Arkansas Bicycle Club News 
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Cyclist Served: 114986
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Cyclist Served: 114986
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| Info: | November and December. We will have no regular meetings. November 13 (Thursday) is goody bag stuffing for the National Trails Symposium at the Statehouse Convention Center, beginning at 5:00 PM until done. This is also a chance to get a volunteer shift for the Saturday or later in the Symposium, to be eligible for the volunteer party Nov. 18th (Tuesday) and to attend a lecture. December 13th (Saturday) is the Christmas party. More information on these events will be posted in the News. |
The Orbea Factory Store that so many of you have been hearing about will open for the first time this Saturday, November 15th at 10:00 am. It will be what they term in the retail world as a "soft opening". We will be running in the test mode for the first few days but by the grand opening we should have all the bugs worked out.The Orbea Store is a concept store in which we will sell Show and Demo bikes, New Old Stock bikes and used race bikes at a significant discount off retail pricing. When is the Grand Opening you ask? Well, the answer to that is: Saturday, Novemebr 22, 2008. We will have extra discounts on bikes and clothing then.
Store particulars:
Address-1009 Kavanaugh Blvd
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
Phone- 501-414-0236, 501-414-0238
Come help with the bag stuffing Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:00 PM until done. Come after work. This is a good time to volunteer to help at the Central Arkansas Cycling Community table or other events from Saturday through Tuesday, Nov. 15-18. You can get your 30 min. volunteer training then too (from 4:00 to 8:00 PM). The volunteer center will be in a corner of the Statehouse Convention Center exhibition hall until Friday night when it moves to the Carroway 1 room nearby. Jim 912-1449
The Arkansas Freeride Society has partnered with IMBA and the City of North Little Rock to build a freeride area in Burn's Park. We have a professional builder in from Asheville, NC to help us with the construction. We feel like our project will add greatly to the park and the Central Arkansas cycling community. If you could pass the word for us about our big weekend, we would greatly appreciate it. The Arkansas Freeride Society will be having a work party weekend on November 8th & 9th from 10:00am – 4:00pm. It will be held at the construction site for the dirt jump portion of Argenta Freeride Area in Burns Park. Work will consist of final raking, shaping, and packing of dirt jumps and a pump track. We’ll also be seeding and strawing portions of the park.
The AFS will provide food and drinks for all volunteers. There will be a prize raffle for bike industry T-shirts and merchandise. On Saturday night, we’ll have a premiere showing of New World Disorder 9, the latest and greatest mountain-bike freeride film from Video Action Sports. More information on the Forum.
The Wounded Warrior Ride is coming to Little Rock again. On November 6 (Thursday) the Soldiers will be riding from War Memorial Stadium over the Big Dam Bridge over to the Clinton Presidential Library. Meet at 9:00 AM and the ride begins at 9:30 AM (route below).
Sponsorship levels are:
Rider - $50 Ride along with the Soldiers get a T-Shirt and Finish Meal.
Bronze - $25 which will provide a Soldier with a hot meal.
Silver - $50 which will provide a Soldier with all meals while in Little Rock.
Gold- $100 will provide a Soldier with all meals and a hotel room.
Platinum - $150 Provide all the above plus a sponsor link on our* Soldier Ride web page.
You may purchase your sponsorship by going to www.4Bike-Police.com and clicking the left link to Solder Ride. Locally to donate you can also call 501-517-5338 ask for Mark.
The Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride's cycling programs give severely wounded servicemen and women the opportunity to reinvigorate their bodies and uplift their spirits. Soldier Ride provides each of the brave men and women who participate in our ride with the adaptive equipment they need to cycle, even if they are missing one or more limbs. Participation in our cycling and recreational events fosters the rehabilitation of the wounded by showing them that they can still lead active, independent lives and gives families the opportunity to reconnect outside of the hospital environment.
The route of travel will be starting at War Memorial Stadium, McClellan VA, N. Van Buren, Kavanaugh, N.Cedar, Cedar Hill, Riverfront, Rebsamen Park, Over the Big Dam Bridge, Burns Park Trail, Golf Course to Camp Robinson down McArthur to Pike Up to Ft Roots Bldg #170 down the back hill to the River, over Main Street Bridge and end at the Clinton Library.
Please stand along the route and wave a flag and give a shout out to the Soldiers as they pass by to show your support. Donations can be given to any support vehicle and will also be accepted along the route at sponsor businesses, War Memorial and The Library.
About 20 ABC members met with Chris Figureida on his layover in Little Rock and listened to his very interesting presentation on his last ride across the US. He talked at some local elementary schools and was headed down to McGehee and Mississippi after leaving Little Rock. Some of us met him in Mayflower and rode with him to LR. He seemed to enjoy going over the Big Dam Bridge before arriving at the American Heart Association office on 2nd Street, LR. He is riding to raise money for them and Rotary International and for fitness awareness. We raised $130 for the AHA. You can track his progress to Key West Florida and learn more about him at http://www.cycleforheart.org/
Meet Chris on his free night, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 6:00 PM, at American Pie on Maumelle Blvd. He is riding for fitness awareness and the American Heart Association. ABC will make a donation and other donations will be accepted. He will show pictures of his trip and give a report. A few of us plan to ride to LR with him from Conway Oct. 27. He leaves for Pine Bluff and McGehee Oct. 29.
Arky 100 bags were made up and registration materials were given out. A representative from Arkansas Federal Credit Union discussed the benefits of being a member. Any ABC member is now eligible to join and there are many branches, mostly in central Arkansas and a new branch is coming to Searcy. Coreen Frasier announced that she is still signing up volunteers for the National Trails Symposium in Little Rock in November. Contact Coreen, or www.americantrails.org is the signup link. Our next meeting will be with an Adventure Cycling representative, probably Thursday, Nov. 13, at River Trail Rentals, with some snack foods. More information will be posted later.
We drove the Arky course Sunday and the roads lookd great and the countryside is green and beautiful. I didn't see the pot hole from last year after rest stop #4. I can't promise it wasn't there somewhere, but there were some road patches and I believe the highway department took care of it. A stretch of the road out of Sheridan and been resurfaced a few weeks ago but there is absolutely no loose gravel on it and it is good to great and you wouldn't know that they hadn't re-surfaced it a year ago.
Come to the meeting Thursday to register for the Arky or pick up your packets. You can also register Sunday at 7:00 to 8:00 AM at the Arky. We will also have a reprentative at from Arkansas Federal Credit Union at the meeting to briefly discuss its benefits. All ABC members are now eligible to join AFCU.
Don't forget to sign up for the Arky on the ABC website. The ride takes off on Oct 12 and has been a classic for years. The ride has seen everything from awsom Fall weather to hurricanes. Those pre-registered can pick up their packets at American Pie, Maumelle Blvd. at the Oct 10th ABC meeting, 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Be part of the history!
Sign-Up Here.
October 17-18 is the Road I cycling class; classroom session on Friday evening (6:00 p.m.), and the road phase is Saturday morning, starting from the Arkansas Arts Center and wandering all around the Quapaw quarter and downtown area.
October 24 is the Bike Commuting Workshop, also at Community Bicyclist, 6:00 p.m. There's a night ride as part of this class where we will go out and do some practical work with headlights and reflectors.
The League of American Bicyclists is holding a training seminar for League Cycling Instructors in Bentonville, AR, on December 5, 6, and 7. This is about 21 hours of intense instruction in teaching cycling both to adults and youth. Preston Tyree, the LAB's education director, and Andy Clarke, LAB executive director, will be the trainers for this course. Prerequisites: Candidates must be LAB members and have passed a Road I class with a score of at least 85% in both the written exam and road test. You must also sign up for the course in time to get the instruction packet in hand, complete, and turn in the pre-seminar exam. (Registration deadline is November 5, 2008.) Registration fee for the seminar is $200, plus your League membership dues if you're not already a member. Sign-up for the class is at http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/programs/education/seminar_schedule .
More info on being an LCI is here: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/instructors.php .
[If you are interested in signing up for this seminar but have not taken the Road I course, please get in touch with me (501-912-1047 cell, or e-mail tomezell@aristotle.net). We've got a Road I scheduled in October, but if this doesn't fit your schedule we can work something else out. You simply need to have a passing grade for the course reported to Preston before the start of the seminar. But the earlier the better, because you're not only expected to have passed the Road course, but be ready to teach at least part of it as well. You should show up at the seminar ready to practice-teach all of the parking lot drills and traffic skills, as well as a pre-assigned module of the classroom part of the course.]
More Resources Here
Bike Journal - Log your miles!
Central Arkansas Recreational Pedalers - Mt Biking at Camp Robinson
The River Trail! - The name says it all!
Road Bike Rider - A Great Cycling Tip Site.
Regional Clubs - Clubs In Adjacent States.