Oxford Cycling Club - 2007 Events

Events from 2007

This page is a work in progress. Check back soon for updates on 2007, it was a big year for Oxford Cycling!

Midsouth Cyclocross Championship

Go Jim Go

Go Jim Go - work is ongoing on this section.

Complete Natchez Trace Ride

Ride Report by Jason Martin
I've spent a little time to reflect on our Natchez Trace bike trip, and I should have remembered about myself that all that time did was allow me to forget things. So without further ado (and having allowed the trip-mates ample time to proof the pictures I'm sharing) here is a link to the photo album from our trip.
We had an absolutely fantastic time. It's really sort of hard to describe how well everything went. Maybe as the 7th wheel (Vivian and Walter, Karen and Chris, Jennifer and Alexis) I was oblivious to anything negative happening, but really, it was a fantastic group, and no one could have asked for more.
Follows a more-than-you-wanted-to-know summary of our trip:
We drove to David Crockett State Park on Thursday, and camped in the RV. Alexis was there holding our spot, which was great for us.
Friday we sat around trying to wait out the rain, and ultimately we did, by finally rolling by about 10 am, and then eating a very tasty breakfast at the Loveless Cafe at the North end of the Natchez Trace, near Nashville (actually in "Historic" Franklin), TN. We got on our bikes around 1:30, and hit the real hilly section of Tennessee. It was really hilly. Depending on which software you trust, we did around 3000+ climbing in our 56 mile ride, which ended at Meriwether Lewis Park (where ML was found dead). Walter kindly drove the first day (sort of by choice, but we'll just say he was being nice. :) We camped again at David Crockett SP, and were joined by my sister, who brought cookies.
Saturday we went back to Meriwether Lewis Park and picked up the 17 miles we missed the first day (it got too dark since we waited the rain out). On the way, we met a bunch of OLD cars (I guess Model A and Model T and variations of that). I'm not sure if there was a convention, or they just like the Trace for low traffic/speed. Either way, it was great trying to get them to honk their old horns at us. We crossed from TN to AL, and then all the way through AL to MS. Neat three state ride. The extra 17 made for an 86 mile day, ending at Tishomingo SP. Karen drove to the lunch stop, which was just inside MS, and before Tombigbee (maybe?) crossing. Bruce had ridden up from Tishomingo to ride with us, but we had gotten stuck at some detour-ing and we didn't end up riding together. Speaking of the detour... I take credit for pushing to go through the 4 mile detour (7 miles of detour road). There were 3 bridges out, and in our direction, they got successively worse. First, was no big deal, we just walked across an almost complete bridge. Second was ok, but everyone got mud in everything. Then we thought we were done, because we could see the "Road Closed" barrier. Turns out, there was a crossing road there, and the barrier was on both sides, so there was yet another (third) outage to cross. The muddiest, we actually crossed a creek to get over it, and got fully muddy in the process. This caused Vivian and Chris to have pedal/cleat problems for the rest of the trip. :( Bruce and Chuck and Barb were at Tish SP to camp and have fun, and it really was great to meet up with everyone there.
Sunday we left Tishomingo on our "long day". I had ridden from (almost) Tish to Tupelo last year, so I volunteered to drive this section (40 miles). Lunch was at the Tupelo Visitors Center, where Chris's parents met us, and brought a nice treat of GOPP (Good Ol' Pretzels and Peanuts). We had a long lunch there, then switched drivers and continued on. Candy Wheeler and Marty, from Tupelo were kind enough to meet up with us at the Visitors Center and escort us through Tupelo. Traffic was sort of hairy, but we didn't have any too-close calls... Tupelo people didn't seem to mind passing into oncoming traffic, however, and DID make us nervous. But we passed safely. The end of the ride was the Trace intersection with Hwy 82, which put 4 riders at 100+ miles for the day. Karen and Vivian, each with their first century, and Chris and Walter, who are seasoned veterans of century riding. I finished with them, but had driven, and was glad I had, because I was tired at even 60 miles for the day. :)
After some discussion about where to eat (Trace-Way Restaurant is not recommended), and where to stay, upon finding that our original camping destination was no longer in service (Red Hills RV) or had moved, we opted for an RV park in Tombigbee National Forest, near Ackerman, which was relatively close. It was an amazing campground. Very secluded, and pleasant. There's a great mountain bike trail near here, too, which would make a great road trip for us some other time. :)
Monday we drove back to the Trace and started South again. We stopped in French Camp, which has a pleasant little setup on the Trace for Trace travelers. The cafe is only open for lunch though, so we were there too early to have a go at that, but it looked like it would be great. There were gourd scarecrows, and Chris wanted one so badly that he said if we'd buy it he'd figure out a way to ride with it home. Looking back, I sort of regret not taking him up on that one... We had lunch around what I think was Kosciusco. It was a good lunch, and we met a man who'd trained his dogs to sniff for cadavers. I suppose it's an interesting thing for dogs to do... but hhmmm... He was from CA, and said that some of the marked graves on the Trace didn't actually represent any gravesite. And that some dogs had smelled graves as old as 7000 years, so they can pretty much be trusted. The dogs' nose knows. The day ended just north of Jackson at Ratliff Ferry, which we quickly decided wouldn't be the place for us to stay. We would have been probably the only non-permanent residents of the RV park, and we didn't like those numbers. We found out later that a 16.5 foot alligator had been pulled from the water exactly where we decided not to stay. I call it a good decision. So we went to Jackson and hunted around for a place to stay, ending up at Timberlake RV park in Pelahatchie Bay. We met up with Vivian's brother and ate at Bills Greek Tavern, which was most excellent. After dinner, we met Walter's son, which was cool. We ended with Dairy Queen, but don't tell my girlfriend...
Tuesday we drove back up to Ratliff Ferry road, and started South. I remember Tuesday most specifically. We ended at exactly Port Gibson. Or close. I had 82 miles that day. Actually that's the only reason I remember Tuesday at all. I could never get the hang of Tuesdays.
No actually we had lunch after about 40 miles at the workplace of Vivian's brother, and more of Vivian's family had visited, just for our lunch. We had to ride our bikes through Jackson. We hit it at a pretty good time (about 10am) but we still came VERY close to becoming grease spots on an old RV. It wasn't pleasant, and I think it took most of a little while to shake it from our heads. There's no point dwelling on it, so I won't. Our day ended in Port Gibson with the intention of driving over to Grand Gulf. Once in PG, we decided against that, opting to drive toward Natchez and RV there; another great decision. We stayed in Natchez State Park, and saw probably 40 deer, and had nice hot clean showers (as with all of the trip, it's worth noting). Drove into Natchez for a nice meal.
Wednesday we were in no rush, and made it back to the Trace (where we ended Tuesday) for our shortest day of the trip, a total of 40ish miles all the way into Natchez. Fortunately nothing really exciting happened, and we ended our trip safely. We spent some time on Mount Locust, an Inn used intensively by Trace travelers long ago, and restored now as a National Park exhibit.
My total mileage was 408.57, or about 92% of the Trace. I feel pretty good about that, especially since I have previously ridden the only section I missed. I believe most of the group had over 400 miles. Our average speed hovered around 15.5 (13.2, 14.2, 16.1, 15.6, 16.2, 15.6), which isn't fast, but it's really not too bad for the touring type riding we were doing. We didn't push, and no one really got very sore muscularly, but we were all very pleased when we hit a patch of smoooooooth pavement, if you follow me there. Unfortunately after day 2, my Garmin 305 decided to take a break, and didn't work again until I got home. Vivian can possibly provide detailed route information for the whole trip, as her Garmin worked the entire way (I believe). We managed the whole trip with NO FLATS, and only one VERY minor mechanical, when I dropped my chain off the 12 cog (what's with that?) Too much power I'd guess. The cleat problem after the mud was a pretty big deal, but no one had to not ride because of it. Eventually it all got worked out. It is also worth saying that we had a tailwind the WHOLE way. Process that for just a minute. The WHOLE way. We could not have asked for better. It was especially nice on the long day (century) but was really nice the whole time, and much appreciated. Special thanks to whomever ordered that for us!
There are tons more pictures. Click any of these pictures to be taken to the rest, and much larger versions of all of the pictures.

MS150 Bike Ride

Oxford Cycling Club final total raised: $7915.23.

Karen Riddle, Vivian Neill and Hugh Stump of Oxford Cycling raised over $1000 and were recognized as V.I.B.Es. (Very Important Biking Enthusiasts).

+/- Ride Report by Jason Martin

Ride Report by Jason Martin

Saturday
Map: (click for Google Map)
Ride time: 4:15:36
Avg speed: 17 mph
Distance: 72.32 mi
Max speed: 39 mph
Elevation gain: 3111 ft

Sunday
Map: (click for Google Map)
Ride time: 4:41:13
Avg speed: 16.6 mph
Distance: 77.97 mi
Max speed: 33 mph
Elevation gain: 2888 ft

This was my first MS150 ride, and after feeling other people's pain for lack of information, everything worked out. All the former participants said that if we didn't already know something we wanted to know, we'd find out the morning-of. They were right. Everything was pretty clear, and not too rushed, and went well. If early packet pick-up goes like it did this year, it might be advisable to skip that, since those people actually got through the line faster than we did.

The route (both days) was nice. Aside from one unfortunate mishap on Saturday causing us to miss the rest stop where our lone volunteer was stationed, the course was well marked and supported. Thanks to AutoZone for good SAG service and vehicles.

Rest stops were all very nice... I could have had a more hearty lunch, but I hear that we actually arrived too early (about 9:30) to get the good stuff, which was from Applebee's. Sorry for missing that. We had PB&J, and pig skins. If I could recommend one thing for rest stops next year, it'd be to have espresso at the early stops. :) especially on day two. :) (no really, I'd have loved that, or even just coffee).

The banquet was fun(ish) and the food was like Bruce said. Good not great, but included in the price and we were all happy enough. The banquet was held in a meat locker decorated in FedEx gear. I stayed around for the prizes since I'm always sure I'll win one (but never do). Anyway, these were mostly Memphis-specific prizes that'd have done me and OC not much good.

Saturday was headwind city. Because of that, I wore a jacket all day. Sunday was nice all the way around, and I was able to shed the jacket early (rest stop #2). Temperatures were absolutely perfect the whole entire time.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, OCC was sadly well represented in the wreck category. I don't know the full story, but an OCC rider by the name of DL was run down by a large pick-up early on Saturday, and his new bike and new jersey were both destroyed. DL was bruised but walking around and stayed for the event, so presumably not permanently damaged. His bike was not so fortunate. That was just within sight of rest stop #2. Sunday, Kevin got cut in on by a group of speedsters, and one of them clipped his front wheel, and sent him over the bar. Not a great way to start back in organized events, to say the least. Again, this was early in the day, just after rest stop 1. I believe Kevin was able to finish the ride, so he's presumably ok as well, although maybe he'll be able to comment.

For the 2008 MS150, Oxford Cycling Club needs more people. If we get more people, maybe we can get jerseys printed just for the event, as some other teams did. The MS150 was a great ride, and we all had a great time.

Go to the photoalbum by clicking any of the picture below!

Pictures by Jason Martin: Day 1.

Pictures by Jason Martin: Day 2.

Pictures from Karen Riddle.

Pictures from MS150 People.

Clear Creek Challenge

2007.09.02

We had three photographers at Clear Creek Challenge (CCC) for 2007.

Thus, there are three albums.
Album 1 (wn)
Album 2 (wh)
Album 3 (jm)
Here is a sampling of those pictures, in no particular order. Click any of the pictures to go directly to the photo album (#3).

Here you can see the race results:

Race

This race was round #6 of the South Central Regional Championship Series at Clear Creek Recreational Area, on the east side of scenic Sardis Lake.
The Clear Creek Challenge featured a 10 mile loop of single track trail that runs though the hills of the Recreation Area before descending all the way to the lake and then slowly climbing back out, for a total of 1100ft of elevation per lap.
The race is also listed as a double points race for the SCRCS series.

After the ride

After the ride, enjoy refreshments, goodies and hanging out with fellow riders.

USA Cycling

Sanctioned under USA Cycling. 1 day licenses available for $5.00.

+/- Race Thanks from Brad Cannon

From Brad C:
I wanted to send out a big “Thank you” to all the people who helped make this years CCC a success. Putting on a large event like this is a huge undertaking and it definitely doesn’t happen without a ton planning, nail biting, and hard work. I’ll probably forget some folks but I wanted to name names for those who, as usual, went above and beyond.

Core planning group: Karen R, Steve V, William H, Vivian N- filled out more permits and license request and grant forms than you want to imagine. Also responsible for logo design, t-shirt design, prizes, awards, food, etc…

Volunteers- Jason M, Mike M, Kate and Jason, Chuck, William and Andrew H., Walter- From course marshalling to regulating the pit area, these guys held it down all day. Thanks to there vigilance, we had no knife fights, no arrests and nobody lost an eye.

Sponsors- We had a great group of sponsor all around, but I especially wanted to thank Oxford Bike Co and Active Oxford for their prize donations. I heard several of the beginners comment on these being the best they’d received all year.

Timing -Melinda and Steve V ran this one and did an excellent job. You wouldn’t think 15 seconds is all that important until you leave it off of some sweaty 79 year old beginners 8th place finish. Then they’re ready to fight over it.

And last, but not least, the ringleader for this round, Michael Weldy. In case there’s anybody out there who doesn’t know, Weldy is not a MTB racer. He doesn’t race and doesn’t like the racing scene. After the last month, he’s even taking a break from riding and started living in a trash can on Big Bird’s stoop. All in all, he’s one of my favorite people. Congratulations on a job well done. Play on, player.

To everyone who helped pull it off, give yourselves a pat on the back.

As a closing thought for this year, I’m reminded of a saying that I heard when we first started to try to finish the Ouichita Challenge:

"The Clear Creek Challenge is a lot like beating your head against a brick wall. You’re really glad when its over.”

Clear Creek Work Party

2007.08.04 From Brad C.
We had a great turnout and managed to completely reroute the second level of "The Big One" (switchback) instead of just patching it.

The first picture is taken from the wooden bridge across the creek, looking back up the trail. Before, the trail made a 90 degree left just before the bridge, making it tough to hold any speed to start the climb. We fixed it by taking the SWECO and forming the whole bank behind the trail into a huge berm. You can see the cockpit of the SWECO in the lower left.

After that, we smoothed out the first step and moved to the real problem, the hard right switch back that leads up to the second level. Years of rain and riding had left it a rooted mess, to the point of us just filling in the rain ruts in the past. Saturday, we fixed it for good by moving to the left of the old turn and building a whole new switchback. Here’s a pic of Weldy, Steve, and Mike M putting together the crib wall for the dirt catch-box.

Big thanks go out to Chris Lee, Mike Mossing, Steve V, M Weldy, Vivian N, Brad Walsh, Will Henderson. You’ll notice in the pictures that everyone looks like they’ve had a bucket of water dumped on them, but believe me, it’s not from having a bucket of water dumped on them.

Tour De Bodock

Tour De Bodock - work is ongoing on this section.

Palmer Home for Children

2007.07.14 Saturday, July 14th Oxford Cycling Club spent the day at Palmer Home for Children in Columbus, MS. Palmer Home for Children is a ministry to children in need.....children who are growing up as social orphans without the nurture and support of a loving family.....children who need a place to be and to become.

Palmer, for more than 100 years, has provided a stable, Christ-centered home life built on loving one-to-one relationships. Founded in 1895 by Presbyterians and other concerned friends, Palmer remains committed to helping children achieve their full God-given potential, however scarred or shattered their family background.

Palmer contacted OCC because their children had 80 bikes in need of repair. We were able to repair many of these bikes, using both parts we brought and donated, and parts salvaged from otherwise unusable bikes there at Palmer. Palmer were gracous hosts, providing us with a great place to work on the rainy day, great company, a nice lunch, and a goodie bag complete with t-shirts and other fun items.

Tour of Oxford

+/- Idea Behind Tour of Oxford

After some consideration, it was decided that a fun approach would be to mimic the TdF (an idea originally put forth by Margaret Y) in more than just one aspect. With that in mind, I present to you the Tour de Oxford. Click here for a spreadsheet of data about the Tour of Oxford.

We will ride every day that the tour rides (20), and take rest days when they rest (2). We will include Time Trials on days they have them (3). The mileage goal will be to ride 1/5 of the miles they ride. The tour this year is 2231.1 miles, so the TdO will be roughly 450 miles. To some extent, we'll try to do hillier rides on the days the TdF is in the mountains, and less hilly rides when stages are plain.

There are days where group rides are already scheduled. Some of those rides neatly correspond to what needs to be done for the TdO. Where applicable, I made these scheduled group rides part of the TdO, with two notable exceptions. 1) One B Team ride will be made slightly longer (but not tremendously harder), and 2) One B Team ride falls on a rest day. Other group rides are also included on the TdO, including Monday A Team (5:30p), Sunday Saints and Sinners (7a) to name a couple. Time Trials will be a little different, since Richard R has so kindly planned a great 10 mile course, I suspect we'll just use that one as it is now, with no concern for mileage comparisons.

It's understood that not everyone would be able to make every event for the TdO. That doesn't matter. As many people as can participate will be great! There's a great deal of chatter and interest among the B group, and we invite everyone to play!

Nothing has been mentioned specifically, but I encourage some sort of event when it's all over. That will be a Sunday, so a cookout would be great!

Pictures:
Stage 20
Stage 19
Stage 17
Stage 15
Stage 14
Stage 12
Stage 13
Stage 11
Stage 10
Stage 9
Stage 7
Stage 6
Stage 5
Stage 4
Stage 3
Stage 2
Stage 1

Dragonfly Triathlon

2007.06.16 How did the locals do in the Dragonfly? Suzanne's mixed relay team won...of course. Suzanne Lacey (bike), Kristin Wilkerson (swim) and Brian Pope (run).

JMiz was 5th in her age group - 2nd in the swim, 4th in the bike and a pitiful 7th in the run, ("Oh well...gotta improve on the run.") averaging 17.9mph on the bike.

Oxford was well represented - Clay McDonough and James Piiparinen participated. Outside of the "B" group - Paul Roberts participated - and there was one other girl - Elizabeth Randall. Kristin Wilkerson participated as an individual as well as on the relay.

Double Decker

The Double Decker Spring Ride was a great success with 100 riders participating. With pleasant weather, good turnout, and an excellent Oxford Double Decker Arts Festival made for a fantastic day in Oxford, Mississippi.

Partially funded with a grant from Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau

Other Sponsors:
The Inn at Ole Miss
Neill Studios
McAlisters
Yocona River Inn
Serenity Spa
Oxford Bicycle Co.
Kroger
Holli’s Sweet Tooth
Good Earth Gourmet
Active Oxford
9 lives Cat Rescue
Ole Miss Athletic Dept.

Proceeds to benefit 9 lives Cat Rescue and Local Bicycle Advocacy Efforts.

62 Mile Ride

We had a great ride! It was Walter, Vivian, Chris M, M Worthy, Karen, Lucy, and myself. We rode around for a while, and for once I don't really know where. From Fudgetown to Dogtown, to Hurricane to Sand Springs, and other places whose name is probably lost to time... We got chased by some dogs, and rode on some fresh slag, and had a great time! Then we had a cookout, which was a great time! Thanks to Vivian and Walter for having us over, and cooking!!