Cartecay Bikes of Ellijay Georgia

Thank you for the help last night Mike. I'm sorry I pooped out on you. I'm determined that hill isn't going to get the best of me. I'll go back over there when I get healed up and try it again. I was so pumped to make it over the log! Thanks! You make me believe I can do it.

Just wanted to say that I enjoyed meeting all the good people up there on the Memorial Day ride. Thanks especially to Mike and all the organizers and to Kevin for making sure I was still hangin' in there at the way back of the A group.

I LOVE IT! Took the new Superlight out into the WMA this morning for a couple of hours and it was just too cool for school! Everything worked just like it oughta.

I want to talk to you next week about the possibility of a slightly shorter stem, but it's not a high priority.

I had a great day on Thursday with the bike rental. Kevin sent me on the Bear Creek / Pinhoti / Conasauga connector. Some nice jumpy single track up there. All very rideable. If you ever need a photo of Rental Bike #3, here are few you can send to prospective renters.

Thanks again, you run a great service. I hope to bring my gang for a few days of riding.

P.S. I had the Bike Shop Omelet before heading to the trail. The olives make it!

Just wanted to reach out & tell ya'll how much we (Gulf Coast Bicycle Club members) enjoyed meeting & partying with the cycling Krewe from Ellijay. We had a blast!! The TdG finish in Dahlonega was awesome as was Brass Town Bald!! I have to personally say the road rideing in Northern Ga is the BEST I've ever done!! And here I thought it was all about the MTBing in "the Mt Bikeing Capital of GA". Please let Kevin & Terry know how much we enjoyed their leading the rides up Double Gap... very intense! I'll set my bike up with a compact crank next go 'round. I'm very proud All 4 of our GCBC krewe who attempted & finished the Circle The Bald Ride sponsored by SABA. ALL the events and festivities were well put together and we had a great time!

Happy post Thanksgiving. It's Tish, smaller of the two sisters & mom that were invited in to your shop Thanksgiving eve by your visiting cycling friends. My friend loved the green hoody w/ shop's logo and would like to order a medium in the orange long sleeve jersey when available. So let me know what's up on availability.

It was great to meet you & your fiance, Mike, Sam & Dave. My mom, Shelly & I along with two other aunts and my 84 year old grandmother did go and have Thanksgiving dinner w/ at the Mulberry Bunkhouse Inn. The Bunkhouse was quite a surprise for the upper two generations of priss-pot family, but they had a really great time and some wonderful, wonderful food. The fellas kept them completely entertained. The fluke of taking them so far out of their element and watch them relax to embrace new people and such a great place and beautiful environment was pretty cool.

So, I was thankful to have wanted candles and that you have such a great shop located next to the candle store (lady who runs it - super cool as well). Our whole thanksgiving could have been a really typical meal at a quaint restaurant in the mountains which would have been fine, but it turned into something quite unique to be a part of.

Shelly & I have quite a few cycling friends we are send your and Mulberry's way. In the meantime hook me with that jersey.

Oh yeah - Thanks also for the fire fighting! Your firehouse has looked over my family's residences and businesses for over 30 maybe 40 years, currently my sister's condo... Tell you a funny cheese toast/ladder truck story another time.

Mike's Saga, Days Three and Four

7:31 am start from Roger Hardy's house. Doyle and I traveled Hwy 41 north on top of Monteagle on our way to Dickson, TN (thirty miles west of Nashville). On the top of Monteagle, it was so foggy that you could not see your hand in front of your face. Foggy and cold. I told Doyle to run up the road a ways and get me a biscuit for breakfast. After the biscuit on the road, we came to Hwy 24 going west. Because of poor visibility I accidentally made a wrong turn onto the expressway and had to backtrack. Back on the right path we started to descend Monteagle and could begin to see our way out of the fog. In the valley, the weather was overcast and cool with a 10 MPH headwind. The valley road took us to Lynchburg, TN. Which by the way is one of the most beautiful valleys I have ever seen in my life. Passing through Lynchburg (the home of Jack Daniels), no time for a shot of whiskey, we had 65 miles under our belt and another 60 to go. It was a peaceful ride today. We came up Rt. 7 which is very hilly. We saw a sign that said Dickson County TN, I thought we were close until Doyle called the fire station and they said we had another 20 miles to go. After 6 1/2 hours of ride time, 2 miles outside of Dickson, I got my first flat - a nail right in the middle of the tire. Ten minutes later back on the road to the fire station - what a sight. The firemen were all out in front waiting for us. My hat goes off to these guys. They showed us what true southern hospitality is all about. Before we knew it, we had our own private room, all my clothes were laundered and dinner was on the table. Conversation was about how our perspective fire departments compared. Sounds like everything was basically the same - politics and BS. A cute story - one of the firefighters is a newly-wed and told us the story about how he was married at the fire station and during the ceremony he had bagpipes playing and then after rode off on a fire truck. During our stay, the camaraderie made me appreciate being a professional firefighter. The next morning we got up during shift change and the guys had breakfast waiting on us. We started day three going towards Erin, TN. We passed through a valley called Yellow Creek with no traffic whatsoever. I did not realize I would be riding through four states today - Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. This day was an uneventful day, cool and cloudy with a lot of climbing. Our destination was Cape Girardeau, MO. fire station. After crossing the Ohio River into Cairo, IL, I hit flat roads for the first time, but then I had to deal with a headwind and rough roads. These roads make Paris, Roubaix look like an ice-skating rink. After seven miles of road construction, my hands and butt were worse for wear, and I still had 17 more miles to go. I remember riding through four states and over three rivers today, all in 130 miles. All I wanted to do was to get to the fire station in Cape Girardeau. I appreciate the hospitality of the fire station number one. After dinner that night, Doyle and I went straight to bed.

The Final Day! 6 AM start time. One hill in Chester, Illinois then flat fast road all the way to Terry's house. My average speed picked up to 22 MPH with a tailwind. I had thumbs up from a motorist. Man! This is alright, a car full of college students pulled beside me screaming good job keep it up dude. Wow, what a day to finish this adventure off. Four hours later I arrive at Terry's. Terry and Michelle met me on a back road in Edwardsville, IL. A beautiful site, my lady with a smile.

Four days of riding over a hundred miles a day is hard. This ride was extremely dangerous. The ride could not have happened if it was not for my backup. Doyle Stanley, my neighbor, always said on the radio, "I got your back Mike!" Doyle had one foot in the grave three weeks ago; now he was helping me out. Doyle told me "Mike, if I can tie my shoes in the morning I've had a good day."

I can tell you, live life everyday like it is your last. Hold on to true friends and stick together. Thanks for all your support. Let's ride!

Mike's Saga, Days One and Two

On October 7, 2005, Mike Palmeri started a journey he and his neighbor Doyle Stanley would never forget. A charity bicycle ride for Atlanta Firefighter David Stokes. The route would take Doyle and Mike four hundred and ninety miles to Edwardsville, Illinois, which is thirty miles outside St. Louis, Missouri.

The night before the ride, Doyle Stanley volunteered to follow me along the route with my car as a sag wagon. A sag wagon with a caution plate on the back of the car and two caution lights blinking at all times, plus we had our car caution lights on full time. I thought I could accomplish this ride by myself. I was wrong. If it was not for Doyle Stanley, I would be road kill somewhere between Ellijay and Illinois. This ride was extremely dangerous and I would not recommend the ride to anybody, unless you would like to commit suicide.

The first day, start time AM from Mike's house. Quarter of six. No Doyle! A phone call to wake Doyle up. Departure 6:20AM, we still manage to make it to Ellijay downtown for pictures from Kevin and Marie. Charlie showed his support early that morning in the rain. Thanks Charlie that means a million to me. Leaving the square in Ellijay within less than a mile we had our first altercation with a local JACK! the guy tries to run me over than stops on the side of the road screaming every word you can imagine. I dismount from my bike and start walking over to Mr. Jack. I said in many words what was his problem! Mr. jack started to open his door, as I was walking up to Mr. Jack, he took another look at me and closed his door while reaching for something in the floorboard of his truck. I reached in the window to try and grab his neck, than he took off. Mr. Jack worked fifty yards up the road, and by the time we arrived up the road, Mr. Jack and his buddies were all standing in the parking lot with crowbars and chains ready to fight. At this time I told Doyle to call 911. I dismounted once again off my bike to defend myself against Mr. Jack and the mules. I told Mr. jack that I would kick his and buddies.... standing in the middle of Georgia Hwy 52 West ready to fight was not the way to start a charity ride. After screaming back and fourth, I just jumped on my bike and started riding again. Two minutes later here comes the Ellijay police chief pulling me over to the side of the road. The Chief was furious at me for leaving the scene. I told the chief the reason why I did not stick around to get killed, and that I was riding to St. Louis for a firefighter, David Stokes, if you only knew, dawg! After a few words with the chief, the police let me go and said they would handle Mr. Jack! I will tell you all, Mr. Jack is a lucky BOY. I am glad there was no damage on either side. I start once again up Hwy 52 headed to Jasper, Tennessee—Roger Hardy's Cabin. The rain came down most of the ride and I started to cry. I cannot believe how much hate there is in America. Question: why? I realize that we all have problems in life. We choose our path and that is where we stand. My thoughts were with the guys I work with at Fire station 21 in Atlanta, Captain Appling, Lt. Towhey, Skaggs, Nick, Big ED, Big Mac, Carlos, and the Rookie Tony, my bagel buddies and Chief Shadewell. I miss you guys and believe it or not I do think about all of you. All firefighters put there lives on the line to help people. Why do people want to harm other people? Life is short and you cannot buy time. Doyle always says "If you can put your feet on the floor in the morning everything else is a blessing."

Seven Mountains later we arrive in Jasper, Tennessee. Once in Jasper we still had one climb up Monteagle. Yes, Roger lives on the top of Monteagle. Damn, what a ride. Eight thousand feet of climbing and eight hours forty-three minutes of ride time. We were both beat.

Roger Hardy! Thank you! Jasper, Tennessee is at the bottom of Monteagle. Beautiful town. Dinner that night consisted of half a chicken, barbeque beef plate, half rack of ribs, sweet potato, six glasses of water, and an ice cream cone from DQ. Returned to Roger's cabin and had four beers. Doyle grabbed his guitar and started to pick and sing! I had tears in my eyes that night. Roger and Heatlh kept asking what the guys name was playing the guitar that night. Roger said the only way he can remember Doyle's name was to name his new pet Lama Doyle so he remember his name. After a dozen songs we both said its time to hit the bed. I can tell you this! Quote of the day! Benjamin Franklin said "An open foe is indeed a curse, but a pretended friend is even worse."

A Special Note from Mike

Mike, I was in that parade. I was lucky enough to have a bike that day. And I remember what a big deal it was. I also remember that day you brought a BMX magazine into Mr. Harris' room to show me the "$400" Torker your mom was gonna get you. That seemed like a ton of money for a bike (Boy, times have changed.) I remember how excited you were about that first "real" bike, and the beautiful thing is that you're still that excited about what has really been the love of your life. From BMX shows at M.D., cool shoes, Schwinn BMX, the Gigalo's, Bauder Fashion College, sharing the stage with Bono, to Italian road cycling romantic, mountain bike aficionado, to where you are today, you've always been a true original leading the rest of us around the next curve in the road. I hate that our lives don't allow us to spend more time together, but you're never far away from my thoughts. Let's really try to get together more often in the future. Maybe I can get my bike fixed and we can hit the road (I'll try to keep up!)... At the risk of sounding like some sappy old drunk, "I love you, man," and am really proud of what you've done with your life and really grateful to call you friend. Good luck on the ride! Call me when you get to something cool!

Testimonials

Mike's Saga, Days Three and Four

Mike's Saga, Days One and Two

A Special Note from Mike