NASHVILLE, TN (BRAIN)—Nashville has been the hardest hit when it comes to the torrential rainfall that rolled through over the weekend, causing massive flooding to the area.
Most Nashville bike retailers reported minor damage to their shops, but Gran Fondo Cycles wasn’t so fortunate.
“I passed them on the way to work today,” said Derek Speegle, a sales associate with Cumberland Transit. “They had all their stuff outside. They had a couple big racks of bikes. They were shut down. It looked gutted.” Cumberland Transit escaped unscathed from the massive amounts of rain.
Phone calls to Gran Fondo Cycles went unanswered yesterday.
The barrage of rain that’s caused the flooding has left at least 11 dead in the state, and has closed interstate highways, displacing thousands from their homes. Parts of the state have received upwards of 20 inches of rain and more is being forecasted.
“We had a little bit of water seepage because we’re in an older building,” said Dan Smith, who works in merchandising/sales for Biker’s Choice in Nashville. Bike Pedlar's West End location had a few ceiling tiles fall down as a result of the heavy rain, according to service manager Adam DeGardeyn.
American Bicycle Group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is 133 miles southeast of Nashville, got spared the wrath of this storm. ABG’s Ann Hoover said their building received no damage.
Memphis was another city hard hit by the storm. However, Midtown Bike Company reported no damage, and store manager Daniel Duckworth didn’t think any other retailers were affected by the storm either.
The storm moved through Georgia yesterday. Said L.H. Thomson marketing manager Dave Parrett, “Certainly there will be no mountain biking today.” L.H. Thomson is based in Macon, Georgia, which is 83 miles southeast of Atlanta.
—Jason Norman
