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Welcome to the Southern Bicycle League

Whether you're new to cycling or a veteran rider, membership in Atlanta's Southern Bicycle League will add to your enjoyment of cycling. Learning from other riders, experiencing the thrill of new rides, and enjoying the camaraderie are benefits that last a lifetime. You'll also have the opportunity to help other cyclists and educate the community on cycling issues by getting involved in the club's many activities, such as the Advocacy Committee or by leading a ride.

A Message from the SBL President

by Wallace McRoy

(June 2009)

Time for the Summer Grand Tours

In Europe the racing season starts with the spring classics in March and then moves to the grand tours in May. Likewise, the bicycle riders in the southeastern United States have a plethora of weekend events in April and May, and then we start looking at the cross-state tours for June and July.

One of the rites of passage for many SBL members is the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG). For those who want to see another part of the country, the Touring Ride In Rural Indiana (TRIRI) offers another opportunity. Both of these events have a link to their ride brochures on the home page at bikesbl.org. GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River (GRABAAWR) has a listing on our online calendar with links from there. I suspect that by the time this goes to print, there will be several more weeklong odysseys listed on our calendar.

Be sure to look, because they can be cheaper vacations than renting a house at the beach for a week.

SBL Jewels

I highly recommend that you check out the Track Rock Weekend on July 18 & 19 while looking at your summer riding opportunities. This is ideal if you can't afford to take time off from work. You get a weekend of camping and riding the gaps in the north Georgia mountains with some of your closest riding friends.

In August, we will have two more big events in the form of our Annual SBL Picnic Ride (August 15) and the Wilson 100 (August 30). The Picnic offers you a chance to ride and to eat with many of your riding friends. Use the time to relax and store up some energy for the Wilson 100. This is another rite of passage for SBL members. If you have not ever done a century, this is a good route for your first attempt. If you think the weather will be too hot for 100 miles, there is a 100 kilometer option.

Back to Blue Ridge is the perfect way to celebrate the end of the summer riding season. Labor Day weekend gives us a three-day weekend to enjoy the moutains in one or more of three different ways. Traditionally, this has given the roadies a chance to enjoy riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along with that, some folks have been bringing both their road bike and their mountain bike to enjoy the trails in the Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Forest and Bent Creek Experimental Forest, all of which are within a 45-minute drive of Camp Deep Woods. Last year we had a group that chose to enjoy their time hiking in the same areas.

Advocacy

In the May 2, 2009, edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution there was an article titled "Footbridge with no bikes backed." It covered a public meeting to discuss the construction of a footbridge to span the Chattahoochee River near Morgan Falls. The article reported that there was resistance to allowing cyclists to use the bridge because, "...cyclists already had toppled signs prohibiting bikes in some areas." As a club, the SBL has not taken a unified role in the areas of bicycling advocacy. We have many members who are heavily involved in local advocacy issues, but the Club's approach has been more of a walk the walk approach. Non-cyclists tend to judge all of us by the actions they observe us doing as individuals. Every time one of us rides a bicycle, the public judges our behavior. With around 1000 members, we have a significant influence in the metro Atlanta area. Keep this in mind, the next time you go on a ride and ask yourself, "What is my behavior advocating?"

- Wallace, (Click here to contact me)

Upcoming Rides from the SBL and SBL Supporters

SBL Jewel

Date

Event

Web Site

Ride App

July 12, 2009 Hospitality Highway Century

July 17-19, 2009 Track Rock

July 13-18, 2009 RAINSTORM 2009

Aug. 15, 2009 Chattooga Century

Aug. 30, 2009 Wilson 100

Sept. 5-7, 2009 Back to Blue Ridge

Sept. 13-18, 2009 SEPTEMBER ESCAPADE 2009

Nov. 13-15, 2009 North Florida Tour

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