Pre-Ride Information
Welcome to the 19th annual Tour de Rocky Top,
Knoxville's largest organized bike ride.
Close to 400 riders are expected, so please use the following information to help make your Rocky Top experience as smooth as possible.
Packet pickup and late registration:
Thursday, July 3, 3-6pm Peaceful Side BREWERY in Maryville—NOT Townsend!
Packets may be picked up starting at 6am on ride morning (July 5) at Peaceful Side Social
Please try to make it to one of the early packet pickup days, if at all possible. With the large crowd expected, Saturday morning packet pickup will be very hectic.
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Start Times:
42/50/60/65/100 mile routes leave at 7:30am
25 mile route leave at 8:00am. This is to give separation between riders to make the initial turn safer and not be intermixed with the longer riders
Parking: Event Parking is in the field adjacent to the south of PSS. Follow the PARKING SIGNS.
Butterfly Gap KOM/QOM will be taken at the “top” of Butterfly Gap, 2.3 miles up Butterfly Gap Rd.
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Route Information
2025 Tour de Rocky Top routes can be found at https://tourderockytop.com/
Direct link to the Ride with GPS digital routes.
Cue sheets are also posted online. A very, very limited number of cue sheets will be available on Saturday. Please print off a cue sheet at home if possible if you need one.
The 2025 TdRT routes are marked with traditional bike route painted markings. When in doubt, follow the markings on the road. The route colors are as follows:
All routes are marked in WHITE until mile 10.3
65 remains WHITE for the remainder of the ride
42/50/Gap 60/85/B Gap 100 turn to YELLOW at mile 10.3
B Gap 100 & B Gap 60 remain yellow until mile 46.7, at that point turning to WHITE
85 is YELLOW until mile 16.7, then BLUE for 2 turns, back to YELLOW to mile 29.6, then WHITE for the remainder
50 is WHITE, then YELLOW at mile 10.3, then ORANGE at mile 16.7 thru mile 22.9, then YELLOW to mile 35.6, then WHITE for the remainder
42 is ORANGE, then BLUE for 2 turns, then back to YELLOW
All routes are marked in WHITE after crossing back over Hwy 321, and on the return to PSS.
The 25 mile route will be marked in WHITE for the first 8.6 miles. The remainder will be marked with BLUE arrow signs mounted on cones. This is because we cannot paint the greenway.
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Rest Stops
Rest stops are located every 15-20 miles on all routes, and are indicated on the route maps and cue sheets.
100 B Gap route has 6 rest stops
85 route has 5
65 route has 4
60 has 3
50 has 2
42 has 2
25 has 1
Exact Rest stop locations are noted on the Ride with GPS route maps.
Rest Stops will provide typical bike ride foods—Water, Gatorade sweet & salty snacks, bananas, peanut butter.
Some, particularly those on the longer routes, will offer PB&J, water melon, pickle juice, GU gels, little cokes.
The Butterfly Gap rest stop at Top of the World will offer GU gels and several other “special” RS food/drink
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SAG Support
The routes will be supported by various area bike shops and by RDE personnel. These support people will do everything possible to keep you on the road to the finish. However, in the unlikely event of a catastrophic mechanical failure (the bike won't ride), the rider will be taken to the nearest rest stop. Riders will be taken back to the finish as the support schedule allows. Only riders with medical problems will be taken back to the start/finish immediately.
The following are bike support personnel with cell #'s attached. Please call one of these #'s if you need assistance.
Martin 865-250-3618
Gabe (moto support) 912-492-2951
Jon 865-803-8616
Robert 865-384-7232
25mile
Luke Grieve (Fountain City Pedaler) 865-292-3999
Please only call these numbers with a problem on the course. No phone calls regarding finisher medals, pizza, beer, and other finish celebration questions. There will be Race Day Events crew members at the finish line to help post ride.
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Cut-off times
Butterfly Gap 100 mile participants must reach the 100/60 mile split point at Melrose Station/Old Walland Hwy (mile 46.7) by 11:30.
Butterfly Gappers not reaching this point by 11:30 MUST TURN RIGHT on Old Walland Hwy back to Townsend, thus dropping down to the Butterfly Gap 60 mile route option.
This is done for safety (heat) purposes, and also by request of Peaceful Side Social in order to accommodate their dinner customers.
