Athens to Savannah Ride offers community, adventure and peak autumn leaf viewing

Josephine Johnson
·4 min read
Riders head out from Statesboro on the final day of Athens to Savannah Ride, fundraiser for Georgia Hi-Lo Trail.
Riders head out from Statesboro on the final day of Athens to Savannah Ride, fundraiser for Georgia Hi-Lo Trail.

According to this year’s Old Farmer’s Almanac, peak autumn color in Georgia falls somewhere between Oct. 19 and Nov. 4. And what better way to partake of the region’s seasonal splendor than from the open-air seat of a bicycle. Get ready for a weekend of two-wheeled adventure when the “Athens to Savannah Ride” rolls north to south, Oct. 19 through Oct. 22, taking riders along 285 miles of some of Georgia’s most picturesque country roads.

The ride offers two ways to roll. If fat tires and rugged roads are your thing, opting for the Gravel Course is a no-brainer. But if skinny tread and paved paths are your wheelhouse, then the Road Course is definitely what you want. You can bike all four days of the gravel ride or all three of the road ride, or you can opt for joining just one or two days of either ride. Best part: shuttles are part of registration and will take you and your bike to Athens. If you’re leaving from Savannah, you don’t even need to drive to get there.

The Athens to Savannah Ride, affectionately known as “AthSav” among aficionados, began in 1999 when teacher and former middle school principal Ken Sherman initiated it as a small fall fundraiser for his North Georgia school. In 2019, Sherman passed the torch to the organizers at Georgia Hi-Lo Trail where they quickly re-tooled AthSav as a philanthropic endeavor for the country’s soon-to-be longest paved, road-separated biking and walking path.

Once finished, the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail will connect with the Firefly Trail in Union Point, Georgia—a 39-mile section currently linked to Athens—and then run southeast through a bucolic and tree-dappled collection of communities, including Statesboro, Guyton, Bloomingdale and Savannah for a total of 250 miles.

Riders Celebrating making it to Service Brewing in Savannah, the official ending point of the Athens to Savannah ride.
Riders Celebrating making it to Service Brewing in Savannah, the official ending point of the Athens to Savannah ride.

Georgia Hi-Lo Trail Executive Director Mary Charles Howard reflects on building AthSav as a larger fundraiser and how the 285-mile ride affects some of the towns it passes through.

“In terms of generating support, we've been averaging $60,000 since 2020 each year. These funds go directly to our work of building the trail,” said Charles Howard. “Now that we're close to 150 riders this year, we're really starting to see our vision of this ride being a big friend-raiser and fundraiser for the Hi-Lo Trail come to reality. The ride also gives many of these communities a chance to show their hospitality and passion for being a "trail town" to the cyclists.”

And though the AthSav ride doesn’t overlay completely with the proposed Hi-Lo Trail, this year’s official Road Course does follow some of the same routes and spins through many of the Hi-Lo Trail’s key towns. For example, both road and gravel riders spend a night in Tennille, Georgia, a rural borough in the central part of the state with little more than 1,800 residents.

Since lodging isn’t included with registration, riders have options of staying at the local Quality Inn, camping at Tennille Park or staying at a handful of privately owned bed and breakfasts. There’s a charming, largely brick-faced downtown to explore and a few mom-and-pop eateries for a hardy, down-home dinner. The presence of the riders potentially provides an overnight micro-boost to the town’s economy.

On Sunday, the final day of the road ride, AthSav rolls into Chatham County departing from Statesboro. At 78 miles, it’s the lightest day of pedaling on the course. And this section is sponsored by Savannah’s very own community guy and bicycle attorney, Joe Steffen. Riders push off at 8 a.m. and are expected to make it to Savannah between noon and 4 p.m. The official ending point is Service Brewing, 574 Indian St., where food and brews will be steaming and flowing.

Even if you aren’t part of this year’s ride, you could swing over to Service on Sunday afternoon, meet some of the riders and learn what it’s all about. Their tales might inspire you to get your bike road-ready to join the adventure next year. Or you could just buy them a brew or two, congratulate and welcome them to the Hostess City.

Riders at the end of three days' riding from Athens to Savannah, a fundraiser for Georgia Hi-Lo Trail.
Riders at the end of three days' riding from Athens to Savannah, a fundraiser for Georgia Hi-Lo Trail.

It’s also possible you’ll bump into Charles Howard, who eagerly plans to tackle the entirety of the Gravel Course, and who just might have a cycling tale or two of her own to share.

“I love the extreme 4-days straight on a bike,” said the organization’s executive director. “Meeting new friends and seeing the support of the community give me fuel to keep working on the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail year-round. I'm a mom, cyclist and a landscape architect, so making the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail a reality for the next generation is a dream. Getting to actually ride the Athens to Savannah ride as long as my health is good is just icing on the cake.”

Registration for “Athens to Savannah Ride 2023” is extended until Monday, Oct. 9. Register and find more information at https://www.athenstosavannah.com/register-athsav

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Four-day Athens to Savannah Ride supports Georgia Hi-Lo Trail