SBC2C: Annual Rides 2020 – The Dragon

STREETBIKES COAST2COAST ANNUAL TAIL OF THE DRAGON RIDE 2020

SBC2C Annual Tail of The Dragon Ride at Deals Gap has come to an end. With 318 curves in 11 miles is a wrap!! It’s not just America’s #1 motorcycle road, but it is by far our favorite event of the 12 we have scheduled every year.

The Dragon, (US Highway 129) travels in and out of North Carolina, and Tennessee, bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest unimpeded by intersecting roads is considered “the destination” for thousands of motorcycle riders of all types throughout the year.

There are many turns full of both technical, slow and tight, to fast, sweeping, fun filled, exhilurating, adrenaline pumping filled excitement. These roads can sometimes be a bit frightening if not careful, but one thing’s for sure, our annual event at The Tail of the Dragon, Deals Gap, NC is guaranteed to be the ride of your life.

Every visit, SBC2C returns to the nearby Town of Tellico Plains, TN to a small cottage just at the top of the hill, a stones through away from the nearby Cherohala Skyway, a favorite startiing point to any destination like the Moonshiner 28, Foothills Parkway, Smoky Mountain Loop, Devils Triangle, Blue Ridge Parkway, The Gambler NC209, Diamondback 226, Devil’s Staircase, Six Gap North Georgia, The Snake US421 and many Great Forest Service Dual Sport.

We truly hope to have many more join us for the first time in the coming years on these fabulous rides. As a reminder, whether you’ve been riding street, racing track bikes for years or if you’re relatively new to the sport, we have one thing in common: our main motivation is likely to be enjoyment. Turning this enjoyment into success, be it competition, or simply becoming a skillful street rider depends upon using the thrill and adrenalin of riding fast bikes to power your natural instincts and abilities to their limits, and what better way to do so than repetitive motion, and learning from mistakes. We bring this up because we have all found out the hard way that riding for 12 hours is physically challenging for both the rider, and

Your bikes ultimate performance depends upon the physical, mental and emotional condition of the rider. A simply tune on the bike is easy, but the rider comes in many forms. Which one are you?

1. The Individualist. Your main motivation is fun – you enjoy the thrills of racing but know your limits and are happy to push them at your own rate. Success for you is about achieving personal goals and having a good time. If only this sportweren’t so expensive!
2. ‘Up and coming’. You are highly competitive by nature and know you have the skill to succeed and win. You are continually pushing at the limits of what you are comfortable
   with, testing how far your skills might take you. Success for you is getting in the rankings and closer to the podium and you are on the lookout for the bikes and sponsors to get you there,
   but still feel you are on a learning curve.
3. Race Winner, Champion. You are competitive, experienced and very fast. You know the lines and know what you can and can’t get away with. You have the best machines and mechanics available to you, and the ability to test both to their limits. Success for you is about winning, being consistent and keeping your sponsors (and loved ones) happy.
4. The Team Leader: You are the vital cogs in the machine that keeps your rider and other team members feeling ready to succeed on a competitive bike. You need to make sure
   everything and everyone works as smoothly as possible to get the best results. Your experience might be greater than that of your team’s riders and the only reason you’re not riding yourself is because you broke one bone too many in the past.
5. No matter which of these categories you think you might fit into, there are benefits to be had from understanding how your mind and body works and co-operates, and what it needs to work well when racing: As the ancient wisdom says – ‘know thyself’.

The above section was a bit off-topic, but really necessary. Our level of experience in these areas has its own particular stresses and challenges which need to be negotiated in order to get a rider in a good space, to the start line, around the course, through the Dragon, or any ride safely,

Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for my thoughts and experience of our three day trip to the Dragon. Follow us on FB, IG, and Twitter.