Safety Measures in Place for Riders, Staff, Volunteers at Six Gap Century and Three Gap Fifty

One of Georgia's Premier Cycling events is on schedule for September 27th!

DAHLONEGA, GA. (Sept. 14, 2020) - There are 17 days to go before one of the largest, recreational bicycle rides in the country rolls again for a 32nd consecutive year. Many adjustments have been made during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic to address safety issues at the Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty so that the event can remain on schedule in its traditional early-fall time slot, Sunday, September 27.

Modifications have been made for late registration, packet pickup, parking, ride start protocol, rest stops, medical support and other areas, which pertain to staff and volunteers as well as participants. All updates are posted online in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the web site, and will be posted to Facebook (@SixGap).  Below is a recap of some of Six Gap Century actions to adapt to the new environment.

Masks - Face coverings are required for everyone while inside at the High School campus and outside when they are within six feet of someone not in their household, including during the staging process at the start. Once riders begin to distance themselves, masks can be taken off.

Drive-thru check-in and registration will be offered on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Lumpkin County High School between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Masks are not required for riders who complete Saturday drive-thru check-in and registration. Masks are required for the walk-up check-in and registration on Sunday Sept. 27. All registered riders must complete the check-in process. Registered riders must pick up their own ride packet. Riders must present a photo ID at time of packet pick-up.

Two start options -  A MASK start will have riders staged in three waves starting at 7:30 am for the Six Gap Century, and 8:30 am for the Three Gap Fifty and Valley Ride. Riders will divide themselves in groups based on their predicted average speed for any typical long ride. For the individual no-mask start, riders may begin at any time during their route's start window after the initial three MASK start groups have left. This allows riders to start without a mask on.

Rest Stops - All rest stops (there are nine total for Six Gap Century) will have a one-way in/one-way out for riders when accessing the food/beverage stations. Single-serving beverages, including bottled water and snacks, will be provided by volunteers. Masks are required at rest stops when riders are not able to maintain social distance from people outside of their household. Disposable masks will be available at each rest stop. Hand sanitizer will be available at each rest stop.

Food Service at high school - Pre-ride breakfast and post-ride spaghetti dinner will be served in new to-go containers. Pre-ride breakfasts will be sold from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., or while supplies last. We recommended pre-purchasing breakfast with your registration. The post-ride spaghetti dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be limited, socially-distanced seating at the tables in the cafeteria. Tables will be cleaned after each use.

Suspended access to locker rooms - Inside the high school, there will be no access to the locker rooms or showers before or after the ride. There will be restrooms available at Lumpkin County High School. Restrooms will be cleaned and sanitized frequently.

Six Gap Bike Expo Canceled - The Six Gap merchandise tent will be set up on Sunday, September 27 at Lumpkin County High School between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., selling vintage jerseys and other Six Gap merchandise. In addition, Six Gap 2020 jerseys, bibs, and shorts are available for purchase online at Pactimo until Oct. 11. Enter the Team Password "SIXGAP" to enter the Six Gap store.

SAG Vehicles - The holding capacity of SAG vehicles to maintain social distancing will be reduced this year. Riders are required to wear masks when entering a SAG vehicle. SAG vehicle seats will be covered with disposable plastic covers and replaced after each cyclist.

Registration - There continues to be one standard fee, $86, for all three ride options at the Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty. All registrations can be done from a mobile device, so if you want to register on Sept. 26 or 27, please do so from your car and then you can roll through the drive-thru at Lumpkin County High School to check in. On-site registration on Sept. 26-27 will be $86 plus $10 walk-up. The rides will take place rain or shine. To register use this link - http://haku.ly/f62bf256

KOM and QOM - We’ve got great news for all the climbers who want to challenge themselves on Hogpen Gap (Six Gap only) and Wolfpen Gap (Six Gap and Three Gap). Returning in 2020 will be King of the Mountain and Queen of the Mountains competition.

For the Three Gap Fifty, the KOM and QOM honors will be awarded based on fastest climb times on Wolfpen Gap. For the Six Gap Century, honors will be given for the best combined climb times on Hogpen Gap and Wolfpen Gap. 

The King of the Mountain and Queen of the Mountain designations will now be awarded for Six Gappers and Three Gappers in expanded age divisions. There are now Five King of the Mountain and Queen of the Mountain categories for 20 total award winners - 29 & under, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and 60 & over.

Winners receive custom KOM kits (jersey and bib shorts).

Six Gap By The Numbers:

  2,500 registered riders
  104 miles for Six Gap/ 54 miles for Three Gap
  Neels Gap - 3,139 feet (957 meters) *
  Jack’s Gap - 2960 feet (902 meters)
  Unicoi Gap - 2,949 feet (899 meters)
  Hogpen Gap - 3,480 feet (1,061 meters)
  Wolf Pen Gap - 3,345 feet (1,019 meters) *
  Woody Gap - 3,200 feet (975 meters) *

* also part of Three Gap route; times for Bike Expo are subject to change