9-19-2020 Love 100K Breast Cancer Challenge From the promoter The Love 100K Breast Cancer Challenge is the(Lake Oconee Velo Eatonton 2nd annual metric century ride in Eatonton, GA. This one is very special because it benefits and honors two great local women, Marie Rainey and Amy Johnston who are fighting breast cancer. There are options of 100K / 60k / 30k / 5k family ride. There will be a police escort out of town and multiple rest stops. Nelson Vails will be the special guest. There is a Time Trial on Sunday, Oct. 4 on a 10 mile course. It will be a USA Cycling sanctioned TT.

Virtual Brownwood Bike Rally From the promoter Trish’s Note: This is a benefit for the Brownwood Kids Club. I have been a supporter of the Brownwood Bike Rally for many years now. You are receiving this email because you have participated in Brownwood Bike Rally during the last few years as a rider or volunteer, and we wanted you to know that even in the midst of this ongoing pandemic, we will be holding an event this year from October 1-17. The format will be different as we will be riding solo or in teams, virtually. This means that you can choose your own route, and we will be challenging folks to log as many miles as possible over seventeen days. Hop on a bike, trike, trainer, bike-erg, stationary bike, penny farthing, or unicycle, and let’s ride together to create more educational opportunities for our deserving youth! Along the way, there will be challenges, opportunities to share and highlight your rides, and prizes aplenty! Plus, you get a sweet t-shirt along with your registration, and this year’s rider is masked up and ready to ride safely. Register here. If you would like to support via donating to the event or a specific team but are not interested in riding, you can do so here. We are grateful to you for your past participation and support, and we hope to see you on the virtual road and trails this October!

9-16-2020 USA Cycling Announces 2021 National Championships USA Cycling announced some of the Cycling National Championship dates and venues for 2021. It looks like a lot of the same venues from 2020 will be used since they didn’t happen. Lots in the Southeast! Nats in the Southeast include:
Collegiate Road Nats May 7-9 in Augusta GA
USA Pro Road National Championship June 17-20 Knoxville, TN
Amateur Road Nats June 24-27 Clay County, FL
Gran Fondo National Championship July 18 Asheville, NC

9-14-2020 Ride to Rescue There will be a charity ride for several dog rescues including Mostly Mutts and Friends to the Forlorn in White, GA on October 3. There will be routes of 8 miles (you can do multiple laps!), 31 miles, and 62 miles. SAG stops will be on course. There will also be 1 mile out and back walking route with leashed dogs welcome! There is no on-site registration, so be sure to pre-register!

Dirty Spokes 6/3 Hour Mountain Bike Race From Dirty Spokes The Dirty Spokes 6/3 Hour race will be at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, GA on November 7th, Start / Finish at the Nature Center Pavillion (the park has finished construction and we are moving it back to the Main Mountain Bike Parking Lot). We are in our 15th year of putting on the Dirty Spokes Fort Yargo State Park Endurance Mountain Bike Race and as enthusiastic as when we started it (thanks to racers and riders like yourselves). We appreciate the support you all have given our events for the last 14 years and look forward to seeing you out there again this year! We will be giving away thousands of Dollars in Product for the Dirty Spokes Fort Yargo Mountain Bike Race thanks to Roswell Bicycles, Giant and MAXXIS! They will be providing all 1st Place, 2nd Place and 3rd Place 6 Hour Finishers with some sweet prizes! This race will race number 6 of the Chainbuster 6/3 Hour Series (for complete series rules and information please visit Chainbuster Racing)!

9-9-2020 Silver Comet Connector I took some time this past weekend to ride the Silver Comet Connector, the unfinished section of the SCT that will eventually link to the Atlanta Beltline. I’ve posted photos on Instagram if you’d like to see more from the ride. The SCC goes from mile 0 (just above the benches) 2.3 miles to Plant Atkinson Road. The section going under the East-West Connector is very muddy-think several inches of mud. I had to carry my bike for several hundred meters as it was unrideable. Past that, everything can be ridden. More about the Connector:

From Connect the Comet Track Removal Has Begun for the Silver Comet Connector The first on-site steps toward extending the Silver Comet Trail into Atlanta have begun! Rails and ties are being removed by CSX from the 2.3 mile section of right of way donated by CSX to GDOT. Work started at Plant Atkinson Rd, which will be the southern end point of the trail on the former railroad right-of-way. Machines are working north and the clearing project will soon be visible at Oakdale Rd. GDOT and the PATH Foundation are in the process of executing an agreement that will allow for completion of the abandonment. Cobb County will then survey the corridor and PATH design work is scheduled for the fall of 2020 with trail construction in 2021. This segment will bring the trail on a safe and level route under the East West Connector, South Cobb Drive and I-285.

This will be the first of two segments to get the trail to the Chattahoochee River. From Plant Atkinson Rd south, Cobb County plans to facilitate the construction of the trail to the Chattahoochee River within the Atlanta Rd right-of-way. Funding has not been approved by Cobb County for the Atlanta Rd segment but the Cobb Board of Commissioners will decide on whether it is part of the next SPLOST in early 2021. Once across the river via the Atlanta Rd bridge, the latest plan is to connect to the Whetstone Creek Trail and from there to the Atlanta BeltLine near Marietta Boulevard via a route TBD. While the State of GA has first right of refusal on the remaining 4.2 miles of track from Plant Atkinson Rd to Collier Rd, CSX currently has no plans to sell it and is actively using the line south of the Chattahoochee River for switching Howell yard. CSX just repaired its railroad bridge over Defoors Ferry Rd.

9-6-2020 All for One Ride From the Promoter: All for One 100 – 2020 Edition Due to present circumstances, it will not be possible to conduct the AFO 100 in the highly organized manner as was done last year. Even so, VPF in coordination with Webb Bridge Cycling and other prominent cycling clubs in the area, will conduct an informal event this year, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at 7:30 AM. There will be no pre-ride ceremonies, on-the-course support will be minimal, and there will be no post-ride meal and social gathering. Instead, we will gather in the NPCC parking lot between 7:30 and 8:00 AM, split into groups according to pace and distance, and head out onto our normal courses  for rides filled with fun and fellowship. Standard group ride etiquette and common sense will apply.

We heartily encourage you and your cycling club to join us for this event. There is no registration process nor fees. In lieu of the registration fee, and to continue funding the needs of the foundation, we ask you to consider donating $25 to $50 to the foundation, according to your interests and resources. Donations can be made online at any time via PayPal. Cash and checks will be collected at the event.

The Van Purser Foundation (VPF) is a non-profit charitable corporation (501(c)3), created by a group of caring cyclists, with a mission of pulling together to assist other cyclists in times of need. In 2020, VPF has provided tangible financial support to multiple cyclists suffering the serious effects of disease and crash-related injuries. The foundation’s support has been possible only through the generosity of many donors as well as the proceeds from the inaugural All for One 100 (AFO 100) ride that took place in October 2019.

9-3-2020 Trails Closed-Check Your Favorites This is the time of year that a lot of local trails host races, especially in the next 8 weeks. I highly recommend you check the Facebook page of your favorite trail to see if they are closed. Races I know of that will close trails in the next few weeks: Blanket’s Creek closed Sept. 5th until 4:00 pm. Rope Mill is open. Allatoona Sept. 12-13 Closed for NICA races.

9-2-2020 Allatoona Hunting Schedule From SORBA West Georgia Allatoona Creek Park MTB Trails will have the following hunting schedule for 2020-2021. The trails are closed during hunt times. This applies to the entire park except for Turtleback trail which can be accessed from The Pitner Road Dog Park.

BOW HUNTING SCHEDULE :
October : Sunrise to 11:00 AM
November : 24 hours a day
December : Sunrise to 11:00 AM
January : Sunrise to 11:00 AM

9-1-2020 NCCX Cancelled Much like the Georgia Cyclocross Series, the North Carolina Cyclocross Series has been cancelled for 2020. They may resurrect the Winter Cup in 2021.

Northside Drive Closure From Atlanta Cycling The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced its contractors will close Northside Drive (Georgia 3) in Buckhead (Atlanta, GA) between Wesley Drive and Peachtree Battle Avenue for 90 days starting Sept. 8 as part of the Northside bridge replacement project. With this closing, the detour for the “Vinings Loop” will be to continue on P’tree Battle crossing N’side Dr. To rejoin the route, turn left past the hilltop (after the road splits) onto Woodward Way.

RAMBO Pump Track Work Weekend From RAMBO We’ve moved the pumptrack work party to weekend of 9/19-20 with volunteers needed on Sunday at 9 am. at Big Creek.

RAMBO Big Creek Work Party From RAMBO Big Creek Work Party Sat., Sept. 12 9am-2 pm. They will work on the trail’s entrance.

8-31-2020 Kennesaw Mountain Road Reopesn to Bikes From Facebook: “… Beginning August 31, the park will reopen access to the mountain road and the mountain road parking lot for vehicular traffic, to include bicycles…..Park patrons entering the Visitor Center will be encouraged to exercise social distancing, follow the designated traffic flow and wear masks in addition to following other Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines…..The mountain road gate will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Monday – Friday to allow for vehicular traffic (which includes bicycles). No shuttle service will be in operation at this time due to social distancing issues inside the shuttle bus.

New Bike Park in Upstate, SC (Source Unknown-from a reposted Facebook post) The Vic Bailey Subaru Bike Park is a community collaboration located off the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail behind the Flock Shop in Spartanburg, SC. The park includes bicycle features like the wood and dirt flow trails which take mountain bikers on a roller coaster experience with little pedaling and braking necessary. Other features for slightly advanced riders include the wooden banked turn, pump track, and more. The park was made to suit all skill levels, built with progressive features so you can start small and advance at your own pace. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, but remember that safety comes first.

8-27-2020 Calendar Updates I’m working on October and November calendar updates this week. After mid Sept. races are looking somewhat sparse. There is only ONE confirmed CX race in all of GA, SC, NC, AL, and TN. I expect to see a few more in the next couple of weeks. Georgia Cross has cancelled the series. I know of some races in GA happening but don’t have firm dates yet. No word on NCCX’s season. Alabama is expected to have a few more races. There are some mountain bike and gravel events, so please support those races! As usual, road events wrapped up around the end of August in the South.

Some have asked about charity/century rides happening this fall. I can tell you after talking with the promoters or those in the know that both Six Gap and Beautiful Backroads in Georgia are happening unless there is a major lockdown.

What changes in Georgia laws regarding cyclists would you like to see? From Mike Moss: State Senator, cyclist, and cycling advocate John Albers has reached out and invited all area cyclists to the Crabapple Green, across from the Milton City Hall, Thursday, Sept. 10, 5:30 pm. He wants talk with people regarding what additional changes we need in our state to better protect cyclists. According to John, this will be a “Physical distancing” outdoor gathering. There are a number of informal ride groups that leave the Crabapple Green between 6:00 and 6:30 pm. He plans to conclude the session before the informal rides start.
This is a unique chance to talk directly to someone with the power to make positive changes for cycling safety. John was responsible for getting the 3-foot law passed in the state of Georgia and is currently the Georgia Senate Chairman for Public Safety. All Georgia cycling clubs and cyclists are invited.

8-26-2020 Marietta Tuesday Night Crit There are only 2 dates left for the 2020 Marietta Tuesday Night Crit! Sept. 1 and Sept. 8! A donation of $5 is requested to cover the cost of the police officer at the corner.