January 2011 Chapter News

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The big news for SORBA Woodstock this month is the intense snow, ice and cold that set in on our area. Unfortunately, this meant cancelling the January Chapter meeting which we had hoped to hold at Summits Wayside Tavern. The Board did meet however so here’s the notable news for the month. 

The 2011 Dirty Duathlon, to be held April 9th at Blankets Creek, has named its title sponsor - Mike The Mechanic.  Mountain Goat Adventures is doing a great job in putting this year’s event together and we’d love to see a huge turnout. For more info check out the race’s website at http://mountaingoatadventures.com/blanketsduathlon/ 

Over at the Olde Rope Mill Park we are continuing to design and flag the new beginner’s loop which is to be created on the west side of I-575. The current estimate is for a 3-4 mile loop which will be primarily level. Unfortunately, we are waiting on approval to start construction on this loop and we are expecting that approval to be at least 6 months away. In the meantime, we are looking at making some improvements to the Avalanche trail in the bi-directional portion of the trail that connects the 3rd (“Lollipop”) loop. Charlie is considering installing some concrete pavers that will give riders the option of getting up out of the muck that has been plaguing this area. No updates at the moment for the pedestrian bridge that will connect us to the north side of the river. Installation is still expected in February. 

Some new features are on the horizon for Blankets Creek. Keep your eye on the SORBA Woodstock homepage for an exciting announcement of a brand new feature at Blankets. We can’t disclose more now, but the news will be out very soon. We can tell you that we are planning on building some “Alt Lines” for the Dwelling Loop. The first will be off the Dragon’s Tail portion of the trail and will give riders the option of taking a more challenging route through this area. Other Alt Lines are being discussed. The proposed trail head improvements for Blankets have hit a delay. A new Environmental Impact Assessment (EA) has been required and will be setting this project back quite a bit. We are looking to draft and submit a new Master Plan for the park during this process which will give us the chance to include some new improvement ideas. 

If you haven’t heard, the Board voted to create a new Board position for an Events Coordinator starting this year. Malanda Murchison was elected unanimously to the position; no doubt a reflection of the great job she did organizing our events during the 2010 season. She has hit the ground running for 2011 with the following events taking shape for the upcoming season: 

  • Women’s Conditioning – 2nd & 4th Wednesdays in January & February
  • Pedalpalooza – May 7, 2011
  • Time Trial Events for SORBA Members - TBD
  • More Group Rides