April 2007 Archive

April 2007 Archive

4-1-2007 TdG Rumors A close source to the TdG has told me the following riders will be there: Freddy Rodriguez, Tyler Hamilton (he's already publicly announced his appearance), Dave Zabriskie, George Hincapie (recovering from a broken wrist sustained at the TofC), Levi Leipheimer, Gilberto Simoni, and David Millar (a hot Brit!!).

SE Cycling Sorry for the lack of updates this week. It's been a bad week for me personally--too much work, my hot water heater decided to die, etc., etc.

Myogensis Discount! Sweet! Read on: "NEW" MyoGenesis "ENDURO" Line

MyoGenesis Nutrition has done it again. With endurance sports rapidly accelerating with technology, we have realized that the nutrition and supplementation has to stand up and match the ever evolving athlete. We have done this. With the icon product "Performance Mix" and "Podium (coming soon), we have launched over 10 new products, including our superior "Whey-24, developed especially for pre-race, race, post-race and recovery. With our "All Natural" expectations, the "enduro" line is as close to a perfect bio-engineered supplementation icon known. Our scientists actually followed endurance athletes over the past two years and with multiple testing strategies, have developed the perfect blend of products for training, pre-race, racing and recovering. In each NEW product, the ingredients are all natural, manufactured from the most correct sources, and above all, each product gives the body exactly what it needs to perform and excel. It is now time to never settle for second place!

When you order from the Myogenesis website http://www.myogenesis.com, use promo "code" travis (all lower case) to receive a 20% discount on order(s).

Thanks to Myogensis for being one of Southeastern Cycling's biggest supporters!

4-2-2007 TdG NWGA SORBA NWGA SORBA will be setting up ride / shuttle to Chickamauga GA Thursday April 19th to watch stage 4 time trials. The group will then ride back to Dalton for a 5th wheel pedal party downtown. On Friday, we will have another ride from Dalton to Ft. Mountain to watch King of Mountain climb stage 5.

Here's a link for more info -> http://www.nwgasorba.org/TDG_2007/index.html.

My cross bike liked preriding Tsali for the Knobscorcher race this weekend. It had been feeling neglected because I had not ridden it since December.

Baldbuster Century Discount!!! The Brasstown Bald Buster Century, a Georgia Bikes sponsored event, would like to go one step further and offer a $35 discount to all friends of Georgia Bikes, www.southeasterncycling.com and www.atlbike.org. You can receive this discount, by entering in Coupon Code: "BTC35", when prompted by Active.com. More information about the event can be found at www.BrasstownBaldBusterCentury.com. After you select the century option and release waiver the box for the discount code box will be there for you to enter the code

4-4-2007 Stolen Bike From AVX Bikes. Please contact Rich if you see the bike: "hey,
friday my blue t12 tt bike was stolen off howell mill rd. and was hoping you
could spead the word...

blue t12 - silver
dura ace 10 speed group
silver fizik seat
carbon aerus tt bars with blue rubber grips (not tape)
red speedplays
older zipp 303's with no decals (rear hub is a velomax, tufo tires)

thank you
rich
avxbikes
678-612-5725 (C)"

AT&T To Sponsor TdG Thank you AT&T!! ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that AT&T will contribute $500,000 to become a major sponsor of the Tour de Georgia, which will be held the week of April 16-22.

"I am very pleased that our newest corporate citizen is continuing the long legacy of civic participation established by BellSouth and Cingular Wireless," Governor Perdue said. "I have met with representatives from the new AT&T and remain convinced the company will continue to have a tremendous impact on our state’s economy for decades to come."

This year’s Tour de Georgia marks the fifth year for the race, and the first year the race has been lengthened from six to seven days. The 2007 Tour de Georgia will cover 667 miles, making it the longest in the history of the event, and the longest professional stage race in the U.S. this year. Previous winners include some of the major stars of the sport, including two previous winners that went on to capture the Tour de France title that same year, Lance Armstrong in 2004 and Floyd Landis in 2006.

"It is an honor to make this contribution to the Tour de Georgia, one of the great international cycling events," said AT&T Georgia President Sylvia Anderson. "AT&T is committed to the state of Georgia and our communities. I believe this event will further showcase to the rest of the world our great state, our people and our culture. I want to thank Governor Perdue and the General Assembly for their leadership and commitment to economic development and tourism, which this great event will certainly contribute." AT&T will be a Founding Partner of the Tour.

Brownwood Cross Track "Pacesetters Steel Services Cycling Team and Atlanta Pro Bikes Race Team will present the 2007 Brownwood “Cross Track” Criterium Race in East Atlanta on Saturday June 9.

The race is a blend of Crit, Cross and Short Track MTB. (1 mile closed course with half the course on road and the other half on the South side dirt trails of Brownwood Park.) A perfect warm up for the Fort Mountain GCS MTB race on June 10.

Group A
Open to racers in following categories:
Men -
Road Categories Pro/1/2/3 and Mountain Categories Pro/Semi Pro/Expert/Sport
Women -
Road Categories Pro/1/2 and Mountain Categories Pro/Semi Pro/Expert

Group B
Open to racers in following categories:
Women - Road Categories 2/3/4 and Mountain Categories Expert/Sport/Beginner
Men -Road Categories 4/5 & Men’s Mountain Categories Sport/Beginner
Both races 30 minutes + 3 Laps
Mountain Bikes and Cyclo-Cross Bikes are allowed.
(You can race in both the A and B race if you fall into a category that appears eligible for both)
More information will be posted shortly at www.eastatlantakids.org

Beginner’s MTB Skills Clinic and Demo Day Saturday, April 7th, 9:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m.
Blankets Creek Trails Presented by the SORBA Woodstock Bike Patrol and OutSpokin’ Bicycles

Join local pro racer Lisa Randall for a beginner’s skills clinic!
Topics covered will include:
• Proper bike fit
• Braking
• Shifting
• Body Position
• Cornering
• How to Pick a Line
• Riding Over Small Obstacles
• Climbing and Descending

OutSpokin’ Bicycles will have demo bikes available. Come check out what’s new from Turner, Ellsworth, and Specialized.

Need help with Bike Fit? A fit expert will be available from 9 to 9:30 to assist clinic participants with proper bike fit.

Bring the Kids!! The SORBA Woodstock Bike Patrol will be leading a kids ride for children ages 10 and under at 10 am.

This class is appropriate for men and women who are new to mountain biking and want to improve their riding skills. We will spend the first half of the class discussing technique and practicing with skills drills. The second half will be spent on the trail as we ride the Dwelling Loop and discuss specific skills along the way. The clinic, demo, and kids ride are free, however, a small donation to SORBA-Woodstock is strongly encouraged. We will meet at the Blankets Creek skills training area.

Please note: Helmets Required. The trails are closed if it is raining. If the trail is closed, the clinic will be rescheduled for Sunday, April 8th. Please check www.sorbawoodstock.org for trail open/closed status before heading out.

Bellyache Reminder Please do not park at the church this week. Park on the street. St. Phillips is having Easter Week services! Thanks!

4-5-2007 Two Athens Rides From @ The Hub: "We will be hosting a ride from The Hub on April 11th with the Jittery Joe's Pro Cycling Team. The ride will leave The Hub @ 5:30pm and do a 30 mile easy ride. Same ride as the Tom D. ride (Jefferson River loop from The Hub and back). This is the local boys so we need to show lots of support for them so lets make it a good ride. Look forward to seeing everyone out there. www.hubbikes.com

Tom Danielson ride from The Hub "We are hosting a ride from The Hub on April 23rd with 2005 Tour de Georgia winner Tom Danielson of team Discovery Channel. The ride will meet at The
Hub @ 5:30pm. It will be an easy 30 mile ride (Jefferson River Loop from The Hub and back). We look forward to seeing all the local Athens cycling community out there."

Cat. 4 Women, Cat. 5 Men, and Juniors Series If you would be interested in attending a Cat. 5 Men. Cat. 4 Women, and Juniors race series next year, please email Cathy Frazier at cfrazier@fraziercycling.com. See below for more information.

> Could you pass this on to your group?
>
> Thanks for your emails of support! I am meeting
> with potential sponsors on
> Tuesday to sell them on the idea of a series for
> juniors, cat 4 women and
> cat 5 men. I have already received some pushback
> saying that there are not
> enough racers in these fields to make this work. I
> want to take your emails
> with me to show the level of interest on your part.
> Please encourage cat 4
> (or any other cyclists who would benefit from this
> series) to email me by
> Monday. I need your help to make this work!
>
> Cathy Frazier
> cfrazier@fraziercycling.com

Georgia State Study Subjects Needed Georgia State is currently conducting a study investigating how 2 different carbohydrate beverages affect cycling performance. The study is looking for male subjects, aged 18-44 who ride 60 miles at a time on a consistent basis.

The study requires that you come in on four separate occasions.

First visit - VO2max test and body composition. You will be given your VO2max results so you can apply them to your training. Second visit - 30 mile simulated ride during which you will receive
only water. 3rd and 4th visit - 60 mile simulated ride during which you'll be given one of the CHO beverages. This type of protocol has been done quite often in the past. If you are interested please email dtriplett1@student.gsu.edu. Thanks. Darren Triplett

Sunny King Crit News May 5&6 Anniston, AL is 1.5 hours due west of Atlanta off of I-20 and home to the 4th Annual Sunny King Criterium on May 5. Registration is now open for all classes, including Masters & Juniors races. Races run from 11am to 9:00pm (Central Time Zone). Pro 1-2 Women race at 3:20 and Pro Men take the course at 7:30pm under the streetlights. Both men & women are NRC and on the USA Crits SE Series. Rider entry fees go to Cancer research ($18,000 donated in past two years). The Sunny King Crit headlines the broader Noble Street Festival and attracts more than 5,000 to downtown to watch the races. The festival offers 16 restaurants serving all day/evening from tents along the street, an artist market, all sorts of stuff for kids (including races--200 kids participated in 2006), music, a running race on the crit course, and more. This year's festival will be invaded by Star Wars Vader himself, along with Storm Troopers will be roaming the crowds. Get up early the next morning (Sunday) and ride the Cheaha Challenge Century for some hill training. The races and century together were selected a Top 10 Event in Alabama in 2006. The Northeast Alabama Bicycle Club extends a special invitation to Georgia riders to race on Saturday (and ride the century on Sunday). www.sunnykingcriterium.com and www.cheahachallenge.com

4-9-2007 FFF Town Hall Atlanta4/18/07 6:00pm Venue: Cox Enterprises Inc

http://www.floydfairnessfund.org/resources/Atlanta_flyer_1.pdf

Address: 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30328

The Floyd Fairness Fund (FFF) is pleased to announce a FFF Town Hall Fundraiser with 2006 Tour de France Champion Floyd Landis. Proceeds will support Floyd in his efforts to attain a fair hearing as he fights unsubstantiated doping allegations and works to establish a legacy of advocacy for athletes' rights.

The evening with Floyd will include:
An Exclusive Autograph Signing Session
Arnie Baker Presents the "What's Fair is Clear" Slide Show
Town Hall Q&A with Floyd and the FFF
Live Auction

Event Tickets Are: $ 50.00

Free-Flite Bicycles is proud to be involved in this once in a lifetime event. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Floyd and get something autographed. There is also a 250 person limit so pre-register or be outside looking in.

TT Clinic with Nathan O'Neill April 12-13 there will be a TT Clinic and fitting with Nathan O'Neill in Athens. The details are here.

ABC Looking for Executive Director The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is looking for an Executive Director.

Jittery Joes Team Appearances Greetings friends of the Jittery Joe's Team,
I just wanted to update you on a few events we have slated to hang out with the team in the upcoming week or so.

Next Wednesday April 11th the team will be doing a group ride from The Hub Bicycles at 6pm. The whole Tour of Georgia team will be there and we will be doing an easy 1 BD hour loop. Come ride with us! For directions to the bike shop check out www.hubbikes.com.

Thursday, April 12 the team will be doing a meet and greet at the Baxter Street Jittery Joe's in Athens. Come on by, enjoy BD price drinks and get a signed poster from the whole team. There is no entry fee or anything just come by and chat (and maybe even end up on the TV show that is being
made about the team! The TV production crew will be doing live filming there).

Sunday, April 15th we will be getting ready for the 07 Tour de Georgia. The whole team will be in Peachtree City and we will be stopping by the Peachtree City Jittery Joe's store on Sunday mid-day to hang out and have a cup of coffee with our sponsors and fans. Check with the Peachtree City
JJ for all of the events that they are working on scheduled for Sunday and Monday. For directions to get to any of the Jittery Joe's locations, check out http://www.jitteryjoes.com/index.php?section3D26.

Thank you to all that came out for the first Thursday Night Ride. The A group was very strong. The B group was shattered from the tail of the A group to the core of the C group. The C group now starts at Riverside and gathers at the top of Eves in Martin's Landing. Manny is the C group coordinator (manueljramos1@yahoo.com).

4-11-2007 Zipp Wheels Zipp Wheels are bringing over 30 sets of demo wheels to the Roswell Thursday Night Ride on May 3rd. That’s right bring your bike and ride it with a set of Zipp Wheels for the Bike Roswell! Thursday Night Ride! Get a real feel as to how Zipp wheels ride on your bike. What's the catch? NONE, but we would ask that you make a donation, say $5, to Bike Roswell!

We are working hard to keep the Bike Roswell! Thursday Night Ride as number one. Look for more similar opportunities this season. Sincerely, Eric Broadwell

Radio Tour "Radio Tour" for the Tour de Georgia can be heard again this year on a
frequency of 450.8875 mhz, with a squelch tone of 67.0. Any scanner radio should be able to pick-up Radio Tour within 10 - 20 miles of the peloton, as the TdG uses a radio repeater system from the Commissaire's car to an overhead airplane, then back to the finish line area.

4-12-2007 Columns News From a cyclist: "FYI- The police stopped two cyclists and gave them warnings for riding two abreast. Actually they were at the end turning and overlapped
wheels, according to one of the cyclists. The police pulled in behind them and flashed his lights. As they started down the road they evidently did not get directly behind one another soon enough. The
police pulled them over and issued them warnings. Supposedly the cop was "real nice" but he kept them for 35 minutes writing the warnings.

During this time home owners drove buy honking and even applauding, according to one of the cyclists. The officer said he normally would not have been there, but he was "dispatched" to the area because a homeowner complained. Funny, in the past month there have been less cyclists than normal. They have been following the rules. As a homeowner on Columns, I drive up and down Columns on a daily basis. I have seen no trouble. Yet, homeowners are still calling.

Do we now understand that the few bike hating, bitter, full-of-crap homeowners who are pushing this crusade against cyclists are not going to quit? They wanted to ban all cyclists and shut down the parking lot at the end of Columns. This is not going to stop. They are going to keep calling the police and trying to get more restrictive ordinances passed. How about we quit being nice and start demanding that as taxpayers we get to use the road that was paid for and is maintained by taxpayer money? How about we start working on getting this ordinance overturned and getting Georgia law to be the law?

More later, but two ideas to plant:

1) Three of the commissioners who voted for this dog come up for reelection in 2008. We need two Republicans and one Democrat to try and defeat these people during the primaries. These need to be bike friendly folks, or hell, just folks other than the pinheads now holding office. Since this type of restrictive ordinance can have an impact locally, statewide and perhaps nationally, I believe we can
raise funds nationwide. A lot of people giving five or ten dollars can have a huge impact on a local race. This was done during the 2006 in many races. We can also make some alliances with other single issues groups. At the same time BS ordinance was passed, the commission voted to allow outdoor burning. Many people spoke against this during the meetings I attended. These people and others concerned about other issues could certainly help. A grassroots effort can work. I am going
to do more research on this.

2)"I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. We're just the guys to do it." A Critical Mass type ride on Columns? The first Thursday in May? (Can't do it during the Tour de Georgia.) How many cyclists can we get
on Columns at 6:30 on a Thursday evening?"

Cola Vita has announced their TdG Squad The Colavita/Sutter Home men's cycling team has announced its roster for the seven stage Tour de Georgia, which begins on Monday. The eight-man squad will be lead by Irish National Champion David McCann. "We are very excited to return to the Tour de Georgia," said director sportif Tom Schuler. "It's an honor to be selected and we look forward to applying our stamina and climbing skills to race against some of the best cycling teams in the world."Joining McCann in the lineup is two time San Francisco Grand Prix winner Charles Dionne, and Anthony Colby, whose third-place finish in the first stage at the Redlands Bicycle Classic will position him well for the challenging climbs of the Tour de Georgia. Colavita's eight riders form part of the 120 competitors, from 15 international and domestic teams, that will contest the event.

Full team roster for Tour de Georgia:
Gustavo Artacho (Arg)
Adam Bergman (USA)
Anthony Colby (USA)
Charles Dionne (Can)
Davide Frattini (Ita)
Peter Hatton (NZl)
David McCann (Ire)
Tyler Wren (USA)

Quick.Step for Tour de Georgia Cyclingnew reports that Quick.Step has announced their team for Georgia. No Boonen or Bettini. "Belgian squad Quick.Step - Innergetic has announced its eight men who will head across the pond to contest the Tour de Georgia from April 16-22. The team is composed of Mauro Facci, Alessandro Proni, Ivan Santaromita, Leonardo Scarselli, Hubert Schwab, Kevin Seeldraeyers, Andrea Tonti and Maarten Wynants. Barking team orders over the radio will be directeur sportifs Rik Van Slycke and Davide Bramati.

Prior to their US departure, the same eight will ride the 1.1 classified Grand Prix Pino Cerami in Belgium this coming Thursday."

4-13-2007 TdG Rosters The complete list of TdG Rosters can be found here.

SE Cycling TdG Coverage I'll be at the TdG Wednesday-Sunday. Find me and say hi! I'll have plenty of photos and some stories.

4-16-2007 Pizza Ride Update An email was sent out a couple of weeks ago about the new pizza route. Just in case you want more details:

As you enter the park, Turn right (onto Robert E Lee), carefully and cautiously pass the playground on your right, pass Stonewall Jackson (aka the steep fishpond hill), continue on Robert E Lee, pass the grist mill, climb up motel hill, make a sweeping right onto Jefferson Davis Drive and head towards East Gate Entrance… from this point it will be a normal Thursday loop. So we are adding about 3.5 miles to the loop by doing 3/4 of a counter clockwise small/inside loop and then heading out onto the main Thursday long outer loop. The www link below might be helpful to walk you through the loop visually.

The finish sprint will be the same as it currently is with detour in place (a four foot tall no parking sign). Total loop distance should be in the 12.5-13 mile range versus current 9.30 miles.

When we come back up for the finish- remember the detour has car traffic making a left - instead of making the left, make a right onto Old Hugh Howell, pass the st. mt police station, make a left onto Northgate Dr, and that goes into Service Dr. We can have our finish sprint towards the end of Service Drive (this is more of a hill finish). This dumps us out onto Robert E Lee- just past our normal sprint line.

Extended Neutral Zone on Thurs Stone Mt Loop:

Now that the Pizza Ride is in Full Swing-

1- We will have a NEUTRAL zone (below 25 mph- and 15 mph at Playground Area) once we enter Stone Mountain Park and Turn right. The neutral zone will extend from the initial entrance until the road becomes 4 lanes (base of Motel Hill)- approximately 3 miles. As we go from 2 to 4 lanes- Neutral Zone Ends- so have at it.

2- STOP at STOPs. The ride was stopped by police for going around a car (on the left by some and on the right by others) and it has been stopped by Police for those that are not stopping at STOPs.

3- The round about that is at the grist mill, just before the road goes from 2 to 4 Lanes- GO AROUND (to the right) the ROUND About. We will go around this on the Neutral Zone part and when we hit it for the 2nd time on the second lap.

Pass onto any cyclists that do Pizza! Ride Starts at 6:30 pm from Avondale Pizza Cafe"

Wired to Win BRAG hosted a sneak preview of the IMAX movie Wired to Win at Fernbank on Friday night. A standing room only crowd enjoy the movie, which is about the human brain as seen through riders in the 2004 Tour De France. It will be playing at Fernbank through August 3.

Nalley HRC News The Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium website is now updated with
Categories, Race Times and details concerning the 6th annual Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium - www.nalleyhrc.com.

We are going to have an awesome event this year. Online event registration is through www.gobike1.com. There is also a link on the website. Registration has been very active and we have over 130 - Pro/1 riders currently registered (field limit is 150).

Bruce Burton is in charge of volunteers this year. If you want to help out he is in dire need of race marshall’s. 2 ½ hours of your time gets you a free t-shirt, hat and lunch from Roswell's famous Fickle Pickle (located just behind start/finish). You can reach Bruce at bruce.burton@cingular.com

Sneak Preview It was too cold and windy to ride outside Sunday morning, and I'd already ridden the trainer, so I went to pick up my media credentials on Sunday in Peachtree City. Here is a sneak preview of two photos from the hotel parking lot. Tons of pros walking around. Thanks to Brook and crew in the media office for all of your hard work. Also, I'm happy to announce that Southeastern Cycling's other photographer, Doug Gravino, will be joining me for stages 5-7.

The Waffle House RV is ready to go.

A Navigators bike gets a washing in the cold Georgia spring weather and 30 mph wind gusts.

4-17-2007 Party Litespeed will be having a party on Wed. for the TdG. Details are here. Scroll down a little ways.

Komen Photos Check out the Stage 1 TdG photos and the Komen Cycle for the Cure photos.

4-18-2007 BMW Bianchi From cyclingnews.com BMW Bianchi women’s team rolls into 2007 The BMW-Bianchi women's team is pleased to announce that both of its title sponsors have again committed to support women's cycling. The team is part of the Capital Cycling Club of North Carolina, and club president Russ Stapleton is pleased with the renewal "We're grateful that our sponsors can see the benefit in supporting a program like ours that allows different levels of riders to develop within the same team."

In response the team has stepped up its commitment to developing women's cycling by increasing its roster to 21 women (13 elite spots and 8 developmental spots). In addition, BMW-Bianchi has three women attending world championship events this season, including multi-time junior national champion and US National Team member Lauren Shirock. "Taking riders like Lauren on board and providing not only financial support but more racing experience is one of the main focuses of this program. We have lots of talented women who are new to the sport, and experienced racers as well. Combine the two and you can produce racers with the skills to take them as far as their talent lets them go," said Stapleton.

In addition to a full schedule of regional racing, select NRC single day and stage races, the team will be lining up for the Commerce Bank Triple Crown series near Philadelphia, and the team will be supporting its riders as they tackle national and world championship competitions.

Elite Team: Ashley Anderson, Kim Foland, Liz Griffith, Tonya Lail, Sara LeGrand, Nancy Lux, Cara McCauley, Cora Olson, Missy Petty, Kim Sawyer, Lauren Shirock, Patty Shoaf, Laura Weislo

Developmental Team: Janet Edgerton, Kelly McLaughlin, Carol Rockett, Tina Weiler, Hannah Whitaker, Gail DeCamp, Tracy Parker, Amy Slater

TdG Here is a slightly different article on the TdG.

Daniele Contini (Tinkoff) looks over his shoulder on Macon's finishing circuits.

Save East Wesley From the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign: The prognosis for East Wesley Road is getting very dim. On Friday, we received word that the City of Atlanta has filed a lengthy response to our emergency petition for injunction in Superior Court. The City has chosen to use extreme legal maneuvering to keep this case from being heard by a judge, and so far they have succeeded in delaying the scheduling of a hearing. meanwhile, the Department of Public Works' contractor is frantically pushing forward with more destruction of this former bikeway.

With a significant portion of the road now permanently narrowed to preclude bicycle space, this is a good time for a ride. We can now demonstrate better than any previous ride the ridiculous bottleneck that this road will pose for the next hundred years or more!

Please ride with us this Saturday as we send a message that this issue has NOT gone away despite the City's attempt to ignore it. From the beginning, this protest campaign has included the goal of raising public awareness so that such a project will never again be allowed in metro Atlanta. Saturday's ride and press conference will send that message, including an Earth Day award ceremony recognizing Atlanta as FIRST in bad cycling accommodations, and 64th among large cities in environmental consciousness!

Ride East Wesley Road
Give Atlanta the Earth Day Award it deserves!
When: Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 A.M.
The weather should be perfect so come out and join us.

Where: Meet at Peachtree Bikes (the bike shop) located at 2837 Peachtree Road.
Enter their parking lot from Rumson Rd. * * Please don't park behind Fellini's. * *
What: A Ride to Save our Streets for Bicycling! We will have bike flags, signs, and "Save Our Bikeways" t-shirts. Bring your "Save Our Bikeways" t-shirt if you have one.

The Southeastern Cycling Tour De Georgia Photo Galleries are at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com.

Komen Race for the Cure Cyclingnews put up the Komen Race for the Cure results and some photos by Southeastern Cycling. Sweet! Thank you for caring about women's racing, cyclingnews!No, I wasn't last, not quite anyway. Ya'll know I only do one crit a year!

4-19-2007 TdG Stage 3 The Tour De Georgia Stage 3 photos are here. I had a fun day but almost did not make the start in Rome. There was a jacknifed camper on I-75 above Lake Allatoona with a backup that extended several miles. I was about 30 minutes late but still managed to take some good photos at the start. The finish was chaotic! You had one chance to get the photo because the riders did not do circuits in Chattanooga like they did in Macon; this is a challenge of stage racing and road racing in general. I got a good one of the winner.

Giani Meersman wins Stage 3 of the Tour De Georgia in Chattanooga

Who I want to be like one day-Casey Gibson of Velonews. His photos are amazing! Plus, he's a really nice guy!

Digital Photos Yes! I offer digital photos for sale as well as prints. Email me if you are interested. Prices vary according to intended use. Photos are available for commercial clients as well.

TdG Don't forget to check www.velonews.com and www.cyclingnews.com for your TdG updates and live coverage!

Stone Mountain Park Stop Signs Please STOP at the stop signs in Stone Mountain Park. I've heard the cops are ticketing cyclists and cars for running the stop signs. Remember that running a stop sign is a traffic violation, and the cops are within their rights and duties to enforce traffic ordinances.

Floyd Landis in Norcross From the Events Calendar at 99x.com: Mark Owens gets you pumped for Tour De Georgia! (7160 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross): Join Mark Owens, from 8-10 on Friday night at Jocks & Jills Norcross with 2006 Tour de Georgia and Tour de France Champion, Floyd Landis. We'll give away a free bike, a trip to the Tour of Missouri in St Louis and welcome riders from the BriarRose Grand Peloton charity ride. I'll see you at Jocks & Jills Norcross!

Charlotte MTB Series "One week and counting....until the start of the seventh annual Christenbury Eye Center Charlotte Summer Mountain Bike Series. The 2007 series is proudly presented by the Tarheel Trailblazers and will kick off on Wednesday, April 25, at the US National Whitewater Center. The rotation of the series will be USNWC, Beatty, Renaissance, and N Meck Park and
will take a break every fifth race, totally sixteen exciting races.

New for the 2007 event, the singlespeed category. In order to add the singlespeed category, we had to change a few other categories. There will not be a Masters category but we have changed the age requirements of the Beginner and Sport Categories. The age break downs for the
Beginner and Sport Categories will be 19-39 and 40+. All other categories are the same as previous years.

One other change is the entry fees. Since the inception of the series, the entry fee has been $10, and the one day NORBA license being $3. This year, the entry fee is going to be $12 for those who have an annual NORBA license, with the option of the one-day NORBA license being $3. If you would like to purchase an annual NORBA or USA Cycling Mountain Bike license, visit www.usacycling.org . Not only do you save money purchasing the annual license, you receive lots of great benefits including a substantial secondary health insurance policy. For more membership
info, visit https://www.usacycling.org/forms/Member_Guide.pdf

If you would like to register for the entire summer series, online registration is available at
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1440559 Registration is broken down into those who hold an annual NORBA License-USA Cycling Mountain Bike License and those who want to purchase one-day licenses. You will still have to fill out an event wavier at each and every race.

For directions, dates, rules and all other pertinent information on the summer series, visit www.charlottemtnbike.com.

Special thanks to the 2007 event sponsors: Christenbury Eye Center, Tarheel Trailblazers, US National Whitewater Center, Meck County Parks and Rec, Huntersville Parks and Rec, Endurance Magazine, BikeLine, SouthPark Cycles, Bicycle Sport, Bicycles East, The Spirited Cyclist, Cycle
Path, Ultimate Bike, Cool Breeze Cyclery, Gaston Bicycle and Service, REI, BikeSource, iRide Cycles, Sun and Ski Sports, First Flight Bicycles, Lucky Cycles, Middle Ring Cycles, Bolt Brothers, KONA, Fox Racing, Shimano, Giodana, SockGuy, Clif Bar, Trek, Gary Fisher, and Easton Sports.
More to come very soon! See you on the bike. Neal"

4-20-2007 BMW Komen Report The BMW Bianchi Komen Race for the Cure report is up.

The Tour De Georgia Stage 4 Winners: 2nd-Nathan O'Neill (Healthnet), Levi Leipheimer (Discovery), and David Zabriskie (CSC). Yes, David instigated this.

Tour De Georgia Stage 4 Photos I had a great day on Thursday at the TdG. I previewed the Time Trial course driving it backwards with the Velonews reporters in the Velonews media car. The first few miles were pretty straight forward. There was a 1.6 mile climb at mile 8. It had a false summit and one tight turn. Until 3 miles to go, the course was fairly straight. The last 4 km were quite twisty and very up and down as the course undulated through the neighborhoods on top of Lookout Mountain. My stage 4 photos are here.

The Devil didn't make it to Georgia, but this banner made it to Lookout Mountain

No Updates til Sat. Night I won't be updating SE Cycling again until Sat. night. I'll have plenty of Tour De Georgia photos then.

Group Ride Etiquette This merits a repost since we are in full group ride season

If you are a beginner, please practice handling your bike before coming to a group training ride. It isn't safe for anyone if there are people that do not have basic bike handling skills riding in a large group. The Southern Bicycle League offers many wonderful beginner group rides to hone your pack skills. Remember to be prepared for the ride. Bring water, food, and a pump and spare tube(s). Riders don't mind helping one another, but it is always safest to come prepared. Don't
forget your clothes. Local bike shops carry extensive lines of clothing. Most riders don't "loan out" clothing.

Group ride etiquette:

1. Hold your line. Do not wander into someone else's "ride space." To quote the movie Dirty Dancing, "This is my dance space. This is your dance space. You don't come into mine, and I don't come into yours." Do not ride all over the road. If you are going to change position, look around before "darting" to your new position. Be predictable! Don't be a squirrel.

2. Do NOT ride in your aerobars in a group. It is dangerous, and you could take out yourself and the rest of the group. You do not have as much control over your bike while in aerobars. If it is too much of a temptation, remove your aerobars for group rides.

3. Do not yell rude words or make rude gestures towards cars. They are bigger than you. You will lose the fight. Be nice to fellow road users even if they aren't.

4. When in a paceline, always pull off to the left. If you pull off to the right, you can hurt yourself by running into a curb, grass, gravel, and bus stop signs.

5. Do not take both hands off of the bars when riding in the pack. Drift to the back to take your jacket off, eat, whatever. If you run over something and lose control of your bike, you will probably go down.

6. Please point out pot holes and other road debris, but do NOT swerve around it. See #1-HOLD YOUR LINE.

7. If you are stopping or slowing down, yell "stopping" or "slowing down," so that riders behind you can safely apply their brakes.

8. Do not cross the yellow line. Cars are bigger than you, and you will get squashed. When you cross the yellow line, you cause the accident, not the car. There have been several people hit in Atlanta in the last year when they crossed that magic line. Don't chance it. We want to see everyone week after week!

Some excellent links to group ride etiquette: Red Dirt Pedlars, Oklahoma Cyclists.
http://www.reddirtpedalers.com/whissues/group.asp
http://www.oklahomabicyclesociety.com/hintstips/groupride.htm

David Zabriskie (CSC), the US TT Champion in Full Flight at the TdG TT

Photos on Cyclingnews.com See my photos on cyclingnews.com: Stage 1, Komen Race for the Cure, Stage 4.

4-21-2007 Stage 5 and 6 Photos Thanks to the Mavic guys, especially Jim and Tyler, in Mavic 2 for letting me ride along on Saturday from Lake Lanier Islands to Stone Mountain Park. I had a great time! The Mavic guys do a great job with neutral support for all the racers at the Tour De Georgia. Mavic 2's job was to cover any breaks that got more than about 60 seconds on the peloton. We dropped behind the main break of 3 riders and followed them until one lap to go in Stone Mountain Park.

Tyler hangs out the window of the Mavic 2 car to hand Nate on Moto 2 a new wheel.

My stage 5 photos are here. Stage 6 photos are here.

The main break of Stage 6

4-22-2007 Tour De Georgia Stage 7 I hope everyone had a great time at the Tour De Georgia Stage 7 in downtown Atlanta. The crowds were absolutely incredible! I had the priviledge of photographing from a moto for several laps. I captured some incredible images. It was an adrenaline rush and absolutely amazing to be in the middle of the pro cyclists, who looked like poetry in motion. Here is to a great 2007 Tour De Georgia. See you in 2008!

Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes) drives the day's break.

CSC goes to the front to keep things together for their sprinter, JJ Haedo.

Local Rider to Junior National Team Local rider Joey Rosskopf (Aarons/"The Cutters") has been invited to ride with the US Junior National Team in Europe beginning at the end of May. He will be housed at the National Team House in Izegem, Belgium. Other teammates will include: Zach Hockett, Ben King, Grant Van Horn, Carter Jones, Ben Barsi-Rhyne, Jens Brabbit, Taylor Phinney, Daniel Summerhill, and David Talbott.

Joey Rosskopf (center) on the Gainesville Georgia Cup podium in early April. Joey is heading to Europe to race

4-23-2007 Email AT&T! If you enjoyed the Tour De Georgia, please email AT&T and thank them for their sponsorship of the TdG!

4-24-2007 Junior Races at Roswell From the Nalley HRC "Please see the website - www.nalleyhrc.com for changes to the schedule. We have added two Junior 20 minute races. We are squeezing them in between other events, which means we will be carving minutes out of the other
races.

Registration is DAY OF RACE ONLY. It's too late to add to online registration.

I am asking for your help in a couple of areas.

1) Please make sure the parents are there to register early
2) Please ask them to be patient - this has been an issue in the past
3) We cannot tell them exactly when the Juniors races will start, just that they will launch immediately after the prior event. (U-14 after the Men's 3/4 race and 15-18 after the Masters 35+/45+ race)
4) Racers must be registered and in the staging area (Thompson Pl -immediately to the south of registration) ready to go.
5) There is no warm up on the course - officials will pull numbers if riders try to warm up on the course once racing begins (11:55).
6) Start/Finish is very constricted, they must stage. They cannot hang out near start/finish and try to get onto the course. It is fully barricaded
7) Please distribute this widely so we have a great turnout.

Sunny King Crit The Sunny King crit is just over a week away. It will be held on Saturday, May 5th in Anniston, AL. Visit the Sunny King website.

Email the Tour Sponsors! Don't forget to email the tour De Georgia sponsors and thank them for sponsoring this great race! I got a nice response back from AT&T!

Other News If you have sent me other news, I will have it up in the next few days. I've been catching up on my "real life" since the TdG.

4-26-2007 From the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign *MAY IS NATIONAL BICYCLE MONTH; ATLANTA BICYCLE CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES*

*WITH "SHARE THE ROAD" KICK OFF EVENT AND RIDE AT GLENWOOD PARK*

*Share the Road promotes four smart ways for motorists and bicyclists to
ride together on the streets of Metro Atlanta; public awareness campaign
sponsored by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety*

*ATLANTA, APRIL 24, 2007 – *The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign (ABC) is launching
its annual *Share the Road* campaign, a public awareness program to promote
safe riding by motorists and bicyclists on the streets of Metro Atlanta. A
kick off event and community ride is scheduled for 11am, *Tuesday, May 1 at
Glenwood Park*, a bicycle-friendly community in SE Atlanta. ABC members,
supporters, and civic leaders are expected to attend. *A three-mile bicycle
ride will follow the ceremonial kick off and end back at the park for a free
lunch* for all participants. The ride will include demonstrations for
bicyclists to learn to effectively share the road with motorists. The event
is free and open to the public*.*

The event also will include a sneak preview of the new "I'm on that bike!"
marketing campaign which will debut during the month of May on billboards,
MARTA bus backs, street banners on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, in
print ads featured in the Neighbor Newspaper publications, public service
announcements, community events, and on the ABC's web site.

"We invite both bicyclists and motorists to get involved in this year's
"Share the Road" effort by joining us for the May 1st kick off, enrolling in
an Effective Cycling class, joining us for Bike to Work Day, or simply
putting a "Share the Road" sign in their yard," said Dennis Hoffarth,
Executive Director, Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. "The most effective way to
promote bicyclist and motorist cooperation is by example. Increasing
personal awareness and following the rules of the road is a great first
step."

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is promoting the following *Share the Roadmessages
*, all of which are Georgia laws:
*1) Bicyclists have the right to ride on all surface roads and not the
sidewalk;
2) Bicyclists should never ride more than two abreast;
3) Motorists are required to pass bicyclists in a safe manner (allow three
feet when passing); and
4) Bicyclists take the lane when the lane is narrow.
*These *Share the Road* messages along with the "I'm on that Bike!"
marketing campaign will be promoted through various communication channels
including community exhibits, printed brochures, bumper stickers,
billboards, MARTA bus backs, street banners, public service announcements,
lawn signs, buttons, web site, and public relations. The formal public
awareness campaign culminates in September with the Share the Road
Challenge, a ride and fundraiser on Labor Day.

Founded in 1991, the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is the city's largest
non-profit bicycle advocacy organization with a mission to promote bicycle
transportation and use in the metro Atlanta region. In addition to the *Share
the Road* campaign, ABC actively promotes its mission through Effective
Cycling classes and the establishment of Bicycle User Groups, educating
cyclists on how to plan and advocate for bicycle facilities in their own
counties, workplace or neighborhoods. To date, ABC has educated more than
3000 adult and child bicyclists through Effective Cycling classes and
workshops; implemented one of the most cycle-friendly bikes-on-train
policies in the nation; established a Safe Routes to School program with six
school sites in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties; and encouraged thousands of
people to try bicycle commuting by hosting an annual BIKE THERE! /Bike to
Work Day. The ABC is a membership-based organization with a board of
directors and a full-time executive director. For more information, call
404.881.1112 or visit www.atlantabike.org.

InterContinental Sponsors Fulton Flyers to U.S. Road Nationals! Make your InterContinental Hotel reservations at the Fulton Flyers’ website and the team earns sponsorship. Just go to their website www.fultonflyerscycling.org and click on the link. You still get the lowest internet rates and Priority Club Reward Points. InterContinental hotels include Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites and Crowne Plaza.

The Fulton Flyers Development Team is dedicated to young cyclists in Georgia. Title sponsors are Land Rover Gwinnett and The BriarRose Land Company. The 2007 roster is twenty riders, including eight girls.

The Flyers Nationals Team riders are: Alex Wechsler (Women 15-16), Rose Mauney (Women 15-16), Ann Turner (U23 Women), Sean Cochran (Men 13-14), Ty Magner (Men 15-16), Kyle Cochran (Men 17-18), Brian Ceballos (Men 17-18), Oscar Clark (Men 17-18),Christian Parrett (Men 17-18)

Gainesville College Trail Closed Sat. From SORBA-Gainesville "Gainesville State College will close the College Trail starting around 2pm on Saturday. This is due to an event at the college. Please try to finish up your rides early or head over to Chicopee and ride instead. Thanks!"

Kennesaw Mountain From Chris Dusak: Fellow riders:

I had a chance to meet with Dan Brown, Superintendent of KM park. He said that only a few bicyclists voiced an opinion about how the mountain road will be used. Please take a few minutes to read the alternatives and email him directly with comments. Let him know you are a cyclist.

Daniel_R_Brown@nps.gov

Alternative #1 allows the most bike usage.

Alternative #1 – Improve Foot Trail for Accessibility

The foot trail from near the Visitor Center to the top of Kennesaw Mountain was developed to provide pedestrian access to the mountaintop. The existing trail is steep and rocky, with grades exceeding 22%, and is not handicap or stroller accessible. Under this alternative, sections of the foot trail will be rerouted and redesigned as needed to achieve a grade of less than 10%, widened to 6-8 ft. with a compacted or hardened surface that meets accessibility standards.

Pedestrians – The mountain road will be closed to pedestrian use and all foot traffic will be redirected to the foot trail.

Vehicles – The road will be open to private vehicles, including bicycles, Monday through Friday except designated holidays. A shuttle bus will operate on weekends and holidays, when the road will be closed to private vehicles and bicycles.
Alternative #2 – Expand Shuttle Service

Under this alternative, the shuttle bus service will operate 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily year round. The shuttle will operate every 30 minutes Monday through Friday. Frequency may increase to every 20 minutes on weekends and holidays as needed to meet demand. The park has requested funding for a technical study to evaluate the best vehicle for this service in terms of size, technology, and method of acquisition, and will pursue those recommendations as appropriate and dependent upon available funds. The current shuttle fee is $2/adults and $1/children per day. The park is considering implementing an entrance fee. When that occurs the shuttle fee would be incorporated into the entrance fee and there would not be a separate fee to ride the shuttle bus.

Pedestrians – The road would be restriped and flexiposts installed to designate the outside 4 feet of road pavement to serve as a sidewalk. Pedestrian traffic would be required to stay within this designated walkway at all times, including weekends and holidays.

Vehicles – The road would be closed to private motor vehicles and a motorized gate installed at the road entrance to preclude illegal access. All visitors desiring to be transported to the top of the mountain by vehicle would be required to use the shuttle bus. The remaining 16 ft. of road surface would be shared by park and emergency vehicles as necessary, requiring careful communication and coordination with the shuttle bus driver to avoid head-on collisions. The road would be open to bicycles from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily (weekdays and weekends) during daylight savings time. Bicycles would share the remaining 16 ft. of road surface with park and emergency vehicles.
Alternative #3 – Schedule User Groups

Under this alternative, the following schedule of access and closures will be in effect:

Daily, 7:30-10:00 a.m. – Mountain road closed to private vehicles including bicycles; open to pedestrians. Due to use of the road during this time by park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists; walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists.

Monday – Friday, after 10:00 a.m. – Mountain road closed to pedestrians. Road open to private vehicles including bicycles 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. EDT).

Weekends & Holidays, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (8:00 p.m. EDT) – Mountain road closed to private vehicles including bicycles, open to pedestrians. Shuttle bus in operation 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. EDT). Due to use of the road during this time by the shuttle bus and park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists; walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists.
Alternative #4 – Combine Elements of Alternatives #1-3
Under this alternative, the foot trail would be improved for accessibility. The road would be open to pedestrian use from 7:30-10:00 a.m. Due to the use of the road during this period by park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists, and walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists. After 10:00 a.m. the road will be closed to pedestrians and all foot traffic redirected to the foot trail. The shuttle bus service would be expanded to operate 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily year round. The road would be closed to private vehicles, but would be open to bicycles daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. EDT).

Is the Trail Closed? A useful post from the SORBA Forum:

"The following information is for the trails that have official open/close status. For trails not listed below, commons sense should dictate whether they are in a condition to ride in. Trail status is usually located on the home page of the chapter site.

Blankets Creek - Holly Springs, GA - http://www.sorbawoodstock.org - (770) 621-5015

Chicopee/Gainesville College - Gainesville, GA - http://gainesvillesorba.org/wordpress/ - (no number on site - someone correct me?)

Big Creek - Roswell, GA - http://www.rambo-mtb.org/ - (no number)

Central Park - Forsyth County, GA - (no website) - (770) 886-2851 press 4

Dauset Nature Trails - Jackson, GA - (no website?) - (770) 775-6798"

4-28-2007 Big Creek Work Party May 12th 2007 RAMBO Work Party, 8:00 am-noon
Location: Big Creek, Rowsell

Other Information: Saturday, May 12, 8am to about noon at Roswell Big Creek Park to build more benches and work on advanced trail features and the Freeride area. As always at the BC... meet in the front parking lot, lunch will be furnished, bring your bike if you've enough strength for a ride after. Confirm trail and time by contacting our trailmaster at Trails@rambo-mtb.org DIRECTIONS: GA-400 exit Holcombe Bridge Road, go east, turn left onto Old Alabama Rd. 1/4 mile left into gravel parking lot by powerlines.

PATH Construction From an email list I'm on: "There is some major construction to the PATH going on. It's where they are building a cyclist/pedistrian crosswalk as you cross over the railroad coming from clarkston. It's a mess and very dangerous for cyclist. Coming from Stone mountain and going to clarkston, they have closed one lane so that cars (and cyclist) must merge into the left turn lane."

Southeastern Cycling in the AJC!! Unbeknownst to me, Southeastern Cycling made the AJC!! Here is the article. Cool!

Charlotte Happenings From Charlotte Sports Cycling: 2007 Christenbury Eye Service Summer Mountain Bike Series
Wednesday, May 2 ? Col Francis Beatty Park
Visit the website for more info: www.charlottemtnbike.com
**********************
2007 BIKE! Charlotte - Power of the Pedal
Kicks off with the Mayor's Ride/Bike to Breakfast on May 4.
www.bike-charlotte.org
**********************
Saturday, May 5
33rd Annual Dilworth Criterium
The 33rd edition of the Dilworth Criterium returns to Latta Park in
beautiful Charlotte, NC on Saturday, May 5. A full slate of kids races,
novice races, and USCF races is scheduled along with a kids bike safety
rodeo and a neighborhood fun ride.
For more info, visit www.squadravecchio.com
**********************
Sunday May 6
The Walnut Grove Road Race in Spartanburg SC
The course is a 27-mile loop with several rolling hills; see the course
on www.mapmyrun.com - Use the search / May 6th RR / Spartanburg /
South Carolina
Registration starts at 7:30am at Walnut Grove Sports Complex located at
Morris Bridge Rd and Walnut Grove Rd (Hwy 50) 15 miles south of
Spartanburg.
$5 Late Fee day of race, early registration by mail: 771 Duncan Park Dr
Spartanburg SC 29306 or www.Active.com More info w.
www.frewwheelers.info e. andrew1598@charter.net or visit c. 864-431-3206 w.
www.biketownspartanburg.org
**********************
Saturday, June 23
Cowbell Challenge 12 Hour MTB Race
http://www.cowbellchallenge.org/index.htm
**********************
Mark your calendars; the 7th Annual Crossroads Classic is going to be
six days long, possibly seven days July 31 through August 5. Also, the
series ending Sunday event in Winston-Salem will be a NRC event. We are
currently in negotiations with the Cities of Mocksville and Albemarle
for races. We are also currently in the processing of securing
sponsorship for the event. If you are interested in sponsorship or know of a
company that is interested in sponsorship of the event, contact Neal Boyd
at nealboyd@charlottesportscycling.com
**********************

4-30-2007 Roswell Photos The Roswell Photos are up. Ok, they aren't my best. I was too busy yapping and hanging out with friends. Sometimes a girl has to have fun! Men's Pro Race, Women's Pro Race There are also some on cyclingnews.com.

Road Cycling Article Here is another positive cycling article from the AJC.