The 2025 Trans North Georgia bikepacking event saw a razor-close finish

The 2025 Trans North Georgia bikepacking race featured a grueling new west-to-east route, with top finishers separated by mere seconds and a historic women's podium placement.
At the start line of the 2025 Trans North Georgia bikepacking race. Photo: @superboyjazz

This year’s Trans North Georgia (TNGA) bikepacking event marked the first time the 359-mile course, with 56,000 feet of climbing, has been run from west to east. After more than 60 hours of riding, the top three finishers crossed the line within less than 10 minutes of each other, and the top two riders were separated by only seconds. It also marked the first time a woman finished in the top three.

A screenshot from the Track Leaders website showing the elevation profile for this year’s event.

A flat and steamy start

The TNGA usually starts at the South Carolina border and ends at the Alabama line to the west. With the race beginning on Saturday, August 16, at the Chief Ladiga Trail this year, riders faced a relatively flat elevation profile for the first 50 miles, and the top riders set a blistering pace from the beginning. Speeds slowed a bit once the riders hit the Pinhoti singletrack leading to Dalton, and slowed again when the riders reached the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Temperatures and humidity remained elevated throughout the ride. Daytime temperatures ranged from the mid-80s to low 90s, and overnight temperatures didn’t dip below 70° except at the highest elevations. The humidity was extremely high throughout the weekend, with scattered thunderstorms popping up along the route.

The temperatures, along with the change that put the biggest climbs at the end of the race, seemingly added to the difficulty for riders. According to TrackLeaders data, of 96 riders that started, 55 scratched, including many who were top finishers in the past.

The 2025 winning times reflect just how difficult this year’s TNGA was. Chad Brandon was the first to reach South Carolina on Monday in an unofficial time of 60 hours, 3 minutes, and 0 seconds, which is more than 19 hours slower than the record set by Abe Kaufman just two years ago in 2023.

From a video of the finish posted by Kevin Tolbert. Brandon is in green and black, and Britton is in blue.

A fast roll to the finish

A video at the finish line shows Brandon and second-place finisher Ryan Britton coasting down the final paved section toward a bridge just two seconds apart. According to his TrackLeaders profile, the 51-year-old Brandon, from Huntsville, AL, was riding a singlespeed Surly Karate Monkey. Since this is the first year the route has been run west to east, his result sets a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) for that direction. Britton, a 24-year-old from Falmouth, Maine, was literally just seconds behind.

Bridget Brown finished in third place, just nine minutes behind the winner, likely becoming the first woman to finish the TNGA in the top three. Congratulations continue pouring in from members of a private Facebook group, with many saying this year’s finish was one of the most inspiring yet.

The TNGA is held each August and is supported by volunteers and local businesses, including Mulberry Gap.