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October 2009

Greenville, SC, Home Of Upstate SORBA, Named Bicycle Friendly Community

Wed, 10/21/2009 - 1:55pm — Robin Allen

ImagePrestigious award honors City’s efforts to promote bicycling

GREENVILLE (SC) The League of American Bicyclists has honored Greenville with its prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community award. Greenville joins Columbia and Spartanburg as South Carolina's only Bicycle Friendly Communities. The League of American Bicyclists’ mission is to promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. Greenville was granted the bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation for four years and the League of American Bicyclists will provide the City with feedback on what it can do to make Greenville even more bicycle-friendly. Announcement of the Bicycle Friendly Community designation comes at an ideal time as the City plans to begin a comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan study in January 2010.

The City began its Bicycle Friendly Community initiative, named Bikeville in 2006 with a City Council resolution endorsing the League of American Bicyclists Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities. Bikeville is a committee of volunteers comprised of City staff, engineers, planners, retailers and advocates who collaborate on efforts to encourage and educate bicyclists, and the plan established specific goals that ranged from installing bicycle racks on all Greenlink buses to celebrating National Bike Month every May.

Public Input Sought for Mountain Bike Trails in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Wed, 10/21/2009 - 1:53pm — Robin Allen

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) would like to invite you and members of your organization to attend a public scoping meeting for an upcoming Environmental Assessment (EA) of new trail connections in three different units of the park. The meeting will be held at the following location and time:

CRNRA Headquarters
Hewlett Lodge Conference Room
1978 Island Ford Parkway
Sandy Springs, GA 30350
Thursday, October 29, 2009
7 – 9 p.m.

IMBA Recognizes Local Bike Shops During Interbike Industry Breakfast

Wed, 10/21/2009 - 1:51pm — Robin Allen
Image
Dan Thornton, Tom Hughes, and Mike Nix show off their IMBA awards as Mike Van Able, IMBA’s Executive Director, looks on.

During the standing-room-only IMBA Interbike Industry Breakfast on September 24th, Tom Hughes, owner of Bike Town USA in Gainesville, GA, and Dan Thornton of Free-Flite Bicycles in Marietta, GA, received plaques to reward them for reaching Platinum Status, and Mike Nix, owner of Liberty Bikes in Asheville, NC, was award IMBA Gold Status. Platinum Status, IMBA’s highest level of recognition, is awarded to retail shops for their long-standing financial contributions to IMBA that exceed $2,500. Gold Status recognizes contributions of over $1,000. Only three other shops nationally achieved Platinum Status, Bicycle Sport Shop, TX; Shenandoah Bicycle Co., PN.; and Wheel and Sprocket, WI.

Tom, Dan, and Mike are long-time supporters of IMBA-SORBA, and they richly deserve this recognition for their efforts to further mountain biking advocacy in their local areas. Tom has been active throughout the development of the Gainesville State College and Chicopee Woods Mountain Bike Trail systems, and Dan has supported a multitude of projects in the Atlanta area, most recently the creation of the Van Michael Trail at Blankets Creek in Woodstock and the A. L. Burruss Family Mountain Bike Park in Marietta. Mike has long been involved in advocacy and was instrumental is establishing the Western North Carolina Bicycle Dealer’s Association Biker Bucks program, which offers discounts to those who join IMBA-SORBA and perform trail work. These shop owners understand the importance of vibrant, local trail systems and the chapters that make them happen, and they will continue to support IMBA-SORBA’s mission.

Dirt, Sweat, and Gears 12 Hour Endurance Race Supports IMBA/SORBA

Wed, 10/21/2009 - 11:25am — Robin Allen

Nashville TN, September 16, 2009 - The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association Middle Tennessee was this year's recipient of the ‘BIG CHECK” from the Dirt, Sweat & Gears 12 Hour Mountain Bike Endurance Race held May 9, 2009. A whopping total of $3505 was raised despite the peanut buttery Tennessee mud that was ever present for the 3rd annual running of this epic 12 hour race. Again DSG proved to be a success in pulling mountain bikers together. The Cotton Mill Preserve is the perfect setting for this growing regional event and is a testament to the nurturing culture of mountain biking.

SwiftWick CEO Mark Cleveland stated, "This race is a special event, with an atmosphere that reflects the people who make it happen. It’s a competitive group of athletes, committed to their passion, to trail riding and the great outdoors. Together, the riders at DSG and the sponsors are giving back to improve the trails we love so much."

IMBA/SORBA is the southeastern voice of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) and has been involved with DSG from the beginning by offering volunteer trail work and marketing contributions. This is a benchmark example of when a private event and preserve gives back to a volunteer organization and public trails.

IMBA SORBA NOC Weekend Cancelled

Tue, 10/13/2009 - 10:06pm — Robin Allen

CTHA workday this Saturday, 10/3 at Bull mtn

Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:02pm — Robin Allen

The Chattahoochee Trail Horse Assoc. will be hosting a work party this Saturday at Bull Mtn. From CTHA:

CTHA will be hosting a trail workday this Saturday, 10/3. We'll meet at the
Jake Mtn. campground at 9:00 then drive to Bull Mtn. We'll walk up the
mountain and work on what used to be the bike trail. We'll re-set a
culvert, deberm, remove downed trees and create water turnouts. We'll stop
at 12:30 and hike back down for lunch - which CTHA will provide. We'll also
have tools and water. So please consider working with us.. Please RSVP to
Debbie Crowe, 404/316-7956 so I can buy enough food for lunch.

Click the Read more link for more CTHA work party dates.