10-19-2018 Kennesaw Mountain Roads Closed Head’s up if you ride Kennesaw Mountain. The climb and some other roads will be closed for paving over the coming weeks.

Silver Comet News It looks like a portion of the Silver Comet extension through Cobb County towards Atlanta could begin as early as 2019 and take just a few months. Other parts of the project will take longer. See the Cobb County Courier article for further details.

Georgia Gravel Grinduro From Top View Sports The Georgia Gravel Grinduro will take the best climbs and scenery in North GA on Nov. 3 and challenge riders to go beyond what they think is reasonable and possible in human performance. The Grinduro is not for beginner cyclist. This event is a test against yourself as well as the other hundreds that will line up with you. You will be forced to leave the comfort zone behind and test your physical limits and equipment to the maximum. Our Scramble distance will be the event for the new gravel racer/rider. The Scramble will still have more than 60% gravel/dirt/clay roads and over 5.500 feet of climbing so even the shortest event is quite a test.

10-16-2018 Boundary Waters CX Photos Photos from Boundary Waters CX are up for your viewing pleasure! Please support your local photographer by purchasing a photo to share on social media!

Jonathan Page (yes, that JPage!) shows how it’s done in the Men’s 1/2 race. He was so smooth over the barriers and around the corners!

Free Bikes for Kidz Needs Volunteers Press Release Free Bikes for Kidz is a 501c3 non-profit group started a few years ago in Minneapolis. FB4K’s mission is collect gently used bikes, refurbish them, and give them to kids who otherwise don’t have the resources for a bike. The goal is to give the kids fun, exercise and transportation. FB4K has been in Atlanta for three years and we are partnering with the Atlanta Public Schools and the Atlanta Bike Coalition to create formalized riding programs. We need good mechanics to make the bikes functional and reliable. Our collection day is Oct 13 and the giveaway day is Dec 8 at our warehouse on Lee & White streets by the Beltline. We will be open usually 8 hours on Saturdays and 4 hours on Sundays through that period. This is when we try to recruit the volunteer and paid mechanics. We can also open the shop on weeknights if we have a big enough group come in. There is no need to bring tools; we have 12 Park work stands and twelve workstations: six of the workstations are set up with the Park toolkits. We have one truing stand, and an assortment of other oddball tools (French sizes, vice grips, proprietary nuts, etc). We also have cables, housing, brake pads, tires, tubes, and saddles. Please let Doug Walters know if you can help our efforts. doug at fb4katl.org

ATL Airport District Gears Up for Spin the District’s Gran Fondo Sunday, October 21 Press Release ATL Airport District – the official convention and visitors bureau for the cities of College Park, East Point, Hapeville and Union City, Ga. – will close out its inaugural Spin the District with a “Gran Fondo” cycling event on Sunday, October 21. After a successful three-day kickoff last month in College Park, East Point and Hapeville, the area’s first multi-faceted cycling experience will continue the fun in Union City. Italian for “big ride,” the Gran Fondo will feature a 10-mile family fun ride, plus a 30 and 60-mile road option, a 60-mile gravel option and a 100-mile mixed gravel and road option for those willing to accept the challenge.

The final event will start and end in Union City. Cyclists will travel the back-country roads and gravel paths of South Fulton, Fayette and Coweta counties. The scenic ride through South Fulton County will pay tribute to Gran Fondo’s Italian roots, celebrating the beginning of autumn with views of Georgia’s rolling hills. Rides will begin at 8 a.m. and vary in length and difficulty for cyclists of all ages and abilities. In addition, to the action-packed ride, attendees are invited to gather in downtown Union City for a family-friendly celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring live music courtesy of the Michel Jons Band, food trucks and an exciting BMX stunt show. T-shirts will be available for purchase at the event and special prizes will be offered throughout the day.

The Gran Fondo Memorial Ride will honor Karen Tinsley, a beloved University of Georgia professor and avid cyclist who passed away in a bicycle-vehicle accident last April. Dr. Tinsley served as Director of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing and had recently been promoted to Senior Public Service Associate at the UGA College of Family and Consumer Studies. She worked with local communities, including Union City, to improve housing conditions throughout Georgia. As an avid cyclist, Dr. Tinsley logged more than 10,000 miles throughout central and northern Georgia, North and South Carolina mountains, the Finger Lakes region of New York and parts of the Tour de France routes in Europe.

10-12-2018 Trees Down on Silver Comet From Cycology Bike Shop on Facebook “Trees are down on the Silver Comet Trail about 1.5 miles east of the Polk County line. Paulding County will be bringing in help to clear the trail and hopes to have it open by Saturday.” Trish’s Note: The Cobb sections that I rode were fine. It looks like there were not many trees down and that Cobb Parks cleared the few there were. There is a lot of debris because of the high winds-pine needles, pine cones, small sticks, and leaves. Be careful out there for a few days.

Nats Schedule USA Cycling announced today the 2019 USA Cycling National Championships schedule. The first National Championship of 2019 – the USA Cycling Elite BMX Nationals – will be held in March at the Rock Hill BMX Supercross Track in Rock Hill, S.C. The Mountain Bike National Championships move out west and take over the Winter Park Resort in Colorado in July. Riders across multiple age groups will be racing in the home of USA Cycling, Colorado Springs, Colo., on parts of the 1986 UCI Road World Championships course in August. The junior, elite and masters level track National Championships return to the VELO Sports Center in Carson, Calif., and the US PRO Road Championships are back on the hills of Knoxville, Tenn., next summer. The year closes with the December’s USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals in Tacoma, Wash.

2019 USA Cycling National Championships Schedule- Southeastern Dates
March 29-31 USA Cycling Elite BMX Nationals, Rock Hill, S.C.
May 10-12 USA Cycling Collegiate Road Championship, Augusta, Ga.
June 27-30 USA Cycling US PRO Road Championships, Knoxville, Tenn.
September 12-15 USA Cycling Collegiate Track Championships, Rock Hill, S.C.

10-10-2018 Grant Park Photos Photos from #GrantParkCX are ready for your viewing pleasure. Please support your local photographers!

Brianna Goral (GRITS) shows off her amazing beverage hand up technique during the Women’s 3/4 race at #GrantParkCX.

New timed gravel segment for the Bookwalter Binge Gran Fondo Historically, the Bookwalter Binge ‘Gran Route’ has been the most challenging of the three routes at the event — offering 87 miles and 7,000’ of elevation gain and finishing with a timed segment along the paved greenway, Point Lookout Trail. “This trail, which is maintained by the US Forest Service, has received damage from multiple heavy rain events throughout the year and is currently undergoing lengthy repair work” said Jennifer Billstrom, Event Director. “Fortunately, we have the perfect alternative to keep the challenging stats, while adding a new element to the mix.” “Mill Creek Road is one of my favorite hidden gems when riding east of Asheville, and into Binge country” said Brent Bookwalter, Binge Founder and BMC Racing Team member. “I first experienced Mill Creek as part of one of my favorite mountain bike rides. After a couple miles of beautifully forested, twisting and undulating climbing that left me feeling like I was deep in the middle of the woods, I was amazed to realize how close I was to civilization when I popped out at the top of the climb.”

The event will be held on October 27, 2018. The Bookwalter Binge operates under a permit from the U.S. Forest Service. The Bookwalter Binge is a relaxed Gran Fondo ride, studded with racing on timed segments of tough climbs that provide an epic challenge to all. Three routes of varying length traverse some of the most beautiful roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina: 7,000 ft of climbing in 87 miles, 5,800 ft in 72 miles, or 2,850 ft in 39 miles. This is a unique opportunity to ride alongside female and male pro cyclists as they celebrate the end of their season racing all over the world and the country. The accessible pros ride all three routes, and along with Brent, they are inspired by cyclists of all backgrounds and abilities.

10-7-2018 Douglasville Police Dept. Community Bike Ride The Douglasville, GA Police Dept. will host the first annual Community Bike Ride. This is a family friendly ride of 12.2 miles or go faster and be the first rider to finish & win a trophy! There will be a police motorcycle escort. A t-shirt is included in the $25 entry fee for the first 25 riders. All registration fees go to the annual Douglasville Police Department Toy Drive to benefit needy children throughout the Douglasville community. Stay afterwards for the annual Fall Festival with Touch-A-Truck, bounce house, K-9 Demos, food trucks, and more. (Trish’s note: My friend and fellow cyclist Officer Tyler is organizing this. Please support if it you can!) Contact Tammy Jewell at 678 293 1793 for more information.

10-4-2018 GATR Night Rides The Gwinnett Area Trail Riders have announced their night mountain bike rides for the rest of the year. Rides will rotate between Yellow River, Harbins, and Tribble Mill. See their Facebook page for details.

Allatoona Trail Work Party From SORBA West Georgia October Allatoona Trail Work Party, Saturday, October 20, 2018 9 am- 1 pm Hey Toona Riders and Hikers, we could use some help! Come out this Saturday for the next work party. This is a great way to get involved in the Biking/hiking community and meet the local SORBA folks.

Cochran Mill Work Party From MTB Atlanta Cochran Mill Work Party Saturday, October 13, 2018 9 am-Noon Join us for our monthly work party at Cochran Mill Park. Meet at the main parking lot at 9 AM. Please wear long pants, closed toed shoes, bring a helmet, gloves, water, snacks and your epi pen if you are allergic to bees. We will see you there!

Sope Creek Work Party From MTB Atlanta Sope Creek Work Party Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 9 am-Noon, Join us for our monthly Work Party at Sope Creek and give back to the trails that you love to ride. We meet at the Columns Drive parking lot at 9 AM at the gate by the Fitness loop. Wear long pants, closed toed shoes, bring gloves, water, snacks and your epi pen if you are allergic to bees. We will see you there.

10-2-2018 GA State CX Championship The Georgia State Championship Cyclocross race has been announced! It will be November 18 at the EPTC Classic p/b Twains. The venue will be Nash Farm south of Atlanta. The course will be different from 2017 and is promised to be epic The race schedule will be the standard GACX divisions and times! Keep an eye on the Georgia Cross website for more information.

USAC Officials Needed for GA! From Scott Patton: “I have taken over coordinating Georgia Officiating. I am eagerly recruiting new officials!! Racers, Friends, Spouses, parners, neighbors or co-workers… Doesn’t have to be a racer! … Just want to support the sport! Please get in touch! This includes experienced motorcyclists as well! Email Scott at scott at scottpatton.com.”

Big Creek Greenway Closure A portion of the Alpharetta Big Creek Greenway will be closed from Monday October 8th through Friday October 12th while emergency repairs are completed. The closure will be from 7am to 5pm daily with the trail reopening daily after 5pm until dark.

10-1-2018 Elks Aidmore CX Photos Photos from Elks Aidmore CX are up! Please support the photographers that stand out in all sorts of weather taking race photos all day!

Dawn Hill (L5 Flyers) on her way to winning the Women’s 3/4 at Elks Aidmore CX.

Hellhole Gravel Grind From the Promoter:  The 2018 Hellhole Gravel Grind Stage Race will be held on November 10-11. Registration is re-opened. The format and course will be the same as pre-Florence, however, there will be no prologue this year. If you had previously registered and wish to keep your registration, no action is necessary on your part (otherwise, just let us know). If you have yet to sign up, then GET BUSY.

9-28-2018 GRITS CX Grants From GRITS (Trish’s Note: An awesome group of womxn!!) GRITS began in late 2017 as a lofty dream of creating a community of womxn across the Southeast who were stoked on building up this sport, building up themselves, building up the stoke, and building up each other. Here we are nearly a year later with a dedicated off road team of 8 amazing women, 7 rad companies on our back, and a countless number of supporters. We got here because of tireless hours spent building a place where everyone can feel welcome and included. Now it’s our time to give back what we can!

Introducing: GRITS Grants!
For the 2018-2019 cyclocross season, we’re covering the race fees for first time W/T/F racers in the southeast area. We want more women to have the opportunity to race their bikes, without worrying about the financial side of things. We’ve always loved the “run what ya brung” side of cyclocross. You don’t need any fancy equipment, bikes, or knowledge to show up to your first race!
Heck, we fondly remember one of our very dear now-elite racers who showed up to her first races in striped knee socks and flat pedals on a singlespeed.

To qualify for a GRITS Grant:
– Must be your first CX race
– Must be a W/T/F Cat 5 CX’r
– Must be located in the Southeastern US
– Must promise to have fun and high five us before/after/during your race

Our team and these grants are entirely grass roots supported through donations and merchandise sales (if ya bought a kit or a tshirt from us, you’ve made this possible!). We’re going to be doing this for as long as we can, but we can’t make any guarantees that these will always be available. If you would like to help support, you can donate to the team here. All funds donated will be going into the GRITS grants fund.

9-27-2018 North Carolina Cyclo-Cross kicks off 22nd Season Leading into USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross Nationals North Carolina Cyclo-Cross will kick off the 2018 race season with back-to-back races the weekend of October 13-14 in Sanford, North Carolina at O.T. Sloan Park and in Raleigh, North Carolina at Lions Park. 2018 marks the 22nd season of North Carolina Cyclo-Cross providing competitive and exciting cyclocross races across the state. North Carolina Cyclo-Cross (NCCX) remains the leader in southeast cyclocross with a 12 race season, culminating with the ProCX UCI C2 North Carolina Grand Prix (NCGP) on December 8-9, 2018 in Hendersonville, NC. The 14th Annual Hunter Subaru NCGP will be the final east coast stop for ProCX points before the 2018 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships takes place in Louisville, KY, attracting professional domestic and international racers, as well as regional amateurs to the competitive course in Jackson Park. NCCX is excited to welcome back OrthoCarolina as a presenting sponsor of the 2018 series. OrthoCarolina is one of the nation’s leading independent academic orthopedics practices serving the Southeast since 1922. NCCX also welcomes BMW Southern Region Centers as a new presenting sponsor for the series.

The North Carolina Cyclo-Cross Series was founded in 1997 and consists of 12-15 races each season across North Carolina. The full schedule and racer information can be found on the NCCX website at www.nccyclocross.com. The Grand Prix, presented by Hunter Subaru, is a UCI category II race, making it a valuable points stop for elite racers in pursuit of ranking points. Registration is open on USACycling.org for all races, including the 14th Annual NCGP.

9-26-2018 World Road Championships Congratulations to Michael Garrison of Decatur, GA who was 10th in the World Junior Time Trial Championship! Joey Rosskopf helped his Team BMC to a bronze medal in the World Team Time Trial this week as well. Well done, guys!