We were on Woody Gap for Stage 4 of the TdG. About 30 riders from Atlanta had assembled there as early as 06:00 AM ET - there were many people already parked / camping. We rode the Three Gap loop, then returned to Woody Gap to wait for the race. We set-up a generator and PA system for music, had "race radio" on a scanner, and also followed the race via the Internet, giving updates to the crowd of several thousand which had assembled. Shortly after the peloton passed the sprint in Ellijay, we received reports of severe thunderstorms in the area. Upon looking at radar on the Internet, it was clear the storm was headed directly towards Woody Gap - easily confirmed by the rapidly darkening western sky. We announced on the PA that severe weather was imminent and to take cover. No more than 3 - 5 minutes later, about 45 minutes before the pack was due to arrive, nature unleashed its fury - "biblical" is the only way to accurately describe the onslaught. Heavy rain driven by 40 - 50 mph winds gave way to a hailstorm that left 1 - 2 inches of hail on the ground. Spectators took cover wherever they could - in cars, under cars, under trees, tents, RV overhangs, and in the restrooms of the campground. The temperature dropped from 70 degrees to less than 50 degrees in minutes. The lightning was also rather severe, which gave great concern, given as many as 200 of the spectators sought shelter under a grove of tall pine trees. As the storm abated, it was clear that many spectators were ill-prepared for the weather. A number had ridden to Woody Gap without rain gear. We handed out over two boxes of trash bags to serve as makeshift ponchos, given preference to spectators with small children who were soaked. Many local riders who were caught in the storm while riding out on the course were bruised and cut from the large hail. The local sherrif and forestry service officers did an excellent job of managing the situation. In general, everyone was quite lucky, because it appeared that no one was seriously hurt - it could have been much worse. We heard reports over our scanner from the local police dispatchers that several buildings and trailer homes in the area were damaged or hit by lightning. There were also reports of trees and debris down everywhere, as well as several cylists (not in the race) who fell while trying to descend in the deluge and needed medical assistance. A vehicle overturned near the bottom of Woody Gap, blocking the race course, but was removed before the peloton passed. At one point, officials were discussing on the radio the prospect of skipping the Three Gap loop and diverting the race directly into Dahlonega, but, upon review, elected to continue as planned. The relays used for race radio went down during the storm (we learned later that the aircraft carrying the relays were understandably grounded), but were able to receive the vehicle-to-vehicle transmissions when the caravan was within 5 miles of range. Race radio eventurally went back up about the time the pack passed through Woody Gap the second time. By then we had gotten our PA system working again, and patched the acanner into the system to allow the spectators to listen to the finish. A TdG official gave us real-time rider information. Indeed, race radio did report a different sequence of riders, and it was not until hours later that we learned Ekimov actually placed 2nd. Afterwards, as Highways 60 and 19 lead back into Dahlonega, there was a 90 minute traffic jam getting back to town, so we could then head back to Atlanta. All in all, this was an epic day - perhaps we should sell "I survived Woody Gap t-shirts" next year!

Here is a quick shot of some hail remnants:

http://flickr.com/photos/hyku/10445634/