Six Flags gives a peek at new Twisted Cyclone ride

This artist’s rendering shows the Twisted Cyclone coaster descending the ride’s first drop. The Twisted Cyclone will incorporate part of the structure of the former Georgia Cyclone ride. CONTRIBUTED BY SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

This artist’s rendering shows the Twisted Cyclone coaster descending the ride’s first drop. The Twisted Cyclone will incorporate part of the structure of the former Georgia Cyclone ride. CONTRIBUTED BY SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

Here's a bit of advice before you hop on the new Twisted Cyclone ride at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Skip lunch.

The Austell amusement park’s newest attraction is rising amid the wooden, weathered skeleton of what was once the Georgia Cyclone, which opened in 1990.

The media got an early look Thursday at construction of the Twisted Cyclone, which will be made of wood and steel and is expected to open Memorial Day weekend 2018. The bright-blue steel track will provide for a smoother, sturdier and more thrilling ride experience.

Because several trees near the ride have been removed, people traveling along I-20 can catch a glimpse of the ride as it is transformed.

Consider it an early Christmas gift.

The Twisted Cyclone “is an incredible, incredible ride,” said Gene Petriello, spokesman for Six Flags Over Georgia.

He said construction is on track to be completed next year.

The park also unveiled what the new custom trains, which will seat four people per car, will look like.

They are modeled after a classic 1960s sports convertible. One is red and one will be black. The license plate on the front of the car will also be branded to carry the Six Flags Over Georgia moniker.

This is the only Twisted Cyclone in the Six Flags system, although similar ones are at other sites including Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England. Six Flags invented this concept along with Rocky Mountain Construction.

Officials are calling it a hybrid roller coaster because it combines old and new elements of a coaster.

Six Flags Over Georgia closed down the Georgia Cyclone in July, with part of the wooden structure being reused for the Twisted Cyclone.

The new ride will resemble the old one, but it will be very different. A lot of the structure is being redesigned and expanded. Also, the steel track will allow the new ride to go upside down three times (the old ride didn’t go upside down at all) and do other more-thrilling maneuvers.

Petriello said there are a lot of changes that need to be made. For instance, some of the footers are bare and things have been moved around to other support columns to create the Twisted Cyclone structure. Also, the park has had to move some of the electrical wiring around from one location to the next.

“It is almost equivalent to flipping a house — new coaster with existing parts,” he said.

Here are a few things you should know about the Twisted Cyclone:

  • It has a heart-stopping, 75-degree initial drop from nearly 100 feet into a mouth-dropping reverse cobra roll sending riders perpendicular to the ground (in other words, you may want to skip that chili cheesedog before you go).
  • There are three upside-down inversions and 10 airtime moments along 2,600 feet of track at speeds of 50 mph.
  • Riders will experience a feeling of weightlessness through a 360-degree zero gravity roll.
  • The ride time is one minute and 30 seconds.


SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

Six Flags Over Georgia is west of Atlanta on I-20 outside of I-285 (275 Riverside Parkway, Austell).

Open weekends and daily December 20 through Jan. 3 except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hours vary; check website for details. General admission is $68.99 at the gate, $48.99 for under 48 inches currently, but discounts are available online. Season passes start at $60.99, plus tax when you buy four or more. Children 2 and younger are admitted free. For more information: 770-739-3400. www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia