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Announcement: A new Women's group has formed in Florida, here are some of the details and a survey...

The Florida Women's Cycling Network is surveying women cyclists to create activities to facilitate women's development in the sport--whether mountain biking, road riding, cyclocross, etc.. Visit our site www.floridawomencycling.net, take our survey, read our summer newsletter, let us know what you think, and if you want to get involved. Summer activities include an Advanced Skills Mountain Bike Clinic at Alafia State Park on May 24, 2008.

(Click to enlarge) Troy Zimmerman leads Eric Williams across the Ocoee bridge at Ducktown.

SPECIALIZED BICYCLES South Eastern Regional Championship series (SERC) #4 / AMBC - Tanasi Trails / Ducktown, TN 5-4-08: Picture perfect was the only way to describe the conditions at the Ducktown round of the SERC series. A special thanks to Trailhead Bicycle Company of Cleveland, TN who handed out over $2,000 in prizes. Congratulations to Pro men's Matt Hadley and to Women's pro/expert Jamie Dinkins on their impressive wins!

On another note a very kind gift was presented to us at the Ducktown event by some of the racers, it was a donation to help cover some of the costs of our troubled journey from Florida to the Ft. Yargo, GA event last week (we had a fairly major vehicle breakdown on the way to the race). All of this was organized and contributed to without our knowledge and It certainly took us by surprise! The very thought that someone would even think of this is overwhelming. We are at this point not sure how best to use the funds but we would like to thank everyone that had anything to do with this extension of grace towards our family.

(Click to enlarge) Craig Evans and Erin Kummer were the top male and female athletes at Ft Yargo.

2008 XTERRA Ft Yargo Off-Road Triathlon - Ft Yargo State Park / Winder, GA 4-26-08: Perfect conditions for the second XTERRA to be held at this beautiful park and trail system. Attendance was up from last year and there were many being heard to say that the course was now their favorite trail. Many thanks to all of the sponsors, the park management, the Jacksonville, Florida Xterra water safety crew and special thanks to the Yargo Area Bike Association (YABA), as they had the course in tip top shape. Craig Evans and Erin Kummer (seen in the picture above) were the top athletes on the day.

(Click to enlarge) L to R: Andy Johnston, Travis Livermon and Sam Koerber were this close all during the race as well.

2008 Cannondale Georgia State Championship series (GSC) #3 / SPECIALIZED BICYCLES South Eastern Regional Championship series (SERC) #3 / AMBC - Ft Yargo State Park / Winder, GA 4-27-08: A fair amount of rain on Sunday morning made the course a little more interesting than normal but it was far from what you would call a mud race. Racers from all over the South East descended on this terrific trail & park system and many seeing it for the first time and almost to a person it was all smiles and giggles. Many thanks to all of the sponsors, the park management and special thanks to the Yargo Area Bike Association (YABA), as they had the course in tip top shape. Travis Livermon won a close race in the Men's pro class and Jamie Dinkins top the honors in the Women's expert pro field.

(Click to enlarge) Matt Hadley cruising out front of the Pro/expert men's class..

2008 Cannondale Georgia State Championship series (GSC) #2 - Flatrock Park / Columbus, GA 4-12-08: Can you say "perfect"? That's how most were describing the conditions and trail at the second round of the GSC as a rain on Friday night and cool temperatures made the course the best it could be. The local Columbus Cycling Club had tons of volunteers on hand and CCC trail crew added some new and fun sections which had the course right at 10 miles per lap. Congratulations to Matt Hadley of Canada who won the pro expert mens class and to Loretta Simpson who took home the top women's honors in the expert category.

(Click to enlarge) Patrick O'Neill climbing out of the right loop at the Knobscorcher.

SPECIALIZED BICYCLES South Eastern Regional Championship series (SERC) #2 / AMBC / Southern Classic Series / Knobscorcher - Tsali Trails / Bryson City, NC 4-6-08: A little wet due to the rain the previous day but better than last years muddy course and it kept improving all day thanks to the sunshine and mid temperatures. A nice turnout of racers showed up to take on the popular Tsali course. A special thanks to Motion Makers of Silva, NC who handed out over $2,000 in prizes. Congratulations to Pro men's winner Sam Koerber and to Annajean Dallaire, the winner of the women's pro race.

A friend in need - Rick Harman Fund: Rick is a fellow rider and racer whom was recently diagnosed with cancer. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and has no insurance. All donations will be given directly to Rick and his family to help with the cost of his medical treatments. Thank you! Friends of Rick Harman.

We will have a donation jar at each of our races throughout the year to help Rick.

(Click to enlarge) The Women sport class hoops it up at Arrowhead, L to R: Trish Albert, Rebecca Tomasenski and Nancy Fields.

2008 Cannondale Georgia State Championship series (GSC) #1- Arrowhead Park / Macon, GA 3-30-08: Another super start to the GSC series as the OMBA chapter of SORBA had the course in great shape and ran the event flawlessly. Temperatures were in 40's & 50's all day and having the trail ran in reverse from normal along with the start featuring three steep uphills in the first mile, the riders had a lot to contend with. Many thanks to all of the OMBA volunteers and to the park management, the GSC is off and running.

(Click to enlarge) Kings of the Rock, Brandon Phillips, Mike Phillips and Michael Goodman..

12 Hours of the Rock (off road motorcycle race)- Hard Rock Cycle Park / Ocala, Fl 3-22-08: A great day of racing at the rock as the 1st annual 12 hour race was held under good conditions, except for a little rain on about the 7th hour that spiced things up a bit on an already challenging course race course which is famous for it's steep up and down terrain. Many thanks to our sponsors, Monster Energy Drink, Mike's Cycle Center, Cyclops, and Pro Grip. Congratulations go out to all of the racers and to Mike Phillips, winner of the 12 hour solo, Mike's Cycle Center the team winners, Casey Campbell, female 6 hour winner and Mose Howard 6 hour overall winner.

(Click to enlarge) Brandon Stone and Rodney Reber making the course flow in Gainesville.

SPECIALIZED BICYCLES South Eastern Regional Championship series (SERC) #1 / AMBC- Haile's Trails / Gainesville, Fl 3-16-08: A perfect day of racing at the popular race course which is famous for it's steep up and down terrain. A nice turnout of racers showed up to take on the 5.3 mile course. A special thank to Santos Trailhead Bike Shop of Ocala who stepped up to the plate to handle all of the $2,400 in amateur prizes. Congratulations to Pro men's winner Matthew Hadley xprezo.ca of Canada and to Kim Flynn of Tennessee, the winner of the women's pro-expert field.

Hospice 100 K - Markham Park / Sunrise, FL 1-27-08: - This 2nd annual off road bicycle race and ride benefits Hospice Care of SE Florida and serves as memorial to Cindy Feeny. A fantastic day at Markham trails for the event as attendance was up and the smiles were big. The day started out with a 40 mile road ride at 8am and then a 62.5 mile mountain bike race at 9am. The "Usual Suspects crew" (headed by Dave Williams) and the Mountain Bike Safety Patrol did an outstanding job of preparing the 7 mile course and running the event. There was also a very successful silent auction as sponsors contributed dozens of prizes to be bid on that went to benefit Hospice all in all thousands of dollars were raised for this great organization. Victor Alber topped the male solo competitors on the day while Carolyn Van Vurst took the top female spot, the top team consisted of Andres Villadiago, Daniel Jimenez and Jorge Cortez . Many thanks to all of the volunteers, sponsors and contributors.

(Click to enlarge) The Expert / Pro class celebrates another exciting race at Oleta.

Land Rover Coconut Cup #6- Oleta River State Park / North Miami, FL 2-24-08: Another super day in South Florida and a great way to end the Coconut cup series! A good turnout of racers showed up to battle for the days race and the series championships as conditions were perfect on the 6.6 mile course. A special thank you to all of the series sponsors including RB Cycles who handed out over $2000 worth of gift certificates for the event. Many thanks also to the park staff and the Oleta River Adventure Association as well as the "In Da House crew" for their outstanding efforts with the trail system. Bob McCarty topped the male competitors on the day and in the series while Rachael Wood took the top female spot on the day and Nicole Davies won the female championship. Congratulations to all of the champions and competitors.

The Kona 12 Hours of Santos (formally 12 hours of Razorback) was held on 2-16-08 on the Vortex side of the trail system (down in the canyon). The event was also part of the USAC pro endurance calendar. Many thanks to all of the sponsors riders and support folks that made the event a big hit. Also special thanks to club OMBA and the Mountain Bike Safety Patrol for all of their efforts toward the 12 hour event.

This event has a rich history, it was originally located at the Hardrock trails in the mid 1990's, then moved to the Razorback trails in 2000 and now is ran on the Santos trails (on the “Vortex” side). Past winners include (in order, from 1996 on) Jeff Knippen, Chad Brown, Chris Cashbaugh, Massimo Cavalli, Kurt Johnson, Gary Stern, Tinker Juarez (3 times), Josh Seldman, Andy Johnston, Harlan Price and this years winner Harvey Minton (who racked up an impressive 16 laps). Carol Clemens took the Female top spot in the 12 hour solo and Team B.O.B. won the expert shoot out.

The spectator friendly course utilized the fast and flowing single track that surrounds the Vortex pit and then blended into the technical trails for a 9 mile fun filled loop.

Nominations needed for Fla. Cycling Hall of Fame

A select number of individuals are deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions to cycling in Florida. They are the ones who were instrumental in founding the local cycling clubs, building the mountain bike trails, promoting the races and events and representing the state as cycling ambassadors around the world.

The new Florida Cycling Hall of Fame intends to gather these names and create a system to identify and preserve the history of Florida cycling with the inaugural 2008-2009 Hall of Fame induction.

This program is soliciting the help of the Florida cycling community in preserving its history and culture. Cyclists across the state are encouraged to volunteer in assisting the program. Currently the program is seeking qualified members to sit on a committee to vote on the submitted nominees for induction into the Florida Cycling Hall of Fame. If you'd like to nominate someone or get involved, visit the Hall of Fame and download a nomination form.

Categories under consideration include: Cyclist of the Year, Junior Cyclists of the Year (under 18), Multi-Discipline Cyclists of the Year, Cycling Business Contributor of the Year, Cycling Club Founder, Trail Builder, Cycling Advocate of the Year.

The first honorary inductee is John Sinibaldi of St. Petersburg. A two-time Olympian and 18-time national champion, his cycling career spanned seven decades. John passed away two years ago at 92 having rightfully earned his nickname "The Legend."

For more information, contact: Kurt Leverett at (813) 625-2486 or info@buildingchampioncyclistsfl.net
Visit the Hall of Fame online at: http://buildingchampioncyclistsfl.net/FL_Cycling_Hall_Of_Fame.html