2-22-2019 Gran Fondo Florida Releases New Details Happy Hour, Finish Line Party, Team Competition, Lodging and more As Gran Fondo Florida swiftly approaches, the Gran Fondo National Series has released updated information on  a Saturday Happy Hour, Sunday’s Finish line Party, lodging, entry pricing, and new Team Competition details. The annual cycling event in San Antonio, FL will be held March 23-24, 2019.

Happy Hour, Hosted by Flint Creek Outfitters A great cycling event is more than a bike ride, and Gran Fondo Florida features a Saturday evening Happy Hour hosted by Flint Creek Outfitters in Dade City, FL. Cyclists can meet new and old friends over drinks and appetizers at Flint Creek Outfitters from 6:30-7:30 PM on Saturday, March 23. *Finish Line Party, Hosted by VO2 Max Cycles There’s nothing like a hot meal and cold beer after a great day on the bike. Hosted by VO2 Max Cycles, the Finish Line Party at Gran Fondo Florida will feature food from Boss Ross BBQ and live music by Rough Idle. Riders are encouraged to stick around for a chance to win valuable raffle prizes from GFNS sponsors. *Lodging Offer from Hampton Inn Dade City Cyclists traveling to Gran Fondo Florida can take advantage of special event room rates at the Hampton Inn Dade City – Zephyrhills. In addition to a $129 discounted room rate, the Hampton Inn will be serving breakfast starting at 5:30 AM to accommodate cyclists getting ready for Gran Fondo Florida. *Updated Team Competition with 15-Second Time Bonus Per Team Member The Gran Fondo National Series encourages clubs and teams to ride, compete, and have fun together. The 2019 update to the Team Competition ensures that everyone on a team plays a role in the final outcome by rewarding a time bonus for each team member. The winning team at each GFNS event will receive four complimentary entries to any GFNS event within the following 11 months.

Entry Fees Increase March 4 Registration prices for all three routes will increase by $20-$25 on March 4, 2019. Cyclists are urged to register early to take advantage of lower registration prices. The current fees are: Gran Route (100 miles), $120 Medio Route (55 miles), $95 Piccolo Route (35 miles), $65 Optional Saturday Time Trial: Free Services and amenities for all riders include pro-level support and fully stocked and staffed aid stations on course, timed segments, prize raffles, finish line party, and more. The optional Saturday Time Trial will remain free through event day.

2-21-2019 Speedway Spin to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta The Speedway Spin Benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is coming Saturday, June 15, 2019 to the Atlanta Motor Speedway! Start/End: Check in – 7am; Race Start time – 8am; Event end time – 12:30pm (subject to changed based on riders) Details: The inaugural Speedway Spin fundraising event will be held exclusively on the grounds of Atlanta’s NASCAR track, Atlanta Motor Speedway benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Children’s is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country serving Atlanta, Georgia and the southeast with more than one million patient visits annually. This fun-filled event will feature a Metric Century, and festival atmosphere inside the oval race track.

Riders are highly encouraged to fund raise as they will have a chance to earn prizes, such as a Speedway Spin jersey, cycling kit, etc. The top 3 individual fundraisers will each earn 2 seats to attend Braves All-Star, Freddie Freeman’s Lunch for Children’s in September 2019, where they will meet Freddie and get their picture taken with him and one autographed baseball for each set of two. Registration types: individual metric century; relay team of four metric century
Cost: $75 registration fee for all riders regardless of completing the ride as a team or individual.

DLV Workday From the Dick Lane Velodrome: Workday #4 March 9th. Come help out even if you don’t race at the track! We need everyone! We have scheduled the next work day for March 9th 9am to 3ish. We hope to see you there. We’ll be working around the beginners class that’s also scheduled that day between 1 to 4. Just a reminder, you do get volunteer points towards Rider of the Year. Goals include: track: concrete patch culvert pipe outlet, track: fix video cabling, pickup leaves, maintenance to the officials stand, other items as identified, and of course, pizza eating.

2-20-2019 Good News about Lost Mountain Trails! From SORBA West Georgia’s Facebook Group “I (sic) received a call from Cobb Commissioner Mike Boyce and he told me that Mountain Biking will be allowed to stay at Lost Mountain. There will be signs put up to share the trail and that we may have to make it directional. He was going into a meeting with Commissioner Keli Gambrill to discuss. He stated that groups that put this much effort into the caring and improving of trails will not lose access. He appreciated all the kind and supportive emails of the trails and the county employees.”

2-19-2019 Cobb County MTB Trails Need Your Help! From IMBA SORBA West Georgia “Friends we need your help again. Many of you already know that there has been some discourse about mountain bike use at Cobb County trails recently, specifically at Allatoona Creek and Lost Mountain Parks. Our access may be threatened at these parks. Unfortunately, we bikers get a bad rap as a user group and the public is not aware of all the volunteer hours that go into maintaining our trails. Your chapter is working hard to raise awareness but we need your help. Please take a second to email your District 1 Commissioner’s office at Keli.gambrill@cobbcounty.org and let them know how important the trails are to you and how important we are to the trails. Keep it positive and and to the point. We also need to have another positive showing at the next parks planning meeting on March 4th. More details will follow.”

Trish’s Note: If you are in Cobb County, cc your elected official and Commissioner Mike Boyce mike.boyce@cobbcounty.org. Find them here.

Silver Comet Robbers Arrested From the AJC: “2 teens accused of robbing cyclist at gunpoint on Silver Comet Trail in Cobb By Zachary Hansen, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution An 18-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested and accused of committing armed robberies in Cobb County, including one on the Silver Comet Trail last month, authorities said.

Tyrone Jerome Vincent, of Austell, and the underage teen were arrested last Monday after allegedly stealing a cellphone near the East-West Connector, Channel 2 Action News reported. The 16-year-old is not being charged as an adult, and it’s AJC.com’s policy to not identify minors who are being charged as juveniles.” Read the full article.