7-25-2019 Lots of news from SORBA West Georgia:

E.L.M. Festival and ENDURO Saturday, August 10th Join us Saturday, August 10th at Allatoona Creek Park for the Cobb County E.L.M. Festival – Cobb is one of the first municipalities in the country to implement the new E.L.M. (Emergency Location Markers) System and they can’t wait to share it with you. There will be emergency response teams from the Cobb Police and Fire Departments there with lots of fun for everyone. Dirty Spokes Racing will put on their annual trail running race. We’ll also have a poker ride, bike games and our first ever ENDURO EVENT. If you’ve never experienced an enduro race, then you can’t miss it. It’s certain to be quite the spectacle.

Voodoo Race – August 24th ALLatoona 35 HALFatoona 18 Presented by SORBA West Georgia and FreeFlite Bicycles, this one lap event will feature every trail that Allatoona Creek Park has to offer. There will also be a Halfatoona for those that may be scared of a little Hocus Pocus. The race will be held Saturday, August 24, 2019 and start at 8:00 am. 100% of proceeds will be used to build and maintain trails at the park.

Lost Mountain Trails Update It’s official. Lost Mountain trails are directional as requested by users. Signs are going up and the county is doing trail clean up this week. Remember that it may take a second for all users to get the hang of directional days, so always ride with caution and BE NICE. Go check it out and let us know what you think about all the new improvements and of course let us know if you want to help.

Queen City CX From the Promoter QCCX We’re finalizing details on this year’s pre-season training series, but wanted to give a quick update on where we stand so far. Race Dates: 9/15, 9/22, 9/28, 9/29 Location: Renaissance Park Race Times: 10 AM – Beginner/Juniors, 10:45 AM Intermediate, 11:30 Experts Online registration will open mid-August Fees: Adults $20 online ($25 on-site), Juniors $10 online ($15 on-site); One day licenses: USAC has changed pricing structure for one-day licenses. New costs are $10 for Cat 5 and Juniors; $25 for all other categories.

7-23-2019 Georgia Grinduro From TopView Sports The 2nd annual Georgia Gravel Grinduro is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd. We have adjusted the routes for 2019 to include more riders. The Scramble will have less climbing and be friendlier for beginner riders. The Radical will be around 60 miles with approximately 6,000 ft of climbing. The Grinduro is the “MACK Daddy” that will feature almost 10,000 ft of climbing over 100 miles, with 3 mountain passes over 3,000 ft.

7-22-2019 Shine Pedals Ride Press Release The Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and Office of Tourism Development is hosting its 7th Annual Shine Pedalers bicycle ride July 27. The metric and half-metric rides start and finish at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and Moonshine Distillery in downtown Dawsonville. The rides begin at 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. Each ride takes cyclists through scenic and rural areas of Dawson County. The metric ride offers a challenging climb up Burnt Mountain. “Each year we strive to make the ride better than the year before,” Moore said. “Over the years the route has been adapted to make it even more enjoyable for the riders by keeping cyclists away from main roads as much as possible. The ride features plenty of SAG (support and gear) stops to keep cyclists energized and hydrated throughout the ride. We strive to have anything that previous riders have requested, even if it seems to vary from the typical water and bananas, such as pickle juice, mustard, flat Coke, and chocolate.” King and Queen of the Mountain will be awarded to the first male and female to reach the top of Burnt Mountain. After the ride, cyclists will be treated to catered lunch, refreshments and an opportunity to tour the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, as well as, the Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery.

7-19-2019 North Cooper Lake Mountain Bike Park Construction has started on the new North Cooper Lake Mountain Bike Park in Smyrna! Construction is expected to take several months. Follow Recreate Smyrna on Facebook for the latest details.

Covington Century From the Covington Century New this year: Local Line Creek Brewery will be providing after ride cold ones for both the Covington Century and the Wilson 100. For those that don’t want to go for the Metric, but want more than the 30ish miler, we now have a 50ish miler! Cue sheets and RideWithGPS will be posted as soon as the routes are double checked one more time for accuracy and safety. In addition to our awesome charity partner, Newton County Trails, we are excited to welcome local Walton Wellness featuring their super cool Mobile Farmacy Bus at the McGarity Park rest stop. Mass ride start will be at 7:30am. 30milers will be a 8:00am Lunch will be served 11am to 4pm. Same great venue, same great food at the new dining hall at Oxford college at the corner of Asbury and Pierce. Check in starts at 6:30am in front of the new dining hall.

7-18-2019 Free CX Clinic Join me for my annual Cyclocross clinic on Monday, Aug. 26 at 6:15 pm Jim R Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30008! Everyone is welcome! Join Sorella Race Team member Trish Albert for a free cyclocross clinic. We will work on skills such as dismounts, remounts, barriers, carrying the bike, and cornering. We will also cover the basic divisions and rules for the Georgia Cyclocross Series. Everyone is welcome at this free clinic! Juniors age 10+ are welcome, but a parent/guardian must remain with them onsite; Juniors must know how to ride a 2 wheeled bike off road with no assistance.

Ride what ya brung—but we recommend a bike that is capable of going off road in the dirt & grass like a cyclocross bike, mountain bike, or hybrid. Be prepared to get dirty! Remove all bar ends, racks, and bottle cages for safety reasons. The bathrooms may be locked, so be prepared. Bring water and a snack. It will be hot! We recommend wearing lycra or close-fitting clothing since loose clothing like tshirts or mtb baggy shorts can get caught when doing cyclocross.

Please note that loaner bikes and equipment are not available. HELMETS ARE MANDATORY. We are limited on time and have a lot to cover and practice. This clinic will be safest for all and best enjoyed without interruptions, so please do not bring any children or pets. We will be starting promptly at 6:15.

Delta Eliminates $150 fee for Bicycles Delta Airlines has eliminated the $150 fee for bicycles. Oversize/overweight baggage fees may still apply if the case exceeds certain limits. It’s about time you eliminated the bike penalty, Delta! There was speculation that Delta would follow the lead of American Airlines and several other major carriers that dropped their bicycle fees in the last few weeks.

7-16-2019 Van Purser Foundation Ride From ATLPTN:  We received a few notes this past week about an ATLPTN legend, Van Purser, who is bravely fighting ALS. His friends started a foundation and are planning a ride on October 5th. We will highlight it as it draws near but wanted to bring it to the attention of the PTN early. See below from one of his friends who sums it up nicely: “We have created a non-profit to honor our friend Van Purser who was diagnosed with ALS almost two years ago. He has been a great friend/mentor to many in the ATLPTN, former owner of Bikeways of Tucker and helped start the Tucker and Webb Bridge rides. He always cared deeply for his fellow cyclists and we’d like to help him care for them going forward. To learn more about the foundation go to Vanpurserfoundation.org or if you just want the registration link it’s: www.bikereg.com/all-for-one-100. The ride will leave from the Webb Bridge starting location on Saturday October 5th and the route is a rolling mashup of a couple of the Webb Bridge routes.”

Allatoona Work Party From SORBA West Georgia Allatoona Work Party Saturday, July 20 at 9:00 am We’ll be mainly working on updates to Flaming Wildcat, including improving the entrance and adding some rollers. If you haven’t ridden the Flaming Wildcat trail, then now is your chance to check it out and lend a hand to creating what will be the best 6 miles at Toona. Bring water and a friend. We’ll supply the tools and lunch. For those that want to ride afterwards, bring your bike, too.

7-12-2019 AL State RR Championships Postponed From Topview Sports — Due to the incoming tropical storm related weather this weekend we have decided to reschedule the state championship road race to July 28th. If you already registered your registration will be rolled to the new date. If you signed up and cannot make the new date, please let us know and we will issue a refund.

Sosebee Cycling Park Benefit On Tuesday, July 16 the Marietta Tuesday Night Crit will benefit the Sosebee Cycling Park. from MTNC: Mark you calendars for next Tuesday the 16th. All donations will go to Sosebee Cycling Park. For those that don’t know about the park, it’s North Atlanta’s only privately-run road cycling park north of Atlanta located just off Interstate 75. Chandra and Christopher Sosebee are the owners of Sosebee cycling park. They rely solely on private donations for funding ongoing maintenance and future expansions. Visit the website (http://sosebeecyclingpark.com) to learn more.

See you next week and please brings a few extra bucks and support the park.

7-10-2019 Joey Rosskopf Interview Velonews has an interview with 3 Tour rookies, including Joey Rosskopf (Team CCC). ‘hat are the big differences Rosskopf has noticed when he compares the Giro and Vuelta with what he’s experienced at the Tour so far?

“The crowd, I think; which feeds the pressure,” he said. “You are always hearing about how stressful it is, how much pressure there is — especially among the riders from their directors and what they put on themselves. It all just feeds off itself … the build-up all year and the crowds.”’ Read the full article below.

https://www.velonews.com/2019/07/tour-de-france/whats-it-like-to-be-a-tour-de-france-rookie-we-spoke-with-three-debutants_496483

7-9-2019 North Cooper Lake MTB Park Final Hearing The final public hearing for the North Cooper Lake MTB Park in Smyrna, GA will be THIS FRIDAY, July 12 at 6:30 pm in the Jonquil Room of the Smyrna Community Center on Atlanta Road. Come give your input! Construction begins on July 15!

7-8-2019 Sope Creek Work Party From MTB Atlanta Sope Creek Work Party Sat., July 20, 9 am-Noon. Join us for our monthly Work Party at Sope Creek and give back to the trails that you love to ride. We meet at the Columns Drive parking lot at 9 AM at the gate by the Fitness loop. Wear long pants, closed toed shoes, bring gloves, water, snacks.

Cochran Mill Work Party From MTB Atlanta Cochran Mill Work Party Sat., July 13 9 am-Noon Join us for our monthly work party at Cochran Mill Park. Meet at the main parking lot at 9 AM. Please wear long pants, closed toed shoes, bring a helmet, gloves, water, snacks. We will see you there!

7-6-2019 I’m still here! I’m still here! With the Fourth of July, things have been a bit quiet. I’ve taken a couple of days off from updating the site since there hasn’t been anything to update. Send me an email if you have any race news, team news, century rides, etc to post! Press releases are free or ask me about supporting Southeastern Cycling with an ad! Ads are the only way I can continue to run the site as a resource FREE to everyone! Also check out the Southeastern Cycling Facebook Page! Join in the discussions about cycling and racing in the Southeast! You can also follow me on Instagram at @sadlebred.

In cycling news, Joey Rosskopf will be rocking it in the Tour De France for Team CCC! Joey is making is Tour De France Debut! Ian Garrison (Hagens Berman Axeon) won both the U23 and Elite Men’s Time Trial National Championships last weekend in Knoxville, TN. The NCGA Juniors have been hauling in medals at the Junior and Elite National Track Championships. I hope to have more on that later next week. I know of at least 4 thus far.

6-28-2019 USA National Pro Championships Congratulations to Georgia’s own Ian Garrison who won the Men’s Pro Time Trial Championships in Knoxville on Thursday@ It was last week that he won the U23 TT Championship!

6-24-2019 2019 Fool’s Gold From Mountain Goat Adventures We are excited to announce that registration for the 2019 Maxxis Tires Fools Gold Mountain Bike Races is now open. The Maxxis Tires Fools Gold is scheduled for September 14, 2019 at the beautiful Montaluce Winery, in Dahlonega, GA. The 2019 Fool’s Gold Mountain Bike Race will again offer riders a 38 mile or 60 mile course! Additional trail mileage proposed for 60 mile course! 400 rider field limit for the 2019 event – please register early so you do not miss out. Both courses begin at Montaluce Winery and will have a neutral rollout for approximately 3 miles on pavement, then transition to gravel roads. The 60 mile course begins with a stout 3 mile gravel road climb. NEW for 2019, we are proposing to the USFS that our route head north off the ridgeline onto some of my favorite “secret” trails, then across to FS 69, and finally back up to Hightower Gap, merging with the usual route. This adds 5-6 miles to the long course. The 38 mile course heads directly to the Jones Creek Ridge Singletrack Trail along gravel roads, giving riders the opportunity to space out before hitting nearly 30 miles of fast singletrack. There is a ton of other great stuff!

Cheaha Challenge 2019 From the Cheaha Challenge: Save the Date! Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 2020 – UCI World Championship Qualifiers Organizers of the Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo are honored to announce that the 2020 Cheaha Challenge century distance will again be a qualifier for the 2020 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship, and our Cheaha Challenge Time Trial will again be a qualifier for UCI Time Trial World Championship. The 2020 UCI World Championship will be held in Vancouver, Canada in September 2020.

6-28-2019 USA National Pro Championships Congratulations to Georgia’s own Ian Garrison who won the Men’s Pro Time Trial Championships in Knoxville on Thursday@ It was last week that he won the U23 TT Championship!

6-24-2019 2019 Fool’s Gold From Mountain Goat Adventures We are excited to announce that registration for the 2019 Maxxis Tires Fools Gold Mountain Bike Races is now open. The Maxxis Tires Fools Gold is scheduled for September 14, 2019 at the beautiful Montaluce Winery, in Dahlonega, GA. The 2019 Fool’s Gold Mountain Bike Race will again offer riders a 38 mile or 60 mile course! Additional trail mileage proposed for 60 mile course! 400 rider field limit for the 2019 event – please register early so you do not miss out. Both courses begin at Montaluce Winery and will have a neutral rollout for approximately 3 miles on pavement, then transition to gravel roads. The 60 mile course begins with a stout 3 mile gravel road climb. NEW for 2019, we are proposing to the USFS that our route head north off the ridgeline onto some of my favorite “secret” trails, then across to FS 69, and finally back up to Hightower Gap, merging with the usual route. This adds 5-6 miles to the long course. The 38 mile course heads directly to the Jones Creek Ridge Singletrack Trail along gravel roads, giving riders the opportunity to space out before hitting nearly 30 miles of fast singletrack. There is a ton of other great stuff!

Cheaha Challenge 2019 From the Cheaha Challenge: Save the Date! Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 2020 – UCI World Championship Qualifiers Organizers of the Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo are honored to announce that the 2020 Cheaha Challenge century distance will again be a qualifier for the 2020 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship, and our Cheaha Challenge Time Trial will again be a qualifier for UCI Time Trial World Championship. The 2020 UCI World Championship will be held in Vancouver, Canada in September 2020.

6-21-2019 Big Creek Resolution From Fresh Bikes Now is Crunch Time for Big Creek Park!! As you know, Big Creek Park in Roswell, off Old Alabama Road, is currently home to a forest full of wildlife, mountain bike trails, and walking trails. On June 24th at 7pm, the Roswell City Council is having a RESOLUTION VOTE that will further help protect Big Creek Park from future threats. The goal was create another layer of protection for the park while also helping to prevent future development. This resolution, supported by the Big Creek Community Alliance and Fresh Bikes, gained approval from the Roswell Parks and Recreation Commission. Now its time for Mayor Henry and the City Council to sign off and protect Big Creek Park! We need everyone to show up in full force!! Voice your support to SAVE BIG CREEK PARK by wearing GREEN and attending the Resolution Vote on June 24 at City Hall in Roswell!! Meeting is at 7pm – Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street Roswell, GA 30075!!! Let’s show Mayor Lori Henry and the Roswell City Council that the community wants to save the Big Creek Park and Preserve it long term!! Read the resolution.

6-20-2019 GA 400 Century The Georgia 400 Century is on Sunday, June 30! Registration is $55, but the price goes up June 23.! This year we turn earlier on North Point and take the newer road Westside Parkway to all points flatter north and south. The 44 mile route is a mile shorter and only goes up the middle and little sister climbs. Routes of 9, 26, 46, 60, and 100 are available! Of course, all start on GA 400!! After the ride, there will be a free meal, live music and a beer.

Twice Baked Psychle Century The Twice Baked Psychle Century is this Sunday June 23! Twice Baked is a grass-roots effort to raise awareness about mental health and the role that exercise can take in the treatment of mental illness, while raising funds to support local mental health programs. Just 38 miles west of Atlanta, Twice Baked may very well be the most well-marked course ever, with over 500 markings for the various ride options. All this with limited traffic and drivers who actually seem to like having cyclists sharing their roads!!! Ride options include 14, 28, 50, 64 and 100 miles. Rest stops are numerous and will be fully stocked with goodies in order to beat the heat. Skaters are welcome!! Skate, Skate Skate
Trish’s Note: This is a great ride with low traffic roads, great volunteers, and plenty of rest stops!

6-13-2019 Bobby Labonte Foundation Charity Bike Ride Returns to High Point Press Release The Bobby Labonte Foundation, founded by NASCAR champion racecar driver and High Point businessman Bobby Labonte, broke fundraising and attendance records last year for the Bobby Labonte Foundation Charity Bike Ride – and plans to do it again in 2019. Online registration is now open for the ride, which will return to High Point, N.C. on September 7, 2019 with the ever-popular cocktail party and silent auction scheduled for the night before, on September 6. The Charity Bike Ride began in 2011, with the goal of advancing the Bobby Labonte Foundation’s mission to support children and families in the Triad area.

This year, events also include the return of “The Bicycle: Art Meets Form” gallery exhibit at Theatre Art Galleries September 5. A VIP ride and luncheon will be hosted by Labonte the morning of September 6, followed by an evening silent auction and cocktail party. The Charity Bike Ride starts at 7:30 am September 7 and offers cyclists a 40 km, 60 km, or 100 km route. All of the proceeds will fund grants for the chosen non-profits. Last year’s recipients, including High Point LEAP, Millis Regional Health Education Center, and Ready for School, Ready for Life, shared more than $50,000 in grant money. Special awards were also presented to the High Point Boys & Girls Club and the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club.

6-11-2019 Georgia Cross Schedule The 2019 Preliminary Georgia Cross schedule is ready! It’s subject to change and a couple of races still have to be filled in.

Sept. 19 Old Grey Barn CX, Dalton, GA
Oct. 6 Grant Park CX, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 12-13 Elks Aidmore CX, Covington, GA
Oct. 21 Boundary Waters CX, Douglasville, GA
Oct. 27-28 Cole Cross Cup CX, Savannah, GA
Nov. 2-3 Across the Beeriers CX, Athens, GA
Nov. 10 Road Atlanta CX, Braselton, GA
Nov. 17 EPTC CX, Hampton, GA
Dec. 2 TBD CX
Dec. 10 TBD CX

All For One 100 Bicycle Ride The Van Purser Foundation is a non-profit charitable corporation (501(c)3), created by a group of caring cyclists, so we might pour out into others just as Van has poured out into us. The mission, simply, is to pull together to assist other cyclists in times of need. The ride will take place on Saturday, October 5 2019 at North Point Community Church, 4350 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30022 Register for the ride here

Allatoona Creek Park Work Day From SORBA West Georgia Toona Workday – Final Solstice Prep, Saturday, June 15 9:00 am, come out and help us finish the final prep for the 10th Annual Summer Solstice Races. We’ll be working on the official race course (Driftwood and Wildcat.) Remember this event is our biggest fundraiser for Toona, so we need to get them ready to go. We’ll supply tools and direction, you just bring water and some clothes for gettin’ dirty. Bring your bike too and we can ride the course afterwards.

Blanket’s Creek Work Party This month’s SORBA Woodstock work party will be Sat., June 15 at Blanket’s Creek at 9 am.

6-10-2019 Twice Baked Psychle Century From the Promoter With 5 years under our belt, we think that Twice Baked will be better than ever in 2019! Definitely the best marked course in GA! Nice country roads, community support, low traffic, breakfast sandwiches, juice and coffee for early finishers; hot fresh pizza and watermelon for all other participants, only clean indoor bathrooms, trophies for the oldest and youngest finishers, raffle prizes including: free track class at Dick Lane Velodrome, Free Bike Fit from Podium Multisport or All Three Sports, Free indoor spin classes at ATS/ The Pain Cave in Buckhead, Tifosi sunglasses and more! And all this only 30 miles outside of downtown Atlanta! But the best part is that it is in support of mental health and the role that exercise plays in mental health! Let’s Ride!! Help us be better prepared by pre-registering on line! WHEN: Sunday June 23, 2019 Registration begins at 6:00am Mass Start at 7:30am WHERE: Villa Rica Middle School 614 Tumlin Lake Rd Temple, GA 30179 Distances of 14, 28, 50, 64, and 100 miles.

6-7-2019 Weekend Race Cancellations I haven’t heard of many race cancellations this weekend with the predicted flooding in parts of the Southeast. Crosstown Velo has announced the NC/SC State Road Race Championships are being moved to Aug. 10-11 because of the weather. I’ll update things here if I get any information about other races.

6-4-2019 Cycle Alpharetta Tuesday Night Parking From the group that doesn’t really organize the ride since it’s a pick up ride: Publix Property Management reached out to me regarding our parking on Tuesday night, they have been gracious enough to allow us to kick off our rides from their parking lot for the past 4yrs, but it has become overwhelming for the Salon next to our ride and were asked not park around them. If you park in the OFF LIMITS area you will be ASKED TO MOVE. Primary parking should be in the public parking structure behind the store, secondary with permission from the Alpharetta Public Library. Only the 12 spots in the back of Publix are available. Once parked and ready to ride meet in our normal ride kickoff area. Wheels down at 630PM.

6-2-2019 10th Annual Summer Solstice Races From SORBA West Georgia 10th Annual Summer Solstice Races Saturday, June 22nd Cobb County Parks and Atlanta Cycling are excited to present the 10th Annual Summer Solstice Races at Allatoona Creek Park in Acworth, Georgia. This year’s big event features a completely redesigned course with lots of great singletrack trails along the banks of beautiful Lake Allatoona. Racers who want to test their mettle won’t come away disappointed with this fast and flowy course. We’re offering a 4.5 mile & 7 mile option for all our trail runners and a 3 hour mountain bike race for those on 2 wheels. There will be lots of food and prizes, so grab a friend and bring the whole family Saturday, June 22nd. Remember 100% of this event’s proceeds go right back into building and maintaining the trails at Allatoona Creek Park. So help support your local trails and hit the link below to register now and make sure you get a spot for what’s sure to be a great race. If you’re not interested in racing but want to support the event just reply to this email for more information on how you can help. Don’t miss the fun, see you there!

Trish’s Note from stuff I saw on Facebook: The course will be made up of some double track by Rusty Bucket, Driftwood, and the new Wildcat trail! Very cool and different not to use the usual Rusty Bucket-Mason’s Bridge Loop. Wildcat isn’t even quite finished yet!

6-1-2019 RAMBO National Trails Day From RAMBO June 1 is National Trails Day at Big Creek Park. REI Alpharetta is partnering with RAMBO for a stewardship project from 8:45 to 12:30. We will spend the morning clearing and rebuilding trails on the heavily used Big Creek trail system. This is a fun work day and a great way to volunteer and give back to the outdoor trails we love. Everyone is invited including groups and families.We will provide tools, direction, food, drinks, a free t-shirt, and a great day of volunteering!

Cochran Mill Work Party From MTB Atlanta Cochran Mill Work Party Sat., June 15, 9 am-Noon Join us for our monthly work party at Cochran Mill Park. Meet at the main parking lot at 9 AM. Please wear long pants, closed toed shoes, bring a helmet, gloves, water, snacks. We will see you there!

5-27-2019 Riding Gravel Tips GirlsGoneGravel and I did a video on IGTV about riding downhill on gravel. Check it out for some helpful tips on technique and tire pressure! More videos will be coming soon from myself, Kathryn, and Laura!

Campellton UMC Church Closing – Silk Sheets Parking The Silk Sheets Church, Campbellton United Methodist, is closing after 189 years. June 2 is their last church service. The property will be listed for sale and closed to parking for liability reasons effective early June. Please park across the road along the side street. Park fully in the grass and make sure your wheels are not on the pavement. Do not park in the “other” church’s parking lot.

5-26-2019 Riding Gravel Tips GirlsGoneGravel and I did a video on IGTV about riding downhill on gravel. Check it out for some helpful tips on technique and tire pressure!