The Wild Chicken 100 is a go-at-your own pace ride starting and ending in Fitzergald, Georgia. “If you’d like to leisurely pedal and make a full day of it, then by all means, enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and hospitality of one of South Georgia’s prettiest little towns and come enjoy some of the best and lightly-traveled roads around.” – Wild Chicken 100
Multiple ride distances and surface options are available, including fully paved. This being the Gravel Cyclist YouTube channel / GravelCyclist.com website, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew rode a mixed-surface option. But first, a little about the town of Fitzgerald, Georgia.
“Fitzgerald was developed in 1895 by Philander H. Fitzgerald, an Indianapolis newspaper editor. A former drummer boy in the Union Army during the Civil War, he founded it as a community for war veterans – both from the Union and from the Confederacy. The majority of the first citizens (some 2700) were Union veterans. It was incorporated on December 2, 1896.” – Wikipedia.org
“In recent years, the unofficial, and sometimes controversial, mascot of the city has become the red junglefowl, a wild chicken native to the Indian subcontinent. In the late 1960s, a small number were released into the woods surrounding the city and have thrived to this day.”
Wild Chicken 100 Ride Experience Video
In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew split from his USA home base in North Central Florida, and headed into SoGA (Southern Georgia) to ride the fourth edition of the Wild Chicken 100. The weather forecast for much of the southeastern USA was total rubbish on April 17, 2021. Red clay mud was expected for this event, but the weather person may have gotten it wrong. JOM rode the 72-mile version of this event vs the 100 miler, only because he’s already ridden the 100-mile course solo, linked below 🙂
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Links of Interest:
- Fitzgerald, Georgia – https://fitzgeraldga.org
- Fitzgerald Depot – https://www.fitzgeraldga.org/the-depot.html
- The Wild Chicken 100 Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/The-Wild-Chicken-100-601337467048150
- The Wild Chicken 100 Gravel Ride (JOM explores the town): Fitzgerald Georgia, USA & More!
- JOM’s Bike in this Video, the Lynskey PRO GR
- JOM’s Handlebar Bag – http://kaiventurebags.com
- Panaracer Gravelking Mud (AC / All Conditions) Tire Review
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JOM looks like your course had better conditions than the 100 miler. First sand race for me. Had I known that I would have lowered the tire psi. Hit some soft spots that stop the bike dead in it’s tracks. Also 2-3 hike a bike in the sand. Also a first for me. Still enjoyed the ride though. Almost perfect weather conditions for the ride. Somewhat funny that some were no shows because the threat of rain. Back to the tundra land here in PA. 30 deg. F tonight.
Larry, it wasn’t really a race but there was plenty of sandy spots on the shorter course. I have lots of experience riding that stuff, practice, relax, a low gear and power are the key. Yikes, 30F in late April, pass!