Good Friday Natchez Trace Ride

How about a ride out and back on Natchez Trace on Friday? Suggest 9 AM start... ride south for 2 hours and back for 2 hours.

Can't get lost! Groups of various paces can start and finish about same time if we all ride same time to turnaround.

Park at the northern terminus parking lot. Milepost 440

Lunch after at Loveless Cafe perhaps.

See link to see where the start is, but generally one can take I-40 down to Old Hickory Blvd, and then turn right on Route 100. The entrance to the Trace is near Loveless Cafe. If anyone more familiar with the area can give better directions, please do.

Please post to get or share rides. I can take one. Suggest riders and drivers meet at Sams and plan to leave at 8:00 AM.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tn/nashville/241988206

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at Bike Summit

Two weeks ago, (read more) Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood climbed on a table and told a group of bike advocates that federal transportation planners were finished raising the almighty auto above cyclists and walkers.

Trouble on Hogans Branch

. . .Several weeks ago I was riding solo on Hogan’s Branch and had an interesting conversation with one of the residents who live on that road. As I passed her (she was walking) I commented, as a car blew past me, “what are we going to do about the cars that use this as a race track?” She retorted “ what are we going to do about the bikers who won’t move over when cars are trying t o pass .” This caught my interest so I turned and went back to her.
. . . She went on to say that the residents along the road were “very upset about the biker situation” in that the cyclist seem to think they own the road and ride “in the middle of the road” and won’t “let cars pass, holding up traffic.”
. . . She went on to say that she has overheard some residents comment that “maybe we should bump them with our cars to get their attention”. Click for whole Story

FYI: we are visitors in THEIR neighborhood and ought to act accordingly.

Calendar of Events

Tom_B just poked me to remind every one about the FOGBEE calendar. Review it to see what's being planned. BETTER YET -- PLAN SOMETHING and add it to the Calendar. The link is in the right sidebar for those who have forgotten.

Register for Jack and Back Before 3/31 for $15

Fogbees, Register for the Jack and Back for $15. If you register by March 31st use the discount code "SAVEDSPOT". Cheap price to pay as registration will go to $50 on May 1. Go to www.msmidsouth.org go to the bottom of the page and select MS Bike, then choose Jack and Back, then register with a team and type in FOG and click search. Then register CHEAP with team FOGBEES.

For all who are interested, my knee surgery went as well as could be expected. Knee is really sore, but I seem to be recovering well. Hope to be back on the road in June.

Percy Warner Metric Century

Jennifer and I are riding the Assault on Mount Mitchell at the end of May. Come join our training ride of continuous hills in Percy Warner Park.

Plan is to ride 3 laps, bike down the Boulevard to Cheeseburger Charlies, ride slowly back up the boulevard to the park and ride 2 more laps.

Each lap is about 11.5 miles and lore has it contains 1000 feet of climbing. Tentative date is May 15.

Post if interested and we can fine tune the details.

FOGBEES Find New 109 Greenway to Their Liking

Scott Mena and Ken Johnson , along with several additional FOGBEES, ventured beyond the barrier and discovered the sweetest ascent in the Sumner County on the FOGBEES traditional Saturday ride.

The ebony ribbons of freshly paved New Hwy 109 transported us ever upward to the big blue water tower atop South Tunnel Road and onward to the termination at Hollis Chapel Road on Old 109. No cars, no noise, no dogs, and no potholes. Pretty close to bikers heaven !

Hurry and take the ride before the autos claim this passage for themselves. I'm ready to do it again !

GOOD LUCK DOUG

Doug has knee surgery tomorrow and I wanted to wish him well. We will miss him on our rides the next two months. Hang in there Mr. Doug and I hope you have a quick recovery.

Tennessee Music Heritage Trail

Good morning folks, I gave the music tour idea quite a bit of thought on my way home from DC. My thoughts are to create a backcountry road tour the length of the state going from the blues in Memphis to country in Nashville to old time mountain music as you ride into the eastern part of the state. (Picture the logo where the double S in Tennessee is shaped like a swerving road that morphs from piano keys into the fret of a guitar/banjo as we go from blues to country to old time.)

As we collect info on the musical happenings/destinations/museums in the state we can then create a network of rideable roads to connect folks to those areas. Tennessee's version of Virginia's The Crooked Road - http://www.thecrookedroad.org/

We can gather good roads to ride from the numerous folks that have ridden their bicycles touring around the state and to Bonnaroo (another tour destination). WDVX's blue plate special would be a unique tour stop here in Knoxville.

Count me in on this adventure - I'm very interested in working on this as soon as I finish the Chattanooga road riding book. . . Elle Colquitt

Interested? Talk to Bruce Day and visit his blog

Bicycle Tours at the Battlefield

Stones River National Battlefield will present ranger guided BICYCLE tours of Stones River National Battlefield on Saturdays from April 3 through Oct. 30. Tours begin at 9 a.m. of Stones River National Battlefield on Saturdays from April 3 through Oct. 30. Tours begin at 9 a.m.

Get healthy exercise, reduce your carbon footprint, and learn about the major Civil War battle that occurred here in late 1862 and early 1863.

This program will take visitors through the battlefield using the tour road and the Stones River Greenway. The tour is limited to 15 participants per program.

At several points during the ride, the ranger will stop to discuss the major military actions that affected the outcome of the Battle of Stones River. Some of the stories included are the fighting in Slaughter Pen, the desperate stand of the Union army along the Nashville Pike, and the terrible climax to the battle that bloodied the banks of the Stones River.

Participants will meet at the visitor center at 8:45 AM with their bikes. Children, ages 16 and under must wear safety helmets, and all other participants are encouraged to wear them as well. The ride will travel up to 5 miles and last about an hour.

This program is a part of a series of interpretive programs offered at the battlefield during the year. Stones River National Battlefield is located on the Old Nashville Highway, northwest of Murfreesboro. Additional information is available at the visitor center, by calling 615-893-9501 or at the park website (http://www.nps.gov/stri).

Any Interest as a FOGBEE Ride?

Reminder to Join the MS Jack 'n' Back FOGBEES Ride

Accept the Challenge - Bike MS150 Miles.One Destination. A World Free of MS.Will you accept the challenge to ride 150 miles towards a world freeof MS?Jack Daniel's "Bike to Jack & Back" Bike MS Ride: October 2-3, 2010WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. REGISTER NOW FOR ONLY $30 AT:http://biketns.nationalmssociety.org/site/R?i=iL8ef8CmaRt9rLp6tGopig..In case you didn't know before, the 2009 ride raised more than$652,000!!! This is the largest sum we have ever raised in the MidSouth Chapter! Our goal in 2010 is to raise $680,000 - it's a hugegoal, but together we can achieve success!Important Ride Information:Become a VIBE (Very Important Biking Entrepreneur) by raising$1,000 or more. New Veteran's Clubs:Are you a "Bike to Jack & Back" alumni?The Mid South Chapter would like torecognize our alumnicyclists by recognizing them through our new Veteran'sClubs!* WHISKEY LEADERS:If you have ridden 3 or more yearsin the Jack Daniel's "Bike to Jack &Back", you are a LEADER! You will get the honor ofhaving your name on banner at the finish line of the rideto recognize your accomplishment. You will also beeligible to be mentor in our Rookie Rider Program. Seebelow on how to become a mentor today!* WHISKEY LEGACIES: If you have ridden 5 or more years, youare a LEGACY! You will receive all the benefits of a 3rdyear rider, plus you will be awarded with a Lifetime RiderPatch to celebrate your commitment to the National MSSociety and Bike MS.* WHISKEY LEGENDS: If you have ridden in our ride for 10 ormore years, you will receive all the same incentives as3rd & 5th year cyclists, plus: A custom Lifetime RiderJersey to commemorate your dedication, invitations to allVIP areas at the event, and invitations and complimentaryattendance to all VIP events year-round within the MidSouth Chapter. Thank you for your generous support andloyalty!Become a Rookie Rider Mentor:Remember your first Bike MSevent...the many questions, concerns, and worries? Now that youare an experienced Bike MS cyclist, you can help ease our newriders' worries by becoming a Bike MS Mentor. Contact MeganWingo at Megan.Wingo@msmidsouth.org if you are interested inbeing added to our list of veteran cyclists that new riders cancontact with questions, concerns or if they need assistance withtraining.

Sumner and Robertson County Bike Routes

. . . Click here to see the Long Range Planning of Bicycle and Greenway facilities in Sumner and Robertson Counties. We (MPO) are now reviewing Project Plans for these areas. If you have any issues or comments please let me know.
. . . MPO has also prepared Design Guidelines for Bicycle Facilities. A copy is available on the Bike Walk Tennessee Web Site in Nashville Region.

NEWS AND OTHER STUFF

OK ..so where is the Thursday ride? Well on an even sadder note...... Again to show you how old the Old guys are I'm sad to announce that Memphis based lead singer Alex Chilton of "The Box Tops" has died. He wrote the famous "Cry Like a Baby" (When I think of the good love you gave me I cry like a baby...) and "The Letter" which was later made famous again by Joe Cocker. Good bye to another person who made my teenage and early 20's groovvvvyyyy.... :)

New Stop Light Law

A new law is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2010 that allows bicyclists to pass through an intersection when the stop light controls do not detect them. To read about this law click here. If you want to know how this became law click here.

Fly-By Videos

. Mapped your route and want to see what is looks like? Try the new MapMyRide feature (in Beta) - - a fly-by video. The tool switches you to a Google Earth view and skims along a couple-a-hundred feet above your route, like in a helicopter. If you get motion sick, you can click a stop-start button to slow your helicopter down.
. I found this addition while try to decide whether to put together a MapMyRide self-training course describing how to use it and how to print maps and cue lists without having to buy a membership. However, I don't want to waste my time if no one is interested in this training material.

People For Bikes

Google Bike Maps

Washington, D.C. - March 10, 2010 - Google announced at the Opening Plenary Session at the National Bike Summit that they are adding biking directions in the U.S. to Google Maps."This new tool will open people's eyes to the possibility and practicality of hopping on a bike and riding," said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. "We know people want to ride more, and we know it's good for people and communities when they do ride more - this makes it possible. It is a game-changer, especially for those short trips that are the most polluting."

They released the application in beta and acknowledged that much work is needed to refine. They asked that cyclists use the "report a problem" link in the lower right hand corner to send map corrections (after zooming to the area in question). They also talked about a new map application that will allow users to make corrections directly to the map database that will go to beta testers in the next couple of months.

Visit http://maps.google.com/biking to try out this new feature. Follow the League's news feed on the new Google feature on the League's Blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Beer Beer Everywhere

Just a note since the Fogbees are lovers of the Brew. There are two (2) major articles in today's "Tennessean" newspaper concerning Beer. One article is about the use of beer in desserts and the other about a preacher who wrote a book about the history of a famous beer! Pick up a copy of the paper or you can probably go to the newspaper link online.

New Group

Hey for anyone who has a really hard time making it to the Fogbee afternoon rides in Hendersonville, cause they are over here in White House (like me) I am starting a weekday ride group over here. I have a FaceBook group for it. It's called "White House Cyclist" if you want to search it and join to watch for posts and scheduled rides. Don't worry Fogbees, I still will come ride with you on some weekends and on the Big Out of the way rides... Also Doug if you want I will take over the Silver Comet ride if you want me to? Just let me know and I'll head it up. My schedule is just too difficult to make it into H'ville during the weekdays to ride, so I'm making a group over here. I'll still try to come have a beer with ya every once in a while!!

Bike Computer For Sale

I have a Cateye V3 Triple Wireless computer for sale. I purchased it from Rei last August. It records Speed, Distance, Cadence, Heart Rate and Lap info for you. It was $200 new. I'm asking $75.

498-9516
mpoole93@yahoo.com

thanks!

Silver Comet - Postponed - the Facts

I have held off postponing this ride to poll the interests and see if someone would step up to complete the initially planned ride. So far no takers. Most FOGBEES I have talked with are OK with postponing. Truth is I have blown my knee and have to have surgery on 3-26, so I won't be back on my bike full time until June. I will post a survey again and we WILL DO THIS RIDE in 2010, just later in the year, which will probably be better as people will be in prime condition. Feel free to contact me with your comments.

Jack and Back MS accomodations

Spring is in the air and it's not to early to make overnight arrangements in Tullahoma for the Jack 'n' Back MS 150 which occurs October 2-3 this year. Please note that NEW rooms are now available at the Quality Inn which is on the premises of our old time fav , the Executive Inn. The phone # is the same for both 931-455-4501.

If you desire similar accomodations as an Executive the rate is $ 89. If you desire a step up then the Quality experience awaits you at $ 119 per night. ROOMS ARE ALREADY GOING FAST !!! So don't procrastinate and miss out on the fun and convivilization that FOGBEES have brought to this worthy event for Multiple Sclerosis.

Spring Rides

The FOGBEE Web Site maintains the most complete list of Sponsored Rides in our area. I have updated it for 2010. Most of these rides are fun and we always have a contingent going to them. If I have missed a favorite, let me know.

We have some problems this spring, however. Our special ride leaders Bruce and Doug are not likely to be able to plan and join us, so we need other volunteers. Typically, we have an "away ride" (this year Doug was planning the Silver Comet) and a two/three day tour (where ever Bruce gets the urge). These tours are always the highlight of the season. If you haven't been on one, you are missing a great experience. If you have been on a tour, you get instilled with wanderlust that makes you just want to hop on the bike and go some where any where. So bottom line - I hate to miss out this spring. How about some volunteers? I'll help you. Please comment.

Active Community Transportation Act

Representative Earl Blumenauer just introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they do for transit and road infrastructure. Read More

Stop Light Law

The Bicycle Stop Light law has passed the General Assembly and is headed for the Governor's office. For details of its progression click here.