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March 2012

3-1-2012 Asheville to Host CX Nats! Asheville was awarded the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. I can't wait! Boulder, CO will host them in 2014 and Austin, TX in 2015. Texas is an easy plane ride, and Austin is a great town! I can't wait for 2016, though. Full USA Cycling article.

Creepy Guy at Rope Mill Park One of the ladies on the SORBA forum reports a scary encounter with a man at Rope Mill Park in Woodstock this week. Police are stepping up patrols in the park. Remember, ladies, if you get a creepy feeling, get out of there and to a safe area! Call 911 and get the police out to your location. Always let someone know where you are riding and what time you expect to be back. Check in with someone when you get off the bike and carry your cell phone when you ride! 

3-2-2012 Welcome to our new advertisers! Welcome to the latest Southeastern Cycling supporters! Alpha Bikes is located in Alpharetta. They offer a full custom wheel building service-any rim, any hub, any spokes, all to your specs. They carry Cannondale, Niner, Look, Scott, and Santa Cruz. Join them on Sundays for the Bagel Ride. Thursdays bring back the 'Retta Ramble, which is mountain bike ride covering new dirt and favorite trails. You have to give this fun ride a try!

The First annual Newnan Charity Ride will be April 7th. Proceeds benefit the Coweta Samaritan Clinic. See the Facebook page for more details. For more information about the Coweta Samaritan Clinic, visit their website- http://www.cowetasamaritanclinic.org/

Please remember to support all of the wonderful Southeastern Cycling advertisers! They all us (errr.. me) to continue to provide this wonderful resource to the cycling community! 

Big Creek Demo Day Cancelled RAMBO has cancelled the March 3 demo day at Big Creek because of predicted rains and bad weather.
 

Bear Creek Work Party Show your love for the Bear Creek and Pinhoti trails on Saturday, March 10. Located near Ellijay these popular trails have given us some wonderful memories and its time to return favor. Remember that volunteering can make you feel good and reduce stress. You will join fellow trail lovers, local residents, EMBA (Ellijay Mountain Bike Association), IMBA, SORBA, Mulberry Gap, CoTrails, and the U.S Forest Service to make a difference on some of the most popular trails in North Georgia. We will be doing some much needed trail maintenance.
Come out for a day or all weekend, and enjoy volunteering in one of our nation’s greatest treasures, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
8:30a – 9:00a Welcome & Sign-In: Mulberry Gap camp dining hall (coffee will be available)
9:00a – 1:00p Trail Work on Bear Creek, Pinhoti 1 & 2
1:00p – 2:00p Lunch at Mulberry Gap - Mule Barn
2:00p SORBA sponsored Free Prize Raffle for Volunteers
3:00p – 6:00p Riding on your own (maps will be available)
7:00p – 8:00p Dinner with a Bonfire at the Mulberry Gap ($12 per person, please RSVP at www.mulberrygap.com)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
10:00 Group Ride or ride on your own (maps will be available)
Mulberry Gap is located 9.3 miles from Ellijay Square (historic downtown Ellijay) on 52W, turn right on Conasauga Road, proceed 3 miles and Mulberry Gap is on the left. Go in second gate and park in designated areas (there will be someone there to direct). Please don’t block camp sites or park up at the Barn. These trails need drainage repair, trees cut out, trash picked up, and brush cut back. We will be breaking up into groups and traveling to the areas needing work. See the Trail Maintenance section in the IMBA Trails Solutions book, starting page 191. No experience required to volunteer. Please bring a hard hat or helmet (bike or riding), gloves, water, and a snack. Dress for working outdoors safely under the prevailing weather conditions. Stinging insects are active at this time of year, so if you have a severe allergic reaction to stings please bring your Epi-Pen or other device. Camping is available at Mulberry Gap at a discount (please contact www.mulberrygap.com or 706.698.2865 for reservations, mention Mega Work Day) or at Bear Creek Campground http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=10473&actid=34.  This event is being hosted by the Ellijay Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) and IMBA-SORBA. Its what we call a mega trail work party weekend.

Rain Date: March 17, 2012 Eat a good breakfast on Saturday before you get to the work party. SORBA-EMBA and Mulberry Gap will provide lunch, if you register here. Only those who register are guaranteed a lunch on Saturday. Online registration closes on Wednesday, March 7 at 11:59 PM.

Dalton Grand Prix From the Spincycle: Riders from all over TN, AL, SC & GA will converge on the Carpet Capital next weekend. The 3 events start with a 10 mile time trial then a Circuit race on Saturday the 10th. Sunday offers one of the most popular road races in Georgia.
Event Site: http://www.spincyclesports.com/Fliers/2012DaltonGranPrix.html
 

3-5-2012 Reminder to Promoters Promoters-I want to put your rides, races, and information up on Southeastern Cycling! I need some help, though! Please remember that I do not maintain a calendar listing of charity/fun/century rides. I offer a one time mention in the "news" section of the site (aka right here where you are reading). I recommend that you email me the information 6-8 weeks in advance of your event. HOWEVER, I need more than "we are having a ride on May 1" and a link. Please provide information such as the name of the event, the date, the start time, where the event is being held (city/town/state), what the event is for (charity/fun/century, who it benefits), what are the ride options (25/50/metric/century/whatever), will there be sag stops, also what makes YOUR event unique? Is it like the Chattooga Century where there are hot homemade cookies at the second rest stop? Do you have a snow cone machine at rest stop 3? Is there a hot tub at the end? or do you volunteers rock and make the riders feel special? All it takes is 4-5 sentences.

Race information is welcome any time! It's Free! The earlier I can add your event to the calendar, the better. Even for 2013 now!. If you'd like to send a short write up, please use the above information as a guide and include other pertinent information. Like the rides, racers want to know what makes your event unique. I am happy to list almost any kind of bike race--road (RR, Crit, TT, Uphill TT, omnium, stage rage), cyclocross (CX, UltraCX), mountain (XC, XXC, marathon, ultraXC, DH, DS), and such. I do not cover triathlons, duathlons, Xterra, anything "mulitsport," AR, running, inline skating, BMX, footbase, baseball etc. I recommend you contact specific sites for those sports.

Teams...do you have a great new blog post? Do you want to send me a press release announcing your team's roster for this year or an upcoming event? Do you have some awesome news like one of your riders just got a contract with a Protour team? Share it with everyone! Send me a press release! I'm happy to post team information. (It's Free!!)

Weekly Rides It's Free! Does your shop or team put on a weekly ride? Get it listed in on the Rides Page! I need the following information: Ride name, ride start time, distance options, ride speed (also if there is an "A" group and a "B group"), is it no drop, will someone from the team or shop lead it (if so will someone ride with both the A and B groups if applicable), a short description of the route (hilly, flat, rolling, Buckhead, Stone Mountain-like), where it meets (street address or shop/shopping center name and a link to the shop/starting place), is it marked and if so what do the markings look like. A map or cue sheet is also useful. If you have Garmin or GPS info., I can link to that as well. See the rides page for sample ride listings.

Want to advertise and support Southeastern Cycling? Sorry, it's not free, but email me at sttarlite@hotmail.com for competitive rates. Remember that you don't have to own a shop to advertise! We welcome any type of business or product to advertise on Southeastern Cycling! Got a cleaning business, yard service? Are you a doctor or CPA? Reach high income earners! (Disclaimer: Said product or service must be legal!)

3-6-2012 Bull Mtn. Trails Closed Today From SORBA: The USFS will be conducting a very large controlled burn in Bull Mtn. vicinity on Tuesday 3/6. Essentially, all trails will be closed west of 28-1 (which includes Bull mtn, Bare Hare (aka Saddleback), No Tell, and Turner Cr, ). They do plan to have this completed in one day.
 

3-7-2012 Ah, DST, How Do I Love Thee? Daylight Saving Time, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways! Don't forget to set your clocks ahead before you go to bed on Saturday night! Most group rides start next week. Some weekend rides will stay at their winter start time through the end of March because of the cold temperatures. Check out the Atlanta Rides page for all of the details on your favorite rides. When in doubt about a ride or if you have a question about a specific ride, please contact the sponsoring shop, club, team, etc.

3-8-2012 Bike Expo Video Jamie Higgins has produced a great video about the Southeast Bike Expo! There are interviews with Georgia Cross, Southeastern Cycling, and SORBA as well as coverage of the demo and other vendors.

Big Creek Work Party From RAMBO: March 10th, 9am Big Creek Work Party. Meet in north parking lot to fix all the muddy spots and puddles on the Big Creek trails. We will also work on a reroute on the Hurts So Good Trail. Let’s make the Big Creek trails great again. Wear closed toed shoes. Lunch will be provided.

Brownwood Bicycle Rally 2012 BROWNWOOD BIKE RALLY Cranking for a Cause: Propelling Youth Fitness & Education

When: Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Where: Brownwood Park, 602 Brownwood Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30316 (and surrounding streets in East Atlanta)
Time: Registration begins at 8:00 am; bike races and bike rodeo begin at 9:30am and end at 2:00 pm.
Cost: Event admission is free for all. Races are free for children, $10-$25 for adults.
To register, please visit http://www.active.com/criterium/atlanta-ga/brownwood-bike-rally-2012.

Get ready to crank at the East Atlanta Kids Club’s 9th-annual Brownwood Bike Rally! Join us on May 5, 2012 at Brownwood Park in East Atlanta for another great day of street & dirt trail criterium races & other two-wheeled antics. The Brownwood Bike Rally is a fun event celebrating cycling, fitness and health for kids and adults. It includes street bike races and a bike safety rodeo for kids, cyclocross-track criterium races for adults, a health fair, a food court and a festival area featuring family-friendly activities. Cash prizes and other goodies will be awarded for all adult races. All proceeds will benefit the East Atlanta Kids Club (http://www.eastatlantakids.org), a nonprofit after-school tutoring and mentoring program for promising youth. To register and learn more about the 2012 Brownwood Bike Rally, please visit http://www.active.com/criterium/atlanta-ga/brownwood-bike-rally-2012.

PedalPalooza SORBA Woodstock has announced that the annual PedalPalooza festival will be Saturday, May 5 at Blanket's Creek from 9-4. There will be group rides, demos, games, and more.

3-9-2012 SCT Detour is No More! The Silver Comet detour is now officially closed! The repairs at mile 15 are complete.

DLV News Women's Only Weekend Beginners Classes
This weekend, March 10th and 11th
We'll be running two weekend beginners classes this spring before our regular season activities get under way. We'll be running a Womens only class on the 10th and 11th of March and an open class on the 24th and 25th of March. Both classes will run from 2pm till 5pm each day. As always our most excellent coach Brian will be heading those classes up, and we are hoping to have a special guest or two for our Women's only class as well. More details over at the Beginner page: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/pages/beginnerprogram.html

Youth Cycling League Kicks off Monday First session will be Monday March 12th
With the time change planned for this weekend, we are ready to get the kids on track for the 2012 season. We've changed the name and that's about it for our new Youth Cycling League. As per last year, U12 riders aged 8-12 will ride from 5:30pm till 6:30pm and U16 riders aged 12-16 will ride from 6:30pm till 7:30pm. We need to remind all of our parents that each child will need a signed waiver to ride, you can print one here: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/system/files/atra_waiver.pdf  or you can sign one on the day. As per last year East Point residents children will ride for free, be we are asking for an optional donation of $50 for non-East Point residents. You can make the donation online here: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/node/839  or bring cash/check to one of the session and hand it off to one of our coaches. All the info is here: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/pages/youthcyclingleague.html

Spring Cleaning Work Day We have one more workday for this spring before we get into our full regular season activities. This last day will get the place looking great for the new season, so we'd love to see all hands on deck to take care of our maintenance. The dates will be: March 31st - 9am to 3pm
We will post a task list on the website before the day so you'll know what activities are planned. This day and the previous workdays we've hosted since the end of last season will count towards your 2 workday discounted season passes for the 2012 season. With two completed workdays, you'll be eligible for a $50 discount on your season pass.

Weekly Racing Changes As we continue to grow and look for new ways for folks to enjoy their track racing, we are continually looking for new ideas to allow that to happen. This year, we made some significant changes to our Tuesday and Wednesday racing programs that we hope everyone will enjoy. We've got them posted on the website right now, so head over to read the full details, there's just too much to list here!
Tuesday Racing Changes: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/content/2012/01/2012-tuesday-racing-changes.html
Wednesday Racing Changes: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/content/2012/01/2012-wednesday-racing-changes.html

2012 Super Saturdays Thanks to some lobbying and new volunteering, for 2012 we will be introducing a new Saturday racing program called "Super Saturdays"! These races will be run once a month on the first Saturday and will be a rotation through of our Wednesday racing schedule. We're definitely excited for the new race day, and are looking forward to the season getting going. Here is all the information: http://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/pages/supersaturdays.html

2012 Pro Race Series Back for 2012 is Dick Lane Velodrome's Pro Race Series(PRS). These events will continue the PRS tradition, bringing to the fore-front the best of the best riders that the US has to offer. They'll be pushing 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 postions 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. The Omnium will also be a featured event. Riders will compete throughout the evening in a series of different events to be claimed DLV's best all rounder.
2012 Pro Race Series Schedule
Saturday May 12th - 'The Keirin'
Friday May 11th - Maxxis Need for Speed Sprints
Saturday July 7th - Outback Bikes presents 'The Omnium'

Friday July 6th - Need for Speed Sprints
Saturday September 8th - 'The Madison'
Friday September 7th - Need for Speed Sprints

Fouche Gap RR From Rome Velo: Saturday, April 7, 2012 9:00am until 3:00pm Rome, GA
The first annual Fouche (pronounced FOO SHAY) road race will be held the Saturday of Easter weekend just outside of Rome GA.
Who can race: Our race is open to all who have a road bike and want to try racing as well as veteran racers from all over. We are offering many separate categories to make it fun for all racers. We will have separate categories for juniors 10-12, 13-14, 15-6, 17-18, two women categories, all the usual USA Cycling categories and masters. Course: The course starts on Technology drive and continues west towards Texas Valley. After a lead in, the course hits the rolling hills of the Texas Valley area for a 18 mile loop around Rocky Mountain Recreation area in the shadow of Fouche Gap. The course does not ascend Fouche Gap, there are no major climbs on the course, but lots of rollers and short steep climbs to launch break-aways! Each lap will traverse a number of winding ‘euro style roads that will have many opportunities for break-aways. After battling the hills and turns of the main course there is a fast lead in to the finish on Huffaker Road. Any groups left will have 200m of road for a sprint finish! Pre-registration will open soon at www.usacycling.org.
Entry fees are $30 for all adult racers and $15 for all junior racers. Please note there is a $15 day of race fee if you do not pre-register. And pre-registered riders will be able to check in much quicker on race day. All riders must have either an annual USA Cycling License or purchase a 1-day. 1-day's are available on site for $10.
More info: www.romevelo.net

3-10-2012 Won My Horse Competition! It's my website, so indulge this little bit of horse talk. I've been preparing Roma the Dutch Warmblood (horse) for a Hunter Pace for the last month. That's mostly just riding her because she was a little out of shape. For the equestrians, we've also been working on jumping. She's fine jumping in the ring but still green cross country. We entered a local Hunter Pace, which is kind of like a timed trail ride and jumping competition. We were in the "Gone to Ground Over Fences" (aka really fast with jumps) division. She was such a good girl! We had one refusal at a small coop, but that was her only mistake. Roma also made a HUGE leap over a small puddle that I was half way expecting. She isn't sure about getting her feet wet yet. She loved being able to gallop at a few points, but she came back to me easily.

We won!! Actually, we tied with one of my barn-mates for first. Our trainer got 2nd. I was really happy!

Trish and Roma getting ready to start the In Unison Hunter Pace.

 Airport Ride The Airport Ride will continue at 10:00 through March.

Allatoona Work Party From SORBA Atlanta:  Saturday, March 24, 2012 10:00am until 1:00pm
Allatoona Creek Park, 5690 Old Stilesboro Rd., Acworth, GA 30101
Join us for a Trail Work Party on Saturday, March 24th at Allatoona Creek. We'll be finishing the work that the IMBA Trail Care Crew helped us start in February by clearing for the additional mileage and doing the finish work on the Mason's Bridge Loop. We'll meet in the main parking lot on Old Stilesboro Rd. at 10:00am.
Wear closed toe shoes, and bring your own gloves and water. Tools and a free lunch will be provided! This is your final opportunity to get your name in the hat for the Volunteer Awards Program and a chance to win a new Fox fork!
~Annabeth Rice, 2012 President IMBA-SORBA Atlanta Chapter
 

3-12-2012 Silk Sheets Warning I've heard that there is a police officer patrolling the two roads between the churches and Charlie's Store where a lot of people park to ride Silk Sheets. He's looking for "public urination and indecency." Apparently, the church people at the "other" church across the street have started complaining. (Not the church that welcomes cyclists to park on their property for a small donation.) Beware and use discretion!

Guidelines for Atlanta Cycling Rides The Atlanta Cycling stores are implementing new guidelines for their rides. Please follow them if you are on the rides! If riders elect to ignore traffic laws and assume the risks, the following illegal practices will help insure the group's safety and attempt to earn motorist respect. It would be the group's responsibility to police its own actions.

Lead riders must make safe decisions for the group which is following blindly.
STOP SIGNS - slow to yield speed; yield as needed
INTERSECTIONS - all or none while giving approaching cars ample room to respond.
RED LIGHTS - strictly observed; neutral until group unites.
BLOCKING - when needed to assist with safe crossing for the group while giving other traffic ample room to respond

Ah, DST, How Do I Love Thee? Daylight Saving Time, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways! Most group rides start next week. Some weekend rides will stay at their winter start time through the end of March because of the cold temperatures. Check out the Atlanta Rides page for all of the details on your favorite rides. When in doubt about a ride or if you have a question about a specific ride, please contact the sponsoring shop, club, team, etc.

3-13-2012 Rock Hill Velodrome The Rock Hill Velodrome opens this weekend!

Welcome Snyder Cycles Welcome to Snyder Cycles, a new Southeastern Cycling advertiser! Seth Snyder makes amazing hand crafted, custom bikes. I've seen his cyclocross and road bikes, and they are lovely! Contact Seth if you are interested in a locally made bike!

Mayor's Race The Mayor's Race Registration is now open. From the promoter: Hello fellow bike racers! It's time for the 8th Annual Union City Mayor's Race the 3rd weekend in March. MARCH MADDNESS will be in full swing.  Union City has become one of the friendliest cities for Bike racing in GA. If you have never done this race weekend rest assured - they bring out the Calvary! This year will be category racing only except of the TT.  Online registration closes Thursday at noon!
Register online and $ave!  https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15324
Race page: http://www.spincyclesports.com/Fliers/2012UnionCityMayorsRace.html

Comet Tornado Damage Chris Petit of atlbike.org posted a video of damage to the Silver Comet from last week's tornado. It's cleared off the trail, but you can see the damage on the sides.

Monroe County RR The Georgia Neurosurgical Institute Cycling Team is hosting the Georgia State Crit Championship in Macon on April 14. The course 4 corners over 1.1 km. April 15th there will be a road race in Monroe County in Forsyth. Expect some "punchy" hills on the low traffic wide roads.

Calendar Update I've update some dates and venues on the 2012 Race Calendar.

Chicopee Work Party  From SORBA Gainesville: Saturday, March 17, 2012 9:00am until 1:30pm
Chicopee Woods Moutainbike Trails, Elachee Drive
Join us for a day of camaraderie and trail maintenance at Chicopee. We will be working on the White Tail Trail, (possibly Flying Squirrel), Tortoise Loop, and the parking area. Most of the work will be de-berming and cleaning grade reversals. Bring work gloves, water, snacks, and closed toed shoes. Tools will be provided. Lunch will be included for volunteers. Please register for this event so we can have a head count for lunch.

3-14-2012 Outback Bikes Ride  The Outback Ride for this Spring/Summer kicks off Wednesday, March 14, 2012 @ 6:15PM- meet at Outback Bikes in Little 5 Points From Wednesday, April 4, 2012 thru late Summer 2012, the ride meets at @6:30pm It follows the same sched as Pizza/Northlake, in terms of start time.