11-27-2017 Atlanta Cycling Lights Ride Mark your calendars for one of the most fun rides of the holiday season! Join Atlanta Cycling-Vinings for the annual 12 mile / 12 mph, stay together, ride to see the Christmas lights by bike. Please mount front and rear lights to be seen. Street lights provide enough light to see. Purely Optional – bring an unwrapped toy of any value to be given to a local children’s home. Riders and non-riders plan to meet after the ride at NY Pizza Exchange in downtown Vinings at the railroad tracks – just before 8:00 PM.
11-26-2017 All is Quiet I hope everyone got to eat some turkey/tofurkey and pie as well as got some riding in to work it off! It’s that time of year when all is quiet. I’m still here. Contact me if you have any ride, team, race, etc. press releases that you would like to have me post on Southeastern Cycling!
11-22-2017 Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you eat way too much, get in a bike ride, and watch the National Dog Show (I don’t do football)! I plan to do all 3…..
11-20-2017 Nash Farm CX Photos My photos from Nash Farm CX are ready at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. There are plenty from all races!
Seven CX1/2 racers stayed together until the last lap to take advantage of a windy day at Nash Farm CX.
11-16-2017 USA Crits Series 2018 marks the 12th year of the USA CRITS Championship Series, the premiere cycling series in the United States. Criteriums are the most spectator-friendly and enduring form of cycling racing in America. Locally originated races combine the highest levels of cycling with urban street fairs and festivals, while showcasing some of America’s most vibrant downtown districts.
Ten races across the United States, plus the Series Finals, will make up the 2018 Series, landing in many of the country’s major cycling markets. The Series begins in Athens, Georgia in late April with the tenth race being in St. Louis, Missouri on Labor Day weekend. The #racefororange will culminate in the Series Finals held September 15th. Watch for the Finals location and details announcement in early January 2018.
Twenty-five of America’s elite men’s and women’s cycling teams will be invited to participate as USA CRITS D1 Teams. While each individual race is open to all eligible athletes, the Series will focus on these D1 Teams as they #racefororange. Thanks to new partnerships and the ability to engage a national fanbase, the Series Champion’s Purse will offer $100,000 in season-ending prize money for D1 Teams and individual leaders. The Champion’s Purse and each race will offer equal payout to both male and female racers, with each event offering a minimum $10,000 to these elite fields.
Southeastern USA Crits stops:
April 28 Athens Orthopedic Clinic (AOC) Twilight Criterium – Athens, GA
May 26 Winston Salem Cycling Classic – Winston-Salem, NC
11-13-2017 Rome CX Photos My photos from Rome CX are up at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. I have photos from everything except for the Juniors.
A rider goes through the mud at Rome CX.
11-10-2017 DLV Workday Velodrome Workday #2 announced Saturday, December 9th from 9 am to 3 pm. Work will include: Finish Board repair, Leaf bagging, Finish Pressure washing turn 4, Pressure spray wood crossing turn one, Oil change on pressure sprayer, Finish fixing gutters add Gutter Guards, Ant control/killer, Continue Bike repairs, Spray for bugs, Fence repair turn one/two, Tree trimming – does anyone have a pole chainsaw?, Repair apron, Pizza eating, Help us keep the velodrome looking nice and rideable.
Cochran Mill Park Work Party From SORBA Atlanta Join us for monthly work party at Cochran Mill Park this Saturday, Nov. 11 at 9 am. We will be working on a small reroute on the Red Trail. SORBA VP Pete Edmondson will be instructing volunteers on how to layout correct trail grades and grade reversals. Then we will build the new trail. All trail users are welcome to attend. Wear close toed shoes, bring gloves, water, snacks and your epi pen if you are allergic to bees,. Meet in main parking lot at 9. We will see you there!
Sope Creek Work Party From SORBA Atlanta Sope Creek Work Party Saturday, November 18 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 and your epi pen if you are allergic to bees. We will see you there.
11-9-2017 Op-Ed Let’s Bring Women Back to the Track! It’s been a long time since I’ve done an editorial. This is my opinion an only my opinion. It does not reflect the opinion of anyone else.
There really has not been “Women’s Racing” at the DLV for years other than at Pro Races. The fields for the Pro Races have been great with a lot of strong racing–attacks, solo efforts, chases, and more! I’ve been privileged to be racing the Pro Races for the last 2 years. The payouts are good, and we provide the spectators with exciting racing! What the track lacks–and still does–is a development path for women riders. As with all beginners, women take the certification class. Brian Sullivan does an excellent job with helping the new riders. If anyone chooses to race, they need to do the Tuesday night races and get 6 points before they can move up to the C races. All Beginners race together. I have seen women obtain their points and disappear, never to return. They get thrown in with the C racers–including some really fast guys–get dropped from every race one night, get discouraged, and decide that track is not for them. The attitude of some of the more experienced racers has also turned off several women that are strong riders and have race experience in other disciplines. I have talked to a couple of these women to confirm this, so it is not speculation. I have made a personal commitment to try to talk to every “non-regular” (ie one that doesn’t race every week) woman each night at the track and let her know she is welcomed by the other racers. It’s a start all of us racers–including the guys–need to make. Let’s drop the elitist attitudes.
Why no development path? I think it is a combination of several things.
1. No person to run it. You have to have volunteers to run a program. This may not be from lack of interest but simply lack of anyone to do it. This is not a problem isolated to the DLV but to many worthy organizations. We all work full time or are full time moms/dads, have outside commitments, other interests, etc. It is a huge undertaking to start and run a development program.
2. Lack of funding for a specific women’s development program. I know that it is very expensive to run a program. Funding is always scare. With funding, a part time women’s development coordinator could be hired-similar to the coaches they have for the YCL (Youth Cycling League). One thing that has come to mind for me without a development program is to have a series of beginner and intermediate clinics specifically for track certified women on a weekend afternoon for 2 hours and charge a nominal fee ($10 or so). The instructor could volunteer or 50% of the fees could be used to pay them for their time with the other 50% going back to help start women’s programming at the velodrome.
3. Old Guard Male Attitudes. “All the women want to race with the men.” “To get women faster they need to race with the men.” “The women don’t care who they race with.” “Well, the men don’t want to wait an extra 10 minutes for a women’s race to be run tonight.” “There need to be a minimum of X women to have a women’s race tonight.” When the minimum is reached, the nightly race director still does not have a women’s race. No, the minimum needs to be 2 racers! I have good news on this front. Erin Young, who ran a lot of programming and classes the NSC Velodrome in Blaine, MN, has taken over Tuesday night mass start racing. He has assured me that the minimum field for women’s races on Tuesdays will be TWO riders. I hope that more experienced women that race track will come support these races! (You can still race with the Masters, too!) Why a women’s race? To give the newer riders a chance to ride with other women and learn from them. You can’t develop fast & experienced women’s riders overnight. There needs to be a path for them to learn. I have enjoyed my conversations with Erin, and I am hopeful that he can start bringing change to the women’s programming at the DLV.
What can all track racers do to help? Be nice. Seriously, just be nice to the newbies–especially the women and female-identifying racers. If they are having a problem with their bike/equipment/pinning their number, ask if they need assistance. Smile at them and welcome them to the track. Take 5 minutes of your evening to strike up a conversation and get to know a newbie. Answer questions with enthusiasm. Invite the newer racers to join your warm up pace line as time gets nearer to race time. Help them learn by your example of holding your line, pulling off safely, etc.
I add one thing–in order to race or ride/practice at the track, you need to be certified–men and women! Keep an eye on the DLV schedule for the next certification class.
11-5-2017 Ellenwood CX Photos Photos from the Ellenwood CX Ranch Race are up at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. Plenty from all categories!
Kinser Hewitt (Loose Nuts) gets some serious air at the Ellenwood CX Ranch race on Saturday.
11-1-2017 November Is it really November already? Where did the time go? CX season is almost half way over!
DLV Closed The Dick Lane Velodrome is closed until a dead tree can be removed from the track. There is a workday scheduled for Sat., so come help out!
10-31-2017 WBL COMETH! THE WBL–The one and only original will start on December 2 with the Hub Bikes Maysville Extravaganza! 80 miles, 4 hours. The full WBL calendar is available on their Facebook page. Only the hardiest ride!
Allatoona Night Rides Join SORBA West Georgia at Allatoona for night rides every Tuesday and Thursday. For November and December meet at the Pitner Road Dog Park at 6:45. Rides behind at 7:00 pm. All riders need to sign in and out as well as a waiver per the agreement with Cobb County. For Nov. and Dec. only Turtleback and Red Baron will be open. In January the rides will go back to main parking lot and have access to all trails except Driftwood till February due to hunting season. Everyone must be off of the trail by 8:45 and out of the park by 9:00 pm per Cobb County. Any one that night rides outside this days or those not sign in is subject to being fined for trespassing. The rides are free to all. Lights are required.
Where Else Can I Night MTB? Want to ride your mountain bike at night? Blanket’s Creek does not close except for weather or special events. Please respect the closures when the gate is not open. RAMBO hosts monthly night rides at Big Creek. You need to register through the Roswell Parks and Rec website; There is a small fee. GATR holds monthly night rides at a different trail in Gwinnett. Donations are requested to help cover the fee the county charges the club to ride at night. These group rides change frequently, so please check to see what their current schedule is with the sponsoring organization. Rides may be cancelled because of rain or extreme cold as well. Urban rides are also fun to do on intown bicycle trails and such. There are plenty of groups that do them, so go find one! Sope Creek is CLOSED at night under all circumstances. Don’t even try to ride there!
The Elite Masters start in a cloud of dust at the Savannah Superprestige Georgia State Championships.
10-30-2017 Savannah Superprestige Photos Photos from the Savannah Superprestige CX races will be up at by early Monday morning at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. I did not get as many as I’d hoped because of the gale force winds on Sunday. DSLRs and all of that dust and sand do not go well together, so I kept my camera in its safe place. For those that were not at the race–if you were in Atlanta you got a ton of rain on Saturday and cold temperatures Sunday. In Savannah Sunday we had gale force winds sustained at 20-25 mph with gusts much higher most of the day. The Georgia State Cyclocross Championships were EPIC!
Michael Montgomery’s (L5 Flyers) bike decided to pick up some of the course tape flying around as a souvenir. Monty had to run to the finish.
10-28-2017 In Pro News, Georgian Ty Magner has signed with Rally Cycling for 2018. John Murphy (NC) will remain with Holwesko-Citadel.
10-27-2017 2018 Races I am making the transition on the Mountain/Gravel page to 2018 races. Anything labeled with an asterisk * or “2018” is 2018. Anything unlabeled is 2017. All Cyclocross will remain 2017 until spring/summer of 2018 when series start announcing their dates. Plus, we are still in the middle of CX season. I do not expect to see any road racing calendars until the early part of 2018. Most of what I am updating now are mountain, road, and endurance mtb dates. There are a couple of series including Nuts and Gone Riding that have released their 2018 schedule. Most of the races and race series have NOT set 2018 dates yet. I’ll be checking early season races every other week or so.
PROMOTERS: SEND ME YOUR 2018 DATES! sttarlite at hotmail.com
10-26-2017 Allatoona Park Closure Don’t forget, as the sun sets on the majority of the Allatoona Creek Park for 2017, most of the land will only be open to hunters with permits from November 1 – December 31. The Turtle Back, Red Baron and Whipper Snapper trails will remain open but must be accessed from the Pitner Road Dog Park.
10-25-2017 Dick Lane Velodrome Workday #1 DLV’s first workday is scheduled for 9AM, November 4th. Start getting those 2018 Rider of the Year points EARLY. Come join us if you can, we appreciate your help! Workday Chores: Repair bathroom lock cover, Motion light above the bike room needs replacing, Repair apron, Ventilation fan in men’s room, Pressure wash turn 4, Any tree limbs need to come down, Video Crossing wire into turn one redone, Ice machine.
10-24-2017 Savannah Superprestige Weekend The Parks-Law.com Georgia Cyclocross Series presented by Terrapin makes its annual journey to the low country this weekend. Returning for another year at Oglethorpe Speedway Park, the Savannah Superprestige Cyclocross weekend is going to up the ante, hosting the 2017 Georgia State Championship on Sunday, October 29th. “We’re excited to welcome the series back to the flyover,” said Savannah Wheelmen race director Justin Bristol. “It’s a real pleasure hosting the race this year, and I can’t wait to give out the stars and bars jerseys on Sunday. We know it’s a long drive for a lot of our racers, so we’re expanding the prize list to include cash payouts for additional categories. Plus, we’ve got some great prizes from local bike shops and restaurants.” The course promises to be as fast and exciting as always, but with a few new tricks up its sleeve. Of course, the flyover will be back, but what other course features can we expect? Savannah may be flat, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some drops this year.
10-23-2017 Old Grey Barn Photos My photos from Old Grey Barn are up at http://sadlebred.smugmug.com. There are plenty from all races (Except Elite Women & CX 4 since I have yet to master the art of using my DSLR while racing 😉
Kenny Oladapo (Bike Law Georgia) bunny hops the first barrier in the Single Speed at Old Grey Barn CX.
Then Not a Hop over the second barrier. Kenny’s OK!!!. Kenny got up & finished with a a strong Top 10 placing after hopping the barriers every other lap!
10-22-2017 Silver Comet Head’s Up Saturday, 10/28/2017, will be the Silver Comet Half and full marathons. According to their web site http://silvercometraces.com the full marathon route will go all the way to just east of the Paulding County Waste Treatment Plant. There will be a water/aid station at the Florence Road trailhead. The race starts at Mable House Amphitheater which is just under 2 miles south of the Floyd road trailhead. The trail is not closed for this event, but using it east of the treatment plant (Silver Comet Cycles to the Treatment plant)could be quite dicey. The marathoners have a 5.5 hour time limit.
