Cyclists to Take Over GA 400

It’s not every day that bikers get to ride on Georgia 400 but on Sunday, close to 1,500 people will take over the Hospitality Highway for 30 minutes for the GA 400 Hospitality Highway Century ride.

Riding on the highway is an exciting experience, said Eric Broadwell with Roswell Bikes, the organization hosting the event.

“They are totally stoked. The people who do it for the first time just to do the 9 mile ‘I did it’ ride, they come back so pumped up and so excited,” Broadwell said. “Everybody thinks it’s the greatest thing to get to ride on Georgia 400. It’s invigorating. It’s really a great thing.”

There are five different rides from which bikers can choose – 9 miles, 22 miles, 45 miles, 62 miles and 101 miles. The ride tends to have a fairly even number of bikers for each distance.

“It’s a pretty even distribution with slightly less on the 101,” Broadwell said. “The 62 is the most popular.”

Even kids get in on the action with children as young as 12 biking the 45-miler.

“That’s a more experienced cyclist,” Broadwell said. “A lot of the kids do the 22-mile option.”

The ride is a partnership between Bike Roswell and the city government, and Mayor Jere Wood said it’s an important event for the city because of its tourism and health aspects.

“We like to bring people to Roswell,” Wood said. “We like events. It brings the community together. It brings visitors to Roswell. It also is a healthy activity. It makes our community and our citizens healthier.”

The ride is fun because it’s so unique, Wood said.

“That is the only day of the year that you can legally ride on 400 or safely ride on 400,” he said. It’s fun to ride in the fast lane on your bike on 400.”

Although the event requires the closure of all southbound lanes for 30 minutes, Wood said there have only been a couple of complaints, which the city received the first year the ride was held.

“And, they weren’t Roswell residents,” Wood said. “Those folks who were coming home very late or getting up very early on a Sunday morning may be inconvenienced, but it’s a small price to pay.”

The ride begins Sunday at 7 a.m., and riders must be finished with the Georgia 400 section of the ride by 7:30 a.m. Anyone wanting to participate should arrive by 6 a.m. to register. The registration fee is $50.