New Building!

The new building is going up! We are excited! For a complete look at the process so far (and all the pictures), become a fan of Biketown on Facebook. It's getting updated pretty regularly over there.

October ABC Road Time Trial Results

Here are the results for the final time trial of the season:

1. Thomas Talley - 22:54
2. Paul Patterson - 25:08
3. Craig Jones - 26:40
4. JR Brock - 26:45
5. Manny Cortez - 27:16
6. Chuck Patton - 27:30
7. Cameron Cope - 27:37
8. Amy Patton - 28:39
9. Ron Cost - 29:21
10. Todd Sage - 29:32
11. Robert Casper - 31:27
12. Laura Dillman - 32:46
13. Bill Horn - 45:20

Thanks everyone for coming out! It was good to see some new faces. Have fun training over the winter, and we'll see everyone back at time trials in the spring!

It's the first Thursday of the month, so that means it's time trial time! Not only that, but this is October so it is the LAST road time trial of the season. Meet us out at Mueller's at 6:00 for sign-up. Like always, the first rider will take off at 6:30. This is an event for everyone - fast, slow, and everywhere in-between. Test yourself and race against the clock. Remember to bring your non-perishable food item for your entry fee. All the food items will be donated to the Food Bank. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.

Check back tonight for results. Hope to see you there!

Bent Wheel Bash Results

Wow. Bent Wheel Bash 2010 is in the record books. We had a great time! The racers were awesome, the location was terrific, and the weather was perfect! Many, many thanks to everyone who came out and raced, helped, cheered,....we could not have done it without all of you! We're really excited that we were able to raise a good bit of money for the APD. We don't know the exact amount yet, but we'll post the amount on the Bent Wheel Bash site as soon as we know.

For results from yesterday's event, head over to our site and check them out. Here's the link: http://bentwheelbash.wordpress.com

Bent Wheel Bash 2010

Bent Wheel Bash 2010 is this weekend! Come on out to Buck Creek Trails and join us in raising money for the APD. There will be a whole slew of things to do throughout the weekend, culminating in the races on Sunday.

Check out the Bent Wheel Bash website for all the info you need.

http://bentwheelbash.wordpress.org

Hope to see ya there!

September ABC Road Time Trial Results

Wow - another hot evening for the time trial. Hope it cools off for next month! Thanks to everyone for coming out. Here are the results:

1. Thomas Talley - 24:17
2. Josh Brown - 24:43
3. Luke Allen - 25:03
4. Greg Allen - 26:16
5. Patrick Stevenson - 26:40
6. John Ring - 27:12
7. Craig Jones - 27:33
8. Chuck Patton - 28:33
9. Manny Cortez - 29:22
10. John Freemine - 29:26
11. B.J. Baldridge - 30:10
12. Brian Johnson - 30:44
13. Grant Woods - 30:58
14. Robert Kasper - 31:36
15. Ron Cost - 31:47
16. Ben Galinak - 31:57
17. Tom O'Conner - 33:19
18. Todd Sage - 33:30
19. Michael Lahrman - 33:50
20. Richard & Martha Chengson (tandem) - 35:39
21. Hillary Moore - 36:48

Good job everyone! Remember - next month is the last time trial of the season, so make sure and be there!

September ABC Road Time Trial

Tonight is time trial night! Come join us at Mueller's for the next to last time trial of the season. We'll post results later tonight. See ya there!

August ABC Time Trial Results

Here are the results from tonight's time trial:

1. Richard Linebaugh - 24:38
2. Greg Allen - 24:40
3. Paul Patterson - 25:05
4. Luke Allen - 25:08
5. John Ring - 25:53
6. Patrick Stevenson - 25:57
7. Josh Brown - 26:11
8. JR Brock - 26:32
9. Craig Jones - 26:43
10. Chuck Patton - 26:47
11. Manny Cortez - 27:35
12. Joe Cychosz - 28:06
13. Steve Barnes - 28:56
14. Jonathan Kiley - 29:04
15. Brian Johnson - 29:07
16. Ben Galinak - 29:08
17. Richard Chengson - 29:47
18. Steven Riley - 29:52
19. Ron Cost - 29:57
20. Todd Sage - 29:59
21. Robert Kasper - 31:32
22. Hillary Moore - 34:49

Way to go everyone! See ya next month!

ABC Road Time Trial Tonight

It's the first Thursday of the month, so that means it's time trial time! Meet us out at Mueller's at 6:00 for sign-up. Like always, the first rider will take off at 6:30. This is an event for everyone - fast, slow, and everywhere in-between. Test yourself and race against the clock. Remember to bring your non-perishable food item for your entry fee. All the food items will be donated to the Food Bank. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.

Check back tonight for results. Hope to see you there!

Tour de Gap 2010 Results

Tour de Gap 2010 is officially over. Many thanks to everyone who came out and rode! The ride is getting bigger every year, and we appreciate every single one of you that supports it. Thanks also need to go to our terrific group of volunteers. Wow – you guys are great! Tour de Gap would never happen without all of our volunteers. Many people put in many hours to make this event happen. We appreciate it!

Go ahead and mark your calendar now for next year’s event. It will be held on Saturday, July 23. We hope to see everyone back as well as many new faces! We are always looking to make the event better, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please email us at tourdegap@yahoo.com or leave a comment on this post.

All right…on to the results. Cadence Sports has all of the times posted on their site. You can find it here: www.cadencesportsonline.com/results.cfm

Division results have the 77 mile route broken down by age category. Overall results have all riders listed by time.

Thanks again for coming out to Tour de Gap. See ya next year!

BikeTown is moving!!

After 13 years in our current building, BikeTown is moving! We will be heading south to a new building on Industrial Blvd. just down from Beal Appliance. We are extremely excited about it and will keep you updated on our progress over the next few months. We will be taking and sharing lots of pictures as our building takes shape so check back often to see them!

Tour de Gap Routes are Marked

WooHoo! The Tour de Gap routes are officially marked. There is one turn at the finish that won't be marked until Friday, but other than that, they are done! If you want to go out and look at the routes before the event, here are the colors to watch for:

11 miles = green
27 miles = blue
52 miles = orange
77 miles = red

Cycling Awareness Commercial

Off to Nationals!

Just want to give a shout out to the riders who raced in the TMBRA series and qualified for Nationals in Colorado.

Cat 1, 15-18
Luke Allen (finished 3rd overall)

Cat 1, 50-59
Gary Fraser (finished 10th overall)

Cat 3, 10 and under
Maggie Allen (finished 4th overall)

Cat 3, 11-12
Claire Allen (finished 2nd overall)

We're excited for you guys! Good luck at Nationals!

July Road Time Trial Results

Wow - talk about timing. The clouds were dark, and it did rain on us a bit during the time trial, but it really wasn't bad and let up for most of the ride. Then, after everyone was in and Jim was reading out the FINAL time, the sky let loose. I've never seen the parking lot empty that fast! On the plus side, the weather made for a much cooler time trial than normal in July.

Here are the results:

1. Josh Brown - 24:19
2. Richard McLamore - 25:36
3. John Ring - 26:41
4. Jonathan Elswood - 26:54
5. JR Brock - 27:15
6. Chuck Patton - 27:27
7. Manny Cortez - 27:49
8. Justin Brown - 29:46
9. Brian Johnson - 29:51
10. Steven Riley - 30:15
11. Ben Galinak - 30:55
12. Richard Chengson - 31:16
13. Todd Sage - 31:47
14. Julie Elswood - 33:52
DNF - Craig Jones (mechanical)

See ya next month!

Tour de Gap Early Registration Deadline

Remember - the deadline for EARLY registration (and a lower price) for the Tour de Gap is this Saturday, July 3. Either have your form postmarked by then and mailed to the Food Bank of West Central Texas or drop your registration form off at BikeTown. We'll be open on Saturday until 3:00.

You can register for the ride up until about half an hour before the ride starts on July 24, but the price will go up from $25 to $30 after this Saturday. As always, riders 14 and under ride free with a paying adult.

Memorial Service for Susan Gerred

There will be a memorial service honoring Susan Gerred this Saturday, June 26 at 11 a.m. It will be held in the main auditorium at the Civic Center.

Cotton: Friend or Foe?

We all have our favorite t-shirt that gets pulled out of the closet every laundry cycle. It’s fine to wear that cotton t-shirt around the house or around the town, but when it comes time to get on your bike and go for a ride, that favorite cotton t-shirt is not your best bet. Cotton absorbs moisture extremely well. That might be good for a kitchen towel when you’re cleaning up a spill, but that’s not what you want to be wearing when you start sweating in our hot summer weather. What starts out as a nice cotton t-shirt at the beginning of your ride will end up a wet, heavy mess as it absorbs all the sweat from your ride. You really don’t want it to be trapping all that moisture against your skin. Instead of a cotton t-shirt, opt for a jersey made of a good wicking fabric. This fabric will “wick” or move your sweat away from your skin which will help cool you off and keep you drier. Yes, jerseys cost more than t-shirts, but they are worth their weight in gold on hot summer days. Take good care of them (line dry, not the dryer), and they’ll last a long time. They’ll also help you have a much more pleasant ride in the hot summer weather.

Come check out our BikeTown jerseys. We just got some more in stock!

No Trail Ride Tonight

Due to the downpour earlier, there won't be a trail ride tonight. It's just too muddy. Join us next Tuesday night at the regular time.

Tour de Gap 2010

There is a new spot set up online for the Tour de Gap. If you would like more information about the ride, a registration form, route maps, etc. then head to http://www.tourdegap.wordpress.com/ for all things Tour de Gap.

June Time Trial Results

Another time trial is in the books. Here are the results:

1. Richard McLamore: 24:10
2. Josh Brown: 24:19
Richard Linebaugh: 24:19
4. Paul Patterson: 25:22
5. Patrick Stevenson: 25:24
6. Jonathan Elswood: 26:43
7. Craig Jones: 27:14
8. Manny Cortez: 27:42
9. B.J. Baldridge: 29:19
10. Justin Brown: 30:07
11. Richard Chengson: 30:25
12. Brian Johnson: 30:54
13. Robert Kasper: 30:56
14. Mark Sterling: 31:30
15. Gary Pierce: 32:02
16. Mike Olson: 35:12
17. Joel Mikesell: 39:09

Thanks for showing up, everyone! See ya next month!

ABC Road Time Trial Tonight!

It's the first Thursday of the month which means there will be a road time trial tonight! As always, sign-up will be at 6:00 and the first rider will take off at 6:30 on the 10 mile loop. If you need directions, please click on the ABC Time Trial link on the left and scroll down a few posts. If you have questions, please feel free to give us a call. Hope to see a bunch of you out there!

Happy Memorial Day

We hope you have a great Memorial Day. We remember all those who gave their lives so that we might enjoy our freedom. We're thankful for your sacrifice.

As many of you know, friend and fellow rider, Susan Gerred was struck and killed yesterday while on her bike.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/m ... -car-dies/

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=254056

We would like to thank each and every person who has reached out to express their respects for Susan during this time. She was a special person who will be missed.

It is our understanding that the funeral will be held in Quanah, TX which is the hometown of her parents. There are cards here at BikeTown that all of you are welcome to sign and express your thoughts and regrets to her family. We would like to deliver the cards on Saturday.

Blessings on all of you during this time.

Buck Creek Time Trial Results

This past Saturday at the trails was a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone who showed up to ride in the time trial. A special thanks to Greg and Michelle Allen for getting everything together this time.

Here are the results. Make sure and scroll down after the results to see some pictures from the event.

Adult Results (5 miles)
1. Luke Allen - 24:21
2. Josh Brown - 26:09
Gary Fraser - 26:09
4. Greg Allen - 27:14
5. Jim MacDonald - 27:41
6. Luke Hughes - 28:12
7. Tracy Jarvis - 29:24
8. Bryce Bedford - 29:54
9. Steven Riley - 31:17
10. Todd Sage - 32:25
11. Ricky Wallace - 33:07
12. Chris Smith - 34:38
13. Greg Bass - 39:45
Brian Miller - DNF (Flat)


Kids' Results (4 miles)
1. Claire Allen - 28:14
2. Jackson Talley - 34:10
3. Maggie Allen - 36:30
4. David Earls - 37:00 (accidentally did the adult course)
5. Bianca Dos Santos - 37:14
6. Shane Mize - 39:14
7. Troy MacDonald - 43:02
Alex Ussery - DNF

Great job, everyone! We can't wait to do it again!

Buck Creek Time Trial Is On!

Thankfully, the rain has held off, so the time trial scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Buck Creek Trails will take place. Come join us for a fun event, some music, and hot dogs. If you have any questions about it, feel free to give us a call. Hope to see ya there!

Buck Creek Time Trial

The Abilene Bicycling Club is having an off-road time trial at 4 p.m. this Saturday, May 22nd, at Buck Creeks Trails. The course will be 5 to 6 miles long, and marked for pre-riding by 2 p.m. After the time trial there will be hot dogs on the grill for anyone there who wants to eat. Everyone is welcome! Even if you don't ride, come on out and cheer the riders on! There is no charge for the event.

Obviously, the weather will determine if the time trial happens. Let's hope the trails are good and dry by Saturday. Check back here or on our website's forum to see if it's a go on Saturday. Hope to see everyone out there!

The Shop Rag

Did you know that we send out The Shop Rag every week to people on our email list? Why would you want to know this, you ask? Well...The Shop Rag has a list of our weekly group rides on it, as well as various other information you might be interested in. Best of all, it offers a weekly special that can be printed out and brought in to be used that week in our store. If you are not on our email list but would like to be, just send us a quick email and we'll add you to The Shop Rag list. Our email is at the bottom of the blog, or, better yet - just click here: biketownabilene@yahoo.com

May ABC Time Trial Results

Wooh - it was windy last night, but we still had a good group of people show up for the time trial. Here are the results:

1. Gaylon Knowlton - 23:43
2. Josh Brown - 25:01
3. Richard Linebaugh - 26:49
4. Mark Rogers - 27:04
5. Greg Allen - 27:53
6. JR Brock - 28:25
7. Mike Geranis - 28:41
8. Craig Jones - 28:51
9. Paul Patterson - 29:15
10. Adam Gerow - 29:54
11. Mike Sparks - 30:13
12. Jim Kuntz - 30:50
13. Manny Cortez - 32:18
14. Luke Allen - 32:20
15. Mark Sterling - 32:24
16. Ben Galinak - 32:41
17. Brian Johnson - 33:27
18. Robert Kasper - 34:48
19. Ricky Kyker - 35:23

Thanks for coming out. See ya next month!

Time Trial Tonight!

Just a reminder - it's the first Thursday of the month, so the ABC Road Time Trial will take place tonight! Click on any of the time trial posts if you need directions. Sign in at 6 - first rider takes off at 6:30!

Basic Bicycle Maintenance Class This Saturday

Basic Bike Maintenance Class
Saturday, April 17
9:30-11:00 am at BikeTown
Only 1 spot left!
Bring your bike - you will be using it!
RSVP - 325.677.2453

We are holding another basic bike maintenance class this Saturday, April 17. It will take place at
BikeTown from 9:30– 11:00 am. We have spots available for 6 people in these classes. At this point, there is only 1 spot left for this Saturday's class. There is no charge for this class, but you do need to reserve your spot. Give us a call at 325-677-BIKE (2453) to let us know you want one of the spots. The class will cover changing flats, quick-release skewers, tire pressure, and chain lubes. Come learn from a mechanic with 25 years of experience. I guarantee there is something you can learn from him!

April Time Trial Results

Here are the results for the first ABC road time trial of the season.

1. Josh Brown - 24:51
2. Richard McLamore - 26:00
3. Patrick Stephenson - 26:47
4. Luke Allen - 27:49
5. J.R. Brock - 27:51
6. Greg Allen - 28:27
7. Craig Jones - 29:23
8. Chuck Patton - 29:39
9. Adam Gerow - 30:03
10. Jim Kuntz - 30:44
11. Mark Sterling - 33:25
12. Ben Galinak - 33:51
13. Mark Spurlock - 36:37

Can't wait to see everyone back out there next month!

Time Trial Tonight!

The first ABC road time trial of the season will take place tonight! Meet at 6:00 pm at Mueller's parking lot on FM 18. FM 18 is off of Hwy 36, between Loop 322 and the airport. Turn east onto FM 18 and drive about a mile. Mueller's will be on your right. The entry fee is one non-perishable food item to be donated to the Food Bank of West Central Texas. Sign-up will be at 6:00 and the first rider will take off at 6:30. The route is the same 10 mile loop as in years' past. We would love to see tons of people out there. If you worry that you aren't fast enough to do something like this - don't be! It is open to everyone. It's a great way to see how you improve as the season goes on. Hope to see you there!

Remember - Group Rides Start Monday!

Just a reminder that our group rides are starting this Monday, March 29. The first ride will be the easy to moderate road ride. Meet at Nelson Park in the zoo parking lot. Be ready to leave on the ride at 6:00 pm. Remember your helmets! If you've never participated in our group rides, this is a good one to start with. No one is left behind, and it will be a comfortable pace. Hope to see you there!
For the rest of the group ride schedule, scroll down a couple blog posts and it will be listed.

Become our Fan

Just putting in a shameless plug for our store. If you are on Facebook, look us up under pages and become our fan. Then feel free to leave us messages or join in the discussions. While you're at it, check out our website as well: www.biketown.com There's always fun stuff going on in the forum. All right - shameless plug over. Thanks!

Group Rides Starting Back Up Next Week!

Looking for a group to ride with? We will be starting our group rides back up next week. There will be both road and off-road rides. Here is the tentative schedule:

Monday: Road Ride
Easy to Moderate Pace, 15-25 miles
Meet at the Zoo parking lot
6:00 pm

Tuesday: Off-road Ride
Beginner level (bring the kids!)
Meet at Buck Creek Trails in the parking lot
6:00 - 7:00 pm

Thursday: Road Ride
Fast Pace, 20+ miles
Meet at the ballpark parking area at Kirby Lake
6:00 pm

Saturday: Road Ride
Morning ride, time and place to be determined

Off-road Ride
Beginner/Intermediate level
Meet at Buck Creek Trails in the parking lot
4:00-5:00 pm

Sunday: Off-road Ride
Beginner/Intermediate level
Meet at Buck Creek Trails in the parking lot
4:00-5:00 pm

On our rides, no one is left behind. The ride leaders will make sure that everyone makes it back to the meeting place. The times listed are the times the ride LEAVES the meeting spot. Please arrive early enough to be ready to go at the listed time.
We'll get these rides started next week! We'd love to see all of you join in. Invite your friends!

Steam-N-Wheels 2010 Packet Pick-up

Due to the furlough today of some city employees, packet pick-up for Steam-N-Wheels is happening at BikeTown. You can also register for the ride at the store today. It is looking like the weather for the ride will be less than ideal. Plan on dressing quite warmly. It's going to be cold. The race director said that unless it snows, the ride is on. But it never snows in Abilene, right? So come on by and get ready for the ride tomorrow! And if you need some last-minute cold weather gear, come see what we have in stock. All warmers, headgear, tights, long-sleeve jerseys, and jackets are 25% off, so it is definitely worth a trip. A new piece of gear might be just what you need to get through the ride tomorrow!

Tour de Gap 2010

Mark your calendars now! The Tour de Gap 2010 will take place on Saturday, July 24 at the Old Settlers' Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap. Make plans to be there! Get your friends to join you! It will be a great ride benefiting a great cause. Once again, all proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The routes will be the same as last year, starting and ending at the pavilion area of the reunion grounds. We're looking forward to seeing everyone out there!



Here are the links to the routes:

The 77 mile route is split into two parts or laps. Please make sure you look at both!

Steam-N-Wheels 2010

Steam-N-Wheels is this Saturday, March 20. Make sure and show up at Nelson Park by the zoo entrance and be ready to ride in one of the first rides of the 2010 season. It looks like it will be a cool morning (weather is forecasting a high of 50 for the day), so wear those layers! If you haven't registered yet, no worries. They'll have on-site registration from 8 to 9:45 that morning. The ride will start at 10:00 am. As usual, BikeTown will have a spot set up to provide wrenching for those who need it. Look for Jim if you need any last-minute bike adjustments.
If you need more info about the ride, go to www.abilenetx.com/Recreation/documents/2010BikeRaceEntryForm.pdf

Hope to see you there!

Blog Break Over

There has been a bit of a blog break around these parts, in case you haven't noticed. Of course, there might be all of 5 readers of this thing in which case, the anticipation of a new blog post probably isn't all that high. Even so, we just want to let you know that the break is over. There will be some new, hopefully regular, posts coming soon. This week, even! So - stay tuned, read the posts, and feel free to leave comments so we know someone is out there. :)
Comment moderation is turned off, but there is comment verification (that fun little part where you get to type in the letters and numbers). Hopefully, this is all we'll need to keep all the spam comments out.

New Year

Welcome to 2010! It seems hard to believe that a new year is already here. It's been a little colder than normal around here the last month or so. It makes it hard to get out on the bike. If you are not riding as much right now, it is the perfect time to bring your bike in for a tune-up. That way, as soon as the weather warms a bit, you'll be ready to go. It sure beats taking your bike in for that tune-up at the the same time as everyone else and getting to wait for your turn! So bring it on in now while the wait is short. Let one of our experienced technicians look your bike over, fix it up, and have you ready to roll out the door as soon as the arctic winds pass us by.