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Atlanta Brewing Company’s Red Brick Trikey
Challenge
July 2009 - Race Report
by Molly Freeman
Atlanta Brewing Company hosted their first evening of tricycle racing
on Wednesday, July 28th. Patrons were invited to drink beer and get in
touch with their inner child. Sorella cyclists were up for the
challenge – we fielded 2 teams of 4 with each racer completing 2 laps
on an indoor oval track before handing off a helmet and giving a strong
push to the next racer. “It was so much fun to be a racer
girl!” Read
more... |
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Cohutta 65, May 2009 - Race Report
by Linda Demma
This year has been on and off for me so I couldn’t help being nervous
at the start of the Cohutta 65. Sitting on the line with Patti Simpson
and Anne Ledbetter, it was hard to believe that an entire year had
passed since the last time I had done this race. All of a sudden the
memories came back of how hard the race was last year, and what I was
in for this year! Read
more... |
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6-Hours of Heritage 2009 - Race Report
by Norma Rainwater
Well
it happened
again. The race director dodged a huge rain bullet and this event
occurred as
scheduled, despite the rain everywhere else. Driving to the venue,
there was a
little bit of sprinkling rain, but the roads were not that wet, so we
hoped the
trail would be the same. We arrived with all the other riders and
stepped out
into chilly, damp air. Read
more...
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Ouachita Challenge - Race Report
by Aimee Murphy
For three years, I've wanted to make the trek to western Arkansas for
the Ouachita Challenge – a 62 mile mountain bike race in the
west-central part of the state. Read
more... |
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Sorella Feeds the Homeless at
Central Night Shelter in Downtown Atlanta
On
a cold day in February, memebers of Sorella pooled their cooking
skills, money, and time to create an evening meal and lunch sacks for
70 homeless men in downtown Atlanta. The guests at Central
Night Shelter were thrilled to sit down to a dinner of salad, fried
chicken, sweet potato casserole, cornbread, and homemade desserts. It
was a great way to give back and spend time together off the bike!
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Julie Gazmararian rides 401.9 miles, wins Bike
Sebring 24 Hour Race, and qualifies for the Race Across America!
Race Report by Drew Marlar
We drove just about as south as we could but
didn't get much of a break in the cold conditions we've all been riding
in this February. We left Decatur at the crack of dawn but still
felt rushed to get everything together and in bed at a decent hour in
Sebring. It was 30 degrees at the starting line and we were
hoping for a quick warm up with light winds. More...
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KENDA Dark Mountain North Carolina Super D
Championship Race Series Race Report
by Kathryn Kim
Approximately 60 racers showed up to race on a cold day. It was in the
30's most of the day until late afternoon and then got up to the low
40's for a short time. The wind was blowing hard, making the wind chill
pretty low. Practice started at 9am and the race started at 12:30pm,
with the awards over at 5pm. It was a full day. More... |
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Race Report: Snake
Creek Gap TT #2
by Aimee Murphy
In the days leading up to the Snake Creek TT #2, I began my usual
ritual of checking the weather forecasts obsessively. The temps at the
start were to be 20 degrees and the high for the day would reach 36. I
don't mind the cold, but the creek crossings during the first half had
me worried. I had visions of lying on the trail, my lower extremities
frozen, like a giant popsicle wrapped in Lycra.
Snow, sleet and rain had fallen
all day on Thursday, but with the race on Saturday, surely the moisture
would soak into the ground by then. Wrong. Read more...
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The Sorella Story
by Jennifer Wills
When I was asked if I would be interested in helping start an
all-women’s cycling club, I did not think about it long. Of course!
There were no other open women’s clubs in the area; most others were
for racing only. So, in the fall of 2005, a handful of women started
working on creating the club. Read more... |
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 The tireless Sorella Support
Crew: Pam, Kate, Lana, Kathy, Leslie, and Mollie |
Supporting the Breast
Cancer 3-Day Walk
October 2006
by Leslie Shapiro
So, a few months ago, I had a brainstorm. I
knew that motorcycle crews provide support for many charity events,
including the Atlanta Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. What an
amazing event. But, it's a walk. I'm a cyclist. How could I contribute
to this cause that means so much to me? I realized that if motorcycles
could provide support, why couldn't a bicycle? More than a few emails
later, the Walk organizers agreed to let bicycles ride along with the
Moto Crew. Who knew was I was getting into? And, once I convinced 5
other Sorellas into signing up too, what had I gotten us all into??? Read more...
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Women’s Beginner Cyclocross Clinic
Clinic
Report by Kari Lindner
We held a super fun Women’s Beginner Cyclocross Clinic at the
International Horse Park on August 26th. I expected a few people to
come out, but we ended up with about 16 really cool ladies! Three of
them even drove from Alabama to learn about this incredible sport. The
weather was great but warm, so we started at 9:00am to try to beat the
heat. First we discussed “bad habits” when remounting. Trish and I gave
GREAT examples of our bad habits and how they could be corrected. Read more... |
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Mental
Training
By Sorella's MTB Coach, Gene Hamilton
Mental training is the key to success in all sports. How many times
have you heard top professional athletes say, "It's 80% mental"? I
can't recall ever hearing a top athlete say, "well I'm just physically
stronger than my competition". Imagine how much faster you would be if
you could consistently have mistake free races while riding at 95% of
your maximum ability. Read more about
how you can have "peak performance" on race day. |
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Linda Demma during the
Race Across America. |
Race Across America (RAAM)
On June 13th, Sorella Cycling members Linda Demma and Jackie Ledoux
embarked on a cross-country journey from Oceanside, CA to Atlantic
City, NJ. Linda and Jackie were each part of 8-person teams that
competed in the Race Across America (RAAM), helping their teams cover
3,052 miles in less than a week, all on their bicycles. In addition,
the teams raised money and awareness for a cause. Linda’s team, TeamType1, was
composed solely of Type 1 Diabetics. They achieved their goal to win
their division of RAAM and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation., and demonstrated that a healthy and competitive
lifestyle is possible while managing their insulin levels. Team Type 1
took first place, while Jackie's team, Team ViaSat, took an impressive
second place in their divison and fourth place overall. We are very
proud of both of these amazing women! |
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Kari Lindner
teaches a beginner mtb skills clinic at the Conyers Horse Park. |
Sorella
Sponsors Cycling Clinics
One of the obligations for members of Sorella Cycling’s Sponsored Race
Team is to conduct clinics for members of the club, and in some cases,
the Atlanta area cycling community at large. The following eight
clinics have been conducted with more in the works.
- Endurance Racing
- Beginner Mountain Bike Skills
- Beginner/Intermediate Mountain
Bike Skills
- Beginner/Intermediate Mountain
Bike Racing
- How to Time Trial
- Bike Maintenance
- Bike Cleaning
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Julie Gazmararian and
Jennifer Wills at Bike Sebring after riding for 24 hours straight. |
UltraCycling
Sorellas
In February, nine Sorella Cycling Members competed in the Bike Sebring
12 and 24 Hour Road Race. While the entire team had strong
performances, our 24 hour racers, Jennifer Wills and Julie Gazmararian
had notable results. Jennifer completed 291 miles and Julie completed
387 miles, earning third and first place in the women’s category,
respectively. After such an outstanding race, the Ultra Marathon
Cycling Association (UMCA) asked for a race report, which was published
in both the UMCA website and newsletter. The article created more
national exposure for Sorella Cycling and our sponsors. |
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Amy Lang and Tracy
Hambrick work together in the Komen Crit. |
Komen Central Georgia
Cycle for the Cure
On Tuesday, April 18, 10
members of Sorella Cycling entered the Komen Central Georgia Cycle for
the Cure through the support of Crank Performance. In only its second
year, the event attracted over 60 women racers to Macon, GA for a
highly competitive race with a challenging course, outstanding
organization, and very important cause. Sorella Cycling was the best
represented club that day, and the team also gathered 23 donations
towards the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, second to only one
club. Members of Sorella Cycling also continue to be active in the
cancer community by volunteering in the upcoming Susan B. Komen Breast
Cancer 3-day Walk. |
