Southeast Leadout – Getting in Gear for 2011

Cycling Events for January 6-16

This week Carolina Cycling News stopped in to check out the new downtown Greenville location of Pedal Chic, a cycling and athletic boutique catering to women. This is one of the great new resources for women cyclists in the southeast. When we stopped in we found  a variety of equipment and accessories plus a mechanic on staff to take care of your ride.

Women should head over to Sunshine Cycle Shop for two days with Giant for Women.  The Trailside/Roadside Survival Clinic and Ladies Night will start at  6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 6. Learn to get out of sticky situations and arrive home safely with your bike. Refreshments and beverages provided by The Community Tap. Prizes and great schwag! Then head back over on Friday, January 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:oo p.m. for the demo day.

After a brief hiatus cyclocross returns to the calendar with a bevy of races. The weekend of the 8^th and 9^th the NCCX series picks back up with races in Salisbury and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cannondale rider Jeremy Powers is going to be competing at the Salisbury race as a tune-up for his end of the season European campaign. Bring your hopping skills to this race – Powers will.

January 16^th is race number 12 of the NCCX series and it’s at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. And taking a cue from European races there will be a live DJ and party tent. This sounds like a must attend race!

Of course the Wednesday training race – Hot Laps Under the Lights in Hendersonville, North Carolina is still in full force. There’s still racing this month so there’s no excuse not to continue honing the ‘cross skills.

For the full Cyclocross Event Calendar with links click here.

Upstate SORBA is kicking off the new season with its first General Membership Meeting of 2011 on Thursday, January 6 at 6:00 p.m. at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria.

It’s time to get dirty again! The new year of mountain biking kicks off the 16^th with the Winter Short Track Series in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Renaissance Park. The course is just ¾ of a mile with banked turns – think BMX racing but with mountain bikes. The promoters are doing it right with this spectator friendly event by including food, music and an event photographer. The series is weekly and runs to February 13^th.

For the full Mountain Event Calendar with links click here.

With the weather continuing to be chilly is it no surprise that there’s rides with a polar bear theme? The 13^th Annual Polar Bear Metric ride rolls out Saturday the 8^th in Davidson, North Carolina. In addition to the full metric century there’s a half as well. A portion of the proceeds will be given to the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson.

The following day the other Polar Bear Ride on the calendar happens in Gastonia, North Carolina. This event offers two ride options: a 50 or 39 mile loop. The flier describes the course as moderate so it might be a good idea to have those low-gears just in case.

January 16^th is the Charleston, North Carolina Marathon rides. Held in conjunction with the town’s marathon on the 15^th, the ride is the next day – Sunday. It’s a completely flat course with rest stops every 15 miles. There are two ride options: 60 or 30 miles. This event is a great way to get in a fun ride than spend the day checking out beautiful Charleston.

For the full Touring and Gran Fondo Event Calendar with links click here.

The next meeting of the Upstate Tri Club will be on Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 pm at the Caine Halter Family YMCA in Greenville and will feature Drew Brannon, Ph.D., who is a Certified Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology from the Lowder Group. He will discuss psychology of the endurance athlete’s lifestyle, including maintaining motivation, focusing on mental skills.

For the full Triathlon Event Calendar with links click here.

The road season is coming – stay tuned! For the 2011 Road Event Calendar with links click here.

The Southeast Leadout is a weekly report on cycling in the Carolinas and the greater southeast region. To be included in CarolinaCyclingNews.com calendars and the Southeast Leadout, add us to your mailing list: press@carolinacyclingnews.com
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