Change is Good

If you haven't been out to Buck Creek Trails lately, you might notice some changes the next time you go. There has been a lot of work going on!
Several people got out there and made the trails better for everyone.


The first thing you'll notice is the improved parking area. It is wider which will allow for a lot more cars. Also, it's not just dirt anymore. Hopefully, this will help prevent the deep ruts that occur when it rains.



There are also some new burms out on the trail. Have fun trying those out!

But, of all the improvements, this has got to be the most exciting one. There is now a pump track right between the parking area and the trail. It's awesome! Chris Smith planned it out and Grady Johnson, Bob Sanderson, Richard Valdez, Aaron Barr, Gary Fraser, Jim MacDonald, Troy MacDonald, and Trent MacDonald spent several days helping him build it. If you've never tried one, the point is to see if you can make it all the way around without pedaling. It's harder than it looks! Better yet, it's great for adults and kids so the whole family can give it a try.

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped out at the trails. They just keep getting better and better, and it wouldn't happen without everyone pitching in. Thanks!

Bent Wheel Bash

It's time for the Bent Wheel Bash 2009! This XC race is part of the West Texas Series and will take place at Buck Creek Trails on Sunday, November 1. The Bent Wheel Bash is the final event in our Buck Creek Trails Fall Series. There is an entry fee for this event. Check out the flyer for all the info:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21679391/Bent-Wheel-Bash-Race-Flyer-2009

Registration, as well as the start and finish, will take place at the Abilene Police Dodson Training Center, located directly north of Buck Creek Trails. Instead of turning in at the normal parking area for the trails, continue north on East Lake Road to the next entrance on your right which is the training center. Turn in there. All the profits from race registration will be benefitting the Abilene Police Bike Unit. So, not only do you get to ride in a fun, off-road event, you also get to help support our local police officers. We will also have event t-shirts for sale with the profits going to the police bike unit.

There are several different categories to race in, including several for kids. Their course will be shorter, and juniors under age 18 race for free. Once again, check out the flyer for more information. This is a USA Cycling sanctioned event, so everyone has to have a USA cycling license. If you don't have one, a one-day license can be purchased at the event for $10.

After the race is over, there will be a police/fire challenge. Police officers and firemen from around the area will be competing against each other in a challenge including firefighter skills, police skills, and, of course, some mountain biking. Most of this challenge will be in full view of spectators. We had a practice run at this challenge last spring, and it was a lot of fun to watch. While all this is going on, the Firefighter's Association will be selling hamburgers, etc. All the proceeds from lunch sales will benefit the local firemen.

For those interested, there will be a cowboy church/devotional service at 9:15. Also, remember that the day of the event is also the day to set your clocks back one hour!

Fun Ride Today - Thanks!

Wheels for Life is officially over for another year. It was a tad cool out this morning, but the ride was fun! The routes have some pretty scenery as well as several chances to pick up raffle tickets along the way. I hope some of you cyclists that participated were among the winners! More cyclists showed up this year than last which is always good. We'd love to see this ride continue to grow every year. It's a great mix of bicycles, motorcycles, and cars all out on the road to support Christian Homes & Family Services. From what I understand, quite a bit of money was raised for this organization today. Thanks to all of you who participated and helped out this cause.

I'm afraid that I don't have any pictures to post from today. I was riding the short route with my kids and neglected to get out the camera. If anyone has any pictures to share, feel free to send them our way!

Wheels for Life and Pro Cyclist

Wheels for Life, benefiting Christian Homes and Family Services, is this Saturday morning, October 24th! Registration is at 7:00 am and the ride will start at 7:30 am. It will take off from the Prime Time parking lot. The cost is $25. There are three route lengths to choose from: 6 miles, 22 miles, and 58 miles. Go to www.christianhomes.org and click on Wheels for Life on the left hand side. You can view the route maps from there. Christian Homes is a great organization that helps change lives and build Christian families through maternity, foster, and adoption services. Come on out and ride and, in the process, help raise funds for an organization that does so much to help others. We'd love to see you there!

Also, many of you got an email last week about Robert Schrank, a professional cyclist, who is going to be at BikeTown tomorrow, October 23rd at 4:00 pm. He'll be sharing about living with diabetes. Encourage anyone who is living with this illness, or anyone interested in learning more about it and how to manage cycling with diabetes to come on in and listen.

Buck Creek Fall Series Time Trial Results

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday for the latest event in the Buck Creek Fall Series. We had a time trial of about 6 miles, some hot dogs on the grill, and then a mini-time trial for the kids. Here are the results:

Time Trial
1. Josh Brown - 23:53
2. Gary Fraser - 24:10
3. Jim MacDonald - 25:15
4. Tracy Jarvis - 27:57
5. Grant Woods - 28:15
6. Todd Sage - 32:22
7. Ryan "Grady" Johnson - 32:50
Brian Chung* - 22:09
Trent MacDonald* - 27:57
Ryan Ware - DNF

* Brian and Trent missed a turn somewhere along the way, so their course was a tad shorter.

Short Time Trial around Little Mac's Meadow (supposedly for the kids, but some big kids got involved, too)
1. Gary Fraser - 1:50
2. Jim MacDonald - 1:51
3. Trent MacDonald - 2:20
4. Troy MacDonald - 2:36
5. Paige MacDonald - 3:57
6. Reese MacDonald - 7:12
7. Grant Woods - 7:14 (Grant added a bit of mileage to his time trial.)

Thanks to everyone coming on out for the fun! We've had new faces at each event - we love that! We love riding our bikes and love it when others enjoy their bikes, too.

There is one more event in the Buck Creek Fall Series: The Bent Wheel Bash. It will take place on Sunday, November 1. This XC race is part of the West Texas Series and will benefit the Abilene Police Bike Unit. There will be all sorts of stuff going on at the Bent Wheel Bash: an XC race, a kids' race, good food, and a police-fireman challenge. It'll be a lot of fun, so make plans to be out there! I'll be posting some more info about it soon.

Upcoming Events

Remember - this Saturday is the next event in the Buck Creek Fall Series. Make plans to come out on Saturday, October 17 for a time trial. Registration will be at 3:30 and the first rider will take off at 4:00. The time trial will take most people around 30-45 minutes to complete. After the time trial we'll provide hot dogs, drinks, and cookies again. Also like last time, we'll have a time trial for the kids at the end. There is no charge for this event. Just come on out and have fun!

Also coming up is a fall road ride that we sponsor. Wheels for Life benefits Christian Homes & Family Services, a local adoption agency. It will be held on Saturday, October 24. There are three routes to choose from: 58, 22, or 6 miles in length. Check out the website for more information, registration, and route maps: www.christianhomes.com . Click on the Wheels for Life link on the left of the site. If you participated in this benefit ride last year, please note that this year we all start in the parking lot of Prime Time instead of CJC. Come on out and ride and support a wonderful cause!

Forum Drawing Winner

Thanks to everyone who registered on our website forum and made a post. Like we said, anyone who registered and made a post by September 30 would be entered in a drawing for a $30 BikeTown gift certificate. And the winner is.....nodnarb134. Just get in touch with us to claim your gift certificate!
Check back here later tonight for some info about upcoming events, both on and off road.

XC Race Pictures

Here are the pictures from the XC Race held on October 3. Enjoy!

The kids' time trial:

Remember - the next event will be held at the trails on Saturday, October 17. Also, check back for the winner of our forum drawing.

Short Track Pictures

Here are some pictures from the short track race at Buck Creek Trails on September 26. It started lemans style which was truly entertaining to watch. Here are the beginners running for their bikes:



Now for the Sport class:



Lots of pictures of the riders during the event:

The beginners on the podium:

Sport class on the podium:

Enjoy the pictures. I'll get some of the xc race on the blog later in the week. If you rode and want one of the pictures emailed to you, just let me know.

Short Track and XC Race Results

Thanks to everyone who has come out to the trails the last two weekends. It's been a lot of fun!Here are the results for the last two races:

Short Track Race on September 26 (raced a loop of about 3 miles for 30 minutes + 2 laps)
Sport Class
1. Jonathan Kiley - 13 laps
2. Nicholas Chirico - 13 laps
3. Andrew Andress - 12 laps
4. Aaron Barr - 12 laps
Gary Fraser - DQ

Beginner Class
1. Bryan Muri - 13 laps
2. Andrew Charter - 12 laps
3. Tracy Jarvis - 11 laps
4. Rickey Wallace - 11 laps
5. Grant Woods - 10 laps
6. Marcus Wiley - 10 laps
7. Lincoln Smith - 10 laps
8. Robert Molnar - 10 laps
9. Bear Aspra - 10 laps
10. Casey Luby - 9 laps
11. Todd Sage - 9 laps
12. Tyler Williams - 8 laps
13. Trent MacDonald - 8 laps
14. Troy MacDonald - 8 laps
Steven Riley - DNF

XC Race on October 3 (course of 5.5 miles)
Sport (2 laps)
1. Jason Frazee - 46:26
2. Bryan Muri - 50:41

Beginner (1 lap)
1. Tracy Jarvis - 29:00
2. Steven Riley - 30:52
3. Grant Woods - 30:55
4. Lincoln Smith - 31:44
5. Todd Sage - 33:02
6. Trent MacDonald - 37:21
7. Troy MacDonald - 37:22
8. Gary Fraser (sweep) - 37:23

After the race we had some hot dogs, fruit, and cookies, then settled in to watch the kids compete in a time trial on Little Mac's Meadow. It's about 3/4 of a mile long.

1. Troy MacDonald - 2:28
2. Trent MacDonald - 2:31
3. Rylan Johnson - 3:03
4. Laurissa Johnson - 3:08
5. Kaya Johnson - 3:41
6. Paige MacDonald - 5:22
7. Reese MacDonald - 8:31

It was fun watching these little guys. Watch out for them in a few more years!
Thanks again to all who came out. I'll post some pictures of the events as I have time this week. Remember - the next event will take place on Saturday, October 17 around 3:30. Make plans to be there!

XC Race at Buck Creek Tomorrow

Hey, everyone! Tomorrow is the next event in the Buck Creek Trail Fall Series. Come on out tomorrow afternoon for a cross country race followed by some hot dogs on the grill. We'll provide drinks. If you want another type of meat, bring it and throw it on the grill. Everyone, racers and spectators, are invited to join in the eating.

The race will be divided into two categories, one will be 5 1/2 miles and the other will be 11 miles. If you're new to racing, go for the shorter route. Otherwise, try the longer one. Meet in the parking lot for registration at 3:30. The race will begin at 4:00. Just have your bike and helmet. We'll take care of the rest. If it's raining, the race is off, so let's hope the rain holds off until tomorrow night.

If you have any questions feel free to give us a call. If you want to see a map of the route, go to www.biketown.com , click on the forum and look under All Things Buck Creek.

Once again, there is no charge for this event or for the food. Just come on out and have a good time, enjoy the music, and race a little. Hope to see you there!