Avondale Pizza ride is a regular year round group ride that rolls out from the corner of Lake Street and North Avondale Road, near the heart of downtown Avondale Estates at 6:30pm (6:00 during the winter months), Thursday evenings. The ride has a long history, having assembled for a minimum of 20 years, and perhaps much longer. This is a relatively fast ride, approximately 20 to 21mph overall average, due in part to the relatively flat terrain. Over the course of 26 miles, it climbs only around 1600′- relatively mild by Atlanta standards. The ride is quite popular in the Spring and Summer months- 150+ riders participated on a recent ride in mid April of 2012. The ride is named for the restaurant once located at the start of the ride. Despite the fact that the business is currently closed, the ride still leaves from the parking lot in the rear. I am told that in the past, the restaurant would award free pizza to the winner of a sprint segment near the end of the ride.
Tudor styled storefronts in Avondale Estates
The ride begins by heading North / Northeast via N Clarendon Avenue, through Scottsdale, where the road then becomes Church Street. Passing over and outside of I-285, it turns south on Lovejoy Street, just west of Clarkston, and picks up Rowland Street. After five blocks or so, a right turn on Norman Road begins the eastward trek towards Stone Mountain, eventually connecting with Central Drive for a couple of miles, before crossing over Memorial Drive. Two more miles on James B Rivers Memorial Drive carries the group through the town of Stone Mountain, to the back entrance to Stone Mountain Park.
Stone Mountain park offers a shorter “inner” loop, and a longer “outer” loop- during the winter months, the ride will turn right after entering the park, and cycle two inner counter-clockwise loops, In the summer, a left turn in the park carries the ride on the outer loop, clockwise, until it crosses Venable lake, where it turns right on Robert E. Lee Blvd, and follows it the remaining 3.5 miles back to the rear entrance to the park. Average pace in the park on a recent ride was around 25 or 26 mph. There may be further variations on the circuit within the park, depending on time of year, etc. After leaving the rear park gates, the route immediately turns left, and takes a slightly different course through the town of Stone Mountain, then typically retraces the same roads back to Avondale Estates.
Obligatory photo of Stone Mountain
This is a pretty fast and fun ride. During spring and summer, the large number of riders, combined with the fast pace in the park, can also make it somewhat nerve wracking! When you are riding the segment within the park, be aware that law enforcement officials in the park will expect you to come to a complete stop at stop signs, and, after dark, will pull you over if you don’t have front and rear lights (I know this from firsthand experience!).
