3-6-2015 Daylight Saving Time Group Rides Next week many of the evening rides begin! Check out the Rides page for a listing of over 100 weekly Atlanta group rides! While I strive to keep the information up to date, it’s best to contact the sponsoring club or shop if you have any questions. HEY CLUBS, SHOPS, AND RIDE LEADERS–email me your updates for 2015 at sttarlite at hotmail.com or use the Contact page.

Beck Cycling Annual Fun Ride Join Beck Cycling on Saturday, May 9 at 8:00 am for their annual fun charity ride in Newnan, GA. All proceeds will be donated to Southeastern Assistance in Healthcare (SAIH) – Easing the burdens of real people with real needs. SAIH is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to helping cancer patients who are undergoing treatment in the Newnan & greater Atlanta area by lessening the burden of non-medical needs such as groceries, utilities, housing, and basic living expenses. The ride will offer distances of 25, 60, and 100 miles.

Bicycle Theft in Decatur  The AJC reports that bicycle theft is on the rise in Decatur. Keep your bikes warm in the garage or your house.

Silver Comet Cameras CBS 46 reports that “In the wake of a gruesome attack on a jogger along the Silver Comet Trail in the Summer of 2014, Paulding County has installed a series of cameras across much of the 18 miles of trail within its jurisdiction. A total of 41 cameras at 28 locations are now up and running, feeding back live video of nearly every portion of the trail to the county’s 911 center. “For us not having to monitor cameras before, it is a lot of cameras to keep an eye on,” said Paulding County Deputy 911 Director Christina Cooper.” Read the full story and see the video on CBS 46’s website.

3-4-2015 SRS Press Release: The Southeast Regional Series (SRS) returns for a third year, opening April 11-12 in Panama City and Walton County, Florida. The series has added individual time trial competitions on three select weekends to accompany existing criterium and road races. The series is the only elite and amateur road cycling series to offer points competitions spanning multiple states. Categories are available for juniors, women and men. It is part of the USA Cycling Road Development Race Series, which aims to attract elite level riders and teams throughout the Southeast.  Last year SRS included more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. This year BikeReg.com is the presenting sponsor for all four weekends:
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, April 11 – Panama City Criterium,  April 12 – Walton County Road Race
ALBANY, GEORGIA,  May 16 – Albany Unchained: Time Trial and Criterium,  May 17 – Albany Unchained: Road Race
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE  July 11 – Tour Stop Knoxville Time Trial and Criterium,  July 12 – Tour Stop Road Race
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA August 8– Greenville Time Trial and Criterium,  August 9 – Greenville Road Race

3-3-2015 Southern Cross Rescheduled Southern Cross has been rescheduled for March 14!! Registration is open, and there are plenty of spots left!! All roads and are clear for preriding this weekend! Please note the TRAILS at Bull and Jake Mountain are still closed! The USFS is hoping to clear some of them this weekend. The CHTA sent an email out saying the forest service roads are open but muddy. You might want to park somewhere paved and bike into the route.

Athens Spring Group Rides Announcement From the WBL: With the return of warmer weather and longer days, the 2015 spring group rides will once again kick off from all the usual spots. However, please note the earlier start times for the entire month of March:
Tuesday – 5:15 at The Silos (in-town group rolling from The Hub Bicycles at 5:00)
Wednesday – 5:15 at the Silos
Thursday – 5:15 at 5 points (group rolling from Georgia Cyclesport at 5:00)
All rides will roll at 5:30, so don’t be late! Rides will return to the regular start times and locations in April.

Please bring reflective lights and ca$h for spandex specials. Tuesday evening spandex special at Hi Lo in Normaltown immediately as the ride rolls back in town on Prince and Wednesday and Thursday at Ted’s Most Best. $2 pours at both locations of all your favorite Creature Comforts and Terrapin Beer Co. beverages.

Cycle Therapy Shimano Clinic From Cycle Therapy in Rome: Di2 Technology and The Benefits to You! Monday, April 6th at 5:30 pm. Shimano Tech Rep Foye Troute will be at Cycle Therapy with a Shimano XTR Di2 groupset on a complete bike so you can see it, touch it, and even ride it!

What is so great about Shimano XTR Di2?  ONE shifter controls BOTH derailleurs! No matter if you are riding a double or even a triple chainring set-up, all you have to do is push ONE button to go into an easier or harder gear, therefore allowing you to be able to focus more on the ride. Why convert from a popular 1 x set-up back to a double or even triple chainring set-up? Because you can have a very high and low gear(great range), AND much closer gear ratios in between the high and low gears! You will never have that feeling of one gear being too hard or too easy. And the best part…Di2 likes Georgia red clay! So, even if you are not a fat tire aficionado, but have interest or questions about road Di2, road hydraulic disc brakes, internal hubs, or anything else Shimano, please stop by! It’s a great opportunity to pick the brain of true Shimano geek. Ask us about component group pricing, installation pricing, and even an existing component trade-in program! Snacks and drinks provided, please rsvp to julie at cycletherapy.us

3-2-2015 East Side Rides Here is the scheduled for the East Side Rides. One week to DST!  Airport- Sundays- 10:00AM through – end of March 29 (ride tradition goes through end of March). Airport Ride Start- meet at Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta, just west of Forsyth St SW.  Approximate address- Trinity Lofts- 249 Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Saturday Tucker- goes back to 9:00AM the first Saturday in April (April 4) // B Tucker Group (AKA Baby Tucker) goes to 8:30AM April 4. Tucker Ride Start- meet at the intersection Lynburn Drive and Main St, Tucker, GA, Approximately 46 miles (shortcut options available).

Tuesday Northlake Ride – Kicks off March 10 @ 6:15PM. 6:15PM for all March Rides (1 loop in park); 6:30PM for all April Rides (1 loop in park); 6:30PM for May – late summer rides (2 loops in park), Summer Solstice Trifecta- 3 loops in the park the week before, the week that includes June 21, and the week after. Northlake Ride Start- meet at the back of the parking lot of the Restaurants located at: 3900 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA.  If you look at a map- meeting location is between Montreal Rd and Harobi Drive, East of Wendy’s across the street from Chevron Gas Station / McDonald’s. Distance- Approximately 30 miles round trip in Summer- then moves to 23 miles as ride gets shorter (shorter options available in the park).

Thursday Pizza Ride – Daylight Schedule Kicks off March 12 @ 6:15PM 6:15PM for all March Rides (1 loop in park); 6:30PM for all April Rides (1 loop in park); 6:30PM for May – late summer rides (2 loops in park) Summer Solstice Trifecta- 3 loops in the park the week before, the week of (June 21), and the week after. Pizza Ride Start- meet in the old location (which is now closed and a deserted building) Avondale Pizza Cafe parking lot: 70 North Avondale Road, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 Distance- Approximately 33 miles round trip in Summer- then moves to 26 miles as ride gets shorter (shorter options available in the park).

2-28-2015 Assault on Mt. Currahee If you were not at Chain Buster Racing’s Assault on Mt. Currahee Gravel Grinder today you missed out on a great race! The course was a lot of fun. It was about 36 miles with 4500+ feet of climbing according to my Garmin. The climb up Mt. Currahee was rough with pitches as steep as 10%. The Habersham Raiders and Prima Tappa High School MTB teams provided great support! Profits from the race benefit these young racers as they compete in the high school mountain bike league, called NICA. The volunteers were great with course marshalls every few miles. The meal afterwards was a home made dish at Natalie Jane’s restaurant. Put the 2016 race on your calendar NOW!

2-27-2015 Ride Tour Atlanta Atlanta Cycling hosts the WCA and Sorella Cycling Event, Road Racing Clinic 101 with professional road cyclist Robin Farina of the Happy Tooth Dental Women’s UCI Team. Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | 4:30-6:00pm, $20

Here’s your chance to learn how to race! If you race bikes or if you are thinking about racing bikes, this clinic is for you. Learn from one of the best and most experienced racers. This clinic will cover basics of racing and will touch on some advanced aspects of racing as well. Open to all women that are interested in racing their bikes. RIDE WITH ROBIN Tue., April 14, 2015 | 6:30pm Women’s Ride with Atlanta Cycling led by Robin Farina and Sorella Cycling
AFTER THE RIDE – Q&A AND DINNER Join WCA and Sorella Cycling members for a Q&A with Robin to learn more racing/riding tricks and tips – venue to be announced.

More information coming soon! Keep an eye here on Southeastern Cycling!

Greenville Races Rescheduled The Greenville Training Series races that were supposed to take place this weekend have been rescheduled-River Falls March 14th and Donaldson Road Race on 15th. There will be cash primes for every race at River Falls!

2-26-2015 Mt. Currahee GG is On! From Chainbuster Racing: “We know that many of you will be traveling long distances to the race this Saturday and wanted to give you an update on the current race status. The city of Cornelia was hit by an ice storm last week. There were hundreds of trees down on the race course. Due to the relentless efforts of the Primma Tappa and Habersham Raiders High School Cycling teams and volunteers, the race course is 100 percent clear and good to go. The City of Cornelia was impacted by a couple inches of snow on Wednesday of this week. We have been to the city and the race course to evaluate the impact on this area. The main highways leading into the city and roads surrounding the city are all 100 percent clear and good to go. Yes. the race is still on as scheduled and we do not see anything on the horizon that would keep that from being the case. We have been working around the clock with the Forest service and the city of Cornelia to make sure that this race will go off without a hitch. There is still snow on the ground on some of the race course. Please dress accordingly for overall conditions that you may encounter during the race… It’s going to make for some great pictures!

The New definition of EPIC = Racing for 3+ hours on a beautiful clear day through a snow covered back drop of secluded mountain ridgelines with a historic climb in the middle and a leg splitting climb at the end. NO… it’s not cancelled. It’s ON! Like Donkey Kong.”

Greenville Races Postponed With the terrible weather and a lot of snow in the Carolinas, this weekend’s Spring Training races in Greenville have been postponed! New dates are coming soon. Yo Georgia Peeps–The Carolinas got hit a lot harder than most of us, so keep that in mind. Just b/c you didn’t get snow doesn’t mean that they didn’t!

Dauset Beginner MTB Clinic OMBA is hosting a novice mountain bike clinic on Sunday, March 1, 2:00pm – 5:00pm at Dauset Trails,   360 Mt Vernon (Ch) Rd, Jackson, Georgia 30233. “Another chance to learn bike skills aimed towards the novice rider. We’ll visit the Dauset Trails, which are known for their great flow, and practice cornering, hill climbing, hill descending, shifting, and anything else you’d like to explore. Rock gardens, whoops, logs, creek crossings…Dauset provides a great place to work on it all.”

2-25-2015 Pisgah 36 Postponed The Pisgah 36 race that was supposed to be this weekend in Pisgah in NC has been postponed because of a foot of snow on the ground. A new date will be announced soon.

Atlanta WBL AWBL: Date:  Saturday, Feb 28th, 2015,  9:30AM   (Ride Mtg 9:20am), 300 Peters St, Atlanta, GA 30317, Ride: Time:  4 hrs
~  Group #1:  18 mph avg and higher
~  Group #2:  15-17 mph avg
~  Group #3:  13-14 mph avg
~  Group #4:  12 mph avg and lower (if needed)
RIDE TIMES vs DISTANCE All Rides will be based on Ride Time…NOT distance.  Actual miles ridden for each group will vary.
er Saturday through March 2015 (see Schedule below).  This way, you can participate in the Series and still ride in other group rides, club rides, etc…best of both worlds.

Fat Bike Championships Come to NC From March 13-15, fat bike racing rolls into Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina with the US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship.  The race course in North Carolina will feature different landscapes to test the mettle of the bikers. The course will be a large kidney-shaped area between the Wrightsville Beach piers with a variety of beach surfaces, from thick, soft and difficult sand to hard-packed sand along the water’s edge. Start and finish lines will be located at the host hotel, Blockade Runner Beach Resort.

The race will feature Expert, Sport, and Beginner divisions. For the expert division, the course will run for 25 miles, 15 miles for the sport division, and 5 miles for the beginner category. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers from each age category in each division. Saturday’s race will be timed using RaceSplitter. Racers wishing to track their performance relative to other racers are encouraged to pre-load the Strava smartphone application.

åProceeds from the US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will benefit the Wrightsville Beach Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving public parks and community amenities.

2-24-2015  Southeastern Cycling Advertisers Don’t forget to support Southeastern Cycling’s advertisers! They are what make this site possible! (Yes, it costs me money to keep it going.) I’d like to welcome the  Cycle Therapy bike shop from Rome, GA. They are a great shop! See them now for 50% off all of your winter gear needs! Cycle Therapy puts on the Rome Winter Cross races and is a long time supporter of cycling in the Northwest Georgia area. The Tony Serrano Century on April 11th raises money for Georgia Bikes! and health initiatives in Walton County. It is one of the area’s fastest centuries, and the Rest Stop Queen, Joyce, is widely known for her amazing food at the rest stops! Long time advertisers are the backbone of what keeps this site running! Atlanta Cycling is hosting a women’s cycling social on March 9 from 7 to 9 pm at the Cobb Energy Center. “We want to see and hear from the female cyclists, commuters, recreational riders or future cyclists. We will have door prizes, raffles, appetizers and drinks.” Outback Bicycles provides for all of your cycling needs in Little 5 Points. Ride What You Dig! KenBikeLaw is there for you when you need a cycling attorney! Ken is an active cyclist and also a supporter of the Dick Lane Velodrome. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Van Michael Salon, where ladies (and guys) that ride go to get their hair done by Atlanta’s best stylists! I love the Sandy Springs location and have been a client there for nearly 10 years. Van and Michael Council both ride and are HUGE supporters of mountain biking in Atlanta. Ever hear of a trail called VMT (Van Michael Trail) at Blanket’s Creek? We have the Council brothers to thank for providing the funding years ago for its construction.

Gainesville Gran Prix Press Release: The 2015 Southeast bicycle racing calendar kicks off in earnest March 7-8 with the 4th annual Gainesville Gran Prix presented by Wrenched Bicycles. The Gainesville Gran Prix is a three-event omnium, taking place on the beautiful roads of Clermont, Ga., just north of Gainesville. The race is part of the Georgia Championship Series as well as the USA Cycling Road Development Race Series, and offers over $6,000 in cash and prizes. The circuit race and time trial on Saturday, March 7, start and finish at the Concord Baptist Church. On Sunday, the Clermont Highlands Road Race starts from downtown Clermont and rolls out to a 9.5-mile loop with over 900 feet of climbing each lap, and returns to the start line for a little kicker uphill finish. This scenic and challenging course, designed by race director Nathan O’Neill, saw epic battles carried out last year and will undoubtedly be the stage for more this year as the event grows in popularity and notoriety in the Southeast region. Take a video tour of the circuit race and time trial course here. “The Gainesville Gran Prix has two very selective race courses,” said O’Neill. “The courses favor both the smart and strong riders, and we have teams from all over the Southeast region as well as other parts of the country making their way to Gainesville to compete in this season-opening event, now in its fourth year.” The Gainesville Gran Prix also prides itself on giving back to the local community. This year, portions of the race proceeds on Saturday will benefit the Concord Baptist Mexico Family Mission, while Sunday’s racing will help support the Challenged Child and Friends Charity (www.challengedchild.org).

Sponsors of the 2015 Gainesville Gran Prix are also providing some worthy prizes that the riders can shoot for. “Oakley is the King/Queen of the Mountain sponsor for this year’s race,” added O’Neill. “Every category will contest the KOM/QOM and each winner will take home a pair of Oakley Sunglasses. Shimano and Gu are our product sponsors, Carlos Jimenez of A Focus in Light Photography will provide race photos, Atlas Pizza is sponsoring Sunday’s hospitality tent, and Wrenched Bicycles is providing the unique overall champion’s trophies. We are also proud of the fact that this year’s Gainesville Gran Prix will support two amazing charities — the Concord Baptist Mexico Family Mission, and Challenged Child and Friends.”