About 2,100 Felt 2009 model-year B12, B16 and S32 road bicycles, made in China and imported by Felt Bicycles of Irvine, Calif., have been recalled because the bicycle’s fork steer tube can break, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer injuries. The company received seven reports of the bicycle forks breaking, including an incident involving minor injuries. The recall includes all 2009 Felt model B12, B16 and S32 road bicycles. They were sold at bicycle specialty stores nationwide from October 2008 through May 2010. Details: by phone at 1-866-433-5887; online

Sign on as a Supporter of the Recreational Trails Program!

Download and sign the sign-on form to be listed as a member of the Recreational Trails Council of Advisors

As a member of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), American Trails urges organizations of every size and interest to become a Supporter of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Every state and every trail activity benefits from the Recreational Trails Program, and we need your support!

Thank you to James Dawson for digging these up.  For you "old school" folks, here are some old newspaper articles from "back-in-the-day".  Some might be of races you've done or people you've ridden with!  If you have any old news paper articles about races from back in the early 90s, 80s, 70s, etc send them my way.  Some might enjoy the trip down memory lane!

Article

Alabama Classic

Danny Feldman specializes in "Bike vs. Car" cases.  Danny is a local Birmingham cyclist and attorney and he would like to speak at your next club meeting.  If you are looking for a guest speaker to go over various laws, rules, regulations or just cycling safety and the law in general, please contact Danny at dfeldman *at* lewis-attorneys.com or visit his website. 

Click here for the July 2010 issue of the Spokesman.

Be a part of history as GA 400 is temporarily shut down on Sunday, July 11 for the second “Hospitality Highway Century” to benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation (GTF).

Saturday, August 7th 7:00am

The Money Road Cycling Club, in conjunction with Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, presents the 3rd annual Bikes, Blues & Bayous bike tour. The rides will be held Saturday, August 7th starting at 7:00am in historic downtown Greenwood, Mississippi, the home of Viking Range Corporation.

Three Different Rides

20 mile fun ride, 46 and 58 mile tours.

All three rides are flat and fast supported with sag vehicles and course monitors. Rest stops with facilities and refreshments will be available.

Read more....

Saturday night marks the beginning of the craziest alley cat series Birmingham has ever seen. Throughout the month of July there will be four stages (July 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 31st) taking racers through out the Birmingham area: Downtown, Crestwood, Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia!

The week before each race I will be posting the event poster and info for each stage so that everyone can study up, pre ride, buy some lycra or maybe even a road bike. Every stage is suited for different rider styles and the rider with the most points at the end of the series takes the yellow Œjersey¹. There will be men¹s and women¹s categories only. Fixies will be

racing the roadies in the same category. Who knows, the TT and circuit race may suit a fixed gear rider more than that of a geared bike while the rollers and mountain climbs will undoubtedly favor someone who can turn over those gears. Birmingham Bicycle Company and Cahaba Cycles are throwing in some schwag for their stages and we¹re working on some stuff for the finale but don¹t be mistaken, this race is for the glory not a gift card. The buy in for each race is only $5 and benefits Bici.

We will need some rad volunteers to help work check points for this series so if you are interested email me at alan (at) bicicoop (dot) org. Stay tuned this week for more info about the races, scoring, smack talking, and the like. 

Michael Olheiser sucessfully defended his Elite (Category 1) National Time Trial Championship in Bend, Oregon today!  He gets to wear the "Stars and Stripes" for another 12 months!

Results

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Before she was killed cycling in Tennessee last month, Sharon Bayler lobbied Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle to adopt a "Complete Streets" policy

Read more....

The Rocket City Race Weekend is scheduled for July 17th and 18th.  There will be a road race, a time trial and a criterium.  Visit the Spring City Cycling Club's website for more details.

Thoughts on the "Bicycle Friendly" designation.

I can remember when a book called the Places Rated Almanac was first published, I was a librarian in my (then) hometown of Chattanooga TN, and we were all appalled at the ranking of Chattanooga for recreation, which was, if I remember rightly, next to last of 435 cities. Anyone who has spent time in Chattanooga knows that the opportunities for recreation are among the best reasons to be in the Chattanooga area. Why the low rating? Because the rankings were based on the amount of money spent on recreation. With a federally-maintained lake, three mountains and a fishing river running right through it and creeks all over the place, neither the city not the county needed to spend tax money on recreation!

This race will be 3 to 6 hours of challenging trail running, creek paddling and biking. The format is teams of three (each member, one venue) or individual (age 18 by December 31, 2010). The total race distance of 41.5 miles includes a 10K run, 1.5 mile paddle and a 33.8 mile bike course. Route encompasses three of Northeast Alabama's premiere outdoor recreational areas located within the tri-county area of Calhoun, Cleburne and Cherokee - the Chief Ladiga Biking Trail, the Pinhoti National Recreational Hiking Trail, and the Terrapin Creek Canoe Trail. The race will finish at the Eubanks Welcome Center in downtown Piedmont, Alabama.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation is rolling out a second round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants and the Washington area hopes to get a piece of the action.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which was successful in securing funding for a priority bus system during the first round of these TIGER grants, is hoping this time to snag up to $10 million of the $600 million available for a regional bike-sharing program.

Read more...

Jennifer Schuble was near graduation at West Point when she suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident during hand to hand combat training. Shortly after that she was in an auto accident that damaged her arm - and was then diagnosed with MS. For many folks, that would have been the signal to give up. Not this lady; at 33 she's a gold medal winning member of the US Paralympic cycling team.

Read more....

Honey Bee Century Bike Ride

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. and Mass Start at 8:00 a.m.

At the North Lowndes Park

 7715 Sonny Rodgers Memorial Boulevard in Hahira, Georgia.

This is a fully supported ride with SAG stops and shorter cutoff routes for

 62 and 30 miles.

Participant fee is $30

Includes a meal and long sleeve shirt, while supplies last.

You're got this saddle sore that has grown on you, literally. It has established such a persistent presence that you decided to name it Chewbacca. You've heard of several home remedies to get rid of Chewbacca, but do they really work?

Read more....

Why Join AlaBike?

The Alabama Bicycle Coalition (AlaBike) is a statewide, grassroots not-for-profit (501c3) cycling advocacy organization whose mission is to promote cycling safety, education and access. AlaBike works with state and local officials and politicians to preserve, improve, create and institutionalize bicycle-friendly roads and policies throughout Alabama. Bicycle-friendly cities, towns, counties and regions provide a healthy environment for its citizens and project an attractive image to visitors and prospective residents. The investment in a high-quality, user-friendly road network is returned many times in improved quality of life and property values. AlaBike seeks support to develop programs to promote this vision.

Read more...

Allow me to insert my opinion on this one.  I think it's great that the transportation officials are planning and considering this.  But, there have been countless plans and long range plans and plans on top of plans....  The problem is, once the plan comes down to the action, this is where the plan falls short and the "as usual" way of doing things comes into play.

Link to the Bicycle Pedestrian Plan.

2010 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings announced

To coincide with Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists is excited to announce our third annual Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) rankings.

Read more....

By Thomas Spencer -- The Birmingham News

May 24, 2010, 10:26PM

Don't miss this innagural event that has been added to the Bump and Grind weekend!  The race is the Turn and Burn 360!  One lucky racer will walk away with a Niner bike frame!  Prizes galore (valuable prizes-not some 5 year old bike tube).

Sunday, June 6 is D-Day for the Sweet Sixteen edition of the Bump N' Grind at Oak Mountain State Park, offering race classes for all and free racing for the kids.

Predominantly smooth, tight singletrack winding through the forest, the main course has enough roots & rocks to call for finesse and enough wide spots and double track to keep the field from getting bottled up. Only about 1600 feet of climbing is required to navigate the recently expanded 21.5 mile Red Trail loop, but much of this is packed into one 2-mile doubletrack climb that'll sort the wheat from the chaff, while the descent through Blood Rock will show who has the technical chops.

Scout the course on Saturday, or better yet race our new event the Turn N Burn 360, and bring along your whole crew for a great weekend outing; Oak Mountain offers plenty of off-the-bike family activities, too (wildlife center, swimming beach, boat rental, etc.), while lodging, eating and shopping opportunities abound right outside the park.

Ride for Hope- an event that changes the lives of cancer patients in the Big Bend. The Ride for Hope Team and the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Cancer Center.

More information about the ride can find more information about our history, how to donate, volunteer or RIDE at www.ride4hope.com  or call Mandy Stark at (850) 322-7221.

Save the Date:  June 5, 2010 at the North Florida Fairgrounds

Registration for the Gwinnett Bike Fest is now open.  The dates are July 21-26.  The races will be in an omnium format.  This means that you don't have to participate in all of the events.

The city of Birmingham is hosting a League of American Bicyclist Cycling Essentials Course on Saturday, June 19^th.  They currently have some openings for this class on a first come first serve basis.  This is a prerequisite class for becoming a League Certified Instructor.  Birmingham is in need of an LCI.   They would like to give priority to those committed to becoming certified.  This class is a full day.  It involves classroom instruction as well has hands on bike handling.  There is a cost for class materials.  I’m not sure of the exact cost but it should be around $50.00 - $60.00. 

If you are interested in this class, please give me your name and address by close of business Monday, May 24th.

Sincerely,

Barb Cowan, President (bagscowan @ bellsouth.net)

Birmingham Bicycle Club   

Last Wednesday evening (May 19^th) at 7:00 pm, cyclists around the country rode in silence for about 45 minutes to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed while riding their bicycles. In addition, the ride called attention to the fact that cyclists have the same basic rights to the roads as do motorists. In Birmingham, Alabama the ride started behind Homewood Cycles and ended at SOHO plaza in front of Homewood City Hall.

While the great majority of motorists treat cyclists with courtesy and respect, unfortunately, too many still do not. These motorists see cyclists as unwelcome intruders on roads that are meant to be used by cars and trucks, and cars and trucks only. What often results with this minority of the motoring public is inconsiderate and dangerous driving (like passing cyclists too closely, quickly accelerating to pass cyclists and then decelerating to make a quick turn in front of them) or worse yet, intentional harassment in the form of yelling, throwing things, or aggressive driving meant to intimidate and scare cyclists. When this happens and the slightest miscalculation occurs, it is the cyclist that is going to be the one hurt and/or killed.

To trail users of all types in Alabama: 

I am taking this opportunity to encourage you to attend the National Trails Symposium this year. For those of you who have never attended one, I guarantee you will feel like a “kid in a candy store!” Everything you always wanted to know about trails will be represented there in some form or another. There will be many opportunities for networking and idea-sharing with other trail enthusiasts from all over the country. This event is held every two years, and the location rotates around the country. In 2008 it was held in Arkansas.

This year it is in Chattanooga, just a stone’s throw away. It may be a long time before it is held in the deep south again, so please take advantage of the close proximity and make your plans NOW to attend. With all of the wonderful trail-related accomplishments Alabama has been experiencing lately, attending this would be a fantastic way to celebrate (and maybe brag a little)!

Enjoy a beautiful scenic ride from Eastern Shore Toyota, located in Daphne, Alabama to Mullet Point Park, off County Rd. 1 in Point Clear, AL. Bring your friends, family and children and enjoy food, refreshments, music, and activities on Mobile Bay following the ride.

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Registration for the Glasner Autumn Challenge is now open.  This ride will be September 4th in Montgomery.  There are several ride distances for you to choose from.  The roads are very low traffic areas and the century is very well supported.  Details

The Ride of Silence rides will be happening all over the world on May 19th.  If possible, come out and support these rides.  If you can't, just remember all of the people that have been seriously hurt or killed while riding.  Click here to see when the Ride of Silence is happening in your area.

If you participated in the Iron Works Century this past Saturday, your feedback is requested.  Please email the good, the bad and the ugly (and include specific improvements or specific things you liked) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Cyclists, the Kid One Ride with 20, 30, and 62 mile options will be this Saturday at The Waters in east Montgomery County. Information is availble at their web site www.kidone.org The ride is well supported and has a great after ride party

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Dave Stone is a League Cycling Instructor and serves on the City of Huntsville's Bike Advisory & Safety Committee. He says the weekend accident in Tennessee involving a vehicle which killed his friend and fellow cyclist Sharon Bayler is tragic, but he hopes that it will shed some light on the law in Alabama and how it applies to bicycles on the road.

Read more...

One year after the County Commission started discussing the project, county employees now are ready to make the 59 signs that soon will line roads in the south and southeastern areas of the county.

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I'm sure, by now, most have heard about Sharon Baylor getting hit and killed by a motorist in TN.  From what I understand, this comes only weeks after her husband passed away due to a heart attack while riding. 

The Alabama Scenic River Trail Association has asked me to encourage attendance of their September 18^th Triathlon.  Cost is very reasonable, especially for those who sign up by May 31^st.  ($60 per individual and $120 for 3 member team).   Includes 2 meals, entertainment, tee shirt and race.

Please feel free to forward this information to anyone you feel would be interested in this wonderful event.

Attached is a flyer with more information.  Contact for the event is Fred Couch, President of the Alabama Scenic River Trail (cell 256-539-0437).

Best regards,

Grey Brennan

Alabama Tourism Department

On Thursday, April 22, Governor Riley approved HB376, and thereby created Act 2010-585. The Alabama Trails Commission has been born! A link to the Act is below.

This is an incredible accomplishment for all who have contributed their time, talents, and support to make this day possible. Many, many people made an effort in pushing this bill to final passage. It is not possible to list them all, but we would like to acknowledge the members of the legislature, the heads of relevant state agencies, the Trails Commission Committee, and the Alabama Recreational Trails Advisory Board (ARTAB) for their tireless efforts and support:

Are there any medical types who have access to information about compression and diabetes?

We all know that diabetics cannot follow standard 45 carbs per meal guidelines when prepping, riding and recovering from distance cycling or racing.

Standard diabetic procedure is to AVOID compression on any body parts, especially the feet. So are the benefits and risks of riding and post-ride with compression the same for diabetics as everyone else?

Email responses to cslayton19 @ charter.net

USSA is looking for male cyclists to participate in a research study. The will need to come to our campus 5 times for some testing and training, around 8-9 hours per day. We will pay $500 after they complete the study. Information is attached.  For more information, contact Jordan at jmoon @ ussa.edu

Flyer