2013 Georgia Rides to the Capitol

I've wanted to participate in Georgia Rides to the Capitol every year since it started 8 years ago. But the fact that it takes place on a week day always kept me from doing it. This year I decided to plan ahead and make it happen. Joe Elam was happy to join me and it didn't take but one time asking to get Stephen Sisk on board. The final and as it turned out crucial part of the plan came together when David Latty decided to join us. The initial plan was to meet at 6:30AM and David's wife would take us to the Reality Bikes start in Cumming. There we could ride to Roswell (20 miles) and join the police escorted ride into downtown Atlanta. A total of 40 miles. After the festivities my wife Lisa would pick us up and take us back to our cars. It was the perfect plan.

The weather would be less than perfect however. Temperatures predicted to be in the 20's to start and we would never see 40 degrees. The day before our adventure we learned why they call it Reality Bikes... the reality of the weather caused them to cancel their leg of the ride. Our plan was thwarted.

But by the afternoon a new plan was born. This plan included a start from Alpha Bikes in Alpharetta, Georgia. Where cyclists are men. And one girl. Shivering like children.
We met with a great group of locals and hit the streets with a fantastic police escort. It was really awesome! And snowing! The group was made up of some diverse riders too. The most diverse was a kid named Buli on a mountain bike who evidently doesn't have any cycling specific winter clothes because he seemed to be prepared to snow ski. During the ride he would jump the curve and ride on the sidewalk (which is illegal in Georgia) but he was obviously trying to get warm so I didn't fuss at him.

We rode out of Alpharetta under escort and began picking up riders along the way. Our group of 13 soon swelled to around 30. By the time we made it to Roswell there were even more.

Java, Java, Java!

The pace was just enough to not really help me get warm at all. I had no fingers. My jaws were aching and I had the cold weather speech impediment going on. When we rolled up to the gathering place for the Roswell departure I saw it.
Coffee! Piping hot coffee! Stephen and I could hardly contain our excitement. I could feel myself getting warmer already. We'll call it the Java effect. It's common among cyclists.

Next we gathered for the journey to the center of Georgia's universe. Atlanta! We would be starting with around 200 cyclists and pick up twice that many along the way.
There were plenty of dignitaries from all around the state. The Mayor of Roswell Jere Wood, an avid cyclist, gave instructions and told everyone who wanted to ride back to Roswell they could join him. That's 40 miles of riding so he truly is a cyclist. Jackson Brevet founder Robert was there to lead the riders and keep us out of trouble. He did his best but after we got into Atlanta the number of riders made his efforts seem more like herding cats.

We left Roswell and started our 20 mile ride to downtown Atlanta and I lost my fingers again. We rode and talked and checked out some cool bikes people were riding. I didn't take too many pictures because I couldn't feel the phone in my hand. One interesting bike I saw was a guy riding was a hybrid, hybrid. His bike was a carbon road bike with disc brakes, a road bar with mtb paddle shifters mounted in the middle next to the stem and a Niner rigid fork. It was like the duck billed platypus of the biking world.

I looked around and saw plenty of people who ride for sport but just as many who obviously ride for love. They just love riding a bike. Any bike. Some folks rode travel bikes complete with what seemed to be fully stuffed panniers. Just in case we got stranded at the Capitol I guess. Some people were completely unprepared for the cold. I rode behind one guy shivering so bad he was creating his own death wobble at 9 miles per hour. He had a thermal underwear shirt on with a 1980's jersey pulled over it. I didn't ride behind him long.

As we got into Atlanta there were more and more folks standing outside their businesses waving and cheering. The moto police were flying up and down the streets working frantically to block intersections and get our cycling caravan to the Capitol without incident. It was crazy and exciting.
They stopped us just before we were to make a short climb to the Capitol and asked the dignitaries to come forward and be first up the hill. Joe Elam is on the Baldwin City Council so he got to go up the hill with them.

It was then that I realized we were waiting at a merge point. Another ride originating from Duluth was waiting on an adjacent street.
The merging of the two rides would create a huge spectacle of cyclists to ride over the hill and in front of the Capitol. It was impressive. I can only imagine how much bigger it would have been if Punxsutawney Phil was a better ground hog.

Video of the Capitol Parade

We finally rode up the hill and in front of the Capitol. There were snacks and drinks and giveaways and banana's. But no coffee. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining. I was just... spoiled.
We hung out at the Capitol steps and listened to the Brent Buice from Georgia Bikes encourage us. He introduced each dignitary scheduled to speak and it was great to hear them declare their support for our healthy life style and for the "Complete Streets" initiative.

 “In a nutshell what it says is that public roads are for moving people, not just combustible machines such as cars and trucks,” Buice said. “Really what we’re talking about is dedicated funding at both the national and state level.”

Photo Slideshow

Our very own cycling Lt. Governor Casey Cagle took time to speak to us even though it was a really busy day in the world of government. It goes without saying he supports cycling in Georgia and I would say he got the biggest cheer. He's a friend of mine so it was no surprise when he called me out in front of everyone. I guess I deserve it for DROPPING HIM LIKE A ROCK every time we ride together.
My blog Casey. My blog.

Full video of his speech.

After that David jumped in with the Mayor of Roswell's ride back. Joe, Stephen and I gratefully accepted a ride in the van from my wife Lisa and daughter Ellie who got to walk around in the Capitol building and watch us ride in. The warm van was sooo nice. We hit the Chipotle Grill on the way back and despite my desire for a nap I went on in to work. What a way to start the day though.

I want to thank the state wide bicycling advocacy organization Georgia Bikes and the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association for putting the event on. It was great to be a part of and I gladly lent my voice and presence to the effort. I will be doing that again next year for sure!

11Alive Coverage of the ride.



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2013 Trillium Trek

This past Saturday the weather was bad. The morning of the Trillium Trek trail race it was pouring rain and 40 degrees. But my daughter never asked to skip the race. So we got up and headed to Elachee Nature Center for a 5K or more romp in the mud. I estimate they still had almost 300 runners participate. Of course the usual suspects were there including Johnny Garner and Norma Rainwater and Marcus Seymour.

The great folks from RunnersFit were there taking care of the timing. And they had Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I let Molly split one with me before the race because it made her happy. What didn't make her happy was the weather and I couldn't blame her.



The start went well but she and I both soon figured out why Johnny wears gloves a lot. I prepared us for everything but I forgot gloves. She told me later that her hands were cold the rest of the day.
Anyway, she started well I thought but developed a bad pinch cramp that she couldn't run through. Might have been the doughnut... which is my fault as a parent.
She had to walk for a while and we were passed by several ladies. Up to that point she had done well in the mud and slick roots while keeping her pace high.
The cramp never completely went away but she ran the rest of the race as hard as she could. I was very proud of her 4th place Overall Women.

Once back in the car and into some dry clothes we were having some quality Daddy/Daughter time. We headed to meet her Mom and sister at Cracker Barrel for brunch. We talked about the race and the conditions and the great people... but not about boys. Just as I planned.

RACE RESULTS

Thank you to all the runners who were so sweet to her! Trail runners ROCK!!

And that wraps up another edition of Chad's News! Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great week everyone!

Chad Hayes

2012 Trillium Trek at Alachee Nature Center

The Elachee Nature Center is located in Oakwood, Georgia. Their mission statement is "Promote Environmental Understanding through Education and Conservation". Located in the 1,500 acre Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve it offers lots of cool stuff like a Nature Museum, Nature Shop, Birthday Parties, Classroom Complex and plenty of natural walking/running trails. It's a hidden treasure that my family loves. I've written about the Chicopee Mountain Bike trails on many occasions. I know them like the back of my hand but I'm sorry to say I've never run on the Elachee trails. Because...I don't like to run. But my daughter...whom I love very much...does.

Me and Molly before the race.

I signed Molly up for the 5K race of the Trillium Trek Trail Run. There was also a 10K and Half Marathon but she's not ready for that. And as it turns out I wasn't ready for the hills.

A Trillium by the way is a flower commonly found in North Georgia. Thus = Trillium Trek. We didn't see any because we weren't looking but I'm sure they were in abundance. Tis the season for pollen here in Georgia and many things are blooming. The only creature in a better mood than Molly were the bees. It's a heavenly world of pollination at the Elachee Nature Center right now. I told Molly to watch out for snot wads during the race. My skills as the father of a "young lady" become dormant when there's competition to be had. I'm frequently asked by my wife to remember that "they're girls" when I say stuff like snot wads.
Molly just said "Eww...Daddy!" and we moved on.

We arrived late and missed an opportunity to park near the start. We had to park a mile away in a church parking lot and jog down to the start. I think it actually helped. After we registered we started looking around at all the vendor tents and bumped into Mike Stabler. He's beyond old school. When I first started riding I would join groups and he would always be there. He was on every Beach Ride I ever did. Organized by Northstar Bicycles the Beach Ride is held almost every year. Around 30 or more riders embark from somewhere near Oakwood and take two days to ride to the beach. So I've spent many miles with Mike Stabler. He's a great guy. But these days he's only running.

We started stretching a little and spotted Johnny Garner and some others we've seen at some of the Dirty Spokes races. Molly told me how crazy it is that we see Johnny everywhere we go. I told her he lives in a tree somewhere in the woods. She hasn't turned all "teenager" on me so she thought that was funny.

We lined up with everyone else and as instructed we properly placed ourselves around mid-pack based on our perceived skill level. That turned out to be an underestimation. Molly was so small compared to everyone else I couldn't help but want to protect her from a crazy start. But the start was fine. Everyone was very gracious...not like the start of a mountain bike race. We ran up a paved road and then took a left into the trail. I started telling Molly how to pass people correctly by saying "Pass Left" and then "Thank You". She was having a really great day I could tell. She moved easily through the trail and down some slick muddy steps. There were plenty of roots and tricky parts of the trail to negotiate. I told her to breath deep and keep passing people. She actually did it.

It turns out the the first mile or so is the easiest. After you cross the suspended bridge it goes up hill. I think a lot of folks pushed hard in the beginning and when it turned up they started hurting badly. Molly kept a steady pace even on the climbs and we slowly closed in on a lot of people.

After the first climb I could tell Molly had developed a cramp. She was breathing too shallow because of it. As we ran down a long hill it was hurting her. I kept telling her to breath deep or it wouldn't go away. She did and it slowly went away. Then we crossed another, smaller bridge and began to climb again. This is where she made the most of her training. With the cramp gone she flew up the mountain, passing at least four other runners.
After that she was at her limit. I kept encouraging her and telling her we were almost done. Once we saw the 1 Mile to go sign she felt better. Seeing there was only a mile to go let her know she could make it. She widened her stride and we flew across the ridge line toward the finish.

I stopped short and stood by waiting to take a picture of Molly's first solo 5K race. She's been training for weeks. I was very excited for her. When she crossed the line I heard volunteers saying "First girl, first girl!". I thought to myself "She may have won in a kid's category!"

Molly went straight for the free Krispee Kreem donuts. That's my girl. I had one too. And a Cliff Bar. But she wouldn't eat anything else because I had promised to take her to brunch after the race.

We sat on a curb and cheered as other runners came in. It was a beautiful day for a run. After a while we started seeing the 10K runners finishing. Those folks are amazing.


We decided to go ask the timing guys how Molly finished in her category. They were really friendly and happily told Molly that she'd won the Women's division. Holy crap! I tried to remain calm. I told Molly not to count her chickens before they hatched. But in my heart I was dancing a jig. "We'll just wait and see when they present the awards".

Molly Hayes - 5K Women's Division Winner

The medal was a hand carved Trillium. She loved it! And I loved her. She was such a shiny happy person from start to finish. We made yet another awesome memory that I'll never forget.

On the walk back to the car I let Molly call every body on the earth to tell them she'd won. My Dad was working at the dealership in Oakwood so we drove by there to let her tell him in person. She calls him Granpa. He was as excited for her as I was.

Victory Celebration at the Waffle House!

I fulfilled my promise to take her to Waffle House for brunch. We sat and watched the cooks do their thing and talked about the race. I think she learned a lot about how to race and how to push through the tough times in a race. We finished the day relaxing...OK I cut grass but it was still a lazy sunny day.

On a side note: I was dragged kicking and screaming to a place in Gwinnett called The Melting Pot. It's a goofy, fru fru, fondue serving place that was very expensive. Probably because it takes 2 hours to eat there because you basically cook your own food. There's 4 courses. They place stuff on a burner in the middle of the table like cheese or chocolate. You dip your food into it. For dinner they bring you little bits of meat you stab with a long fork and stick it in the pot to cook. You can see how long it must take to eat a meal this way. I was very full. It was very good. My only suggestion for you is to make sure you like the people you go there with. Fortunately I had fantastic company that made time fly. Our waiter, Patrick, was very entertaining as well (aye, Greg?). My only regret is not fighting to have "Flaming Turtles" for desert. I really liked the name. I think it could be a great Mountain Bike Race Team Name. "Team Flaming Turtles!" Yeah, baby!

Well that's all for this edition of Chad's News. Join a ride this weekend. The weather is fantastic!

Chad Hayes