The Union Hill metric is 63 miles, starting and ending at the Union Hill school, which is located on Brindley Mountain just south of the Tennessee River. The route is mostly flat-to-rolling with two long climbs near the end. It travels on good pavement thru beautiful quiet farmland and there are three rest stops fairly well placed on the course. There's also a store across the street from the start location school. This is a very rural area and motorists are noticeably friendly toward cyclists.
In addition to the two main climbs there are two steep hills that gain close to 200 feet. Most of the climbs come later in the route so ride the first half conservatively to finish strong.
The Union Hill short version cuts out the final climb and some mileage in the middle for an easier 48 mile distance.
Thanks to Jeannie Mackay for mapping this route out, she has several more Huntsville area rides on her website.
|