1800 feet of gain. The second one is at 109 miles and is 10.5 miles miles. There are several other climbs of 1 to 2 miles which are shorter but steeper.
The first 32 miles is a loop from Greasy Creek up Kimsey Mt. down to Lost Creek and into Reliance, TN. I started at 7:17 am Eastern and completed this loop in just over 3 hours and made a stop at Webb Brothers store for a Yoohoo and some water. From there I crossed the Hiawassee River and turned left on Hambright Road which took me Spring Creek. When the road ended I had to push through a lot of weeds, vines and dead trees to reach the creek. Back in August the water was only knee deep but now it was chamois deep in the middle. On the other side I had to climb a steep pile of rocks up to the railroad.

I made it from Spring Creek Road to Starr Mountain (4 mile climb) and down the other side. I rode through Ivy Creek and Epperson to Coker Creek (65 miles) for my lunch stop at the store/welcome center there. From there I took the Joe Brown “Highway” (dirt road) into North Carolina for a few miles then followed Shuler Creek to the Buck Bald climb. This climb is almost 5 miles on a pretty nice dirt road to a dead end with a 360 view at the top.

From Buck Bald I rode about 17 miles back toward Reliance and stopped at the Reliance Fly & Tackle (and market) which is just a half mile or so off the route and about 100 miles in for me. From here there is a really nice mostly flat paved road along the Hiawassee River bank that takes you to a foot bridge over the river at the TVA Appalachia Dam and powerhouse. On the other side of the river the route goes back to the up and down dirt roads. At the 110 miles I came to the second climb up Kimsey Mountain with about 30 minutes of daylight left. This was a 10.5 mile climb and it would take me almost 2 hours. The first 3 or 4 miles the road was in good shape and the grade was maybe 5-6% and I was thinking this climb is not so bad.

At about 114 miles things changed. It got dark, the road got steeper and rockier and it seemed that I had forgot how to ride a bike. To ride straight up a hill you need to be able to ride at 5-6 mph. My slow progress combined with the rocky road made the bike go sideways rather than up the road. I had to stop numerous times to avoid riding into a ditch or big rocks. I had a light mounted to my handlebar but I couldn’t see my pedals when I tried to get started again. At this point I was about 13 hours into my ride. I had one owl and several bats fly across my path to distract me from my challenges.

I finally made it to the top of Kimsey just before 9 pm and stopped to eat, drink and put on a second light for the downhill. Fortunately the last 11 miles is down with only a few short uphills. I made it back to my vehicle at 9:40 pm with a total elapsed time of 14:23. This is the 3rd best time on the Dirty 130 this year but so far only 3 people have finished it in 2025. I also believe I am the oldest finisher ever.

My first attempt at the Dirty 130 on August 25 ended with a trip to the ER after I ran into a 4Runner as I was approaching Starr Mountain at about 42 miles. I was on the right side of the road but he was not. I hit the drivers side pretty hard with my left shoulder putting a dent in the rear door and knocked the fender flare off. This resulted in a contusion to my shoulder, a couple of fractured ribs and some cuts and abrasions on my arm. The ER doctor told me that I was very lucky. I did not feel lucky at the time but now 6 weeks later I am feeling very fortunate and blessed to heal so quickly and still be able to do long rides like this one.