The Assault on Mount Mitchell is an annual bicycling endurance contest in South Carolina and North Carolina first held in 1974. Those completing The Assault on Marion the previous year may enter. This prerequisite was implemented in 1992 to increase the proportion of finishers.
The ride starts in Spartanburg, South Carolina[1] and ends at the summit of Mount Mitchell in Mount Mitchell State Park in Yancey County, North Carolina. The ride distance is 102 miles (164 km) and has over 11,000 vertical feet of climbing.[2] Most riders finish in less than 12 hours; the leaders finish in under 6 hours.
It spawned the Off-Road Assault on Mount Mitchell, which has taken place since 1999.
The record-holder for the most number of consecutive finishes is 29 (as of 2009), held by Michael H. Davis.