Ride with the King
Second Sunday in January; 2p EST; Greenville, Ga.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 9, 2011; 2:00 P.M. EST

Believed to be the largest ELVIS’S BIRTHDAY RIDE in the world.
Choice of three courses: 50, 35 or 15 miles.
Pavement surface is mixed: some rough county roads, some excellent state asphalt.
Automobile traffic is light. There will be dogs!

JELLY DONUTS FOR ALL.
Sideburns optional.
Wear helmets, please!

Doug Mote, the original ride organizer, writes in 2008:
Elvis’ Birthday Ride began in 1989, when [Doug], Scot Angus, Ron Cole, Glenn Kersey, Doug Mote and Pat Murphy were looking for a reason to ride on the first weekend of the new year. We declared a ride for that Sunday afternoon. The ride needed a name. It has always troubled the rest of us, that Glenn knew that Elvis’ birthday was that weekend. The name stuck.

The first year had the smallest number of riders: the five named above. Twice we have had 94 riders: 2005 and 2008. Five out of the last six years we have had sunny and very warm weather. But, take note: THIS RIDE GOES NO MATTER THE WEATHER CONDITIONS! In 1996, only the ride leader showed…there was three inches of snow on the ground. In 2002, there was rain until ride time and the temperatures never went over 43 degrees.

DIRECTIONS TO GREENVILLE, GA:

FROM AUBURN AND OPELIKA
I-85 NORTH, SOME 40 MILES, TO GA EXIT 18. TURN RIGHT ON GA HWY 109. EAST ON GA 109 FOR 15.5 MILES UNTIL THE GREENVILLE COURTHOUSE IS IN YOUR WAY. TURN RIGHT ONTO TALBOTTON ST. ONE BLOCK TO PARKING ON THE LEFT. ABOUT 55 MILES TOTAL.

FROM COLUMBUS
I-185 NORTH, SOME 36 MILES, TO EXIT 46. TURN RIGHT ON UPPER BIG SPRINGS ROAD. EAST FOR .33 MILES UNTIL A CHURCH IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, TURN LEFT ON KNOT RD. GO EAST .25 MILES, CROSS RAILROAD TRACKS. NOW STRAIGHT 1.8 MILES TO A STOP SIGN, GO STRAIGHT AT THE STOP SIGN. AFTER THE STOP SIGN THE ROAD IS NOW THE THRASH ROAD. 3 MILES ON THE THRASH ROAD TO A STOP SIGN. TURN RIGHT. THIS IS GA HWY 109. 10.8 MILES UNTIL THE GREENVILLE COURTHOUSE IS IN YOUR WAY. TURN RIGHT AT THE STOP SIGN ONTO TALBOTTON STREET. ONE BLOCK TO PARKING ON LEFT. SOME 54 MILES TOTAL.

--OR--
MORE SCENIC, BUT SLOW
GO TO PINE MOUNTAIN AND PICK UP GA HWY 18 NORTH. FOLLOW HWY 18 FOR 16 MILES UNTIL THE GREENVILLE COURTHOUSE IS ON YOUR LEFT. GO 3/4 AROUND THE COURTHOUSE TO TALBOTTON STREET. PARKING ONE BLOCK ON LEFT.

FROM NEWNAN, ATLANTA, AND POINTS NORTH
FROM THE MORELAND EXIT ON I-85, GO SOUTH ON US 29 & US ALT. 27 FOR 3.1 MILES. US 29 GOES RIGHT, STAY ON ALT US 27 SOUTH FOR 5 MILES TO LUTHERSVILLE. STILL ON ALT US 27 SOUTH, GO 13.1 MILES TO THE GREENVILLE COURTHOUSE. GO 1/2 AROUND THE COURTHOUSE TO TALBOTTON STREET. ONE BLOCK TO PARKING ON LEFT. SOME 21 MILES FROM MORELAND.

Review these directions ahead of time
The King is not known for proof reading.

VIRTUAL RIDERS MEETING
FIRST AND LAST: THERE ARE CARS OUT THERE, LOTS OF THEM. BE CAREFUL!
SAME COURSES AS ALWAYS
>PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE NO COURSE MARKERS GOING AROUND THE COURTHOUSE. THAT IS BECAUSE WE GO OUT AND COME BACK AROUND THE COURTHOUSE. IT COULD BE CONFUSING HAVING THE OUT MARKERS AND IN MARKERS ALL IN THE SAME PLACES.
>THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO MARKERS PAINTED ON THE ROAD BEFORE EACH TURN AND AT LEAST TWO MARKERS AFTER THE TURN TO CONFIRM THAT YOU ARE ON THE COURSE.
>RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE. SOME RIDERS WILL GO FAST, SOME WILL GO SLOWER

THE 15 MILE RIDE
>THE 15 MILE COURSE FOLLOWS THE GREEN ELVIS GUITARS.
>CIRCLES THE COURTHOUSE AND HEADS WEST ON GA HWY 109. A RIDE LEADER WILL BE DESIGNATED TO LEAD THE GROUP AWAY FROM THE COURTHOUSE.
>THE 15 MILE COURSE LEAVES TOWN, DOES A 12.2 MILE LOOP, WAY OUT IN THE COUNTRY, AND HEADS BACK TO TOWN.
>15 MILERS WILL ENCOUNTER SERIOUS DOGS AT 11.9 MILES, NEAR THE TOP OF A HILL.

THE 35 AND 50 MILE RIDES
>THE 35 AND THE 50 MILE COURSES FOLLOW THE WHITE ELVIS GUITARS.
>THE 35 AND 50 WILL LEAVE THE COURTHOUSE TRAVELING NORTH ON GA HWY 100. RIDE LEADERS WILL BE DESIGNATED TO LEAD THE GROUPS AWAY FROM THE COURTHOUSE.
>THE FIRST FIVE MILES WILL HAVE LIGHT BUT FAST AUTO TRAFFIC. TURNING LEFT AT THE BROWN JUG YOU WILL BE IN THE COUNTRY FOR THE NEXT 8 MILES.
>AT MILE 7.2 YOU WILL ENCOUNTER SOME SERIOUS DOGS ON THE LEFT!
AT 14.6 MILES YOU WILL TURN RIGHT ONTO GA HWY 109. BE CAREFUL HERE!!! THERE WILL BE HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC AT HIGH SPEEDS. SINGLE FILE!! YOU ARE ONLY ON HWY 109 FOR .6 MILE. BE CAREFULL TURNING LEFT OFF OF HWY 109 ONTO MOUNTVILLE-BIG SPRINGS ROAD.
>AT BIG SPRINGS YOU WILL CROSS THE FIRST OF THREE RAILROAD CROSSINGS. THIS IS A GOOD CROSSING THE NEXT >AT MILE 25.2 THERE ARE DOGS ON THE RIGHT
>MILE 25.3 THERE ARE RAILROAD TRACKS. THESE TRACKS AT STOVALL ARE AT A BAD ANGLE - BE CAREFUL!!
>AT 29.3 MILES THE 35 AND 50 MILE RIDES SPLIT. THE 35 STAYS STRAIGHT, THE 50 MILER GOES HARD RIGHT.
>AT MILE 32.2 THE 35 MILERS WILL ENCOUNTER SERIOUS DOGS NEAR THE TOP OF A HILL.

…FINISHING THE 50 MILE RIDE
TAKES A HARD RIGHT AT MILE 29.3 AND DOES A 21 MILE LOOP AROUND GREENVILLE, TO NEAR WOODBURY AND COMES BACK INTO GREENVILLE FROM THE EAST.
>AT MILE 34.1 THE THIRD RAILROAD CROSSING IS THE WORST!!! TRACKS ARE AT A BAD ANGLE!

>AGAIN, WHEN ALL COURSES COME BACK INTO TOWN, THERE ARE NO COURSE MARKERS. FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE COURTHOUSE BACK TO THE CARS.

HAVE FUN!
LONG LIVE THE KING!