9-6-2008 Charlotte News

Sunday, September 14
It's the Historic Downtown Wake Forest Criterium on Sunday 9/14/08. www.hdwfcrit.com has the race flyer and other info about the race.
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Saturday, September 20
$5,000 will be up for grabs at the inaugural Dylan Mitchell Memorial Criterium in downtown Ft Mill, South Carolina on September 20.

For more info, Online registration at www.Pre-reg.com

Or the race flyer go to www.ncsccyclingassoc.com
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Sunday, September 28
Can’t Wait Till Cross Starts Race # 1
Presented by Carolina Masters Cycling & Windsong Bike Shop
Salisbury, NC
Racing starts at 9:30 am at Salisbury Community Park with all categories. Can e-mail me at shieldssign@bellsouth.net Check www.carolinamasterscycling.com for details.
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Saturday, Oct 4 - NEW DATE

The 3rd Annual Tree Shaker 12 Hour Mountain Bike Challenge will once again take place at Anne Springs Close Greenway. Anne Springs Close Greenway is home to some of the sweetest singletrack in the southeast. Located in Ft Mill SC, the beautiful ASCG is conveniently located just off I-77.

The event will be from 9AM to 9PM on a 9 mile loop of singletrack. We will have a large neutral support area loaded with fruit, food, water and sport drinks. We will also have full mechanic support provided by BikeSource. After the event, we will have a pasta dinner, music, bond fire and awards ceremony.
Online registration is now available at www.charlottemtnbike.com


We are going to have live music at the event with Streetwise School of Rock. The event start and finish will be held at the Field Trial Barn on Springfield Parkway.
Make sure to put this date on your calendar.
www.charlottemtnbike.com
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DLV News Team Type 1 vs Jittery Joes Battle Shapes Up  Team Type 1’s Emile Abraham and team mates Dan Holt and Joe Eldridge look to repeat their dominating performance from previous Festival of
Speed

East Point, GA (September 5th 2008) – The battle between July’s Festival of Speed winner, Trinidad & Tobago’s Emile Abraham and his Team Type 1 squad
and Jittery Joes riders Trent Wilson and Tim Henry looks set to be a real fiery
one. The 2 squads have battled it out all season on the US road and criterium
circuit and now they will be bringing the heat to the Dick Lane Velodrome for the
Festival of Speed.

Said Abraham of the coming challenge “I felt like we rode well as a team in the
last Festival of Speed, but the addition of Trent Wilson to the field really gives
Jittery Joes a good shot at us. We feel like we’ll be pushed all the way to the end
this time.” Jittery Joe’s Tim Henry had this to say “Adding Trent to the mix is a
real plus for us and I think we can really give Team type 1 a run for their money.
Our advantage is going to be in the longer races so hopefully we can take
advantage of those races”

Amateur racing and the crowd favorite Bicycle Little Leaguers will also be part of
the action for the evening. Professional racing begins at 6pm and entry for
spectators is just $5 and families cost $10. www.dicklanevelodrome.com for
more info


If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please
contact Jeff Hopkins, via phone 404 769 0012 or email
jeff@dicklanevelodrome.com

CoEd Century Clinic From Sorella Cycling: Co-ed Ride-a-Century Clinic
September 11th 2008 7:00 pm
Peachtree Bikes
Presenters: Sorellas Julie Gazmararian and Anne Ledbetter
http://www.sorellacycling.com/calendar.htm

Mark your calendars!

Want to ride a century? Now is your chance to learn how.

Julie Gazmararian and Anne Ledbetter will be at Peachtree Bikes, Thursday September 11 at 7:00 to speak and answer questions on riding a century, supported or on your own. We will discuss what and how much you need to eat and drink, training methods for your body and your brain, what supplies to bring to keep yourself relatively happy and rolling until mile 100.


Julie Gazmararian is an enthusiastic endurance rider/racer-completing several 12, 24 and 48 hour races. Most recently, she competed in the 1,000-mile Race Across the West.

Anne Ledbetter is an avid touring cyclist having done numerous long distance bike trips in Asia and Europe. She also worked for Adventure Cycling (then called Bikentennial) leading trips including their northern tier self supported cross country bike trip. Questions and RSVP to: anne@barkphotography.com

Blanket's Creek Work Party From SORBA Woodstock: For our September Work Party on 9/13, we will be helping out with the lake-wide Great Lake Allatoona Cleanup.

http://www.allatoonacleanup.org We will be cleaning up the shoreline of Lake Allatoona that butts up next to the trails at Blankets Creek. This will be an easy work party and will help clean up our trails and the Lake. Work party is from 9am to noon. Lunch will be provided afterwards. Meet at the Blankets Creek Trailhead. Come help us clean up and preserve the lake for future generations to come!

Chicopee Work Party From SORBA Gainesville oin us for a work party on Saturday, September 13th at 9:00 AM at the Chicopee Woods MTB parking lot. We'll be working on the new Zig Zag reroutes. Please dress appropriate for the weather and wear closed toe shoes (Hiking/work boots recommended). Bring gloves, water and snacks for 4 hours of work. All tools will be provided as well as lunch.
 

No More TdG? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/sep08/sep06news

Tour de Georgia unlikely for 2009 By Mark Zalewski

One of America's biggest stage races, the Tour de Georgia (2.HC), is unlikely to be around next season according to multiple sources involved with the race. The failure to secure consistent sponsorship combined with financial losses have made the race questionable over the past few years, and it appears these problems have finally caught up with the event.

Chris Aronhalt of Medalist Sports, the original promoters and current logistics provider for the race, said that the board would be meeting soon to discuss the future of the race. Contacted by Cyclingnews the race's executive director Elizabeth Dewberry said that there were ongoing discussions about postponing the race for 2009 in order to reorganize. However, Dewberry would not return calls for additional details.

The race began in 2003 with Medalist Sports, the promoters involved with running the Tour of California, Tour of Missouri and the last three years of the USPRO championships in Greenville, South Carolina. The Tour de Georgia laid the groundwork for the Tour of California and Tour of Missouri. However, the race has run under three different title sponsors in the past six years, including Dodge, Ford and most recently with AT&T. The Georgia Partnership Economic Development took over formal ownership of the race from Medalist in 2007 and the 2008 edition also found support in Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle as chairman of a newly formed board of directors.

The race was touted as a stepping stone to the Tour de France, a tag line helped along by the attendance of one Lance Armstrong in the final two years of his Tour de France victories. Record crowds attended in those years, but the numbers have not sustained since.

9-8-2008 Raisin Hope Dear Friends,

Because last year's Raisin Hope Ride was so much fun and such a big success, plans are
being put together to make this year bigger and better. Last year, with your help, we were
able to give over $40,000.00 to organizations helping with brain injury.

Please join me on October 4, 2008 for the second RAISIN HOPE FOUNDATION RIDE. A
metric century has been added. It and the 50 mile route will include the beautiful ride up
Fort Mountain. The 15 and 35 mile options will not go up the mountain, but still very nice.
Moes is hosting the post ride meal and you must stay in town for the evening dinner and
silent auction.

The festivities don't stop there. On October 5, 2008 with the help of my home town, we
are having a 5K FUN RUN/WALK. After the walk and run CRITERIUM RACING for all ages
will begin. In my teens, I did pretty well in crits and had a blast doing them.

Go to www.sporstbaseonlin e.com and search for Raisin Hope to register.

Thank you and I hope I will see you in Dalton on October 4th and 5th, 2008.

With Warm Regards, Saul

No Beer at BBC Yes, the rumor is most likely true. There will be no beer at the Beautiful Backroads Century this year. A change in brewery management (not related to the Budweiser buy out) is the reason why. Oh well! It will still be a great ride with wonderful rest stops and good food at the end!

9-9-2008 TdG Saved I'm sure everyone has seen the articles on Lance's reported come back by now. I think he may have just singlehandedly saved the TdG. It's one of the races he reportedly has committed to with Astana. This is the AJC's take.

Cyclocross Advice If your shorts are giving you pressure sores, your cx saddle is a bit hard but very light, and you can't jump back on the bike because of pressure sores....put your big cushy mountain bike saddle on your cross bike. It's a bit of butt heaven.

Intermediate MTB Clinic WANT MORE SKILLS?

Then join Chris and Lisa Randall for an intermediate to advanced skills clinic at the Blankets Creek Trails!

Fall is almost here, so now is the time to brush up on your skills so you can be leaving your riding buddies in the dust by next spring!

When: Saturday, October 4th, 9 am – 1 pm
Where: Blankets Creek Trails in Woodstock, GA

We will spend the first half of the class working in the skills area at riding over large logs, riding up ledges, fast cornering, how to crash, and jumping. The remainder of the class will be spent working on balance, steep climbing and descending. We’ll spend time working on descending faster over rocky, rooty and loose terrain, as well as work on steep climbing technique. If you want to become more comfortable riding technical terrain and going faster, come practice with us!

This class is recommended to men, women, and juniors who are comfortable riding the Dwelling Trail and have a good understanding of braking, shifting and cornering. We will also be riding a portion of the Van Michael Trail, so an intermediate fitness level is advised so that we can keep the class together.

Class size is limited to 25, so please RSVP to Lisa Randall at lisa dot randall24 at gmail dot com to reserve your spot. We are also asking that each participant make a $20 donation to SORBA Woodstock for upkeep and expansion of the Blankets Creek Trail System.

9-11-2008 Cycle for Parkinsons Don't forget that the weekend of Oct. 4-5 is the annual Cycle for Parkinson's race. Proceeds benefit the American Parkinsons Disease Association! Frazier Cycling and Top View Sports (producer of the Gwinnett Bike Fest) have teamed up to bring you another high quality, first class cycling event, with proceeds benefiting the Georgia Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association and over $5,000 in prize money to be won.

On Saturday, October 4, Top View Sports will host a very challenging and exciting road race on a 7 mile loop on the back roads between Lawrenceville and Dacula. Then on Sunday, October 5, Frazier Cycling will host the Cycle For Parkinsons Criterium on the Georgia Gwinnett College campus.

This is sure to be two fantastic and challenging days of racing, all for a great cause to "ease the burden and find the cure" for those suffering with Parkinsons Disease. The race flyer is available and online registration is open, so make your plans now to be at the CYCLE FOR PARKINSONS event, October 4-5 in Gwinnett County, Georgia (35 minutes NE of Atlanta).

Flying Squirrel Trail Grand Opening From Gainesville SORBA:  Flying Squirrel grand opening at Chicopee - 9/27/08 Join Gainesville SORBA on September 27th to celebrate National Public Lands Day at Chicopee Woods MTB Park! Meet in the MTB Parking Lot at 10:00 AM. We’ll have a group ride out to the new Flying Squirrel trail for a ribbon cutting. Around noon we’ll grill some hotdogs and Brats.
 

Upcoming RAMBO Events From SORBA RAMBO: RAMBO has a lot of events happening over the next few weeks. Please join in the fun. Check out http://www.rambo-mtb.org  for more information:

Thanks to all our sponsors that are helping make these events occur - Roswell Bicycles, Reality Bikes, REI, Ovett Brothers, SORBA, Out Spokin’ Bikes, Maxxis, Thomson, Sam’s, Publix, Cycle Works, Costco, NorthStar Bikes, IMBA.

9/11 - Monthly meeting at Tony's Bar and Grill (across from Red Lobster on Holcomb Bridge Road) at 7pm.

9/13 - Please join us Saturday at 8AM to help RAMBO repair Big Creek MTB trails for next's week's festival.
Directions: Hwy 400 Exit 7, East on Holcomb Bridge Rd. Turn left on Old Alabama Rd, 1/2mile left into Big Creek Park. Please bring water, gloves & closed toe shoes or boots. LUNCH IS PROVIDED.

9/20 - BIG CREEK MT. BIKE FESTIVAL, Roswell, GA - 9AM-3:30PM. Free bike fun for the entire family: We'll have a bike scavenger hunt, a Downhill Time Trial, bike games, silent auctions, demo bikes and SWAG from local bike shops. HELMETS REQUIRED.
More details at http://www.rambo-mtb.org/blog/index.php ... Creek.html

9/27 - CENTRAL PARK "PLAY AT THE PARK" FESTIVAL, Cumming, GA - 10AM-4PM - RAMBO will be hosting a tent at the "PLAY AT THE PARK" FESTIVAL. We'll be teaching some biking basics, leading group rides around the trail and we'll have some TRIPS for KIDS bikes out there to help introduce people to Mt. Biking. Bring the family out and enjoy the county wide festival.

10/4 - TAKE A KID MT. BIKING DAY FESTIVAL, Roswell, GA - 10AM-4PM - It is a great day to take the family riding! Join us at Big Creek for a Family Festival. RAMBO will be cooking up some lunch, leading skills clinics, rides and fun games. Hope to see you there.

BBC Update Apparently, the Budweiser Brewery heard the pleas of BBC riders! There WILL be beer at the end, a fine sampling of Bud products. Remember to bring your ID; they will be checking. You must be 21.

Silver Comet Ride PATH says there will be a ride on the Silver Comet Sept. 27th to celebrate the final paving of it.


FESTIVAL OF SPEED - September 20th Saturday Festival of Speed
*Bonus Madison Race Directions: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/directions.htm

Tickets only $5.00 or $10 per family for Saturday Pro Racing action starts at 6:00pm on Saturday

Come and catch the battle of the titans as Emile Abraham and his Team Type 1 team take on Trent Wilson and his Jittery Joes team mate Tim Henry. The battle for the first ever Dick Lane Velodrome women's Keirin will be as hot as ever as Vanderkitten's Leigh Valletti tries to take the lead in the Rider of the Year competition from Sorella Cycling's Amy Lang. Atlanta's own National Champion Steve Hill will be on hand to once again light up the sprint races for the evening. Track cycling pushes the envelope of speed and danger in both hard charging sprint events and grueling endurance races. Experience the thrill of the two-man Madison, comparable to tag-team on bike, where teammates exchange positions into the action at 40 mph using the dangerous Madison hand sling. Catch the fast-paced Keirin, an Olympic event where riders are paced up to maximum speed with a motorcycle until the final lap and a half when they tear up the track to the finish. Enjoy a great night out with the family as you get up close and personal with cycling's top athletes! Or come before your big night out - A great place to meet your friends and hang out.

There is a full service concession stand on site for Saturday - all proceeds go back to support the DLV programs.
Menu for Saturday:
1. Chicken Nachos made to order w/ black beans, cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream
2. Roasted Veggie wraps w/ bell peppers, Portobello mushrooms, squash, zucchini, red onions and baby spinach.
3. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches w/ mango pineapple slaw
4. All Beef Hot Dogs w/ all the fixin's

Popcorn, Pretzels and Pita Chips

Deserts:
1. Plain Jane Brownies
2. Chocolate Covered Bananas
3. Cupcakes (flavors to be decided)
____________________________________

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need your help at the Festival of Speed

The Festival is a great event and we would love for all of you to be able to sit back, relax and watch the races-but.... we need your help. If you can help out for a few hours with registration or watching the gate or the numerous other small tasks throughout the weekend we would be very grateful. Please contact us (jeff@dicklanevelodrome.com) if you can help. Thanks
____________________________________

FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF ALL OF OUR EXCITING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS,
GO TO THE DICK LANE WEBSITE
http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com

9-12-2008 Mason Mill Park News (Trish's note: I don't know the original source of this.) As some of you probably already know, Dekalb County has awarded a contract to Mactec to do a new master plan for Mason Mill Park. The first public meeting for this process has been scheduled for September 25 at 6:00PM at the Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340-B McConnell Dr., Decatur, GA 30032 in the lower level.

This is your chance to make your wishes known for the future of the park. Contact info for the meeting is as follows:

John Anderson, Project Manager 404-501-9452

Kristie N. Swink, Director of Communications

Also please note that Judge Gregory Adams has signed a preliminary injunction which freezes all development on the South Peachtree Creek Trail until either:
a) all required permits are obtained and the trail is moved out of the stream buffer
or
b) his decision is reversed by the state Supreme Court.

Sports Psychology Show--Local Call In!! From Nancy Garfield: We have successfully rescheduled our Spin Psychotherapy radio segment on Psychiatry
Today with Dr. Scot Bay for Wednesday September 17. The show will air from 7-8pm
on Radio Sandy Springs www.radiosandysprings.com. 

For those of you who asked about calling in with questions, the answer is YES!!
Questions would be welcomed. I believe the number you would call is 404-943-1620. Thank you for your support Nancy Garfield

Looking for A Bike From Travis Sherman at Alabama Cycling News I am a bike rep for Velo Vie bicycles (www.velovie.com). I am looking to give clubs, teams, and possibly select individuals some deeply discounted deals on bikes and frames.
 

9-15-2008 Vinings and Buckhead Bellyache Start Times From Don Dutson: Don’t forget that the weekday rides begin at 6:15 for the remainder of September; October 6:00; November begins the 4:30 Tuesday and Thursday rides from the Vinings store. Pack your lights. ( Tuesday’s Women’s ride is already starting at 6:00, and the Thursday ride from the Vinings store begins at 6:00, also.)

Cross Race Listing I've put most of the regional cross races in the calendar at the top of the page. Hopefully, it will be complete by the end of the week. I'm still trying to confirm TN's races. (Yoo hoo! Bill P., please email me!)
 

9-16-2008 Cross Series Preview I have a few tidbits from the Georgia cross series. The Blairsville race will be at the Track Rock Campground in the shadow of Brasstown Bald. The Rome course is supposed to have a run up that will be reminiscent of Indian Springs. Ouch! Dahlonega has been moved to a park as the school put up fences around portions of the cross course.

I am also looking for local shops that the teams are affiliated with to (ideally) run the deals through.  Teams and individuals can send their resume and contact information (including number of members in the club or team and their local shop(s) that they are affiliated with) to me at travis@travissherman.com . I am also looking for bike shops that are interested in expanding their product lines or would like additional information on Velo Vie.
 

Pepper Place Registration Ends at Midnight Friday!! DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, REGISTRATION WILL REMAIN OPEN UP UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (Friday) FOR THE PEPPER PLACE CRITERIUM. GO TO WWW.PEPPERPLACECRITERIUM.COM,  OR WWW.SPORTSBASEONLINE.COM  TO REGISTER!!

9-14-2008 PAGING BILL PARSONS!! Bill, please email me at sttarlite@hotmail.com. I have a question. Thanks! (My contacts were erased!)

9-17-2008 Attacks on the Silver Comet There have been 3 muggings recently on the Silver Comet in Paulding County about mile 18.5. One suspect, an 18 year old, has been arrested. The other two suspects are young black males, possibly teenagers. The sheriff has stepped up patrols on the trail. The non emergency number to the Paulding County Sheriff's dispatch center is 770-445-2117. Call to report any suspicious activity. Trish's note: Always remember to carry your cell phone, no valuables, and to ride with someone if possible.
 

Charlotte News Looking for something fun and challenging this fall, check out the: 3rd Annual Tree Shaker 12 & 6 Hour MTB Challenge, at Anne Springs Close Greenway on October 4, 2008., Solo, Duo and Three Person Teams!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4
The 3rd Annual Tree Shaker 12 & 6 Hour Mountain Bike Challenge will once again take place at Anne Springs Close Greenway. The event is presented by Heartwood Tree Service and BikeSource. Anne Springs Close Greenway (ASCG) is home to twelve plus miles of super sweet singletrack. Located in Ft Mill SC, the beautiful ASCG is conveniently located just off I-77 at exit #88.

THE EVENT:
The 12 hour event will be held from 9AM to 9PM on a 9 mile loop of singletrack. The 6 hour race will be held from 9AM to 3PM. We will have a large neutral support area loaded with fruit, food, water and sport drinks. As the sun sets at ASCG, lights will be required on the bikes at 5:30PM. Last lap will be at 8:30PM. We will also have full mechanic support provided by our gracious sponsor BikeSource. After the event, we will have a pasta dinner, live music, bond fire and awards ceremony.

THE COURSE:
The mountain bike trails at the beautiful 2300 acre Anne Springs Close Greenway consist of challenging technical areas connected by fun sections of fast singletrack that flow along Steel Creek and several short but tough climbs on Sugar Island Loop. The start, finish and transition of the course will be located at the Field Trial Barn on Springfield Parkway. Check out http://www.leroysprings.com/Trail%20Map%202008.pdf for a map of the park.

PRIZES:
Prizes will be given three deep in each category including trophies and a sweet BlackDogBikes.com sweatshirt for the winners. We have a great line up of sponsors including BikeSource, Heartwood Tree Service, Specialized, Hydrapak, Defeet, BlackDogBikes.com, SouthPark Cycles, Giordana, Clif Bar, Source Burn and more to come.

Online and mail-in registration is now available at www.charlottemtnbike.com
For more information on the Anne Springs Close Greenway, visit http://www.leroysprings.com/Greenway.html The Greenway has hiking, biking and horseback trails. This weekend, the folks at ASCG are hosting the 2008 BBQ Cookoff and Blue Grass. Yum Yum!!

Hope to see you on October 4. Neal www.charlottesportscycling.com
 

Maxxis Supports GA CX! Maxxis has signed on as a sponsor of Georgia Cross.

TN Cross Clinic Andy Applegate will be putting on an all day cross clinic in TN on Oct. 4th.

9-18-2008 CPR/First Aid Course  Cartecay Bikes has put together a CPR/First Aid class to be held at the Big Creek Fire Station in Ellijay (Chili Dawg Central!) on this Sunday, September 21st at 8A.M. The class will be 6 hours in length, the cost is $65.00. Certification will be given at the end of class. We have 5 spaces available. If you are interested, give me a call or e-mail me. Thanks, Mary Kellar 706-273-6136
mkellar10@yahoo.com

Paulding SORBA Work Party From Paulding SORBA ho: All are welcome
What: Trailwork
Where: Meet at Rambo Nursery Trailhead and hike in
Why: To have one more awesome section of single track to ride.
When: 8/20/2008 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The plan is to meet at the Rambo Nursery Trailhead and hike into the worksite. We'll be cutting tread along a pin line on the south side of the Silver Comet. This is a new section of trail and will compliment the 10 miles that already exist. The corridor has already been cleared so pulaski's, Mcleod's, fire rakes, and shovels are the required tools.

The more folks that show up the quicker we can finish this section. It's only about 1/2 a mile long with a few grade reversals and minimal elevation change. This type of work is very strenuous and we recommend you wear sturdy boots, long pants, and long sleeves. Please bring plenty of water and a snack. Looking forward to see you on the trail!
 

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day Paulding SORBA will be having Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day on Oct. 4th. Details are here.

Biking Roundtable Biking Roundtable Are you interested in cycling to work or would you like to know more about biking and incentives for current commuters who bike to work?

Join the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign (ABC) and the Downtown TMA for a Biking Roundtable on Tuesday, October 7th. Stop by the board room at Central Atlanta Progress ((located on the first floor of 50 Hurt Plaza, 30303 in the Hurt building) any time between 7:30 - 9 a.m.

At the roundtable:
Learn about ABC's Bike Buddy program
Ask questions about biking Downtown
Meet experienced cyclists and other bike commuters
Explore possible bike routes to work

All Downtown commuters are invited and don't be discouraged if you're not a cyclist. Light breakfast will be served. RSVP your attendance to Crystal Clark at cclark@atlantadowntown.com by Tuesday, September 30th.

9-19-2008 Area 51 Opening and Woodstock Mountain Bikes Festival Sorba Woodstock will be officially opening Area 51 aka the Van Michael Trail on Sept. 27 at the Woodstock Mountain Biking Fesival.

Latest Thugs Arrested The latest group of thugs harassing people on the Silver Comet in Pauling County have been arrested.

Bicyclist Arrested While Carrying a Stolen Goat This was too good not to post. 

9-22-2008  Silver Comet Mugging-A Few Months Later A very interesting first hand article in the AJC.

Jackie Soloday (Team Medplan) races in the Pro Women's field at the Festival of Speed at the Dick Lane Velodrome

Gun Pulled on Local Rider Scary report in this local rider's blog. Be careful and don't be afraid to call the police!

Anne-Elise Oesercih tears up the track in the Bicycle Little League at the DLV on Saturday night.

Savannah Cyclocross I have it on good rumor that there will be a flyover at the Savannah Cyclocross course. Flyovers usually involve lots of fans, beer, and MORE COWBELL. (I don't know about the beer part for Savannah.)

Raisin Hope Cyclingnews.com had an article on the Raisin Hope ride. The correct dates are Oct. 4-5

12 Hours of Dauset Congratulations to an ALL FEMALE team that won the CoEd division of the 12 Hours of Dauset this weekend! Lisa, Kim, Julia, and Carey kicked the boys' butts!

The Ladies winning the CoEd division at the 12 Hours of Dauset. Photo courtesy of Julia Radmann and Carey Lowry.

9-23-2008 Velodrome Photos My photos of the Festival of Speed are up. I got photos of the Pro Men, Pro Women, Bicycle Little League, and Elite Men.

Annual GABRA Meeting GABRA Annual Meeting this weekend Saturday September 27, 2008 at 4:00PM

Twelve Hotel & Residences, Atlantic Station 361 17th Street NW Atlanta, GA 30363-1019 Please make plans to attend if you want your voice to be heard. I will be there!

Cross Is Near! Cyclocross season is nearly upon us. Less than 2 weeks until the first race, October 5th in Dahlonega. Lots of good things have happened since last season including GA's Bob Kuhn gracing the cover of cyclocross magazine and CX Magazine running a feature on series promoter Shey Lindner. All good omens for the great season of cross that is to come!

Outback Bicycles has signed on to sponsor the Georgia Cross Series. Outback has been a backer of cyclocross events in Georgia for many years now and continues to set the standard for quality and service in the Atlanta area. In fact, they have been named Atlanta’s best bike shop by readers of “Creative Loafing” and Atlanta’s Fox 5 Hot List! If you’ve been thinking about doing some cross and don’t have a bike then swing by Outback and chat with the cross experts. www.outback-bikes.com

Blue Competition Cycles has also signed on to sponsor the cross series again. Last year Blue’s carbon cross frame took the series by storm and made a regular appearance at the podium ceremonies. Blue frames can be seen contesting all the top level races including the Georgia Cross Series. Check out their new carbon cross frame at http://www.rideblue.com or link from http://www.georgia-cross.com

Free Cross Racing For Juniors!!! All racers under 18 will be allowed to race for free in the 2008 Georgia Cross races. Bring your kids, tell the neighbors, when you’re out training and see the kid on the BMX bike sprinting against you, chase him down and tell him to try racing! All kids need to race is a helmet, two working breaks, and someone to sign their release form. The free racing is made possible by the efforts of Georgia Cross series promoters, the Georgia Bicycle Racing Association, and a grant from Dahlonega Wheelworks.

The first race is October 5th in Dahlonega. Go to www.georgia-cross.com  for more information.

Registration is open. Pre-register to avoid lines at the first race. If you pre-register we’ll have a filled out release waiting for you to sign.

Online Registration available at sportsbaseonline.com. This gives you free entry into the frame raffle. Sportsbaseonline.com is giving away a frame to a Georgia racer and will enter each racer who registers through them into the raffle. Click the link or go to: https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Series.aspx?id=410

Don’t forget the series raffle, every race entered is an entry to the raffle. The raffle will be held immediately following the series finale. Must be present to win.

Dale's Store is Closed The store at Suches on Three/Six Gap is closed. Apparently, the owner had been in ill health for some time. There is a new store right near Turner's Corners that is catering to the cycling and motorcycle crowd. They carry tubes and real food!

CRNRA Work Party October 4, 2008 Start 0800 (unless I hear otherwise from the NPS)

The NPS is rough cutting a new boat access trail from the car park to the river at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) visitor center and need help with the finish work. I know it's short notice, but if you can come out and help with this, please let me know so I can advise our numbers to the NPS. So far we've got about (10) folks and need some more. This is a great precursor for some work they have forthcoming for new (singletrack) MTB trails at Sope Creek. Thanks! Charles cmyrickjr at mindspring.com

Bike Scavenger Hunt Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008
Time: 08:00 AM
Venue: Piedmont Park Green Market
Address: 12th Street and Piedmont Ave, Atlanta, GA 30309

Brief Description
The Farmers Market Bicycle Rally and Scavenger Hunt takes participants to the Morningside, Peachtree Road and Piedmont Farmers Markets. Through a series of puzzles, clues, and navigation, teams will follow a route between the Markets, answering questions about Atlanta, food, and cycling. Check-In begins at 8am. The Rally will start promptly at 8:45. The event starts and finishes at the Piedmont Park Green Market. Lunch and music are included with registration cost.

Additional Information
Prizes include gift certificates to restaurants featuring local food, farmers markets and bicycle accessories. Must be at least 13 years of age to participate. Youth under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Teams should expect to ride a distance of 15 - 20 miles, on predominantly lightly-traveled roads, but with a few short stretches on busier roads. You will probably finish in 2.5 - 3 hours. REQURED GEAR: helmets for all team members, clock/watch, pen/pencil, compass, a bag to carry scavenger hunt items, and at least one bike with a cyclocomputer.

OPTIONAL, BUT USEFUL GEAR: cell phone, highlighter pen, clipboard/hard writing surface. The Start Location at the Piedmont Park Green Market is a short bike ride from the Midtown or Arts Center MARTA Rail stations. If you drive, please park in the parking lot accessed from Park Drive (50 spaces are reserved and the rest is first come first serve.) This event is put on in association with Midtown Transportation Solutions, the Buckhead Transportation Management Association, and ASAP+ - promoting alternative transportation in metro Atlanta.

Prices:
Individual - $20.00
Team of 2 - $40.00
Team of 3 - $60.00
Team of 4 - $80.00

Register online at http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1613863&assetId=ca113cb6-2238-42b5-b881-12e49579f222

Online Registration Closes: 09/25/08 11:59 PM

For more info, contact:
David Southerland, Perimeter Transportation Coalition
Direct: 770-394-4541
david@perimetergo.org

9-24-2008  Flying Squirrel Grand Opening at Chicopee - 9/27/08
Join Gainesville SORBA on September 27th to celebrate National Public Lands Day at Chicopee Woods MTB Park! Meet in the MTB Parking Lot at 10:00 AM. We’ll have a group ride out to the new Flying Squirrel trail for a ribbon cutting. Around noon we’ll grill some hotdogs and Brats.

Upcoming MTB Events From RAMBO: 9/27 - CENTRAL PARK "PLAY AT THE PARK" FESTIVAL, Cumming, GA 10AM-4PM - RAMBO and NorthStar Bikes will be hosting a tent at the Forsyth County "PLAY AT THE PARK" FESTIVAL. We'll be teaching some biking basics, leading group rides around the trail and raffling off a Trail Digger BMX bike donated by our sponsor NorthStar Bikes. Bring the family out, enjoy the XC trail and Free Ride park and the festival. Don't worry if you don't have a bike, We'll have SORBA's Trips for Kids bikes out there as well.

10/4 - TAKE A KID MT. BIKING DAY FESTIVAL, Roswell, GA 10AM-4PM - It is a great day to take the family riding! Join us at Big Creek for a Family Festival. RAMBO will be cooking up some lunch, leading skills clinics, rides and fun kids games with prizes. There is a rumor going around that our friends at the Chattahoochee Nature Center will stop by to do a presentation for the kids. Hope to see you there.
http://www.rambo-mtb.org

9-25-2008 Junior Development Mountain Bike Team  Cycleyouth Devo will be riding @ Blankets Creek this weekend, Sept 28 @10am. If your son or daughter has interest in riding or racing with other juniors please come out and ride with us. This will be the devo team, beginner and sport juniors and not the Elite Youth team.

The goal of Cycleyouth Devo is to encourage youth participation in racing by providing an organized team structure, teaching the skills and knowledge needed to pursue the sport effectively and interaction with other kids with similar interests. Cycleyouth Devo is open to boys and girls between the ages of 10-20 years. Shey Lindner http://www.cycleyouth.com

Roswell Ride  From Bike Roswell To give back to the riders of the Thursday Night Ride in Roswell and celebrate the last ride of the season, Bike Roswell! is paying for free police escort for our weekly Thursday Night Ride. We start at Riverside Park and ride 25 or 20 miles with police escort! Free! Come ride a beautiful scenic route along the Chattahoochee with a flat start and 1500 ft of climbing.

When Thurs 6:00PM
Where Riverside Park Roswell GA (east side of HWY 9) 575 Riverside Rd, Roswell GA 30075 where the bathrooms and playgrounds are
Who - YOU
Arrive early 5:30ish to get ready.
If you are not a Bike Roswell member you can help by joining here www.bikeroswell.com
If you want to help us offset the cost of the police support (it ain't free $600+) please drop a donation in the helmet that will be passed around before and after the ride.

Women's MTB Clinic There will be a Women's MTB clinic at the Yellow River MTB Festival on Oct. 18.

9-26-2008  CN Diary Entry Eddie and Namrita have a new diary entry up on Cyclingnews.com.

Being Sick Sucks I've had so much going on lately, that it finally caught up with me. I caught a cold on Monday. I've spent the last two days on the couch. Hopefully, I'll be ready to hit the bike this weekend. I hate looking out the window at this gorgeous weather knowing I feel horrible and can't ride.

Get Well Fred Boykin Fred Boykin, the owner of Bicycles South, suffered a minor stroke earlier in the week. Southeastern Cycling sends get well soon wishes to Fred!

9-27-2008  Cyclocross Demo Bikes are Now Available For Reservation! It must be about time for cross to start because the Demo bikes are showing up everyday now.

The series has bikes from: Cannondale, Trek, Blue,
for more information check out http://georgia-cross.com/2008DemoBikes.pdf 

or email Shey Lindner at everett11@bellsouth.net to reserve yours today. They're going quick but he said he's got a few more left for the Dahlonega race on October 5th. Registration is now open at www.sportsbaseonline.com.

All the cross info can be found at http://www.georgia-cross.com

DON'T FORGET JUNIORS RACE FREE!!!!!
Help spread the word. Cross isn't too technical and isn't on the roads so it's a great way to get juniors and kids into the sport. They can even preregister for free at http://www.sportsbaseonline.com

2008 Georgia Cyclocross Schedule
Georgia Cross Announces a seven race series plus one make-up race.

Oct 5 GAX1 - Dahlonega
Oct 19 GAX2 - Savannah
Nov 2 GAX3 - Conyers 1, GIHP
Nov 9 GAX4 - Rome
Nov 16 GAX5 - Blairsville
Nov 23 GAX6 - Winder, State Championships
Nov 30 - Conyers 2, Elks Aidmore Childrens Center "Make Up Race"
Dec 7 GAX7 - Dallas Finale

The make up race will replace the lowest point score from one of the seven GA series races.
Note: state championships and series finale will have double points.
Make up race points are determined from the standard points schedule.
 

Crit Start Time The Marietta Crit will start at 6:00 beginning Sept. 30th. It will remain 60+5 for now.

Geoff Kabush vs. Yao Ming Leave it to a Canadian mountain biker to find beer during the Olympic closing ceremonies. Maxxis Pro Geoff Kabush and Yao Ming had a little drinking contest. Video, story

 Sorella Race Team Taking Applications Sorella Cycling is accepting applications for our 2009 Race Team. We support women who race road, mountain, track and cyclocross.All interested riders are welcome to submit an application by October 20th - http://www.sorellacycling.com/forms/SorellaRaceTeamApp09.pdf Questions? Contact sorellacycling@gmail.com

9-29-2008 Thanks Team Cycleworks! I have to thank team Cycleworks for inviting me to go on their fall Silver Comet ride. It was a lot of fun, and so much better to ride with friends, as always!

The Savannah Super Prestige Flyover--Coming to the Savannah CX Race!

SoFA Downhill Clinic SoFA Downhill Skills Clinic Saturday October 4, 2008

SoFA will be giving a free riding skills clinic. To be held at Carters lake on the race course for the second race of the SoFA Mini DH series. This clinic is open to everyone and there is no charge for taking the clinic – you still must pay your day usage fee for the park. This clinic will be for all skill levels from beginer to experts. The clinic will begin at 12:30PM. Be prepared with the proper riding gear and your bike. We will cover bike setup, body posture, cornering techniques, brake techniques, and trail riding skills – spotting lines.

Cool DLV Photo Go Here, and scroll about half way down.

9-30-2008  Paving in St Mt park Robert E Lee Blvd will be milled (grooved/torn up) 10-2 through 10-7. It will be paved 10-13 through 10-18. So this road- which is basically the small 4.75 mile inner loop in the park- will be undergoing repair for 2 full weeks. I have not seen what part(s) they will be paving- but since it is a 6 day job it could be a large portion(s).

Stonewall Jackson Drive will be milled (grooved/torn up) 10-13 through 10-16. It will be paved 10-20 through 10-21. This road starts from the main EAST entrance off of hwy 78 goes by the golf course, over the dam, up evergreen conference center and ends going down the steep ‘fish pond’ hill. I have not seen what part(s) they will be paving- but since it is a 2 day job it should be only portions.

On Thursday’s:

We will do the normal pizza loop- initially until Evergreen Conf Center- so we will head into the park, make a left- head towards main EAST entrance off of HWY 78- once we go across the DAM to EVERGREEN Conf center- we will make a right into their main entrance- stay toward the left, make two lefts at the back of the parking lot and then head left back out of the EMPLOYEE entrance/exit back onto Stonewall Jackson Drive

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/images/maps/map_of_park/smp_map_of_park_08.pdf see this map- item marked 12 is the area of the turn around….
On Tuesday-

We will do the same as above- but might add an additional mileage somehow… TBD

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Week of 09/22/08 - sunsets 7:20s- Start times for Northlake (Tuesday) and Pizza (Thursday) will move to 6:00 PM. The Northlake ride- we will do one small counterclockwise 4.75 mile loop and continue with one intermediate loop. The Pizza loop will be one large clockwise 8.75 mile loop.

Week of 10/06/08 - sunsets 7:00s- Start times for Northlake (Tuesday) and Pizza (Thursday) will move to 5:45 PM. The Northlake ride- we will do one counterclockwise intermediate loop. The Pizza loop will be one large clockwise 8.75 mile loop.

Week of 10/20/08 - sunsets 6:50s- Start times for Northlake (Tuesday) and Pizza (Thursday) will stay at 5:45 PM. The Northlake ride- we will do one counterclockwise inside small loop (4.75 miles). The Pizza loop will be one counterclockwise inside small loop (4.75 miles). .

Week of 10/27/08 - sunsets 6:40s- This will be the final week for the Northlake (Tuesday) and Pizza (Thursday) rides - all start times and ride routes remain at 5:45 PM.

Anniston, AL Cross Race The Anniston, AL cross race has been moved to Nov. 22nd. It will be held under the lights!! There will be a post race get together at the Mellow Mushroom with free beer for the racers with the movie "Klunkers" showing on the big screen.

GA State TT Championships October 18th is the GEORGIA State Time Trial Championships in Ringgold, GA. Followed by the Apison 40mile Handicap Ride.

WOMEN 3/4 and JUNIORS with race straight out and back approx 8miles.
You MUST register ONLINE - There is NO race day registration. No exceptions.
REGISTER -- http://www.BikeReg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7165
First NON-Georgian for each category will also recieve a Medal!
Juniors and Women CAT 3/4 will race "Out and Back" on Cherokee Valley Road (from the start to the finish) - Approx 8 miles.
Ringgold is just South of Chattanooga on I-75.
Address to Apison Elementary School for parking and staging -
10433 E Brainerd Rd
Apison, TN 37302

This is the same parking and staging as the Chattanooga - Georgia Cup! The actual race will begin and end in Georgia.

Juniors will start first at 9:30am. Approximate start times will be posted on www.georgiacup.com by 5pm, Friday, October 17th. Actual start list will not be posted until 8:30am Saturday, October 18th. Good rule of thumb is that juniors go first followed by Women, CAT 5, CAT 4, CAT 3, MASTERS and CAT 1/2. Each category should expect to go 15 minutes after the one before it. This is the format that the GC will use in 2009. Ex. If you are a CAT 3 you will be starting approximatly between 10:30a and 11:00a.
Your CAT will determine your start time NOT your age. Age medals will be given out along with CAT jerseys 1 hour after the finial rider has crossed the line.

The TT will have the following:

State Champion Medals - Juniors <12, 13-14, 15-16 & 17-18.
State Champion Medals - CAT 5 (<20, 20 - 24, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49 and 50+)
State Champion Medals - CAT 4 (<20, 20 - 24, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49 and 50+)
State Champion Medals - CAT 3 (<20, 20 - 24, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39 & 40+)
State Champion Medals - MASTERS 40+ (No CAT 1's) (40 - 44, 45 - 49, 50 - 54, 55-60, 60-64, 65 -70 & 70+)

State Champion Jerseys - Juniors <14, 15 - 16 and 17 - 18
State Champion Jersey- Women 123, Women 4, MASTERS 40+ (No CAT 1's) CAT 4, CAT 3, CAT 2 & CAT 1

TIME TRIAL COURSE IS ROLLING! MAP -- http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ga/ringgold/904634847933
Apison Handicap Ride 1pm Handicap ride starts and finishes from Apison School (same parking as the TT).
MAP -- http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tn/apison/197852792226
"Handicap" event is just like a Golf Handicap. You will be "seated" in the ride based upon your CAT or if you are a MULTISPORT athlete based upon your morning TT finish relative to others. The Ride is 40 miles plus the 4 mile roll out and 4 mile cool down! This is a FUN ride NOT a race.  Handicap
CAT 5 - 1:00pm
CAT 4 - 1:02pm
CAT 3 - 1:04pm
CAT 1/2 - 1:05pm

The goal is to not get caught by the riders behind you if you are a CAT 5 and to catch the riders in front of you if you are a CAT 4,3,2/1. (MULTISPORT Athletes will be seated based upon there TT finishes).
This format will be the format the Georgia Cup will use for the 2009 Cartersville Handicap series. Please join us for the fun!
 

GBRA Meeting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Atlanta, Georgia, September 29, 2008 The elections for the 2009 Board of Directors for the Georgia Bicycle Racing Association (GBRA) were held on Saturday 27, 2008 at the Atlantic Station, Twelve Hotel and Residences. The new Board Members are: Member at Large - Adam Jones, Clubs - Jeff Wright, Officials & Coaches - John Johnson, Promoters - James Lowe, Track Director - Pete Antiwich, and Racers - Chris Hurst. The first official act for the  new board was to elect officers for the Association. The 2009 officers are: President - John Patterson, Secretary - Kelli Rogan, and Treasurer - Chip Davis. The contact information for the new board and officers will be on the Association's, web site (http://www.usacycling.org/gabra/)  shortly. The board and officers welcome you input for growing the sport in Georgia.

Pie Chart Ya'll know I randomly post noncycling things. I love pie, especially apple pie with ice cream. My latest love is Breyers Double Churned Chocolate Ice Cream with Hershey's Caramel sauce. Yum!
 

Simple Pie Chart