12-12-2013 Winter Bike Leagues While there is only ONE Winter Bike League (Athens, GA), several other winter rides have sprung up around the Southeast. Here are the ones that I know of

Atlanta Winter Bike League (GA): The “WBL” for recreational riders. http://mycyclecoach.wordpress.com/
Upstate Women’s Only WBL (SC): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Womens-Only-Upstate-Winter-Bike-League/
Finish Strong WBL (Greenville, SC): https://www.facebook.com/events/226770824152324/
Charlotte WBL (NC): http://www.totalcyclist.com/tc-media/blog/173-winter-bike-league
PCP Winter Training Series-Albany (GA): https://www.facebook.com/events/176088839262820/?previousaction=join&source=1
Peach Peloton Macon (GA) http://peachpeleton.blogspot.com/
Birmingham Bicycle League (AL) https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamBicycleLeague

WBL Ride # 2: 14 December 14 December: The WBL, Inc is proud to present Round 2, Mayhem in Monroe, a 4-hour / 80 mile affair with plenty of bells and even more whistles.
When: Saturday / 14 December
Where: SUNSHINE CYCLES – downtown Athens
Time: 10 a.m. (window open)
Length: 80 miles / 4 hours
Exit Route: Hancock > South Milledge > Whitehall > Beyond
Store Stops: Monroe (Mile 38)
Pee Break: 1 hour in (Mile 22)
Sprints: not yet, Final Attack Zone / Sprint: None,    Points: 4 points to all (1 point per hour) must sign in!
Interactive directions: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3763604
Parking: Ride your bike down if you can, otherwise parking provided at the corner of Hancock and Pulaski and around perimeter of old Snow Tire.
More News: Team Type 1 Foundation (http://teamtype1.org) puts up $500 cash to sponsor Ladies sprints throughout the winter. Salud!

WBL Overall Prize List Announced (more to come): 1st = $250 / 2nd = $150 / 3rd = $100 / 4th = $50 / 5th = $25. Sponsored by CREATURE COMFORTS BREWING COMPANY. Additional points explanation coming soon.

12-11-2013 Underwear Ride A ride in your underwear? No! Reality Bikes is sponsoring a ride for underprivleged children in Forsyth County. Bring a pack of socks or underwear and participate in a 26 or 50 mile road ride. Details are on their Facebook Page.

Holiday Hampton Ride The SBL Holiday Ride in the Hampton will be Dec. 28th in Hampton, GA. The ride was rained out this past weekend. Mileage options include 31, 51, and 73. The ride benefits Praying for Paws, an animal rescue.

12-8-2013 Elks CX Photos The Georgia Cross Series wrapped up this weekend with a double header at Elks Aidmore in Conyers. My photos from Saturday are up at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. Sunday’s photos will be up by Tuesday morning.

Salma Huque (Junior Flyers) celebrates her 2nd place in the Sunday Elks Aidmore Women’s 1/2/3 race.

Michael Schmid (Reality Bikes) on his way to winning the Masters 35+ Sunday at Elks Aidmore.

12-7-2013 *postponed til next week* The PTB ride has been postponed til next week because of rain. Join them next Sunday instead! Join Peachtree Bikes for a NO DROP ride from Sandy Springs to the Buckhead store and back on Sunday. Roll at 8:15 from the Sandy Springs store. Join the Peachtree Bikes family to remember the Buckhead store. Trish’s Note: All of the Buckhead store employees are now working at Sandy Springs! The owners sent out an email that they are hoping to open a temporary store front in Buckhead soon.

12-6-2013 Blanket’s Creek Work Party From SORBA Woodstock: Join the SORBA Woodstock Trail Crew Sat., Dec. 14th at 9 am.  They will be working on preparing the trail for winter and putting finishing touches on a VMT project.

12-4-2013 Peacthree Bikes It is with much sadness that I report that the Peachtree Bikes store in Buckhead has burned down. According to Fox 5 and Facebook reports, the fire started around 8:00 pm in the store on Peachtree St. From Facebook posts, no one was hurt, and the owners were notified quickly. From the photos, the shop appears to be a total loss. Please keep Mike and Elexa in your thoughts. Peachtree Bikes has been a big supporter of Southeastern Cycling over the years. I’ll post further details as I get them. 11 Alive Coverage. WSB Coverage. AJC Coverage.

12-3-2013 Mt. Tabor Work Party SORBA-West Georgia will host a work party at Mt. Tabor on Dec. 14th from 9 am to 1 pm to help get the trails ready for the 3 hour race in January. Lunch will be provided for volunteers.

Georgia Cross Finale! The Georgia Cross finale is this weekend! Join us for two great days of racing at Elks Aidmore in Covington! The forecast even calls for rain! Overall series awards will be given out after Sunday’s race! There will also be a bicycle & outdoor gear parts swap under the pavilion both days. There is no fee to sell your used gear.

Updates or lack thereof. It’s a slow time of year for bike news. I’m also pretty sick right now, so I’m spending more time in bed than on the computer.

12-1-2013 WBL News From the Original Athens WBL: Headline News: Let the games begin. First Ride this Saturday. IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE OFFICIAL HOME OPENER WILL BE PUSHED BACK 1 WEEK, BUT WE WILL HAVE AN UNOFFICIAL RIDE. STAY POSTED FOR DAILY UPDATES

7 December: The WBL, Inc is proud to present The Home Opener, The Maysville Classic, a 4-hour / 75 mile affair sure to please.

When: Saturday / 7 December
Where: SUNSHINE CYCLES – downtown Athens
Time: 10 a.m. (window open)
Length: 75 miles / 4 hours
Exit Route: Prince > Access Road > J River > Beyond
Store Stops: (1) Maysville (Mile 38)
Pee Break: 1 hour in (Mile 16)
Sprints: tba
Final Attack Zone / Sprint: None
Points: 4 points to all (1 point per hour) must sign in!
Interactive directions: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6146707
Text directions:
.Parking: Ride your bike down if you can, otherwise parking provided at the old Snow Tire

WBL Overall Prize List Announced (more to come): 1st = $250 / 2nd = $150 / 3rd = $100 / 4th = $50 / 5th = $25. Sponsored by CREATURE COMFORTS BREWING COMPANY. Additional points explanation coming soon.

1-25-2013 Marietta CX Photos My photos from the Jim Miller Park (Marietta) CX are up at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. There are plenty from all categories!

Ronnie Bratcher rings a cowbell at Marietta CX.

Marietta CX Race Report Read it also on CXMagazine.com! Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta is the longest running venue in the Georgia Cross series. Racers rejoiced as cross-appropriate temperatures finally hit the state. With a low of 27 degrees Fahrenheit and a high of 43, this was cold for Georgia Cross. Riders bundled up as they pre-rode what is the favorite course for many. They were not disappointed! With two sets of barriers, the classic run up, a long fast section, and a set of whoop de doos the course was one of the best yet.

Dave Gearhart (Litespeed-BMW) came into the Masters 35+ race fresh after having taken several weekends off from racing. Ian Prunier (Smyrna Bicycles) took the lead at the first barrier with Dave on his wheel. Dave counterattacked on the back side of the course on the second set of barriers. Dave continued to build his lead in subsequent laps. A group of 6 took up the chase; however, they could not reel him in.  Dave held on for the win. Michael Schmid (Reality Bikes) nipped Ian Prunier (Smyrna Bicycles) at the line for second place. In the Masters 45+ Timothy Gotsick got a gap early and held it to the finish. Dub Smith (Toyota Forklifts) put in a good chase but could not catch him. Lamar Mauney (Toyotoa Forklifts) was third.

Two Juniors 15-18 battled one another. Thomas Petitt (Frazier Cycling) came out on top followed by Keegan Schimmelman. The Cat. 4 Women’s fields have been consistently big this year. Jim Miller was no exception. Fifteen women were on the line. Emeline Renz (ALTX) took the holeshot into the barriers with everyone else close behind. Soon Cathi Swanson took the lead and never looked back. State Champion Rhys Mays (ATHCX) took second, and Amy Ross was third. Everyone loves watching the Juniors 10-14 race. They were not disappointed today. Leon Waine (Junior Flyers) took a commanding lead early and kept it until the end. Hunter Murray followed in second with Troy Waine (Junior Flyers) in third.

Mclean Harris (Smyrna Bicycles) put the hammer down on the first lap and took the win in the Cat. 3 Men’s race. Matthew Reeves (LNC) was second, and Michael Schmid (Reality Bikes) rounded out the podium. In the Women’s Cat. 1/2/3 race, Lisa Randall (Sorella Cycling) was back after several weeks of racing mountain bikes. She took off at the start while Kim Sawyer (Toyota Forklifts) and Elizabeth Lee (LG Factor) formed a chase group with the others far behind. Kim gapped Elizabeth a few times during the first couple of laps, but Elizabeth closed it each time. Finally, with 2 laps to go, Kim attacked hard after the first set of barriers. She got a gap that she was able to hold until the finish to take second over Elizabeth.

A large Cat 4 Men’s field lined up. After they stretched out in the field, the line seemed to go on for a mile. Alex Newton (Faster Mustache) took the holeshot with Ben Braxley and Scott Morris (Village Volkswagon) close behind. For three laps, Ben and Alex took turns out front with Scott hanging on.  On the last lap, Alex attacked on the small dirt climb. In a post race interview, he said “I knew with my MTB gearing I wouldn’t have a chance in the sprint, so my plan was to try and exit the woods with a gap. The small dirt climb before the short and steep downhill was my attack spot and rode/ran the run up as hard as I could until I was out of the woods.” Scott had time to adjust his jersey and throw his arms up in victory. Ben out sprinted Scott for second place.

In the Men’s Cat. 1/2/3, the first lap created a group of 6 including Thomas Turner (Team Jamis), Nick VanWinkle (Litespeed-BMW), Frank Trevieso (Start Stop), Tim Barrett (EPVA) and two others. The group stayed together for several laps before the first rider came off. The remaining 5 bided their time. With a lap and a half to go, Thomas stopped toying with them and took off. He put 30 seconds on Nick within the last lap of the race.  Arthr Sagat followed for second with Nick in third.

After not winning the Single Speed at Serenbe, Mclean Harris (Smyrna Bicycles) was out for revenge. As he did in the Cat. 3 race, he wasted no time leaving everyone else in his dust. Dave Marbut (Toyota Forklifts) was the first rider to give chase, but it proved fruitless. Dave fell back several places. Next up Tim Barrett tried to bring Mclean back. Mclean won with Matthew Reeves in second and Dave in third.

Atlanta Cycling Black Friday Sale  Black Friday at Atlanta Cycling – Ansley and Vinings Stores
All 2013 In-Stock Bikes – 20% off
All Garmin Products – 10% off
All Continental Tires – 20% off  …  Stock Up
Selected Summer Clothes – up to 50% 0ff
Additional Items on Sale
Friday Hours 10-7

Nate VanWinkle (Litespeed-BMW) leads the Men’s Cat. 1/2/3 through the barriers at Marietta CX.

DLV Explore Georgia has a nice article about the Dick Lane Velodrome on their website.

2014 GA State Championships From GBRA: Applications are now open for 2014 State Championships. Bids are currently being accepted for Road Race, Time Trial, Criterium and Track. Bid application forms are due to be submitted by November 30th, and discussion will take place for selection of those championships at the December 2nd GBRA Board meeting.