Sympathy for the Devil aka Poot, Poot, the (magic) Dragon

Journeyman

"And this one is just right" ~ Goldilocks
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
2,103
Location
Old Fort, NC 28762 USA
Ride
2020 3R
I knew better than to use the Dragon as part of route to see my buddy in Crossville, TN. There was a car show Saturday and it was a complete zoo. One nice new car (Lexus?) overtook a turn and went straight across the road into a tree- totaled. Just glad that I or someone else wasn’t in that opposing lane, which is surprising considering how crazy busy it was.

The Dragon is just quite the scene. It’s the place to get your T-shirt, get your picture taken, and then to brag about it to your friends. Yeah, yeah, if you’ve never done it, OK, go, once. There’s just way too many Yahoos- I’m done with it and will take a longer route next time.

Sunday, was much better. I did my second ever run on The Devil’s Triangle, which is just north of Oak Ridge. This is the place to go if you really want to be tested, even riding at a moderate clip. I shot some helmet cam footage, but as always it can’t come close to doing justice to the experience. Here’s what I put in the video description….

You'd be wise not to push too hard, as you'll encounter undulating twisty road, unusual road banks, areas of poor pavement, gravel, wet leaves, and sudden drops to the side with no guard rails….. Maybe this is why I only saw three bikes and a handful of cars on the entire 44 mile run.

Here’s a two-minute clip showing some of the terrain. If you’re ever out that way I highly recommend that you check it out.

 
I did the triangle, the dragon's tail, the dragon's back, the snake and a few others a few year's back in a big circular route w/ my brother. The devil's triangle is definitely a fun ride. The elevation changes, hairpins, drop offs w/ no guardrails, nonexistent shoulders, etc. made it a cool ride!
 
Yeah I avoid the dragon. Last time I did it was on like a Tuesday morning lol.

I'll stick to the georgia dragon
 
The Back of The Dragon (VA) is pretty sweet too, as is The Snake (NC) someone mentioned earlier. So many good routes, not enough time.

Sorry to go Dragon bashing on ya'll, but I would be surprised if any locals on here would disagree.
 
The Back of The Dragon (VA) is pretty sweet too, as is The Snake (NC) someone mentioned earlier. So many good routes, not enough time.

Sorry to go Dragon bashing on ya'll, but I would be surprised if any locals on here would disagree.
I’m local and agree. We ride the Dragon if we have to to get somewhere. There are only so many routes over the mountains to NC. 441 super sucks for traffic and I really avoid it. The DT is one of the best and we ride it a lot. There are a couple roads in Hancock Co. that are equally as good with very little traffic. Make a date with us next year and we’ll ride them with you.:thumbsup:
 
Which way is better? When I rode it I started by the prison (riding clockwise-IIRC?). what's that the western side?
 
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