2001-2002 News and Race Archives
9-12-2003 Pumps Ok, it's 10 am and no news so far. I'm here at work twiddling my thumbs. (Just kidding!) How about a funny product description. The item is a shock pump for mountain bikes. Check out the descriptions for the shocks as well.
Segweys This morning I had to to go the Post Office to mail a package. Since I work downtown, I often see the Atlanta Ambassador Force out on their Segwey scooters as I walk around. I emerged from the escalator up from the post office and made a left turn. No sooner do I get around the corner, and I nearly get run over by a Segwey. The guy was going about 10 mph on the sidewalk and not looking where he was going. He nearly ran over another pedestrian a few dozen yards up the block. My new view is that Segweys do not belong on the sidewalk. The Ambassadors should get bikes. They are cheap, you don't need to charge them, and you get exercise.
9-15-2003 Barnesville Omnium The Barnesville Omnium was this weekend. Most fields were moderately sized as many people begin to wind up their racing season. Saturday's crit course was completely flat with 5 turns on narrow roads. Most fields were strung out throughout the race. Genesis swept the Women's 1/2/3 crit with Jenn Green winning, Leigh Valletti in second, and Alexis Brown in third. New Cat. 3 rider Leighann Blanchard (Southern Multisport) was 4th. The Cat. 3 men's race ended in a photo finish between Charles Rossingol (APB) and an unattached rider. I have not heard what the outcome was. Professional Tim Henry (West Virginia) won the Pro/1/2 Men's crit. The Cat. 4 women's crit quickly broke up and was won by Alison Brandt (All 3 Sports) .
The road race took place over a 33 mile loop. The first 28 miles were flat to rolling, but at about mile 29, a steep uphill challenged riders. About 3/4 mile from the finish, another steep hill broke things up in most races. The Pro/1/2 Men's race was won by Creed Sewell (Trek-VW) with a Genesis rider in second. Two men stayed away most of the race in the Cat. 3 Race with a Kalahari rider taking the two up sprint. Eric Flores won the Cat. 4 Men's road race with Brad Harper (Cycleworks) in second. Jenn Green completed her sweep of the Women's 1/2/3 races with a win in the Road Race.
Volunteers needed for Carter's Lake Club
From Freddy Walker "This Saturday, September 20, if you are not racing,
SORBA-EMBA needs
you! The Carters Lake MTB Classic is SORBA-EMBA’s only fundraiser. The
race also benefits SORBA and SORBA Trips for Kids. We need you, our fellow mountain bikers, to help us with registration, scoring, feed
zone and course marshals. All volunteers will receive a SORBA Volunteer t-shirt or if you already have your volunteer shirt, an event t-shirt.
Lunch will be provided to all volunteers and, if you volunteer all day, there is a special volunteer prize drawing at 4:00 PM with some very
nice prizes. If you are interested in volunteering, please reply ASAP.
Wednesday Night Cyclocross Practice Starts Next Week!
From Bob with the Gwinnett Touring Club: "Normally we begin cyclocross practice on
Wednesday evenings at Best Friend Park on Jimmy Carter Blvd. I will begin these workouts next Wednesday,
starting at 5:00 until it gets dark. Normally this early in the season we will focus on skill work,
starts, cornering, and then possibly set up a small course. In a few weeks, the workouts will shift to
doing laps of the course at or below race pace." Take I-85 to Jimmy
Carter Blvd. If coming North, turn left onto JCB; if coming South I-85,
turn right onto JCB. Best Friend park is about one mile on the left.
Park in the dirt lot near the entrance. Trish's note: Cross
practice starts Wed., Sept. 24.
New Bike Shops in Buckhead Two new stores will be opening this month in Buckhead. Free Flite expects their new shop in the old Atlanta Cycling location on Peachtree St. to open by the end of the month. Bicycle Outfitters will open a shop in the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center on Sept. 19th. They will be carrying DeRosa, Felt, Cannondale, Colnago, and Time.
Georgia Bikes! "This is a reminder that GEORGIA BIKES! will be at the Beautiful Back
Roads Century in Cartersville this coming Saturday, September 20. A presentation and
discussion will be held at 2:00 P.M. in the ride HQ room/host facility's cafeteria. A GEORGIA BIKES! information table will be
open afterward until the last of the participating riders return. Ride event related information can be found at:
http://hugeelvis.tripod.com/beautifulbackroadscentury/index.html"
Wilson 100 Photos The Wilson 100 made the AJC
with a bunch of photos last week.
SF Grand Prix Rumor has it the San Francisco Grand Prix race might be a World Cup Event next year. Bean Team rider Cesar Grajales (COL) won the King of the Mountains Competition at the San Fran GP. Kym Flynn (Ashmead 5) got a little "web time" on USA Cycling's website.
9-16-2003 San Rafael I normally don't cover riders and races outside of the Southeast, but Genesis scored what could be their biggest win this weekend when Sue Palmer-Komar (CAN) soloed to win the San Rafael Classic, the warm up for the San Fran Grand Prix. Velonews.com has the most complete coverage. Great job ladies!
CROSS PRACTICE BEGINS!!! It's official!
Cyclocross practice is about to begin! Yeah! Yeah! From Lamar Mauney:
" The Fourth Annual Georgia Cross Series kicks off November 1 (final
schedule should be out this week). So, dust off the cross bike and head over to Camp Creek! My tentative schedule is:
Sept 27 with Beginner's Clinic, Oct 5, Oct 12 (I am not in town, but those not riding Michelin can still
hook up), Oct 19, Oct 26. I am thinking to start at 3pm on these Sunday afternoons. That way we
can ride for about 2 hours, then head home for dinner. Let me know what you guys think!
Sept 27 will include a Beginner's Clinic for those new to the sport (I will recruit some of you experts to help out). Be sure to pass this
e-mail on to fellow riders! If you received this e-mail as a pass-along from someone else, send me
an e-mail at ridemorecyclocross@hotmail.com, and I will add you to the
group list." Directions: Camp Creek Elementary is part of the Parkview High/Trickum Middle/Camp Creek cluster. Most riders practice on the main playground behind the school. It is located on Cole Road in Lilburn (across the street from the Gwinnett County Soccer Association fields).
Directions #1: From US78, exit at Hugh Howell, then turn right at the light (by the Chevron station) to go up Lilburn-Stone Mtn road. Follow this north about 3 miles (through a 4 way stop, then to the second traffic light, which is Cole Road). By the way, Lilburn-Stone Mtn becomes Arcado Road about 200 yards before Cole Road. Turn right onto Cole Road, and the school is about 2 miles on the left (turn left into the first drive after
the 3 way stop on Cole). Stay left, and go straight back to the playground. Directions #2: From I-85, take Lilburn - Indian Trail Road exit, turn East (towards Lilburn, or Hwy 29). After 3 miles you cross over US 29. Go straight another 2 miles to the first traffic light and turn right onto Arcado Road. Go about 1.5 miles to Cole Road (first traffic light) and turn left. School is about 2 miles on left (turn left into the first drive after the 3 way stop on Cole). Stay left, and go straight back to the playground.
Firewater 50 RT gives a great report from the Firewater 50 on over at mtbr.com.
Jessica and Quint Smith (FreeFlite-NARC) get ready to race at the Velodrome on Saturday night.
9-17-2003 Crazy Jane's take on the American Boys Crazy Jane gives the ladies her opinion on the delicious guys at the San Francisco Grand Prix.
Events this Weekend This is a busy weekend for cyclists in the ATL. Saturday is the State Crit Championship at John's Creek in Alpharetta. Racers will vie for medals and the coveted State Championship jersey. The Share the Road Century starts at 8:30 at the Atlanta Cycling Vinings shop. Routes are 20, 50, 70, and 100 miles. Local Junior Cycling Phenom John Floyd (Genesis) will lead the ride. Also for those that want to ride is the Beautiful Backroads Century (aka the Brewery Century) near Cartersville, GA. This is one of the top centuries in Georgia covering country roads with great sags stops. The GAP series returns to Ellijay for the Carter's Lake Cycling Classic.
9-18-2003 More Columns Dr. Car Break-Ins There was another car break-in last week on the Johnson Ferry side of Columns Dr. If you see any suspicious behavior or people just "hanging out," contact a Park Ranger or the Cobb County Police.
Group Ride Squirrels It is almost the end of summer, and many have forgotten the rules of the road and group ride etiquette. Clint Tomasino, a racer with Atlanta Pro Bikes, gives his views on what everyone can do to make group rides safer and more enjoyable. Read more.
Bike Swap Meet/Expo in Charlotte There will be a large bike swap meet and exposition called The Big Stampede in Charlotte, NC on Nov. 1 at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. Clubs, teams, retailers, manufacturers, and individuals may purchase a booth. Prices are on their web page.
Southeastern Riders for Road World Championships Tina Mayolo-Pic (Diet Rite)
has automatically qualified for the Road World Championships in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada in October. She is one of 3 automatic qualifiers. Dalton
resident and pro Saul Raisin (Ofoto-Lomardi Sports) is on the long list for the
Under 23 Road Race. Craig Lewis (Moore, SC) is on the team for the Junior Road
Race. Zach Taylor (Genesis-Hot Tubes) will be competing in the Junior Time
Trial. For a complete list of long listed riders, visit Velonews.com.
San Francisco Grand Prix Kym Flynn (Team Peggy) checks in with her guest ride for Ashmead 5 at the T-Mobile International Race in San Francisco. Read more.
9-22-2003
Ride Time Changes As daylight becomes shorter, many of the Atlanta group rides have moved
starting times back. The rides from the Vinings Atlanta Cycling shop will begin
at 6:15 starting this week. The Gwinnett Touring Club rides have also moved
back to 6:15. Although the Bellyache is officially still starting at 6:30, many
people are now leaving about 6:15. Check with the ride leader or someone that
typically does the ride to see if the time has changed. A rear red flashing
"Blinkie" light is a good idea as the sun goes down. A front light can help
cars see you as they approach you, and wearing a light colored jersey can
increase a rider's visibility.
Checking in from San Fran Kurt Garin, who races as an amateur with Jittery Joes, raced in the San Francisco Grand Prix last weekend. He checks in with his race report.
Cross Practice Starts Wed. From Bob with the Gwinnett Touring Club: "Normally we begin cyclocross practice on
Wednesday evenings at Best Friend Park on Jimmy Carter Blvd. I will begin these workouts next Wednesday,
starting at 5:00 until it gets dark. Normally this early in the season we will focus on skill work,
starts, cornering, and then possibly set up a small course. In a few weeks, the workouts will shift to
doing laps of the course at or below race pace." Take I-85 to Jimmy
Carter Blvd. If coming North, turn left onto JCB; if coming South I-85,
turn right onto JCB. Best Friend park is about one mile on the left.
Park in the dirt lot near the entrance.
9-23-2003
Night Rides after DST The Bicycle Link has two night rides
starting after the time changes in Oct. From the Bicycle Link: "Forget the trainers and rollers this winter. There are two great night rides leaving from The Bicycle Link on Pharr Rd. Both rides will start after the time changes in October. 1. Monday nights we will continue the huge Monday "recovery" ride
from the shop on road bikes but - it will be dark. Bring your head
lights and tail lights and any thing else that shines. We will leave at 6:30PM for the same route and at the same pace as the normal ride but - IT WILL BE DARK! I have talked to several who say they will be there. Parking is 1/2 mile down Pharr Rd (toward Piedmont Rd) on the right in Frankie Allen Park or ride to the ride.
2. A Buckhead tradition since 1999 - Every Thursday at 7:00 PM during the winter. We will leave the shop for two hours in the dark through the streets and trails of Buckhead and surrounding areas.
This ride is best suited to the advanced rider on mountain or cyclocross bikes with a minimum 10 watts headlight and a good tail
light. Wear brightly colored clothing and the more lights the better. Parking is 1/2 mile down Pharr Rd (toward Piedmont Rd) on the right in Frankie Allen Park or ride to the ride."
Patrick O'Grady The ever satirical Patrick O'Grady tells why cross is a good thing.
9-24-2003 2003 Hunting Closures SORBA has a listing of trail closures up for the 2003 hunting season.
State Crit Championships Matt Reeder of the Boneshakers Cycling Team checks in with a report from the Georgia State Crit Championships. Read more.
In-Town Rides Time Change From Todd: "I know this message is a little late. The in-town "classics" - Sandy Springs (Tuesdays), Peachtree Battle (Wednesdays) and Chastain (Thursdays) - have all now moved to a 06:15 PM ET start. In addition, the Sandy
Springs ride is now "short option". Effective the week of 10/06/03, all ride times will move to a 06:00 PM ET start, and remain that way for the balance of the "season". This year, Daylight Savings Time ends on 10/26/03. This means that the final in-town classic will be the Chastain ride on 10/23/03. This also means that the Tucker Ride (Saturdays) will start at 09:00 AM ET for the last time on 10/25/03, and will start at 10:00 AM ET on 11/01/03. The Airport Ride for winter training will begin 11/02/03 (Sundays) from a new "official" starting point - The Forum Athletic Club at Lenox Square. The Recovery Ride will continue on Mondays at 06:30 PM ET starting from
The Bicycle Link. In addition, the Urban Assault Ride will continue on Thursdays starting from the Bicycle Link at 07:00 PM."
West Virginia Makes a Good Showing at the Univest Grand Prix Tim Henry and the guys from West Virginia are wrapping up their season. The Univest Grand Prix was the last big race. Tim checks in with his latest report.
9-25-2003 Cyclist's Manual With so much talk these days about cycling ettiquette and courtesy, someone sent me a link to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Cycling Guide. It looks like they got most of it right! I read through the first few chapters. Read the guide.
Cyclocross Beginner's Clinic This Sunday, there
will be cyclocross beginner's clinic starting at 3 pm at Camp Creek
Bring your mountain bike (no bar ends) or cyclocross bike. If you are
not comfortable with clipless pedals, use platforms with no toeclips.
The practice will include Warm-up and fast riding on grass and cinders,
Dismounts (top tube and down tube pick-ups), Re-mounts, Shouldering the bike for run-ups, Dismounting at obstacles,
Dismounting at the bottom of a hill, race starts, race simulation for beginners only (15 minutes),
cross specific rules (pits, bar ends, feed zones, etc), and Q & A.
At 4pm the Open Category Race Simulation will start. There is no fee.
Riders are at their own risk. Click here for
directions.
9-26-2003 Creative Loafing Reader's Best Of Atlanta Outbikes Bikes in Little 5 Points has been voted "Reader's Favorite" bike shop in the 2003 Creative Loafing "Best of Atlanta" issue. Congratulations to Peter and the gang!
Track Meet at the Horse Park Tomorrow There is a high school track running meet at the GIHP (Conyers) trails tomorrow. It is expected to be over by 2 pm. The organizers are asking mountain bikers to stick to the "Rock" side of the trails until the meet is over.
New CX Practice? Rumor has it there will be an additional CX practice at the GIHP on Thursdays at 6:30. More info. coming soon.
Ride More Cyclocross Lamar Mauney has started a cyclocross page for Georgia called Ride More Cyclocross. He promises that it will "grow" in the weeks to come.
9-29-2003 Winter Bicycle League The WBL will begin the first Saturday in December. More information will be available soon.
Cyclocross Beginner's Clinic About 20 riders came to the Cyclocross Beginner's Clinic at Camp Creek on Sunday. Lamar Mauney and Bob Kuhn provided instruction on how to mount and dismount, run over barriers, and how to carry the bike for different situations. Clinic participants did a 15 minute mock race over one of the Camp Creek CX courses.
Six Gap The venerable Six Gap Century was on Sunday. Cool temperatures greeted riders from all of the Southeast as they came to do one of the toughest centuries this side of the Mississippi. The leaders over Hogpen were Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes), Chris Pic (7-Up), and Michael Wolf (Trek-VW). Doug Pomeranz, Jon Atkins, and Tony Scott were all in the chase group about 21/2 minutes back. Cesar finished first with a time around 4:52 with Chris Pic in second. Cathy Connell (Reality Bikes) was the first woman in with a time of 5 hours, 27 minutes. Mere mortals survived and finished.
Two Hours From Anywhere The Two Hours from Anywhere Omnium was held this weekend in Murphy, NC. The Boneshaker Team's new members did very well. Matt Reeder won the Cat. 4 Men's Road Race and was 3rd in the Time Trial, which propelled him to the win in the Omnium. Manny Samaniego (Cycleworks) was 4th in the Omnium. In the Men's Cat. 3 division, Ricky Fuqua was 3d in the Omnium. In the 3's RR, Georgia had a good showing with Tim Barrett (Trek-Free Flite), Leigh Foti (Cycleworks), James Peterman (Genesis), and Eric Flores taking 5-8 place. In the Women's Cat. 4 division, Ann Koehler (Reality Bikes). Linda Pittman (Cycleworks) was second in the omnium. In the Women's 1/2/3 field, Debbie Borden (Nalley) was 5th in the TT with teammates Marianne Holt in 7th and Kim Sawyer in 8th. Allison Carter (Clif Bar) was 4th in the RR. Several local pros competed in the Pro/1/2 Men. Tim Henry (West Virginia) was second in the RR and teammates Scottie Weiss won the crit. Complete results are up.
Georgia Tech SECCC Div. I Champions This weekend Georgia Tech won the SECCC Division I Mountain Bike Championship.
Jason McCartney (7 Up/Maxxis) rides in Stage 5
of the Tour De Georgia
Jeff Bauer rides Three Gap on his Coker Unicycle
Photo by Mark Wolf
9-30-2003 Three Gap on a Unicycle Jeff Bauer from Nashville, TN completed the Three Gap portion of the Six Gap Century on his Coker Unicycle. This may be the first ever ride of Three Gap on a Unicycle! Jeff shares his experiences in his ride report.
Six Gap Photos Six Gap Photos are up at Bird's Eye View. Sorry, there were too many for me to go through to get highlights.
Women's Clinics SORBA and REI will be sponsoring several Women's Beginner Mountain Bike Clinics. For more information email Sherri Hall at events@sorba.org. The events are free, and preregistration is not necessary. "Thursday, October 23, 7 PM -- REI Perimeter, Thursday, October 30, 7 PM -- REI Atlanta, Women's Skills Instruction and Ride Saturday, November 1, 10 AM -- Chicopee Woods Learn from Women Mountain Bikers how to choose a Bike that fits you properly as well as what gear you need to get on the trail. We'll also cover basic trail maintenance, including how to change a flat tire. Then join other women for an on-trail day to learn basic mountain biking skills and explore the trails at Chicopee Woods near Gainesville. Whether you're just getting started or want to practice some of your skills, this is the perfect environment to do so."
GTC Ride of the Fallen Leaves "On October 18th
GTC will hold its fall classic, the Ride of the Fallen
Leaves. This is also our first USAC permitted event. We invite all GTC and
non-GTC riders to come and have fun! Although this is a ride and not a race, there are a few sprint primes along the way and this route is one of
the most challenging we do. You will have to show your USAC annual license,
purchase a 1-day USAC license for $5.00(GTC paid dues folks are the exception), or buy an annual license. While there cannot be any official
prizes, we will have some lighthearted ones for the prime winners."
The ride is about 80 Km through Barrow, Jackson, and Hall Counties with
a 65 km option available. The ride leaves from the Auburn police station. From I-85,
take highway 316 east 17 km and make a left on Highway 8 (intersection of
highway 29 and 316). Pass through Dacula to Auburn (10 km)."
10-1-2003 Two Hours From Anywhere Matt Reeder (Boneshakers) checks in with his report from Murphy, NC and the story of how he won the Cat. 4 Omnium. Read more.
10-2-2003
Car Break-Ins Near Chastain For those that do any of the Chastain
group rides or park near there: "Two cars were broken into during the Thursday ride from Sutton
School (near Chastain Park) last week. There have since been break- ins in the parking lot of the horse park across the street from
Sutton. If you plan on doing this ride, you might consider either riding to the ride (as most
do) or parking outside the immediate
Chastain Park area."
Cycleworks Team News Team Cycleworks raced at the Two Hours From Anywhere Omnium this past weekend. Teamwork, friendship, and winning were what the weekend was about. Read more.
Cycling Etiquette Cyclingnews.com readers around the world agree that there needs to be etiquette on a ride.
Trails Page Updated I updated the Atlanta Trails page to include new information about Blanket's Creek and Dauset.
2001-2002 News and Race Archives
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