ATLANTA, GEORGIA
| RIDE TYPE Road | DISTANCE 38.0 Miles | ASCENT 2476 Feet |
| COURSE Loop | TERRAIN Hills | SETTING Urban |
From skyscrapers and upscale shops to rough urban neighborhoods to tree lined streets lacking any indication of a major city, Atlanta is a amazingly diverse place. The 38 mile Tour d’Atlanta is a blatant attempt to pack as much of that diversity as possible into a morning on the bike.
The Tour d’Atlanta starts in Piedmont Park and is ridden in a counter-clockwise loop. Iconic locations are connected by urban paths and quiet neighborhoods each with its own character. Gritty Little Five Points, million dollar homes in Druid Hills, Georgia Tech & Emory University campuses, Virginia Highlands and eclectic Cabbagetown – all day could be spent exploring if you wanted.
Be sure to stop at Revolution Doughnuts for some vegan treats and spend some time looking at the artwork in Cabbagetown. Brash Coffee in the Altanta History Center is owned by avid cyclists so stop in and say hello. If you hammer the entire route and only stop at one place, make it the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site on Auburn Avenue.
Expect punchy climbs, some up to 10%. Atlanta is not flat! None of the climbs last longer than a minute however so effort is manageable. The Tour d’Atlanta route goes right down Peachtree Street which is virtually empty on Saturday and Sunday mornings and takes in the east side beltline.
- You will get lost in Piedmont Park. Enjoy it.
- Don’t cross train tracks at an angle!
- Atlanta is not flat.
- Downtown can be flooded with people and cars during Georgia Tech football games and sporting events at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
- The Dragon Con conference typically takes place during the first week in September. Depending on your perspective, you may want to avoid Atlanta during this time.
- The best time to ride the Tour d'Atlanta route is early on Saturday or Sunday mornings during breaks when Emory and Georgia Tech universities are not in session.
- The route can be started anywhere convenient. As published it starts in Piedmont Park where a fee-based parking garage is located near the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
- Unlike urban centers such as New York City, most restaurants and stores have restrooms available to the public.
- As much food and water as anyone would want is available all along the route. Save your appetite for the Krog Street Market at mile 35.
- Tanyard Creek Park and the Tanyard Creek Urban Forest feel completely removed from the urban environment which surrounds it.
- Street Art in the Krog Tunnel and Cabbagetown
- Hammering Peachtree Street which was the finish of the last stage of the Tour de Georgia.
- Dozens of coffee shops along the way and every kind of ethnic food you could want.
This route was well thought out in general. However the Tanyard Creek trail cutoff is confusing. Also the route featured several turns that were challenging if not dangerous in traffic and this slightly modified version is now my default.
1. Rather than the right and left on Monroe, you now enter Monroe turning left from the light on Dutch Valley and then a short gap to the right on Hillpine.
2. Rather than the right onto Piedmont and left onto Elliot it takes E Wesley to Piedmont which offers a light to cross Piedmont and an immediate left to Darlington.
3. The turn on to Maple from Peachtree is difficult as one typically will be found in the bike lane on the right just before Maple. The revised route allows additional block for traffic to pass and then follows Shadowlawn south rather than Maple.
4. The additional loop off of W Paces Ferry on Valley is scenic and reduces W Paces Ferry exposure to a minimum.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42293827
I followed this alternate version of this route on Saturday. Such a wonderful ride! My only issue was my timing left me on the Beltline at 5p which was an absolute madhouse. Took about 40 minutes to go the 1.5 miles for that section.
Thanks for posting this route. At Tanyard Creek Park the trail was cut off as of January 2, 2023 about 1,000 feet past Collier. If you turn east on Collier towards Peachtree Road, then south on Peachtree Road from Collier to the left on Peachtree Circle NE, you can continue continue on the route.
Hi, when will there another group ride again, we live in Macon, Ga,, thanks
Hi Rudolphus. SoutheastCyclingRoutes.com doesn’t organize group rides. Any groups shown in the photos are simply our friends with whom we ride. The routes are available for download and feel free to organize your own group. Good luck and ride safe.
-Tim-