Prez Sez

RAIN, RAIN, JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

Well, IIIlII don't know about anybody else. but this President has just about had enough wet weather for at least two summers! Oak Mountain has been getting nailed by rain every day, and a large majority of the sections now show it. Everyone, please do not skid your tires anywhere on the trail. We all need to watch out for those who might take our trail for granted-or do not know the damage they are causing-and say something to them. I want to thank all BUMP members who have been shopping at the local bike shops which participate in our reimbursement program. (Read 5% PERCENT on page two.) Last meeting we were awarded a check from Cahaba Cycles for $100.00. We are just now getting this program into full swing, but the offer is retroactive to March 1st. Please dig out your receipts from Cahaba's or Bob's, and bring them to the next meeting. We greatly appreciate your participation, and we know the shops appreciate your patronage. Thanks to all who showed up at the July 9th workday. Even though there were just a few of you, quite a few "water bars" were installed to help steer the water-flow off of the trails. Also some new bridges have been added: one on Rock Garden, and another, just completed, on the newest section (that needs a name) between the Cabin Road and the North Trailhead. For this we wish to thank the local Eagle Scout candidates for their time and efforts. We had the big BUMP summer party at my place on the evening of July 9th. We had a great turnout and lots of good everything-including a cake shaped like a bicycle created by Theresa Piercy. I want to thank everyone who brought all the great food. August 7th is our next trail maintenance work-day and we need your support more than ever. Nearly all of the BUMP trail sections are in some way damaged by the rain and need some repair. There will be prizes awarded again: a Continental Pro tire and a water bottle donated by Bob's Bikes. Please be proactive now if you want to continue to ride at Oak Mountain. See you on the trails. HUGH, THE LEADER

DIIP

TffOUpffTS
139 (fac&'13ranJ9

Sometimes when I go to a party and get ambushed by a renegade band of barley hops, I kinda start seeing double which can be a little confusing, and for some people it might even be a little unpleasant. But when J get on my mountain bike the next day, I sce single ... singletrack that is, which makes me focused, and that's how J'd rather be.

GORTCC
By Hedda Rockhopper
Everybody knows it, but no one will just come out and say it. While I risk once more rocking the entire trail-using community with such controversial stuff as my articles are made oLthe voice of journalism is yet un-tethered in this country and I must write what [ must write. That said, may I be the first to break through this universal taciturnity and proclaim ...the goatee is the official facial hair of mountain biking! With this immutable fact firmly asserted, let us turn to trace the origins of this unique phenomenon. Who, we must ask, grew the first goatee? Was it John Tomac? Zap Espinoza? Roger Byrd or Bill Harrington? Perhaps it was Sir Walter Raleigh or Sinbad the Sailor...but we're going back too far. Then again, might we benefit from understanding the waxing and waning fashion of the goatee throughout the ages in order to shed light on how it has come to be that this facial growth configuration has re-emerged and found its identity yet again among a counter culture such as ours? Epistemologically, we can easily see that the word goatee itself is derived from the little pointy tuft of hair found on a billy goat's chin. This fact I hasten to append, serves to reflect in no way on the bearers of the modem day mountain biking goatee...unless of course we are considering that same fact in reference to a mountain goat...a resemblance which any goatee-sporting mountain biker would proudly claim, hoping also to lay claim to the "hinds feet on high places" gnarly rock-eleaning propensity of said goats with much the same attachment Samson held to his strength engendering tresses that Delilahso rudely and deceitfully removed. rontinuedon page2

~lli@

GR / N D fIR

GORTCC
A memo from the BUMP officers to local bike shops appearing in the February 1994 GRINDER invited a representative of each shop to be present at our monthly meetings. We also offered for each shop to come and talk to us about their shop, products and the mountain biking industry at our meetings on a rotating basis. The club has enjoyed a number of informative presentations and are pleased that at least one representative from each shop has joined BUMP. In the same memo mentioned above, we requested the views of each shop on how a dealer membership program could be structured. The March issue of the GRINDER published responses from each store, the most notable of which was the offer made by Cahaba Cycles and matched by Bob's Bikes. The first goatees were paleolithic, I'd imagine, but since this would be so difficult to substantiate, let's bring our study into the realm of recorded history. Archeology bears witness that mummified Egyptian goats had goatees-the very goats which no doubt cleaned the pyramids and skied the sphinx. Chin hair was quite a Pharaoh fashion too, but more often than not their beards were square instead of pointy, so that lets them out. Speaking of letting them out, we can extrapolate from this empirical evidence that the Israelites wandered with Moses and goats for 40 years in the desert...terrain not unlike our precious Moab in certain places-way ultimate hoof traction. Moving on in history, Romans were generally clean shaven, but I think Ben Hur must have had a goatee ...or surely someone in the movie did ...so it was definitely a chariot racing thing. In the middle ages, the monks had goatees, or at the very least. ..goats, which was cool since they comprised a widespread network of realistic idealists clinging to truth and knowledge in an age when provincialism and ignorance prevailed. Plus, they pretty much always lived in the mountains, were vegetarians, meditated daily and drank their own wine every night at dinner. In the Renaissance, we can be certain that the occasional goatee did spring up among the upper classes as did a climate of renewed enlightenment and patronage of the arts. Bringing our query to a more modern time, let us remember specific figures in history such as William Shakespeare, Sigmund Freud and Jed Clampet, each of whom either kept a goatee or kept a goat. Perhaps the social movement which most epitomizes the goatee, is the Beat movement of the 1950's-proponents of which were known derisively as "Beatniks". Mainly apolitical, these self-disenfranchised individuals brought to the fore the style of free-form "stream-of-consciousness" poetry, black turtlenecks, bongos and most importantly, coffee. This brings us back to the original matter of the goatee being the official facial hair of mountain biking. A beard which is not attached to the sideburns is so "out there" ...like flying without a net...like pushing it to the edge ...like mountain biking. Although we have not succeeded in determining who began the trend of mountain biking goatees, it does not really matter. This columnist wishes therefore to go on record as saying, if you have a goatee, tres cool. If you had a goatee and got married and had to shave it off, grow it back. If you've started growing a goatee a couple of times but keep panicking and shaving, try doing yoga. If you've never had a goatee, please consider growing one. If you're just in the habit of shaving, then just shave your legs, young man. I will have to go so far as to question your commitment to mountain biking if you do not sport a goatee. It's the official thing now, you know.

BUMP mem bers, keep your receipts each time you make a purchase at either Cahaba Cycles locations or Bob's Bikes. At the monthly BUMP meetings, turn in the receipts to BUMP officers. The receipts will be totaled and turned in to Cahaba Cycles or Bob's Bikes each month. Cahaba Cycle and Bob' Bikes will write a check to the BUMP club for 5% of the total of all purchases including bicycles and sale merchandise.
So far we have earned from Bob's Bikes and Cahaba Cycles more than $500.00 collectively! This money will go toward maintaining the trails, funding the GRINDER, putting on events, and generally building our club to strengthen the voice of mountain biking in Alabama. To make it a little more convenient for BUMP members to contribute in this program, we have a "BUMP box" in each store where you can place your receipt or ask your salesperson to do so if you do not see the box. Should you wish to keep your receipt, Cahaba Cycles will make a copy of your receipt, and Bob's has purchase verification forms available for you to fill out and have your salesperson sign. This program is retroactive to March 1st so please look through and find your receipts from purchases made since then, (provided you were a BUMP member at the time), put your name on them and turn them in at a meeting, or send them to our Treasurer-Ken Hester, at P.O. Box 590061, Birmingham, AL 35259-0061. We wish to thank Hardwick Gregg of Cahaba Cycles for coming up with this idea where cyclists and shops can be reciprocal in their support of each other's interests. "We want to be as involved with the bicycle clubs as possible:' says Hardwick. "BUMP is a well run organization that aggressively promotes cycling in Birmingham, and more serious cyclists means more consumer support for the shops." "I thought it was a good idea and wanted to offer the reimbursement too," Roger Byrd of Bob's Bikes says. "BUMP members are good customers and in the past we've given the club money, but I think this is a great way to get the me mbe r s involved with raising money for the club, and it helps the shops because the customers think twice about mail ordering." The 5% reimbursement is in addition to the 10% BUMP discount offered by all of the shops (River Oaks offers 20%). Please show support of our local bike shops and of BUMP by spending your cycling dollars here in Birmingham and participating in this program.

~~@

G R I N lJ E R

~@CID~~~ CID[f1)~ lP~~[f1)@@@

Dr. Juan Saxon on Commitment
I don't know much about commitment, it's not my area of expertise and I don't have time to look it up ...but I used to have a good friend who always talked about that kind of stuff and I think I might remember enough to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about. Some people, it seems, say they "love" and what they really mean is that they "~eel" emotions ...emotions that can fade, and more often than noLdo. They also say they "care" when they really mean they feel sort of guilty about something. What doe$ all this have to do with commitment, or mountain biking? When it comes to love, commitment is where the rubber meets the trail, as it were. You can say you love mountain biking, and truly it is a wonderful feeling, but there are some days when you won't feel it, when that hill is kicking your asthma a little more than usual...when you have an off day as we all do. You can say you care about your health, fitness and emotional wellbeing, but do you care enough to do what it takes to be healthy, fit and at peace with yourself, day in and day out? Or are you feeling guilty because you don't? Commitment is what bridges all the gaps. It means deciding what is important to you in a moment of lucidity-and sticking with those decisions through the times when your judgement lapses ...when that bowl of M&M's in front of you at that party seems more important than climbing that hill a little quicker ...when going horne after work and taking a nap seems more sane than driving to Oak Mountain and taking a lap ...when you feel out of sorts and just want to veg and feel sorry for yourself instead of exposing yourself to the healing karma of the woods and uplifting endorphins of a good work-out. I am not advocating riding and being miserable. I am talking about the times when you don't remember how much it means to you until you make yourself get out there and do it because of your commitment. Love is a very misused word. When you say "1 love you" or "1 love mountain biking" you are using it as a verb. Feelings are feelings, emotions are emotions-don't confuse this with love because love is something you do-whether for other people, for a sport or for yourself. Commitment is how you do it, whether you think you feel like it or not.

WILD EILL'S ELU:a,:BS

Singletracl<: Foreuer?
Many times when I meet other cyclists on singletrack, if the trailside is unobstructed, they will pedal off the trail to get out of my way. People, this is not the way to yield the trail! If we all ride off the trail to get out of each other's way, soon we won't have anymore singletrack left. Please always try to keep your wheels on the trail. To yield on narrow singletrack, simply pull to the far edge of the trail, put your outside foot down and lean your bicycle away from the trail. This should allow plenty of room for the other cyclist(s) to pass. When you are mountain biking please strive to keep all trailside impact to an absolute minimum so we can all continue to enjoy our back country experiences.

Ever wonder why mountain bikes are supposed to yield the trail to hikers and equestrians? Why hikers continually make such a big deal about the too often poor trail manners of cyclists? Do you wonder why all bicycle land access groups continually hammer on mountain bikers to be courteous to the non-mechanized trail users? Well, if you don't understand why then it is really easy to find out ...take a hike! Get out on your favorite multiple-use trail on a day and at a time that you know will put you in contact with cyclists. After you've been buzzed by riders who don't yield to you as a hiker, especially when you know they're supposed to yield, then it is easy to understand why yielding is such a big deal. So take a hike and get a new perspective! Then the next time you go for a ride, you'll be more conscious of why it is important to be courteous to those on foot, and it won't be such a chore for you to have some manners. And while you are yielding, take the time to say "Hello". It's like karma. It all adds up.

Trail Maintenance Work-Day

Our last work-day at Oak Mountain was on July 9th and we had a turn-out of 12: Ken Hester (Trail1'zar). Bill Garrett (Trail Blazer), Barry Hair. AI Pendergrass. Joe Cotlin. Mike Herring. Bob Bruner. Nadine L'Eplattenler, Chuck Whited. Jack Bransdorf. Scott Chiz. and Jack (we didn't catch his last name). We want to thank Cahaba Cycles for donating the items for the prize drawing. The lucky winners were Bob Bruner who won a C02 Tire Inflation System, and Joe Cotlin who won one of those cool Oak Mountain T-shirts. Our next work-day is Sunday August 7th. Meet at the Park Office on Terrace Drive at lOam. Bring work gloves, water and a snack. The work-days for the rest of the year are: September 10. October 9. November 5. and December 11. .

~fu@

GR / N D E R

ASK HUGHIE
Dear Hughie. Everyone I know has been stung by a yellow jacket while riding lately and I wondered if you could give us some tips on how to avoid it.

SOUl BIKING:
A Definition
by Bill Harrington
Soul biking is a takeoff on the expression "soul surfing". In the late 60's and early 70's, surfing was booming as much as mountain biking is today. and as money began pouring into the sport, competitions began to spring up allover the world. Unfortunately for surfing, to have a competition reqUired a judging process based on style points and the number of maneuvers each competitor could squeeze on every wave. The result was that competition surfers began attacking the waves to score points rather than going with the flow of each wave. "Soul surfing" was a phrase coined by surfing purists as a backlash to the competition style of surfing, and the distinction still exists to this day. Surprisingly. what happened in surfing then has many parallels to what is happening in mountain biking today. Bigger and bigger money is coming into the sport and more and more races are being held every year. While mountain bike racing is more objective than surfing contests (the fastest rider is the winner), the demands of racing seem to have the same results on mountain bike riding style. Mountain bike racers have to attack the race courses in an effort to squeeze as much speed as possible out of every second on the trail. Style and flUidity on the bicycle often succumb to the need for speed as the racers are continually pushing. (and frequently exceeding) the limits of control. In bike jargon, this is known as getting "sketchy". Soul Biking on the other hand is all about going with the flow of the trail, just like soul surfing is about going with the flow of the wave. The goal is to ride within yourself. which is to say you can ride very fast or very slow depending on your abilities or how you feel that day. Soul biking is about economy of motion. being graceful on the bike, and ,cleaning as much trail as possible while leaving little or no trace of your passing. It is about flOWingdown the trail and seeking the path of least resistance. It is about having fun and knowing your limits-when to get off the bike and walk or when to slow down. Soul biking doesn't leave skid marks on the trail or errant bike tracks off the trail. You, your bike. and the trail become one in a tenuous harmony that feels incredible. Soul biking is a singular experience which means it is not about competition. What someone else does is irrelevant. Who went the fastest, farthest. or cleaned the most trail has no value. If soul biking had to declare a winner, then it would be the person who has the most fun, the person who finishes each ride with the biggest grin plastered on their face. Get it?

Dear Beestu11g,

Wellll, you're question is very timely since it seems that for whatever reason, this is yellow jacket season. In preparation to ride, my thoughts are that we can spray down with deep woods insect repellent ..which 1m suspect merely amuses the yellow jackets, but beyond that precaution, treatment is our only recourse. For most of us getting stung means we say as many bad words as we need to, stick out our lower Up as far as it'll go and keep riding. When I mentioned this question to Dr. Juan as I do all questions which require medical exPertise, she said that for many people a sting can bring on a serious allergic reaction. if you react in a mild way to being stung, you might want to include some benedryl in with your extra inner-tube. If you react more severely, be sure to take antiphilactic injections along on your ride, or maybe consider staying out of the woods while the yellow jackets are so bad. U'lfortunately, the threat of being accosted by vannints is an inherent danger in our sport.

~gf1 /H /~/D/DA\ '0 /~/~/~ A\ 7fS eJ t9

This month's restaurant review features a new establishment at 20th Street and 8th Avenue (where Dr. Piua used to be) called Reza's. Crisply and cheerfully decorated, Reza serves wonderful ~IitePersian cuisine. This latest addition to the very few ethnic restaurants Birmingham offers, is open mainly for lunch when they provide an ample buffet of delicious authentic Persian dishes...with only one American influence ...Reza cooks with a healthy lowfat emphasis. Apparently it's the right combination because his lunch buffet is a smash hit with the UAB crowd. To beat the rush.show up a little early or a little late to sample his unique fare. Or better yet, set aside an entire Friday or Saturday evening for a more leisurely and delicious dining experience. You'" find "Team Hedda- there every Friday night carboloading that wonderful raison and carrot basmati rice and exquisite taboulli. Prices are very reasonable, and you may bring your own wine. See you there.

~~@

GR / N D E R

Why Race?
by Jenifer Jackson
Some say that racing challenges or even destroys the Zen aspect of mountain biking, and after my initial exposures to mountain bike racing, I might have agreed There must be a reason why I, an average mountain biker and rarel y competitive peI>on, would choose to race. There must be some benefit that out-weighs the fear and the pain. There must be something-~)[ many things about mountain bike rncing that have prevented me from shying away to fmd refuge in "soul biking" only. Many mountain bike racing enthus:asts are men and women who have participated in competitive sports throughout childhood and schooL Racing is a means by which to keep their competitive instincts sharp, to continue the tradition established by their parents and coacres growing up and to set goals to work toward being their best There are surely some of you who can relate to my situation-my parents signed me up for Iiano and ballet lessons while my bIOlhcrs were groomed to be lacrosse stars, and my athletic potential and development were overlooked. I've since taken the irtitiative to improve my skills in many sports but I have very little experience with organized competition. I found the prospect of racing to be intimidating, and, although I was working very hard to be as good a mountain biker as I could be (...at my age), I knew I woold never be good enough to "race". Last fall I somehow allowed myself to be cajoled into participating in the Maddog Dualthalon ...a two mile run and a seven mile mountain bike race. Several friends who had dare it for years said it was really in[orrnal, "a hoot" and everybody did it They encouraged me not only to sign up, but to do the regular race rather than the beginner race. It was just for fun I told myself ..] just want to fmish. Even so, I didn't want to look too bad, so I worked a little harder on improving my fitness for the month or SOI still had before the race. Shortly after the race started, about a quarter mile into the two mile run, which I sprinted trying to keep up with the big boys, I blew up completely (which means I died. ..had nothing left). For the next hour or so I had to live with the knowledge tha1 I had made a mistake; I knew I would never again enter any kind of race. I had never been in such pain but, I meant 10 finish--which I did, and not even last. After my bronchial spasms subsided, I overheard my endorphins asking IXXJplewhen the next race was going to be. My next goal was to do the NORBA mountain bike race at the Spring Maddog. I applied myself all winter to strength training and riding as much as the weather would allow. I had learned from my first race the importance of pacing myself and just doing the best I could do-never mind ,,<}anyone else. At the spring Maddog <,o,?-.'J~ I learned that mud sucks. I had so Jo .,,'" much chain-suck that I just put it in ~ ~" granny and spun out the last lap in total disgust. I still won a prize though, which women racers often do for just showing up. When, as a spectator, I mended the Specialized Ca:tus Cup in Athens, Georgia earlier last fall, the first thing I noticed was hundreds of people who feel about 3120 CAHABA HEIGHTS mountain biking the way that I do. PLAZA The atmosphere at any race is fun a1d festive; everyone there is fa and he.lithy, and there are m,my cool
/

bikes to admire. Riders are even pleasant on the trdil during the rnce. In the races I've been to so far, I've met a lot of really nice IXXJple ...anl have even made some friends. One of the main reasons I keep going to races is that I fmd I am more apt to be conscientious about my diet and riding in the weeks prior to an event I am a long way from winning in the face of true competition, but I want to do my best and that alone is a motivational reason to exercise and to set goals for my fitness and skill leveL After my first three races, I realized that I might do better by moving up to the sport (intermediate) class out of the begirmer class where I was going up against "sandbaggers"----roperior rideI> who only rnce occasionally and don't want to pay for a NORBA license. The first time I meed in the sport class in a large rdCC,I placed right in the middle of the pack, which let me know that I truly had advanced to a sport level racer. Throughout the race I had imagined I was last and had moved up to sport prematurely, so I was especially pleased with the outcome. As I steadily do better in every race due to building fitness, skill and racing experience, I find that racing is one of the best ways to gage improvement A fascinating aspect of racing which sets it apart from recreational riding is the philosophy of get there the fastest way you can on or off the bike. Anyone who follows pro racing at all is familiar with Juli Furtado, my idol, who is the number one mountain bike racer in the world, man or woman. Juli is very deliberate about her training. She trains and races with a heart rate monitor and simply rides at her pace, which has earned her an unbroken record of first-place finishes. Skill is very important in racing, but fitness is more important-and economy of energy expenditure combined with strategy is primary. Like my pal Juli, I too wear a heart rdte monitor and race "my own race". Based on what I know I can do from "training" I determine my most efficient range of heart rate and try to stay in that range throughout the race. This means that often it is more to my advantage to get off the bike and push it up a really steep hill so I'll be fresh for the downhill, which is where I tend to be stronger. Efficiency is more important even than speed, and it never pays to be reckless because it takes more time to pick yourself up than to ride a little more judiciously in the fust place. By pacing yourself in a race and making the best of your strengths, you'll get there faster than a strmger rider who doesn't rdCCsmart. Every time anyone has told me about a race coming up, they've Stud something like, "I hear the course is grcal." To diminish the intimidation factor, I teUmyself that a race is just someplace new to ride, someplace I wouldn't get to ride if I didn't pay the entry fee, (uSlaily $25-35). One thing to consider when entering a race is that the sport class rires a longer course than tJcbeginnerctass, continued on next page

REG~fERTOWIN A
9672003

thing'
'il ~
1927 HOOVER COURT HWY 31

FREE MOUNTAIN BIKE! on sale!

~CAHABA ~CYCLES
822-6600

Uncle Dirt Wants You!

(Hey, don't look behind you-yeah I'm talking to you)

Why Race?

Continued

A Message From Barry Hair

Hey, mountain bikers, ask yourself this question: "Where have I ridden my last ten mountain bike rides?" Your most probable reply will be: "Oak Mountain, Oak Mountain, Oak Mountain ... " ad nauseum. Oak Mountain is where most mountain bikers in this area feed their mountain bike "monkey" (for you X generation folk not hip to 70's slang, i.e. addiction). Riding there is the rule rather than the exception. According to thc Park, on many weekends days over 4()() mountain bikers use the wonderfully tight and gnarly singletrack trails we have there. I have a confession to make. For years I was a roadie and only used my mountain bike for off-season or off-day training. I had heard of BUMP and knew BUMP did work on the Oak Mountain Trails each month. I really enjoyed the trails that BUMP built, but hey, I was too busy, and my time was too precious to spend a day digging in the dirt. As mountain biking got more and more into my blood, I began to feel guilty for not contribuling to the trails-since I enjoyed riding so much. Guilt can be such a great motivator. After many broken promises, I finally showed up for a workday. Do you know what? It was fun (That's right,fun) and my guilt just vanished. I met some nice folks, and we cut-up and joked while we worked. It wasn't like yard work, which I hate. It gave me a sense of satisfaction in knowing I had helped build and maintain the trail. I found that after working on the trail a few times, it became my trail and I cared even more about it. Okay, so what is the point? BUMP has gone from 40 ... to over 2()() members in less than a year. Yet in spite of this massive increase in membership, roughly the same 15 or so people show up each work-day as did when we were a small group. If you've ever ridden over a rocky, washed-out section or through a bad mud hole and thought "that's bad, they ought to fix that", just remember next time, they is you! You cannot honestly say that your bike alone has had no negative impact on the condition of the trail. Denial is such a transparent and ugly thing. To those of you who use the trails but have not contributed at a scheduled trail work-day ...in the immortal words of Gomer Pyle: "Shame ... Shame ... Shame!" Showing up for one work-day this year won't kill you. It will, however, relieve that guilty tug, and what's more ... you will find out that it is fun after all. Why do you think the same people keep coming back? Where do you think "Gossip Trail" got its name? The "trail crew" might be talking about you so show up and defend yourself. I propose that every mountain biker, BUMPSTER or not, work a scheduled BUMP work-day at least one day a year. Consider it your "sweat equity" in the trail. Of course if you are a BUMP member, I have your phone number and you can expect a nice pleasant phone call or message from me or other BUMP henchmen employing the latest in psychological techniques to beg, plead or cajole a little of your precious time to repair the damage you just know you caused. What me, skid my tires? Ride on a muddy day? You know you did it. Confess! What I want is for each BUMP Member to pledge to be there for at least one scheduled trail work-day in the next 12 months. When you finally show up for a trail work-day (and we've been waiting), you will enjoy it so much you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

andif youcan moveup, you'll get morefor your morey in tenus of ariOO--andthat's just whalit feelslike 0000 you stan. I am a lillielessrervous at the starlinglineeach time becauseI know that whileI try to do my best-which is hopefullybetterthan at least some of my fellowcompetiLOrs--we'reallin it together,and we're in it forfun Women in mountain bike racing make out like bandits. That little fact keeps me comingback. Evenin the "Muddog",when I sloggedin last in beginnerwomen, there were only three of us, and I got the third place prize...a set of bar ends complimentsof Cahaba Cycles. In anolher rather smallrace, I came in ftrst in sJX)rt women (being the only woman there) and won a cool Avocet computer and some otherneatodo-<1<Kls. The problemI can seethat migIuariseis thatracepromoterswill provide for less places and lesser prizes for women unless we start showing up. Already,meninracingreceivehigher(XJISes andprizes,whichinthe caseof largerraces and pro racingis simplybecausethe competitionis mind-boggling. Men takeracing more seriouslyand consequentlythey are taken moreseriously,but as we knowfrom the exampleci Juli Furtadoand manyothertalentedfemaleracers,womencanexcelin this sJX)rLWe need to get in there and showsome sUpJX)rL A goodrace to shoal for is the fall Maddogin Springville,Alabamaon November 12th. ThereseBynumand Tearn Magicdo a thoroughlyprofessionaljob in organizingandrunningthisrace,but it's stillsmallenoughto nQlbe overwhelmingto a first-timeracer. All yourfriendsin BUMP willbe thereto cheeryou on. SUPJX)rt of racing in the Southeast insures the growth of our sJX)rt, which will serveto increasethecloutof mountainbikingin termsof landaccessissuesand multi usetraiJuseissues. It wouldalsobe beneficialto havemoreracesheldin Alabamaand neighboringstatesjust to makeit logisticallyeasierto attendandparticipate.Thereare ~y twoOO!Jlble racesbeingheldyearlyin theSoutheast.TIc firstistheSpecialized CactusCup in Athens,Georgia,October 14th-16th,whichdraws many pros and top exp;:nracers. Youcanexpectto seeSylviaFurstandNedOvercndtrere forsure. Even more exciting is the NORBA National Championship Series Race #1 in Helen, Georgia in May, 1995. All the pros are there, and you will be participatingwith at least 2,500 of your fellow mountain bike enthusiastsfrom all over the country. To top it all off, the OlympicCommiuee has made the unprecedenteddecisionto make cross country mountainbike racing an Olympic Medal event for the 1996Summer Olympicsin Atlanta,Georgia Conyers,Georgia willbe the sitefor the world's first OlympicmountainbikingcrosscounI1)'race. This WO!1<krful development,in concert with our support of local racing, will put our little ole Southeast on the mountain bikingmap,whichat presentis dominatedby the West. The mostimJX)rtant thingI haveto sayaboutracingis thatin orderto keepit flID and to be surethatit willcontirmeto be an enhancingexperience,wehave to maintain a proper perspective. To put it succinctly-race not to win but to learn. Always remember,wren you sign up, you get a cool tee-shirt

SMOOTHER

BIKES

1910 11th St., So. Birmingham. AL 35205

~lli@

GR

I N D ER

Whgi'~ Up WUh

CgkMcunigin?
by Kenneth Hester
The Oak Mountain Trail Committee, which meets every other month, met on July 13 and was attended by representatives of all user groups except the equestrians. The focus of this meeting was to address park users' concerns about the recent timbering operations in and around the park. Park Manager Hayden Montgomery and Natural Resources Director Carl Scardina made a special appearance to field questions and to express a few concerns of their own. The timbering operations were a direct result of a tornado that briefly visited the park on March 26th of this year. (Not a low impact user!) There are two positive sides to this calamity. The first is that timber prices are high and the timber was actually sold as timber and, not as pulp wood. The second is that the timbered areas will actually be more conducive to supporting wildlife as the trees, shrubs and grasses reseed themselves over the years ahead. The close proximity to the older standing forest will provide a variety of habitat. that would not have been available otherwise for the critters in the park. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One of the issues park users were most concerned about was that there seemed to be excessive cutting of standing trees by the timber contractor. Park offiCials answered these concerns by stating that the timber contract allowed Mclear cutting" only in designated loading areas. Only standing trees that were damaged were to be taken. It would have been impossible for the park officials to have directly supervised every minute of the timbering and admittedly there might have been an occasional tree taken that was not storm damaged. Park officials are satisfied with the timber operation overall, but if anyone has factual information relating to overcutting, they would like to hear from you. The second issue that was addressed was the status of the cleanup operation. There were also concerns voiced that the park officials did not consult the user groups prior to initiating the storm clean-up. The contracted clean-up operations are now complete. Funding for the clean-up was provided from timber sales and funding from FEMA on an 80%/20% split with the Feds paying 80%. There will be sQme grass broadcast on the bare dirt spots, and the forest will be left to itself to reseed trees, shrubs, briars and brambles. Les Miller mentioned that Dry Brook had been run through by skidders and there was a potential of drainage problems. If anything is

done it will be by volunteer forces-the BUMP workday project in August. The main consideration that the park officials face is the continual annual budgetary short-fall that plagues the park system. Did you see the front page of the Birmingham News last week? There are several parks that continue to be a burden on the system and remain open due entirely to the political clout of the district legislators. The approximate $200,000.00 net capitol gain from Oak Mountain's unfortunate tornado event will be channeled back into the statewide park system account. This seems unfair on the surface, but funds from other parks are spent at Oak Mountain when needed. No park is a financial island in this system. The parks are just managing to hold on financially, and there are no funds in sight for needed maintenance projects much less upgrading existing aging facilities. New federal laws including the Americans With Disabilities Act, Clean Water Act, etc ... continue to be passed in D.C. with no funding for implementation. To begin to get a feel for the enormous financial burden the park system faces, first take into consideration that the facilities in our parks were designed and built in the 60's-prior to our new-found consciousness toward people with disabilities. Then add the fact that many of the parks operate their own sewage treatment plants, and are constantly dealing with required increases in effluent quality. Factor in the enormous costs of salaries, utilities, grass cutting, trash collection/disposal, etc... You get the idea. Meeting new requirements and the demands of routine upkeep, although necessary, are not visible to John Q. Public. As a result, our elected representatives show no interest since they can't make a splash by re-roofing buildings, upgrading restrooms, or paving parking lots ... and sewage treatment plants aren't exactly a perennial favorite of the 30 second sound bite either. Do you have a clue now where trail construction and maintenance is located on the fiscal totem pole?

HOW TO JOIN THE BUMP CLUB

It was recently brought to our attention that up until now, nowhere in the GRINDER has there appeared any information on how to join the club. If you are interested in showing support for mountain biking in our area, finding new places to ride and making friends to ride with, then join BUMP. To join you will need to fill out one of our applications which are available at the BUMP meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm at the Hoover Public Library, or you may pick one up at Bob's Bikes, Cahaba Cycles or River Oaks Cycles. The yearly dues for membership is $20.00 per household, $7 of which has gone toward individual memberships to IMBA, the International Mountain Biking Association. For 1995, we will be considering putting that $7 instead toward mailing the GRINDER to all members on a monthly basis.

~lJj@

G R / N /) E R

[alendar of Even t S
August 6th-Saturday 10am. BUMP ride at Oak Mountain. Beginners welcomed, skills instruction from ride leaders available. Meet at south trail head. Call Barry for more info, 987-8510/969-6356. August 7th-Sunday 1Oam. Trail maintenance workday. Meet at the park office on Terrace Drive. Bring water, work-gloves and a snack. September 7th-Wednesday 7pm. BUMP Monthly Meeting at the Hoover Public Library, downstairs in the second meeting room on the left. Dinner afterwards. September 10th & 11th-Camping trip to Tsali, North Carolina. Ride Saturday and optional white water rafting on Sunday. Call Barry, 987-8510.

1()% ()ff All M{)untain

Eik.es In St{)ck. F{)r EUMV Members, Thr{)ul!h The M{)nth ()f AUl!ustt

RaDeS and ~eStivaiS

August 6th-Beach Fork Mountain Bike Race, Cross Country, Huntington West Virginia. (304) 736-0682. August 13th-14th-Mountain Bike Challenge, Snowshoe Resort, West Virginia. (304) 572-1000. August 19th-21 st-3rd Annual Cumberland Mountain Bike Championship, NORBA sanctioned, Oneida, Tennessee. (615) 933-8354. September 1Oth-11th- The Kentucky Open, State Championship. (502) 484-2998. September 17th-16th-Master the Weekend. Snowshoe Resort, West Virginia. 1000. October 14th-16th-Specialized Atlanta, Georgia. (408) 779-6229. Mountain (304) 572Cup,

1410 Montgomery Highway Vestavia, Alabama 35216

979-3460
Remember to tum in your receiptsfor a 5% reimbursement to the BUMP Club!

.')Persof1al s(l
For Sale-BUMP T-Shirts only $10! only $15. See Hugh or call 942-9128. BUMP sweatshirts For Sale-New 14"mountain bike with 24" wheels. Aqua and purple-cool paint job. Eclectic components including XT and LX. $350.00. Call John Hodgkins at 324-0235. Needed-Receipts back to March 1st, 1994, of purchases made by BUMP members at Cahaba Cycles or Bob's Bikes. Please write your name on them, bring them to a meeting or mail to P.O. Box 590061, Birmingham, AL 35259-0061. For Sale-Syncros 1&1/8 Ahead Stem, 150mm, black zero rise. Used only on seven rides. $80.00. Call Juan, 595-245l. For Sale-Brand new Litespeed titanium seat post, 27.2mm/ 300mm. $100.00. Brand new Kooka Crankset (no chainrings) 175mm, gold. $150.00. Call Hardwick, 967-7413.

Cactus

November 12th-Maddog Duathalon and NORBA sanctioned Moutain Bike race, Springville, Alabama, Therese Bynum, 930-0097.

JIIU Slr JI () II~ It II)

Barbara Olsehner Russell Allen Lauren Henderson Bill Reading David Chandler Marshall Pitts Dan Meeks Greg Kilburn John Harrison Perry Burnett Bill Christenberry N aney Brower Laura Harrison

Submissions
Please submit any articles, information or ad copy by the 25th. Write to: The GR! NDR City Office, 5401 9th Ave. S., B'ham 35212. Fax or phone Editor and Chief Hedda Rockhopper at 591-0990. Entire contents 1994 by Jenifer Jackson.

Thanks to our new members for your support of BUMP,. of Mountain Biking in Alabama and of IMBA. We look forward to getting to know you. Our membership now numbers 205.