Happy Thanksgiving!
11-23-2020 Light on News It’s a slow week as far as news goes. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and is able to get some riding or exercise in to work off all that yummy food!
11-18-2020 2021 Races The calendars are being slowly updated as the dates for early 2021 races trickle in. I haven’t seen quite as many as in normal year, but I am updating the calendars as the dates come out. I wouldn’t expect to see anything for road until at least February 2021. They are always behind off road (gravel & mtb).
VMT Closed During the Week From SORBA Woodstock Starting 11/18/2020 VMT will be closed for maintenance during weekdays. We will make every attempt to reopen on the weekends if possible. Trish’s Note: They are revitalizing 36 berms.
11-17-2020 GFNS From the GFNS Gran Fondo National Series Launches 2021 Calendar with 13 U.S. Events The largest series of one-day gran fondo cycling events in the United States, the Colnago Gran Fondo National Series (GFNS) today announced their 2021 calendar with eight of their own fondos and five additional partner events. Starting with Gran Fondo Florida in San Antonio, FL on March 21 and finishing the season in California with The Jensie Gran Fondo in the fall, the 2021 Colnago Gran Fondo National Series includes eight events: Gran Fondo Florida – March 21, 2021 – San Antonio, FL, Team Type 1 Tour of Georgia Gran Fondo – April 18, 2021 – Helen, GA, Highlands Gran Fondo – June 6, 2021 – Butler, NJ, Gran Fondo Asheville and (USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship) – July 18, 2021 – Asheville, NC, Boone Gran Fondo – August 1, 2021 – Boone, NC, Golden Gran Fondo – August 29, 2021 – Golden, CO, Gran Fondo Maryland – September 19, 2021 – Frederick, MD, Jensie Gran Fondo – September 26, 2021 – San Francisco, CA
In addition to the 8 events organized and run by GFNS, there are five partner events where athletes can earn points toward the Colnago Gran Fondo National Series Championship. Additional events will be added soon, and events that want to be part of the series are encouraged to contact GFNS. For 2021, partner events include: Malibu GRANFONDO – TBD, Cheaha Challenge – May 15-16, 2021, Cache Gran Fondo – July 9-10, 2021, Bob Cooke Memorial Mt. Evans Hill Climb – July 24, 2021
Triple Gran Fondo – August 21, 2021
11-13-2020 Chief Ladiga Trail News From the City of Anniston: The City of Anniston is excited to announce that it has acquired the second segment of the Future Chief #Ladiga Trail from the Anniston Water Works and Sewer Board! This morning, Mayor Draper was joined by Water Works General Manager Ed Turner, and together they completed the necessary paperwork for the land the trail will soon be built on. Given this most recent development, the City now has two of the three parcels needed to complete the Ladiga Trail from Michael Tucker Park to the Multimodal station on 4th Street! City leadership looks forward to continuing to work alongside their private sector partners in completing this awesome project. We would like to thank the Anniston Water Works team for their great work, as well as M&H Valve for allowing the City to continue the trail on the original Rail Bed. As Mayor Draper stated, “This will take us a long way on the path of truly making Anniston a cyclist’s dream destination.”
11-12-2020 WBL Postponed From the WBL: WBL 2021 Postponed: We have decided not to cancel the WBL season, but to POSTPONE it until spring-summer 2021. We don’t feel we can adequately safeguard everyone, and we don’t think it would be responsible to go forward with our rides during a pandemic. It is true our rides take place outside, but we gather and congregate before, during the ride, at store stops, and after the ride, and sometimes we have groups of 100 or more. Not to mention we would run afoul of CDC guidelines in regards to group numbers. Also Georgia has positivity rates as of today (Nov. 11) which according to the White House places Georgia in the Covid “red zone.” The bottom line is that not only do we feel the responsibility to assure the safety of the Zealots who take part in our rides, but we have a responsibility to the community at large.
But do not fear: We are merely POSTPONING the season until spring-summer of 2021. Our plan is to have 6 all-sprint rides, all epics and World Cups, over six weekends which may not all be back-to-back. Instead we want to interfere with regional races at little as possible so our plan is to pick Saturdays that are empty on the race calendar. And with the road cycling scene teetering, perhaps we can fill in some of the gap weekends with a great training ride. We will have an adjusted point structure, full prizes, a sag car, cash for guys and gals, and most important, epic rides. More details will follow over the winter.
More Good News: To keep it lively, we will post interviews with and stories about both current and former Zealots, what they are doing now, where they currently live, and many other interesting and lesser known facts. Many of the stories and events depicted might even be based in fact, others not so much. To tell the difference, to swipe a phrase from a well-known wordsmith, one should possess “a built-in, shockproof, shit detector.”
11-11-2020 Across the Beeriers From Swagger: Let’s try this again! Across the Beeriers is on Sunday, December 6 at Southern Brewing Company in Athens, GA. There is a $5 off early bird discount per entry to incentivize pre-registration that expires after November 22. Online registration will close on Friday, December 4 at 11:59PM. Please help us pull this off by pre-registering! Please take a gander at the tech guide for more info, COVID-19 protocols, and refund procedures. If you think you will be coming but want to register day-of, go ahead and register online on the “Day-of Entry” category. That will let us see who is planning on racing, as well as will allow you to e-sign necessary waivers online. This will help us limit time and touch points at rider check-in.
Races Updated at Top of Page I’ve added a couple of races at the top of the page in the “coming up in the next few weeks” calendar including Across the Beeriers, a CX race in AL, and a new enduro from Third Coast.
11-10-2020 Ian Garrison Finishes Vuelta From Velonews: “Ian Garrison has finished his first Grand Tour at the Vuelta. “The 22-year-old WorldTour rookie dangled way off the back of the bunch on the final mountain stage Saturday, and just finishing his debut Vuelta was a victory in itself. Garrison was the last man on the road through the close of the mountainous 17th stage and was in danger of failing to make the time cut. Nonetheless, the Georgian dug deep to ride a long, lonely time trial to successfully finish the day 50 minutes behind stage winner David Gaudu. “I’ll remember November 8th 2020 for a long time,” he said after the stage. “Again, thank you to support from the whole Deceuninck-Quick-Step team. Now one last finish line to cross in Madrid.” Read the complete article on Velonews below.
Sykes Park Work Day From MTB Atlanta We’ve missed you during the pandemic! Volunteers are the lifeline for routine trail maintenance on public lands and on the MTB Atlanta trail network. MTB Atlanta is resuming work parties in limited capacity this season and is using local regulations and CDC guidelines to conduct these events. We will adhere to mask requirements and social distancing at these events. We are excited to get back at it! Meet at the main parking lot at Sykes Park and we will get started at 9. Have a mask, gloves, wear long pants and closed toed shoes and bring water, snacks and your epi pen if you are allergic to bees. Saturday December 5 9 am – Noon
11-6-2020 Joey signs with Rally Cycling From Rally Cycling Rally Cycling is excited to announce the signing of American Joey Rosskopf from WorldTour outfit CCC Team for the next two seasons. The 31-year-old won the USA National Time Trial Championships in 2017 and 2018, as well as claiming overall victory at the 2016 Tour du Limousin. Rosskopf brings a wealth of experience and strength to the roster, as the team looks toward sharpening its competitive edge in Europe next season.
“I’m just really looking forward to racing for the team,” said Rosskopf. “I can feel myself already approaching next year with a totally different mindset knowing that this is a team on its way up that wants to learn from their riders’ experiences.” Read the full article.
11-5-2020 Hawkes Creek CX Cancelled Hawkes Creek CX has been cancelled. The promoter has said riders will be contacted about a refund.
11-4-2020 Upcoming MTB Skills Clinic From Recreate Smyrna Smyrna Parks and Recreation has partnered with a certified instructor to offer two separate mountain bike clinics for those interested in learning the basics of mountain biking or trying to expand their trail riding skills. This clinic is open to adults 18+. This mountain bike clinic will take place on Saturday, November 14 from 9a – 12p (beginners/intermediates) and 1p – 4p (intermediates/advanced) at North Cooper Lake Bike Park (Smyrna, GA). The cost is $125, and you must pre-register. Call Jacob @ (678) 631 – 5393 for more information. Open to adults 18+ only.
11-2-2020 Haw Creek Work Party From RAMBO: Haw Creek Work Party. Saturday, Nov. 14 9 am-1 pm. We are going to tackle some of those pesky low areas that pool water and stay wet for some time, plus a short cut through on the Easy track, and a short reroute. We’d love to have you joins us. Please use the link below to let us know if you are coming.
11-1-2020 Mountain Bike Trails Reopening Lots of metro Atlanta mountain bike trails are reopening. Check Facebook or the website for your favorite trails to see their status.
Silver Comet Update I walked a few miles west from Floyd Road in Cobb today (I’m grounded from my bikes for quite a while b/c of a major medical issue). The trail was mostly clear of large debris. Be careful if you ride right by the sides of the trail in Cobb. There are some branches sitting right by the side that would love to eat a bike part or get caught in your rear derailleur. I pushed any I could out of the way. There was the usual amount of pine needles, pine cones, and leaves. YMMV. I’ve heard that Paulding is also in good shape and has been cleared. There are conflicting reports from Polk that there may be a tree down by Coots Lake and there is quite a bit of debris (pine needles, small branches) in various places. Please use caution no matter where you ride!
10-31-2020 There is an interesting article on the Dick Lane Velodrome at Science Atlants and how physics plays into a rider staying on the velodrome.
10-30-2020 Friday Afternoon Update The Big Creek Greenway in Forsyth County is closed-all of it. There are also a lot of roads in the Milton/North Fulton/Cherokee County areas that have been impacted and may be unpassable. I’ve also had warnings of bad road conditions in Buckhead in the city of Atlanta. Please use caution riding anywhere this weekend.
Silver Comet and other paved trails Reports form the Silver Comet and other local paved trails is that they are a mess. Give local governments a few days to clear them up. Parts of the Comet in Paulding County are still closed for debris removal.
Mountain Bike Trails As of mid-day Friday most local mountain bike trails remain closed because of trees down including Rope Mill, Blanket’s Creek, Toona, and Chicopee. I know of crews working to clear most trails according to various SORBA chapter Facebook pages. Pack a little patience and give them time. Trails that are open as of mid-day Friday: Lost Mountain, Mt. Tabor, and Sara Babb. A reminder that Allatoona is closed all of November for hunting although Red Baron, Turtleback, and Whippersnapper are accessible from the Pitner Road Dog Park.
10-23-2020 2021 Races I started to update some of the 2021 race dates, but I’ve found that very few have been released. I’ll continue to update the calendars as I run across 2021 dates.
WBL 2020 From the WBL: Decisions on whether the WBL can go forward this year. We will continue to watch numbers and listen to experts and not politicos with an agenda. There is no doubt there cannot be a “normal” season under any circumstances and whether there are any WBL rides this winter remains to be seen. Rider safety and our ability to keep folks safe and healthy during a pandemic is our # 1 consideration. Because we are not a for-profit entity we do not face the same pressures as college football, the NFL, etc. More announcements on this issue to follow soon. –David Crowe on behalf of the Full Board of the WBL.
