2-21-2005 Maps! Maps! Maps! I have been working on the Georgia Maps page. Do you have a map that you would like published? Does your team have a map of its weekly ride? Drop me an email. A special thank you to Coach Chris Andrus for permission to use his maps!

RAAM Qualifier Yesterday in Sebring Florida, Atlanta rider, Rick Rheingans (L5Fylers) rode 426.2 miles in the Ultra 24 hour event. This is a non-drafting RAAM qualifying event, and Rick qualified.
 

Little John Again John Murphy won Sunday's RR at the Valley of the Sun. Go John!!

Bike Roswell Bike Roswell has a new website up. Bike Roswell is the new advocacy organization in, well, Roswell.

Gimme Time-Please! Thanks to all of the promoters that have recently emailed me events to post! Thanks again...without you guys, the calendar wouldn't stay updated! I do have one small, tiny favor to ask. Please give me a few days to get your events up. Don't send me a nasty-gram the next day wondering why the !*!*!* your event hasn't been added. For new readers--Southeastern Cycling does not have a staff. SE Cycling is one person, me. I work 40-50 hours per week at my "day job", train 10-15 hours per week for my own racing, try to maintain some semblence of a social life, help to run my road team, have to clean the house, etc., all while doing this website. There are some days when I just can't do it all and some nights when I don't even look at Frontpage! I did finally give up trying to mow the yard as well and got a service to do that. I hate mowing the yard. Again, please continue to email me contributions but be understanding if I can't get them up right this second. Thanks, Trish

2-22-2005 Skip Memorial Ride From Cartecay Bikes: "The Skip Memorial Ride make up date is Sunday February 27, 2005. Hello! Thanks for everybody's support in memory of Skip! He was a true Mountain Biker! Bring your Warm Cozy Spirit for 2 optional routes. The first route will start at the Big Creek Fire Station #4 in Ellijay. Start time 9:00 am. Directions to Big Creek Fire Station:
Hwy 575 to GA Hwy 515 to the Hardee's in Ellijay, Turn Left at the Traffic (Hardee's) Cross over the Cartecay River the road ends. Turn Right onto Ga Hwy 52 East go five miles to Big Creek road turn left onto Big Creek and travel nine miles to Big Creek Fire Station # 4 on your right. Bathrooms available.

The route will be Thirty seven miles of forest service roads, seven miles of pavement! Six mountain gaps of climbing, five awesome downhills! The route is NOT EASY! Extreme Advanced ride: Please bring plenty of water - 2 liters. We will stop for lunch at the 4 H camp! Casual pace. Warning! Food, Water, Energy gels, will be checked before the ride!!! Plan on five hours riding time a total of 44 miles.

Second ride starts at Bull Mtn parking lot at 12:00 noon. This is an intermediate 15 mile ride. Special thanks to Kona Mountain Bikes, Specialized Bikes, Moots, Santa Cruz, Ventana, Mountain Cycle and Strong Frames.
 

 2-23-2005 Bike Race Roulette Ok, the dates for the Series 7 and Georgia Cups have changed AGAIN! (more times than some of my friends change their hair color!) The current dates and races as of 9:53 pm, 2-22-2005 as I type this are: March 12-13: Georgia Cup in Brooks/Griffin and the first Series 7 race being May 7-8. These dates are subject to change (again??).

TdG Teams Pez Cycling News reports the following regarding the Tour De Georgia: "Race officials have confirmed that the Swiss team Phonak, the Danish team Team CSC, France’s Credit Agricole and Spain’s Saunier Duval/Prodir will each send its best riders to compete in the most difficult test of endurance and might in North America. Phonak will be led by American and former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis, who hails from Pennsylvania. Landis competed in the first ever Dodge Tour de Georgia in 2003 after recovering from a pelvic fracture sustained in a training ride. Team CSC is ranked a powerful second in the 2004 UCI team classification and will bring 2004 Olympic bronze medalist and Nevada resident Bobby Julich, who competed in the 2004 edition of the race. Credit Agricole will feature Dalton, Ga. native Saul Raisin, who laid claim to the Best Young Rider jersey in 2003’s Tour and returns this year as a formidable threat. California’s Chris Horner, the 2003 Dodge Tour de Georgia champion, returns for his third consecutive Tour and is racing for Saunier Duval/Prodir.

“I've been looking forward to coming back to the Dodge Tour de Georgia since it ended last year. The course just gets better and better, and I can tell that this year is no exception,” says 2003 Dodge Tour de Georgia champion Chris Horner of Saunier Duval/Prodir. “I'm coming with a great team that is expecting me to lead them against the ProTour teams as well as the best domestic teams in the U.S.”

"When Credit Agricole told me that we were doing the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia I was so excited. It’s rare for me to make trips back home during the racing season, so to come back to race against the world’s best in a stage race of this caliber in my home state means a lot,” said Saul Raisin of the French team Credit Agricole. “The Dodge Tour de Georgia is the ultimate test of endurance and might in the U.S., and the ProTour teams know it. In 2003 I was the best young rider, and this year I want to be one of the best riders."

2-24-2005 Dave Martin Trial From a friend who says this is from the Cartersville Newspaper:

"A woman accused of killing a man on a bicycle in 2002 is expected to be on trial today when the first criminal trials of 2005 begin Bartow County. Cynthia Ann Richardson was driving on Ga. Highway 3 when she allegedly  swerved into the emergency lane and hit David Lee Martin, 38. Martin was pronounced dead when he arrived at Cartersville Medical Center. Richardson is charged with homicide by vehicle in the first degree and two counts of homicide by vehicle in the second degree. The collision occurred on Nov. 4, 2002. Also on the calendar is the the case of Gerald Jerome Williamson.
Williamson allegedly shot the woman he was living with and her son during an argument last February.
Williamson faces two counts each of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, driving under the influence of alcohol, and one count each of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, use of a firearm
by a convicted felon and driving while unlicensed. The trials will also be the first in Bartow County for the new public defenders office set up last year. The office handles all indigent defense cases.

Tuesday As David Lee Martin cycled home along U.S. Highway 41 three years ago, he called his wife to let her know he was on his way. Just minutes after he hung up, Martin was dead, run over by a car that
drove on to the shoulder and hit the biker. When photos of Martin's wrecked bicycle were shown to jurors, Cynthia Ann Richardson, the woman charged in Martin's death, wiped away tears. It was an emotional first day for both sides, said prosecutor Mickey Thacker. "It's tragic for both families," Thacker said. Richardson's attorney, Pierce Winningham, said his client pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide by vehicle in the second degree.

The trial would focus on one count of homicide by vehicle in the first  degree. Winnigham told jurors in his opening arguments the case comes down  to whether Richardson was driving recklessly or just had an
accident. "But accidents happen," Winningham said. "That's all this was." Richardson is not denying the crash that occurred Nov. 4, 2002, and she plans to take the witness stand later in the week, Winningham said during opening statements. During former Emerson police officer Stan Bradley's testimony, one
man caused a minor disruption when he clapped after Bradley said ita ppeared Richardson might have been on drugs. The man was escorted from the courtroom. Martin's wife, Gretchen Martin, testified she was told investigators took so long to make an arrest due to blood taken from Richardson to test
for drugs or alcohol because of a recent law change. Bradley was questioned about his drug comment by Winningham, and said he could say for sure Richards was on drugs. The trial will continue today and is expected to last until at least Wednesday. 

Wednesday: David Martin's parents left the courtroom Tuesday the same way they entered,  quietly holding a framed photograph of their son. "We may just need to get on with our life," said Martin's father, Howard  Martin, after the woman who ran over his son was found not guilty on one count of homicide by vehicle in the first degree. Cynthia Ann Richardson, the woman accused of swerving off the road and
hitting David Martin as he bicycled along U.S. Highway 41, wiped away tears when the verdict was read.
Richardson cried on the witness stand Tuesday, saying it was all an accident. "No, sir. I didn't see him," Richardson told her attorney during the trial. "If I'd have seen him, I would've moved." The wreck happened Nov. 4, 2002, when Richardson crossed over the fog line and onto the shoulder, hitting Martin as he was bicycling home. He died at the scene. Richardson was arrested last year in connection with the wreck. Richardson pleaded guilty to two lesser charges of homicide by vehicle in the second degree. The charges carry a maximum sentence of a year in jail. She will be sentenced Tuesday for those charges.
"We're very pleased, because she could have been facing up to 10 years in jail for the felony," said Pierce Winningham, Richardson's attorney. "We  said the whole time it was an accident." Prosecutor Mickey Thacker argued in his closing arguments the wreck was caused by Richardson's failure to pay attention, even if it was not on purpose. Richardson testified she was on medication, including methadone, but she
did not believe it affected her driving. With the trial over, Martin's parents will head back to Florida, where they hope to move on, Martin said.  When asked if the trial still provided closure, Martin replied, "It's going to have to because nothing more can be done."

Hear This A friend of mine posted this on a local message board and gave me permission to repost it here. okay... I'll allow that I'm in a cranky mood so read at your discretion:

It's brakes, not breaks. Brakes slow you down so you don't break anything.

It's pedal, not peddle. One peddles old pedals on ebay when one hasn't any more use for the pedals. Peddle = sell. Pedal = that thing your feet sit on.

It's generally fork, not forks unless you have more than one bike. Each bike has one fork which has two blades (unless you have a Cannondale Lefty which only has one blade/leg). The rear wheel is attached with stays. Seat stays connect towards the... seat and chain stays are along the bottom between the rear dropout and the bottom bracket.

The gear shifter is the lever (or more complex mechanism) that pulls or releases the gear cable. The derailleur is the part that actually moves the chain from one cog (rear) or chainring (front) to another. Your gear shifters is generally either on your brake levers (road) or attached to your handlebars (mtn/hybrid) while older road bikes may have them attached to the downtube (most common in the old days) or handlebar stem (typically not a sign of an expensive bike).

Some of these are more common English usage "suggestions", the latter being illustrative of specific bicycle nomenclature.

A race is a competitive event, unlike the running world where any participatory event is called a "race". If you are ill-prepared or not in top-notch shape for a bike race, you usually have a lonely ride home, unlike the Peachtree where you have the company of 45,000 other people who just started training the week before.

(okay now I'm getting really cranky...)
Comfort bikes really aren't comfortable after about 10-15 miles. What's so splendid about an extra wide saddle that chafes your very being, tires that roll like wet noodles and a riding position that catches as much air as a mobile home in an Oklahoma twister? Sure, there are specific cases where folks need that position for medical reasons but 90% of the people who buy those do so because they've never had a bike that fits. Fit is more than shoving the seat up or down. It includes stem length, height, bar width, seat setback, crank length, crank width (Q factor) and more. There's a reason bike shops exist (would you buy a good suit without alterations by a good tailor?).

Hybrids are touring bikes for people who refuse to acknowledge the fact that drop bars were developed and used over the last 70-80 years for a good reason - they work. It would have been lots simple for the last 70-80 years to use a straight piece of tubing if it were really better.

Spin class is like kissing your sister/brother. Sure it's hard but it doesn't replace the real thing. You can be so exhausted spinning that your vision dims, but it still isn't like having your vision dim while you try to hold a wheel two abreast down a winding hill. Spin class does many wonderful things and offers training in those deep, cold winter months. But a lot of those folks in spin class on a Saturday morning should be outside. We spent the entire Industrial Revolution trying to accumulate enough wealth to gain some free time. And now, our free time consists of strapping ourselves to machines and working ourselves to exhaustion - and not a bobbin of cotton to show for our efforts.

There's nothing funnier than seeing folks time trial on the Silver Comet down on their aero bars and their jackets billowing behind like a canopy of an Airborne trooper (the guys who jump out of airplanes).


I wonder if Andy Rooney ever was much of a cyclist...

2-25-2005 Rock Hill, SC Velodrome Trish's Correction: There are three other velodromes that I know of in the Southeast: the Brian Picollo (spell??) near Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, a drome in Louisana (no active racing to my knowledge), and the Dick Lane Velodrome right here in the ATL. Although not a true velodrome, Asheville also has the Mellowdrome where they put on track racing. One of the DLV Board Members has sent a correction into the Rock Hill Herald. Apparently, the DLV is a figment of the EPVA's (East Point Velodrome Associations) imagination as stated by this article :)

Cycling proposal has city's wheels turning

By Matt Garfield The Herald - Rock Hill The next addition to Rock Hill's budding sports tourism landscape could be something you've never heard of. It's called a velodrome -- a bicycle racing track that national cycling leaders think is a perfect fit for Rock Hill. City Council members heard pitches Tuesday from the head of the USA Cycling Association, the founders of a Carolinas cycling group and
an Olympic medalist, all of whom explained why an outdoor velodrome would make sense here. After the presentations, the council agreed to allow city staff to spend the next six months studying how much the velodrome would cost, where it could be built and, maybe most importantly, how much cash it would generate. Under a proposal made Tuesday, the city would be in charge of construction and maintenance, with the Carolina Velodrome Association managing programming and activities at the track. Construction costs, which could approach $2.5 million, would be paid for through public and private donations. City Manager Carey Smith said a velodrome would fit well with Rock Hill's goal to become a destination for recreational and sporting enthusiasts. The city already hosts a variety of national softball, swimming and
tennis tournaments and is now building Manchester Meadows, a soccer complex that will host league and tournament games. The events are expected to generate millions of dollars in revenue. Rock Hill makes sense for a velodrome because of its location --close to big cities such as Charlotte and Atlanta, as well as Interstates 77 and 85, said Pat McDonough, who won a silver medal in cycling in the 1984 Summer Olympics and now is director of programs for USA Cycling. "The Southeast is kind of an untapped market for us," he said. "We need it to be accessible enough to some regional centers. You're right in the corridor here." It also makes sense because there are no other velodromes in the Southeast, said Gerard Bisceglia, CEO of USA Cycling. "Track cycling is on the rise in the United States," he said. "You
have a tremendous population base that is underserved by this sport." Michael Cowan, co-founder of the Carolina Velodrome Association, says the track shouldn't be located in a big city, but instead a
town small enough to support it through grass-roots efforts. "It gets lost in a big city," he said. Finally, Rock Hill's proximity to rural, two-lane roads adds another favorable element to the mix, McDonough said. "It's beautiful out there," said McDonough, who toured roads near McConnells that run past pastures and wooded areas Tuesday afternoon. "It'd be great for cycling. "It's a large enough
community, but it's not overwhelming, either." Council members said the idea sounds good, but they need more information. Council member Kevin Sutton said his support of the project could depend largely on how much it costs. "I'm not skeptical of the project," said Sutton, who added he didn't want the city to spend too much money studying the idea. Smith said the cost of the study would be minimal. Spencer Lueders of the Carolina Velodrome Association said the investment would pay off. "I think you're going to see a resurgence in track cycling," he said. "To me, it's a 'you build it, they will some' thing."
 

DLV Repairs Started! Repairs to the DLV have started! Photos are up at the Spin Cycle. They are hoping to have the track open in April.

12 Hours of Reddick Shey Linder (bikeman.com) of Conyers placed 5th out of 143 solo racers at the 12 hours of Razorback. He completed 13 laps. (the same as Tinker Juarez) Shey wants to thanks his sponsors bikeman.com, Rockshox, SRAM, Avid, Lazer helmets, Slick Willy lubes, Panaracer tires, Salsa frames.

Race Preride From SORBA: Ever wondered what you should be looking for when you are preriding a
course prior to a race? Join Krista Park on Sunday, Feb 27 at 1pm to preride the Heritage course where the first GAP race of the season will be held. She will give you hints on how to spot the best racing line, what to look for when preriding, etc. Please understand that this is not a skills clinic and is not for beginner mountain bike riders. This clinic will focus on racing, the race course and how to best prepare for racing. This clinic will be tailored toward beginner racers (not beginner riders) and first year sport racers. If you have any questions, please email Krista at KristaParkMTB@yahoo.com me (Sherri) at clinics@sorba.org. If it is raining, the clinic will be canceled.

2-26-2005 Race Clinic Date Change From SORBA: Due to the impending 60% chance of rain on Sunday the race clinic date AND time has been changed. The clinic will be at Heritage at 2pm this Saturday, Feb 26. Also, I may not be able to make it to this clinic so look for Krista when you get there.

2-27-2005 Macon Women's Race From Rachel Flack, the race director:" Dear Friends and Cycling Enthusiasts,

The City of Macon, Georgia, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Tour de Georgia would like to announce the inaugural women’s only cycling event in Middle Georgia. As Race Director for the Komen Central Georgia Cycle for the Cure, I would like to personally invite you to participate in this exciting one-day, women’s only criterium event. This women’s cycling exclusive event will be located in beautiful downtown Macon, Georgia and promoted in conjunction with the official Tour de Georgia. Race will Start/Finish at Third Street Park, which is the Finish line for the Tour de Georgia. Additionally, it features a total purse of $1675 and lots of goodies from Komen Foundation.

With the Tour de Georgia scheduled from April 19 - 24 and the nearby Athens Twilight and Nalley Historic Roswell Criteriums slated for April 30 & May 1, it should be exciting time for national-caliber racing in Georgia!

Date and Time: Tuesday, April 19 2005; 1:00 pm (sharp!)
Distance and Course: 45 minutes + 5 laps; Approximately 1 mile loop, rectangular-shaped course with right turns.
Registration Info: Pre-registration is encouraged. Also available online and on-sight. Please visit www.KomenCentralGa.org. Click onto Cycle for the Cure for details.
Day of registration begins 10:00am-12noon, Tuesday, April 19, 2005.
Directions: From I-16 East take Exit 2 and turn right towards the downtown area. At the 3rd stoplight turn left onto Fifth Street. Travel 1 block and turn left into designated race parking for Cycle for the Cure.
Hotel: La Quinta Inn & Suites Macon Room Rate 3944 River Place Dr., Macon, GA 31210 $70 Standard Room Phone: (478) 475-0206 Available Through March 18, 2005
(Specify“Komen Cycle for theCure”) Again, I look forward to your participation in the Komen Central Georgia Cycle for the Cure. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need additional information. Sincerely, Rachel Flack Taylor, Race Director for the Central Georgia Cycle for the Cure,
(904) 415-1682; realflack@yahoo.com All proceeds from the Komen Central Georgia Cycle for the Cure will go to the Komen Central Georgia Affiliate to be used to in the fight against breast cancer."

2-28-2005 Jittery Joes-Kalahari Team Launch On Saturday night, Southeastern Cycling attended the Jittery Joes-Kalahari team launch party in Athens, GA. A complete report is here.