Organizers of a three-mountain annual bike ride -- under fire from some residents along the Dade County portion of the route -- will hold a public forum next month to discuss the controversy.
"We are going to work toward having an open public forum in August to discuss the mechanics of the route," said Phil Pugliese, bicycle coordinator for Outdoor Chattanooga. "We all understand what the logistics are about having 2,000 people ride across a particular stretch of roadway at one time."
The Chattanooga Bike Club and Outdoor Chattanooga host the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge each year, a 100-mile recreation ride that passes through Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
The part of the ride in question is the Burkhalter Gap Road climb up Lookout Mountain, in Dade County, Ga. Some residents argue that the narrow two-lane road is dangerous when hit with an influx of thousands of cyclists during the annual ride.
Dade County resident Carol Brown said that during the most recent ride, last May, she was scared she might hit an oncoming cyclist as she was coming down Burkhalter Gap, when one veered into her lane during the ride.
"It's hard to stop when you're on that much of an incline," she said. "It's very, very hazardous."
Dade County commissioners voted last month to compel organizers to reroute the event to use state roads instead of Burkhalter Gap Road.
Dade County Executive Ted Rumley said the commissioners are open to changing their decision to reroute the ride, but they want to hear feedback from Dade County residents, particularly residents of the Piney and West Brown neighborhoods near the ride route.
"We're here to represent the people," he said. "We want to get all the community input from people in Dade County."
Mr. Pugliese said an alternative to rerouting the ride could be closing the road to motor vehicles for the day as cyclists pass through, organizers said. Typically, the organizers work with local law enforcement to control traffic flow but do not close roads.
Supporters of the event said the third and final climb of the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge is the most daunting part of the event, and it's one of the major draws for the ride.
"These are people coming from all over the U.S. to do this ride. To remove that climb (up Burkhalter) would almost remove most of the identity of the ride," said Ronald Driver, owner of River City Bicycles in North Chattanooga.
He's ridden in the event twice and worked it five times.
He said he supported the decision in the most recent ride, which took place in May, to fine cyclists who tacked back and forth across the roadway to make it up the steep incline on Burkhalter.
But the ride brings a boost in tourism to Dade County, Mr. Pugliese said.
"We have work to do to demonstrate the value of the event to the local community," he said.
But Mr. Rumley questioned the ride's economic impact on the community.
"Pretty much all they do is pass through the county," he said.
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