Knoxville cyclist working his way to the top

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — There is a entire cycling community listed here in East Tennessee and quite a few diverse kinds of competitions these athletes contend in. 

There are various categories of bicycle racing together with street racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bicycle racing, and observe biking. 

Travis Jolly stated he prefers to go the length, “Ultra-length biking is any bicycle race, street, mountain, or gravel that is [I] would say perhaps about 100 miles in length.” 

Right before he started training for extremely-distance competitions, Jolly actually utilized to compete on foot.  

“I used to operate cross state in significant university and college or university and ever since I stop jogging in the center of university my father and I would go on really very long bicycle rides,” Jolly described. 

Jolly is originally from Houston, Texas, and moved to Knoxville in 2019.  

“It was extremely flat and there, [there] was a large amount of urban sprawls, and I primarily commuted by bicycle,” he explained.

He said the terrain is incredibly distinct in East Tennessee but that can make him really like the sport even far more.

“I nonetheless bike to get the job done each individual day and now I have the chance to journey from my doorstep to the Wonderful Smoky Mountains and all the gravel roadways out there.” 

It was our Tennessee hills and gravel roadways that produced Travis want to convert his leisure activity into one thing additional.  

“So, the 1st extremely-distance that I did was to bike across the condition of New Mexico,” Jolly stated.  

Considering the fact that going to Tennessee he’s competed in a checkpoint-fashion race in Brevard, North Carolina. He and his partner gained 1^st area in the single-speed division. He’s also received 2^nd location at a race in Ga named the Snake Creek ITT. He stated his aim isn’t on medals or trophies but on his time effects. 

“I never seriously have any outrageous aims,” Jolly explained. “I just seriously love riding my bike very long distances.” 

He adds that he enjoys the organization that will come with it, “Generally, it’s a really limited-knit neighborhood.” 

Jolly claimed it’s the friends he’s made alongside the way that has produced going the length really worth the trip.  

Jolly described that lots of of the cyclists he competes with use a multi-equipment bicycle. He, however, rides a solitary-speed bicycle which can make using more difficult on some of the trails mainly because you can not switch gears to match the terrain. 

When Jolly isn’t competing, you can come across him at Two Bikes the place he functions to serve many others in the group. Two Bikes is focused to growing access to bicycles in Knoxville by pledging to give away 50 percent of their bikes for free.