BikeTown Forum

We have finally made the leap into the 21st century. Yes - our website is up and going. We've had the site since we opened our doors, but just didn't get it going until earlier this year. Yes - we realize that's horrible. Anyway - we would love to see everyone get involved over in our BikeTown forum. So, take a minute to visit our website, register on the forum, and maybe post a comment or two. In fact, if you register on our forum and make at least one post by September 30, 2009, we'll put you in a drawing for a $30 BikeTown gift certificate.

Take a minute and go look around: http://www.biketown.com/

Hotter'N Hell 2009

Hope everyone who rode in Hotter'N Hell had a blast! If you have any fun stories or pictures from this year's ride, send them our way. We love it when you share!

Buck Creek Race Series

There is something new out at the trails for the fall - our very own Buck Creek Race Series! Starting in September there will be an event out at Buck Creek Trails every other weekend, finishing off with the Bent Wheel Bash on November 1. Here is the list of dates and events:

Saturday, September 12, 2009: Time Trial followed by a cookout
Saturday, September 26, 2009: Short Track Race
Saturday, October 3, 2009: XC Race
Saturday, October 17, 2009: Time Trial and trail maintenance
Sunday, November 1, 2009: Bent Wheel Bash (part of the West Texas Championship Mountain Bike Series)

We'll post the times, entry fees, and other information soon. We just wanted to go ahead and let you know about it so you can make plans to join us. We would love to see everyone out there - kids, beginners, experts - everyone! Just come on out and have fun!

DeLeon Melon Patch Ride

The DeLeon Melon Patch Ride was held on Saturday, August 8. Several Abilene folks participated. Five of them stayed together the whole 71 miles of the ride. There's a great summary on the BikeTown forum by Richard McLamore of how the day went. Here it is:

"Sure, it's practically Josh's home-town race, but his 3-miles-to-go attack didn't stick, mostly because almost everyone else who was left responded like (insert figure of speech denoting really hard effort here). So the lead bunch, comprised of Josh Brown (sporting a nifty BikeTown jersey), Baylor Blessing (ditto), Luke Allen (ditto), Brian Chung (I'm still not sure WHAT that jersey says), and me, wearing out the Moritz jerseys before the team changes sponsors, plus a couple of other guys who were mostly hanging on decided that Luke needed to 'win.'

It took some patient guidance to rein in the young jedi, since he seemed to want to attack through passing cars with about a half-mile to go, but after 70+ miles, Luke came across the line first.

Before the ride, the guy who parked next to the Excursion-full-of-bikes asked us 'who the big dogs were?' Letting my inner jerk out to roam a bit, I told him 'WE'RE the big dogs.'

And as it turned out, today we were."

Way to go, guys! And thanks, Richard, for the great recap!

Buck Creek Trails Map

For those of you who don't know, we cyclists here in Abilene have a great off-road trail in the northeast corner of town. It's called Buck Creek Trails and it is located on East Lake Road just across from the water treatment plant. There are now 12 miles of trails out at Buck Creek, and they will accommodate anyone from the beginner off-road rider to expert level. You just need to know where to go on the trail to find the level that best suits you. The city owns the land that the trails are on, and has given Abilene Bicycling Club the right to use the land. Because of safety and insurance reasons, the trails are gated and locked, but any member of ABC has access to them. (An ABC membership is $15 per family per calendar year - extremely reasonable - enough to cover the liability insurance.) A lot of ABC members put a lot of work into developing and maintaining Buck Creek and it shows! More and more riders are giving it a try, and we have had several Abilene riders train on Buck Creek and then go on to make the podium at the national mountain bike championships for the last few years! You might also be interested to know that Buck Creek Trails have been reviewed by several Texas cycling publications and have gotten some really good reviews from all around the state. You can find some of them at http://www.trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/texas-trails/texas-all-other-cities/trail/PRD_170368_4579crx.aspx

To help you figure the trails out (or to take a look at them if you've never been), we've posted a map of them on our website. Just go to www.biketown.com and click on the BikeTown Forum tab. In the forum is a topic called All Things Buck Creek. You'll find the map in there.

For those of you who haven't tried off-road riding but want to, we lead a beginner group ride on Tuesday evening from 6:00 to 7:00. It is geared to beginners and kids, and no one is left behind. All you need is a bike and helmet and maybe some bug spray. If you want to give it a try, plan on coming out next Tuesday. If you have questions, give us a call at 677-BIKE (2453).

August ABC Road Time Trial Results

Wow - another hot night. Thanks to everyone who came out and participated. It's always fun to see who shows up and how you do! Here are the results:

1. Josh Brown - 23:00
2. Richard McLamore - 24:35
3. JR Brock - 25:01
4. Patrick Stevenson - 25:24
5. Greg Allen - 25:35
6. Paul Patterson - 25:56
7. Baylor Blessing - 27:10
8. Chuck Patton - 27:11
9. Luke Allen - 28:18
10. Craig Jones - 28:51
11. Dick Turman - 29:18
12. Mike Thomesen - 30:45

See y'all next month - same time, same place!

August ABC Road Time Trial

Tomorrow is the August version of the monthly ABC Time Trial. It will be hot, so bring plenty of water! Everyone is welcome, and for those who haven't come before, here is all the info:

Meet at Mueller's on FM 18. Registration will be at 6:00 and the first rider will take off at 6:30 It is the same 10-mile loop as last year. Once again, there is a fee of a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Food Bank. This year, all donations will be made in the memory of Don Dunston.

For those who are new, FM 18 is off of Hwy 36 right before the airport. Turn left (east) onto FM 18 and drive for a mile or so. Mueller's will be on your right. Just park in their parking lot and get ready to ride. This is a great way to see how well you are riding and to see how you improve over the season. Come on out and give it a try! We'd love to see you there!

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships

The USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships took place on July 16-19 in Granby, Colorado at the Solvista Basin. Several Abilene riders qualified to race in it. Those who made the trip to race include: Baylor Blessing, Aaron Barr, Luke Allen, Maggie Allen, Jim MacDonald, Troy MacDonald, and Trent MacDonald.

The course had a lot of climbing, including a very steep uphill to start things off. There was also a lot of steep downhill (which makes sense since Solvista Basin is a ski slope). Figure in to that altitude of 8200 feet at the start up to 9300 feet at the highest point of the race, and it was quite the challenging course.

The Abilene contingent did great! We had 4 podium finishers! What a great thing to have Buck Creek Trails just down the road to help us get ready for something like this! Here are the results:

Cat 2/3 Downhill, Men 19-29
3. Aaron Barr

Juniors, 13-14
8. Luke Allen

Juniors 10 and under
Girls
3. Maggie Allen

Boys
18. Trent MacDonald
19. Troy MacDonald

Cat 3, Men 40-49
3. Jim MacDonald

Cat 3, Men 19-29
1. Baylor Blessing - Way to go!

Here are some pictures from the event:

A mass of racers getting ready for the cat 2 and 3 events:



The 10 and under juniors getting ready:



Luke on his way up the hill for the second time:



Baylor on the hill:


Jim on his way up the beast:




Baylor, Jim, Troy, and Trent after their races:




Baylor on the podium with his gold medal and in his winner's jersey:




Jim with his bronze medal:

Maggie getting her bronze:

Aaron coming around the corner headed toward the finish of the downhill course:

Catching some air:

Wow - way to go everyone. It was a ton of fun, and Texas people did awesome, especially in the junior division. About half of all the junior podium finishers were from Texas. That's not too shabby. There is a lot of great competition in the state. Can't wait till next year!