5 UP

[newcyclist]

I am new to cycling and new to the DALMAC but excited about riding the 5UP later this summer. In the published route description there are a few references that I don’t understand.
1.) On Saturday riders will encounter the “5 Tears.” “What are the 5 Tears?”
2.) The century option on Saturday follows the “Tunnel of Trees.” What is the “Tunnel of Trees?”
3.) Is the “Wall” on the 5UP? What is the “Wall?”
4.) Is the 5UP ride hilly or flat or mostly rolling? Can anyone provide me with a day-to-day description of the terrain?

Thanks.

[wendell]

I am new to cycling and new to the DALMAC but excited about riding the 5UP later this summer. In the published route description there are a few references that I don’t understand.
1.) On Saturday riders will encounter the “5 Tears.” “What are the 5 Tears?”

Someone else will have to help with "5 Tears". I'm guessing it's a set of 5 hills.

2.) The century option on Saturday follows the “Tunnel of Trees.” What is the “Tunnel of Trees?”

The "Tunnel of Trees" is a very enjoyable 4-5 mi. length of M-119 north of Harbor Springs and just south of Good Hart. The road is narrow and winding. The pavement literally winds among the trees on each side. It's fun!

3.) Is the “Wall” on the 5UP? What is the “Wall?”

The "Wall" is an extremely challenging hill at about mile 22.5 about 2 miles NE of East Jordan on Saturday. Lots of people ride it, but it takes strength and very good aerobic capacity. It also helps to anticipate it and not push yourself on the fairly easy climb before you get to it.

4.) Is the 5UP ride hilly or flat or mostly rolling?

Yes. The first day has few hills. The second day has some hills but more rolling terrain. The third day has some serious hills, but still not too bad. The hill between Torch Lake and Central Lake is challenging. Saturday has the most hills. Enough that some of us "old guys" find a different route. (If you think about finding your own route too, remember there is no support off the route.) The last day from Pellston to the Bridge is mostly downhill until the 2 mi. hill on the Bridge. This is the first year for the route to Sault Ste Marie. It looks like it has few hills however.

Can anyone provide me with a day-to-day description of the terrain?

To get a better understanding of each day, go to mapmyride.com or bikely and search for DALMAC in Michigan. Mapmyride uses Google maps to display the routes, so you can have it show a satellite view, topo, or terrain is addition to the street map. It also has an elevation feature that is somewhat enlightening, but each elevation graph has different scales, making it difficult to compare one to another.

Here's an example of the map and elevation chart that I captured from the browser window. This is 0.6 mile of Behling Road (The Wall).

[John Foltz]

1. From looking at the maps, I am guessing it's a mis-spelling. The hill involved is a 5-tiered hill (5 steps.)

2. The tunnel of trees, as Wendell wrote, is a stretch of M-119. I consider it to run from the intersection of Lower Shore Drive and M-119, to Good Hart, which is roughly 5 1/2 miles. Along the stretch, the road winds through the trees, which grow right to the pavement, with easy rolling hills. Incidentally, the lead-in to the Tunnel of Trees is The Chute. There are a couple of significant climbs to get to the top of The Chute, but they're worth it! If you're not into 45+ mph speeds and don't like climbing, the bypass on Lower Shore Drive is not too bad.

3. Every good tour should have a challenging hill that sort of defines the ride. The Wall is that type of hill. Here's what it looks like. http://tinyurl.com/2665hkk
As soon as you turn off East Jordan Rd, you start climbing. It's about 3% for the first mile and a half before you get to the wall. 3% is about as steep as most hills get in the Lansing area. The wall is MUCH steeper! As you can see, the backside is a nice long downhill. You can literally coast for a couple of miles.

4. The first day of DALMAC is fairly, but not completely, flat. The hills start on Day 2 and continue through Day 4, with the most challenging ones on Days 3 and 4. Your last day should be pretty easy, though. Don't forget, the Mackinaw Bridge is a 190-foot high hill.

[cindya]

This will be my third year on the DALMAC and my first ride on the 5 UP and looking forward to it except for the wall. I am training for the hills but me and hills don't get along much. Its a mind thing with me I think. Excited about riding across the bridge. Thanks for the info it does help.

[John Foltz]

I've lost count of all the times I've ridden up The Wall. It's no longer special for me, and I'd rather take the bypass route. The Bypass is probably a little bit longer, but it's more scenic and the roads are WAAAAAY better. Some of the best roads on the trip, IMHO. North Advance Rd is smooth and fast, with big rollers; and you get to ride further along Lake Charlevoix.

[shebikes]

The "five tears"is a play on words.....This was a new set of hills to 5UP last year and there definitely were tears involved. I choose to take the alternate route into Boyne and avoid the wall, I think this route has the seven sisters, and it is a fantastic ride into Boyne. This riding season I am prepping for the "5 tears", it was a butt kicker for me and I want to master it this time.

[JohnL]

Indeed it is a play on words. About 8.5 miles after leaving Central Lake, you will turn right off of Miles Rd onto Rogers Rd, and you see the first hill of the five tears. It's about a third of a mile long, and has a slope of up to 18% if MapMyRide is to be believed. It's enough to make you cry. The next hill is not quite as bad, and the last three are steep, but nothing special.

I plan to skip this section by taking the old route on Old State Rd to Bliss Rd. There is an absolute screamer of a downhill on Old State beginning at the Densmore Cemetery. Just remember that if you go off the route there is no SAG.

If you do the century option, the is an interesting hill on Van Rd. It's about 12% (MapMyRide etc), but you get to look at it for about 3.5 miles before you have to climb it.

Have a great ride.

[John Foltz]

The Seven Sisters is completely different, and is at Walloon Lake. To get to them, instead of going out through Walloon Lake, you turn left onto North Shore Rd. Eventually you end up going north on Howard Road. Howard will take you all the way into Petosky. The Seven Sisters are short but steep - like the Tunnel of Trees but much more technical. A few years ago, DALMAC actually recommended that bikers stop going that way due to poor roads.

[Patman & Robin]

John and John are absolutely right on the recommendations / I'm posting a note about the screaming downhill on old state as I believe that road conditions coupled with the tightness of that left hander make for a ride that can quickly become "too interesting" Sag support stays on the route, it's generally a good idea to do the same

[JohnL]

Thanks for the heads up about Old State, Pat. Does anyone have some local info about this?

It is also worth emphasizing that once you leave the mapped route, you are doing an UNSUPPORTED tour. If you are not that self-sufficient (carrying a chain tool, spoke wrench and spokes, etc), you should stay with the DALMAC route.