18th Nut Roll to bring cyclists from at least five states to Albany this weekend

ALBANY — The Pecan City Pedalers’ Nut Roll is rolling again in 2022, with numbers this year set to match or exceed the number of cyclists who attended the last pre-COVID ride held in 2019.

The 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic, and COVID kept numbers down in 2021. Saturday’s18th year for the ride includes courses that take cyclists to Leesburg or as far as Plains or Bronwood and back, depending on the length of the course selected.

Riders will gather on Friday from 5-8 p.m. at Pretoria Fields Brewery for a pre-race bash and to pick up registration packets. The ride starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, departing from Chehaw Park & Zoo. Late-comers also can register the morning of the race up until 7:15 a.m.

The courses, which range from a century trip of 100 miles to a half-century of 50 miles to a metric century of 64 miles and a 30-mile route, are made to order for riders of all levels. Registration is $55 up until the day of the event.

“We have 297 riders currently registered,” Roger Haggerty, the race director. “Typically we have 26 riders that sign up the night before and the day of. We’ll have close to 325 cyclists coming this year. Before COVID we were at 300, so we’re back to where we were.”

The registered participants are coming from the local area as well as Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The race director said the event also is a boost to the county’s economy.

“We have 196 riders who live 75 miles or farther from here,” Haggerty said. “That means (at least) 196 will be staying in hotels, eating in restaurants. There will be family members, too. That shows the economic impact this event has.”

Like marathon runners, the flat course has an appeal for riders, but Haggerty said he thinks it is the scenery that is the biggest lure.

“I think it’s the beauty of southwest Georgias,” he said. “We’re going from Chehaw up to Plains, a lot of nice countryside. They’re not stuck in the city, not stuck in the mountains.

“What we hear is they like seeing the cotton fields, the corn fields. I think the whole attraction of cycling in south Georgia is we have great roads, great scenery.

Riders will be able to fuel and top off on water at the halfway point of each ride. Area law enforcement and other first-responders will be patrolling and on hand to help ensure safety. Motorists are asked to be aware of the presence of cyclists and to share the road amicably.

“We couldn’t do it without the law enforcement and rescue squad,” Haggerty said. “Just be aware of cyclists. Cyclists have the right of 3 feet of the road from the side. We just ask you to treat cyclists like a vehicle.”

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