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NC Cyclocross - it's not all about the results
Published On 11/29/2022
The race was the NCCX #4 in Winston-Salem on Oct. 29th, and I placed tenth out of eleven competitors in the Elite Women’s 1/2/3 Category. This is not a recap about a triumph over other competitors, but rather, an honest account of how racing in the back of the pack tends to play out and how it’s all still worth it no matter the result.
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World Gran Fondo Sep 2022 Trenton, Italy
Published On 11/21/2022
I have been participating and racing the World Gran Fondo events since 2017 with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the impacts of the pandemic.
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Cheers to new things!
Published On 10/25/2022
The wind seemed to spread a whisper to me, peaking my interest in this thing called cyclocross!

Traditionally, I’m a mountain biker, (who has explored dabbled in road and gravel since COVID) Cyclocross with all this talk of the Sorella girls really got me curious, so I decided to show up and see what all the fuss was about. I happily joined under the Sorella tent in street clothes, enjoying lots of smiles, hugs, hi-fives and high-pitched voices excited for the day!
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Cycling as a lifelong sport
Published On 10/2/2022
Now that I’m old enough for Medicare, I often reflect on my love of cycling and its continuing place in my life. I hope you are lucky enough to enjoy the passion and camaraderie of cycling throughout your life as I have.
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Stories from Leadville
Published On 10/1/2022
This Leadville experience has been a journey from the start. I don’t remember when I first heard about this race, but it had been in the back of my mind for years.
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Bike Tour Adventures in the French Alps
Published On 9/25/2022
Enticed by Karen Peterson’s and our coach’s descriptions of a bike tour, I decided a week of riding in the French Alps was a great way to break my pandemic pause on European travel. My first sights of Europe in over 3 years were in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport where Jumbo-Visma water bottles were displayed with an opportunity to win a bike complete with a Dura Ace DI2 group set. The Dutch are serious fans of cycling, it’s not just Saskia!
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2022 Trans Rockies Gravel Royale
Published On 9/13/2022
Hi. I’m a fairly new Sorella member so I have not had the pleasure of meeting most of you. I enjoy the recaps others offer on their epic rides and thought you might enjoy hearing about the Inaugural Transrockies Gravel Royal event.

A friend asked if I would be interested in being her teammate at a gravel stage race up in Canada. I had never competed in a stage race, and it looked like the distances and elevations are similar to what I have at home (summer = Connecticut), so I said sure and we signed up in the Open/Master’s Women’s Team Category. To be clear though, we’re not racers. I turned 64 the week before the race, and my friend turned 60 earlier this year. We’ve been riding gravel for about 4-years, coming from a road background. I’ve entered a few races in the past few years for ha-ha’s, but I don’t consider myself a “racer”.
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Unbound 2022
Published On 8/13/2022
The gravel nerds will know what Unbound is, but for everyone else, I’ll have VisitEmploria.com explain it for me. “UNBOUND Gravel, known as the “World’s Premier Gravel Grinder” is the top gravel endurance cycling race in the world and is owned and produced by Life Time Fitness. The race is held annually, the first weekend after Memorial Day. The signature event is 200 miles of hilly and rocky roads through the Flint Hills, and if you think Kansas is flat and barren you are sorely mistaken. This route is beautiful, remote, and incredibly difficult.”
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Traveling With A Bike
Published On 6/29/2022
My favorite way to explore new areas is via exercise. I like to see different points of interest but don’t really have the attention span to spend lots of time at each point. Also, I am often traveling for work so I am making use of a limited window of time. I will pull up the map on my phone, zoom into various points of interest and determine which ones I would really like to see, drop a pin and check the distance, and then plan a route. On these routes, I stop for photos as I please and make short diversions if something catches my eye.
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Aids/LifeCycle Ride 2022
Published On 6/23/2022
The AIDS/LifeCycle ride has been on my bucket list since Sorellas Debra Snell and Rita Wuebbeler completed the event four years ago. I mean, 545 miles of cycling and camping with 2500 riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles for a great cause? Sign me up! COVID had put a halt to everything for the past couple of years, but for 2022, I was fortunate enough to do the ride with both Debra and Rita, along with another friend and rider Karlestrina Pettigrew.
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2022 Unbound 200
Published On 6/16/2022
Last year my summer road trip to work remote in Tahoe for a month ended early due to the forest fires. I was so bummed, so when fellow Sorella’s Saskia & Libby suggested I sign up for the Unbound Women’s Gravel Camp, I jumped at the opportunity. I was planning on doing Unbound and figured this would help make up for my shortened road trip, allow me to experience the Flint Hills, and also get a guaranteed entry into the race instead of taking a chance on the lottery. At camp I fell in love with Emporia, KS! The gravel was amazing, the Unbound/Lifetime team putting on the event were all so awesome, and there were so many strong fun women there that have now become friends. It was such a great experience.
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Southern Cross Gravel Race Q&A
Published On 5/9/2022
In the lead up to the Southern Cross Gravel Race, I had no clue what to expect AND I didn’t know the right questions to ask prior to the race. Post-race wisdom left me with a little more wisdom but a lot more questions. So, I thought this would be a great opportunity to tap into the wisdom of our fabulous Sorellas!
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Trying something new
Published On 5/8/2022
You are never too old to try something new. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

Last year a fellow Sorella was telling me all about this type of mountain bike race called an Enduro. I had never tried one before but they sounded interesting. This type of race typically has 4-5 timed stages that are usually downhill.
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Thinking about being a ride leader?
Published On 4/18/2022
Maybe you haven’t thought about it… but would you consider it? Sorella is looking for individuals or teams willing to lead.
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BWGA Gravel Ride
Published On 4/18/2022
I am always wanting to ride different places and experience different roads and trails. When I heard about the BWGA ride put on by the same promoter as the Union City Gran Fondo, I wanted to see what the course and terrain were like along this portion of the GA/AL border.
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Southern Cross 2022
Published On 4/18/2022
Although I have likely been riding/racing well before some sorellas were born (!) – I am a complete newbie to gravel riding/racing. I got my gravel bike about 6 months ago on a bit on a whim without ever riding gravel – but with living almost part time in North Georgia it seemed like something I should be doing! I immediately fell in love with gravel – felt like I was seeing a whole new world and there were no limits of where I could ride!
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Sorella Olde Rope Mill MTB Ride
Published On 3/19/2022
Ok, so I admit that I am always sort of whining about how we should have more mountain bike group rides. Well, somebody actually has to lead those rides! Ha ha! Sitting around the campfire after Ididaride back in January, after a few beers, and super tired from riding all day, Linda Rathje convinced Jody and me to lead a mtn bike ride together. I guess that is what it takes…extreme fatigue and beer, to get me to agree to lead a ride for my beloved cycling club. What was my hesitation? I still don’t know, because now that we did it, it was such a blast!!!
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Sorella Race Team Jumping into 2022
Published On 2/14/2022
The Sorella Cycling race team for 2022 is a great mix of returning and new-to-Sorella racers. The veterans range from a couple years on the team to several who have been racing for Sorella for 6, 8 or even 12 years! We range in age from 30’s to 60’s and cover road and off-road.
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Chainbuster The Gobbler 3 hour MTB race
Published On 2/5/2022
I could have come up with a million excuses of why NOT to race. I had to force myself to want to do what I had already committed to do. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I KNEW it was going to be an opportunity to practice mental toughness and mental fortitude.
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Ididaride 2022
Published On 1/29/2022
For the past 15 or so years my January off-road riding has included a trip to White Springs, Florida to participate in the Ididaride. This marked the 28th year for this annual ride put on by the Suwannee Bicycle Club (SBC). This year I had the company of many Sorellas on the trails – Liz King, Pilar Hernandez, Carol Lipinski, Jody LeCraw Oshaughnessy, Jean Patrice Miller, and first time Ididariders, Alyssa Krasinskas and Stacey Kalberman.
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Pre-riding the Southern Cross route
Published On 1/9/2022
I got the heads up from Samantha Lindsey that a group was doing a pre ride of the Southern Cross loop. I really enjoyed the last ride she invited me to so I opted in. As the crow flies, The start spot was pretty close to me and the start time and weather were favorable.

I actually got my stuff together the night before so I was less likely to find a reason to ride from the house. Plugged in the directions and tried to figure out what landmarks might clue me in to where the spot on the map was located. All I could figure was it was at the corner of somewhere on the other side of the mountain.
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I said no to Cyclocross
Published On 1/2/2022
For years there have been friends whispering in my ear to try cyclocross. That whispering turned nagging and finally into excited yelling and whooping. Everything went nuts when I actually got a gravel bike in the summer of 2020 (I got in just ahead of the shortage!). Apparently this new stead was just the thing to push them over the edge with excitement.
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First Sorella Ride with Race Team (Gravel in Suches)
Published On 12/30/2021
Joining the Sorella race team is one of the BEST decisions I made in 2021 with a little
nudge from fellow red headed Sorella Samantha. Samantha said one of the BEST parts
of Sorella is they ride together. This is true and NOW I know.
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2022-2023 Kit Reveal
Published On 11/23/2021
At the November annual party we revealed the new kit for the next two seasons. Details in case you missed the event!
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Cinch Cycling Gravel Clinic
Published On 11/17/2021
It was a beautiful, crisp, fall morning. Layers to keep off the chill knowing that soon we would be grateful we had SAG support from Henry Zuver and Charlotte Sprague when we peeled off the arm warmers and jackets and didn’t have to stuff them into pockets already filled with bananas, power bars and fig newtons.
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2021 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah
Published On 10/22/2021
A few years ago Ironman made a shift to the 70.3 (half Ironman) race circuit by rotating the location of
the 70.3 World Championships in an effort to make it more of an international affair and to add a layer
of allure similar to Ironman World Championships in Kona. Additionally, the 70.3 WC became a two-day
race format with women and men racing on consecutive days. Smaller field, built-in spectators, no
sharing of porta-potties with dudes on race day – pretty fabulous.
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Safety Basics with Dru Satori
Published On 10/17/2021
Dru Satori is a passionate cycling enthusiast and promotor of all two wheeled forms of transportation. He has over 100,000 miles in the saddle and bike commutes to work 3 days a week. If you find him in a car you will spot him in a red, smart car convertible.
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Cyclocross! Might Just Be the Greatest Bike Racing
Published On 10/9/2021
The weather is just starting to cool off, the leaves are showing their beautiful, bright colors, and the sound of cowbells and heckling are loud and clear… that can only mean one thing! Cyclocross season is here!
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Mountain bike route Review: FATS
Published On 10/9/2021
On Monday, July 5th two of us off-road Sorella sisters took a road trip to the Forks Area Trail
System (FATS) for a fun mountain biking adventure. I wanted to share our thoughts on the trail
in case you wanted to plan a trip!
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Volunteering and donating with Bearings Bike Works
Published On 10/6/2021
Sorellas are often asking about ways to have a positive impact on the Atlanta cycling community. Joining charity rides and assisting at local races are two examples. Here is another one!
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Escape to Blue Ridge getaway
Published On 9/19/2021
I joined the Sorella race team in January 2020. I was incredibly excited to be a part of a team….gatherings, group rides, races. Then the pandemic began. Races canceled, gatherings and group rides were out of the question. Roll into 2021 and things were possibly looking better. I couldn’t have been happier when the team picked a weekend to stay in a couple beautiful cabins provided by our sponsor, Escape to Blue Ridge.
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TONGA 2 2021 Adventures
Published On 9/13/2021
TONGA 2 omnium this year was my first attempt at racing 4 times in 3 days. I was NERVOUS. I wasn’t sure how my body would do and recover after each race, but there’s no better way to find out than to try (crazy as it may be 😊).
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Steamboat Gravel #SBTGRVL
Published On 9/13/2021
Last month I raced Steamboat Gravel in…you guessed it, Steamboat Springs, CO. It all started when Kathryn (Girls Gone Gravel) posted something about the race and I inquired if I could do it on my cross country drive to Tahoe.
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Gravel, Gravel and more Gravel - SBT GRVL and The Last Best Ride
Published On 9/11/2021
When I signed up for SBT GRVL in 2019 for 2020, I never thought it would turn into an epic road trip in 2021- Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
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FYI on TBI (traumatic brain injury)
Published On 8/19/2021
Do you know what to do if a fellow cyclist goes down and hits her head? If she’s knocked out but comes to are you supposed to call 911? What is your role after witnessing a potential head injury? While you could spend hours or days taking a certification class to learn more, it is my hope that this article gives you a quick perspective on some best practices around cycling head injuries. (Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and this article does not provide medical advice.)
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Sorella Buckhead Hills route review
Published On 8/16/2021
The Sorella Buckhead Hills route ride has been running every April to September for over 25 years (except in 2020, but no one is counting 2020 anyway!) in various shapes and forms. This hilly 21 mile route is typically done at around 14-15 mph with 4-5 good climbs (we are in Atlanta afterall!) with plenty of socializing between climbs.
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Sorella Cornering and Sprint Clinic
Published On 8/8/2021
Sprinting and cornering are vitally important skills for both newbies and experienced racers, and Saskia and Trish had valuable info to share!
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Sorella Spotlight on Safety: Why you might NOT want to go full gas this summer…!
Published On 7/12/2021
It’s summer 2021 and there are a lot of races back on peoples’ calendars—road races in full sun, gravel races in high humidity, and mountain bike races in the heat of the day. People are ready to make up for lost time by diving back into their sport. But is pushing until you puke a good idea? Do you know what the signs are of heat exhaustion? Do you know what the long-term effects are of heat stroke?
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Alaska Gravel Biking Trip
Published On 7/11/2021
Alaska has been on my list of must visit places for a very long time so when my friend and Sorella teammate Katie Pothier said she was going and asked if anyone wanted to join I jumped on it!
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Sasquatch Scrambler 2021
Published On 6/17/2021
I’ll admit I originally signed up for this mountain bike race because it’s named “Sasquatch Scrambler” and who doesn’t want to do a race that has Sasquatch as the mascot?!? The race started as a mass start with 300 people on a foggy, rainy Saturday morning.
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Garmin Unbound 100 recap
Published On 6/17/2021
Kansas was hot. The course starts easy, gets rolling and technical, then becomes a mental game of talking yourself through every passing mile. The reward is worth pushing through the growing physical and mental fatigue.
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Gravel Endurance Tips from Unbound 100
Published On 6/13/2021
Kansas was hot. The course starts easy, gets rolling and technical, then becomes a mental game of talking yourself through every passing mile. The reward is worth pushing through the growing physical and mental fatigue. This is a list of some of the strategies that worked well for me!
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Sorellas Learn to Love Climbing
Published On 6/13/2021
Jennifer Klein, with assistance from Beverly Yearack and Diane Schleicher, hosted a climbing clinic at Chastain Park on Sunday, June 6th. A dozen Sorellas gathered in a shady lot by the horse park to learn the art of climbing.
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Jennifer's Climbing Tips
Published On 6/13/2021
I love to climb hills on a bike, whether it’s in the Gaps, out West, in France, or right here in Chastain Park. For our Sorella climbing seminar on June 6th, I talked about these tips, then we went for a ride! Kudos to all for being touch and taking on the hills.
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Cheaha Challenge weekend
Published On 5/23/2021
Sorella race team members headed to Alabama over the weekend of 14-15 May to participate in the Georgia State Time-Trial and the Cheaha Challenge Century.
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Yoga with Kim
Published On 5/11/2021
A bunch of Sorella’s gathered at Grant Park to do yoga with Kim Nelson.
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Fitness! I have missed you
Published On 5/11/2021
The recovery from my mitral valve replacement continues as I search for what my New Normal
will be. I may know it this year or not until sometime next year or who knows?
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INFINIT Nutrition sponsor highlight
Published On 5/9/2021
INFINIT Nutrition was founded by endurance athletes. Athletes who — in a nut shell — realized that the difference between a good race and a great race is nutrition.
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2021 Sorella Spring Meeting
Published On 4/29/2021
The 2021 spring team meeting was held on Sunday, April 25th, and due to Covid was done via Zoom rather than in person this year.
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Maysville Gravel Mayhem
Published On 4/12/2021
On April 3rd, a brisk and chilly morning, a large number of Sorellas showed up at Hurricane Shoals for Maysville Mayhem gravel race.
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Sponsor highlight: Ninja Mountain Bike Performance
Published On 3/26/2021
Ninja offers a range of mountain biking skills clinic for riders of all ability levels including half day, full day and 2-Day clinic offerings.
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Cycling study: Want to talk about cycling?
Published On 3/21/2021
Emory is looking for volunteers to take part in a study of cycling, effort, and pain.
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Riding after heart surgery
Read about Trish's riding journey after heart surgery.
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Dahlonega Doozy
On Saturday, January 30th, 7 hardy souls from the team met at Diane Schleicher’s driveway in Dahlonega for a chilly (average temp 35.4F) jaunt through our beautiful Georgia Mountains.
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A Ten Mile Rutted Downhill on my Gravel Bike?
Published On 1/28/2021
Once other Sorella teammates committed to Das Boot, a gravel meet up with Georgia Rodeo Rally (no entry fee, no support), I decided it was time for me to give a ten mile sketchy descent down Tray Mountain a go!
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Sorella gets results at Tour de Boudicca e-race!
Published On 1/21/2021
A few keen Zwift category C riders got together (virtually) to represent in the colorful world of Zwift for a 3 part stage race - Tour de Boudicca!
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Back to basics
From the get-go, cycling was fun! I don’t ever remember a time in my life when I didn’t ride.
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Cranksgiving Enduro at Ride Kanuga Bike Park in Hendersonville, NC
If you have not heard about this amazing downhill bike park that opened its doors to the mountain bike community in July 2020 it is time you Google it and plan a fun weekend getaway to Hendersonville, NC.
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vEveresting on Zwift for Wold Diabetes day
Om November 14th, World Diabetes Day, Sylvia Poulos will be vEveresting.
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The COVID Centuries
You say COVID? Barbara says CENTURIES. Read about making the most of the pandemic and getting a couple of miles in.
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Time Trialing for TaTas
A few weeks ago, Diane Schleicher and I raced Time Trialing for TaTas, in Eatonton, GA.
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Fools Gold 38 Mountain Bike Race 2020
The morning of September 12th was warm, muggy and rainy.
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RPI challenge
RPI stands for Rebeccas Private Idaho Challenge and this year makes the 8th year which was made special due to COVID.
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GA State Championship - Sorella does it again!
The Georgia State Championship in Brooks, Georgia, showcased all around amazing team work by Sorella!
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Outrunning Storms to Check out New Trails
Sometimes when the weather forecast isn’t agreeing with your Saturday morning mountain bike plans you have to get creative to out run the storms!
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Tour of North Georgia (TONGA) 2 Race Report
Published On 8/15/2020
As a road racing cyclist, this year has been challenging in many unexpected ways due to COVID 19.
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New bike day!
Why taking the time to work with a custom bike builder (and supporting local business) is
worth the wait and $$
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Epic Birthday Flat Ride Part 1: Changing rear wheels with disc brakes and thru axles
Published On 8/9/2020
A few good tips on how to remove and reinstall a rear wheel with disc brakes and thru axles.
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First race experiences - A long time coming with many more planned
Published On 7/16/2020
Sylvia tells us about her first race experiences at TONGA part 1 2020.
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Tips on fixing tough flats
A few good tips on fixing those more difficult flat tires
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Facing the challenges of 2020
2020. It was going to be the year I did a little bit of everything.
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First racing since COVID shut down!
Published On 7/6/2020
Tour of North Georgia Part 1 took place on June 24-26, the very first races since late February/early March and Sorella was well represented!
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Girls Gone Gravel shares bike stories for women!
Published On 6/27/2020
If GGG is new to you, you are missing out on some great bike resources! The latest addition? Check out the The Big Girl Chamois Show on the GirlsGoneGravelYouTube channel.
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Summer 2020 Hincapie Kit Order
Published On 5/10/2020
Whether you are riding indoors or getting back outside to riding, now is the time to order your new kit or fill in any pieces you wish you had. Our kits are custom made, we only have a chance a couple of times to place our order so don't miss this opportunity!
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Emory’s Approach to Treating Sports Injuries
If you are an active person, a weekend warrior, or competitive athlete, an injury can disrupt your active lifestyle. To get back to the activities you love, you need to achieve the best possible outcome after a sports injury.
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Clásica Panamá RPC Radio
Published On 5/10/2020
Kim Nelson tells us about her adventures at Clásica Panamá RPC Radio!
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