Every Wed. night at 6:00 PM meeting in the Cajun's Wharf parking lot at the opposite end of the lot from where the restaurant sits. This ride is almost totally on pavement although everyone rides a mtn bike or some version of an urban ride...old mtn bike with fat slicks, single speed Panthers, etc. When we go back to daylight savings time we will move back to Camp Robinson for trail riding. We have had this group together for over 10 years and always welcome new riders. We have a fairly good cross section of abilities and usually a great workout.

The ride starts at 6 from the parking lot there so you may want to arrive by 5:45. See ya there.

Important Meeting this Thursday, December 1 - 7 p.m. at the Oyster Bar, 3003 Markham

1. Report by Skip Rutherford on Plans to Convert the Old Rock Island Railroad Bridge at the Clinton Presidential Center to a Bicycle-pedestrian Bridge.

Skip Rutherford, president of the Clinton Foundation, will talk about the plans to convert the old Rock Island Railroad Bridge at the Clinton Presidential Center to a bicycle-pedestrian bridge. Conversion of the bridge is critical to completion of the River Trail loop that will include the Trail on both sides of the Arkansas River with the Murray Lock & Dam Bridge & Clinton Presidential Center Bridge spanning the river on the west & east ends. As all BACA members know at this point, the Trail & bridges will serve as important icons for the quality of life in Central Arkansas. It is vitally important that Skip & the administration of the Clinton Presidential Center know of the community support for the bridge conversion & of our willingness to help. Please attend to show your support for the bridge conversion.

There will also be the usual updates on developments of interest to BACA members & guest, including an update on BACA's position on the move to open the Arkansas River Trail to vehicular traffic.

2. A Fun BACA Event - Ride in the Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade & Help Promote BACA

Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas is sponsoring an entry in the Little Rock Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade. Decorate your bike & join in the festivities or join in the festivities with an undecorated bike, but please join in. Participants begin assembling at 2:00 PM at Arch Street & Broadway with the parade beginning at 3 PM. For more information see the following links: www.bacar.org and http://www.littlerock.com/holiday_parade/. As always helmets are required. BACA members are encouraged to wear their BACA shirts. Note: You can purchase battery powered Christmas Lights from local stores, including Garden Ridge. They run on two C cells. Let your imagination run wild when decorating your bike.

Thanks.
Ken Gould, President Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas

Ken Gould
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
William H. Bowen School of Law
1201 McMath Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72202-5142
Phone: Office - 501-324-9952; Home - 501-225-5343
Fax: 501-324-9992
Email: ksgould@ualr.edu

Aw yeah...new Camp ride starting Dec 3rd, sponsered by Chainwheel....check it out now (scroll near bottom)!

And don't forget the "Bikes For Tykes"! Help us provide bicycles for area kids this Christmas. Our 8th annual bike drive is going on Dec 1st thru the 22nd. We will take serviceable bikes and turn them into great gifts for children. Drop your bikes off at Chainwheel and receive a form to claim your donation on your taxes.

Thank you in advance and Merry Christmas.

Aw yeah...you know the drill. Once those turkey sandwiches start getting old, hop on the Mt. Bike, head to Camp and then return and crank up some Linguine Carbonara baby! Here's the recipe: ================================================= Linguine Carbonara ================================================= Carbonara, is a Roman way of saucing pasta. It always includes pancetta, eggs, and a good Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This one calls for Spelt pasta. This wonderful pasta is more flavorful than the ordinary kind, and it contains a whole lot more in the way of fiber and protein for that post Mt Biking recovery food. 2 cups water 2/3 cup frozen green peas 1/3 pound fine quality pancetta, cut into thin slices and diced 1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced 3 cups Alfredo sauce 2 eggs 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 pound spelt linguine Bring the water to a boil over high heat using a medium saucepan. Drop the peas in the boiling water for about one minute and then immediately strain off the liquid. Rinse with cold water. In a small sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the pancetta until brown. Strain the oil off of the pancetta, taking care to reserve about one tablespoon. Place the reserved oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they wilt. In a medium stockpot, combine the alfredo sauce, the eggs, the cheese, pancetta, mushrooms, and the green peas. Heat over medium, stirring until all of the ingredients are well mixed. Toss the sauce with the cooked linguine and serve immediately. Garnish with parsley. The Chef says...what a combination! HAPPY CARP THANKSGIVING :-)

Man picked up for the Hit and Run killing of Jason Pratt!

The River Trail Car Issue Archived here. Thanks Ron!

Korea's Business Federation Supports Bicycle Commuting!

Check out the Arkansas Times Blog here about the River Trail Car issue with Ken's initial comments (scroll down about 1/4 of the way down the page)...post your comments.

Scott Warren has announced a change

"After close to twelve years I am stepping aside effective immediately from Javelin Cycles and Zero Components. I wish my former colleagues all the best.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed along the way.

Scott Warren
Javelin
1203 N. Pine
N. Little Rock, AR 72114
www.javbike.com

Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas,

PLEASE NOTE - VERY IMPORTANT MEETING - 7 p.m. Thursday, November 3 at the Oyster Bar, 3003 Markham - On the agenda: One Item of Critical Importance; One Item of Great Interest (i.e. - the program), & Don't Forget - Our Regular Monthly Item for the Benefit of Fun & Fitness:

(1) Action to Open River Trail from the Murray Lock & Dam to the I-430 Bridge to Automobile & Truck Traffic.
(2) Program - Mountain Biking & Mountain Biking Advocacy in Central Arkansas;
(3) First Fridays Bike to Work this Friday

(1) Move to Open River Trail from the Murray Lock & Dam to the I-430 Bridge to Automobile & Truck Traffic:

We have learned that there is a move afoot to open the River Trail from the Murray Lock & Dam to the I-430 Bridge to automobile & truck traffic (the section of the Trail that crosses Jimerson Creek by the bicycle pedestrian bridge). This is apparently a very serious undertaking by the powers behind the move & will require an all out advocacy effort by BACA members, all bicyclists & other trail users, & every citizen of the community who appreciates the incredible value that the River Trail brings to our community. This is the portion of the River Trail approved by the voters of Little Rock at the election in November of 1992. The petition calling for that election stated that the voters approval of the Trail project was to:

_Prohibit construction on an automobile bridge across Jimerson Creek, west of Murray Lock and Dam.
_Prohibit the city from spending more money to build a road to connect River Mountain Road on the west and Rebsamen Park Road on the east.
_Dedicate a roadway already constructed in the area between Jimerson-Creek and River Mountain Road for nonvehicular use only.
_Specify that any bridge built across Jimerson Creek be for non-vehicular use only.

At the time of the dedication of the Jimerson Creek Bridge in 1997, the Democrat/Gazette reported that, Little Rock voters held a referendum in 1992 that scrapped the road extension project for good. Please attend Thursday's BACA meeting to show your support for the Trail & to discuss how we (that's you) can help save this jewel that is beyond value to our community & insure that the citizens of Little Rock are not disenfranchised by the desires of the few who would act in opposition to the expressed will of the people.

(2) Program - Mountain Biking & Mountain Biking Advocacy in Central Arkansas:
This will be the first BACA program devoted exclusively to mountain biking & mountain biking advocacy. We are fortunate to have Central Arkansas's two greatest resident experts on the subject. They are BACA Board member Basil Hicks & Gary Lamb, two of the most influential & knowledgeable members of C.A.R.P., who were in on the development of that premiere mountain biking organization from the beginning. Even if you don't mountain bike, the program should be of great general interest. Salute all that Basil & Gary have done to promote mountain biking by attending the meeting.

(3) DON'T FORGET - THIS FRIDAY MORNING:

FIRST FRIDAYS BIKE TO WORK AND - OR BREAKFAST AT THE RIVER MARKET

Bike from the I-430 Bridge & the River Trail at the foot of River Mountain Road to the Downtown Little Rock River Market at 6:30 a.m. this Friday (& the first Friday of every month). To participate in First Fridays Bike to Work you need only show up & be ready to ride. The rides are very informal. THERE IS NO POLICE ESCORT, NO TRANSPORT FOR CLOTHING, NO PLACE TO LOCK UP YOUR BIKE (at the River Market there are bike racks to which your bike could be locked), NO EXTRA SECURITY FOR CARS LEFT IN THE PARKING LOTS, ETC. In short, no services, security, or support other than the group ride itself. Of course, participation does not require that you actually bike to work downtown. Some participants bike to breakfast at the River Market & then return.

Hope to see you there. For details....
Call Ken Gould:
H - 225-5343
W - 324-9952
e-mail -lanskygould@comcast.net

(NOTE! We ride the first Friday of every month but not in rain, snow or if the streets are icy.) Hope to see you at the meeting.

Ken

BY CELIA STOREY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Cyclists don’t master the skills needed to enjoy a tightly packed bunch without a good measure of personal confidence. As a group, they can stroll through life with a certain ease, a certain air about them. But for Gary Lamb of the Central Arkansas Recreational Pedalers and the dudes he bikes with on the Arkansas River Trail, “air” wasn’t the precise term after a recent ride. “Aroma” would be more like it. “There were about eight or nine of us that morning,” Lamb remembers. It was early, not yet 6 a.m., and the pack was headed from Murray Lock & Dam toward downtown Little Rock. “We were flying around 20 or 21 mph, doublefile, drafting off each other. It was a pretty tight pack,” Lamb says. “All of the sudden, the two lead riders brake and start to swerve all over, which of course caused the next two guys to brake and swerve. “Now I have to brake and swerve.” He felt “something big” go under his tires. Because of the hour and proximity to a park, he immediately thought, “Skunk.” “Just then Joe Cossich, who was right on my back tire, ran into me, and it looked like everyone would go to the ground,” he says. But “somehow nobody fell, and we just kept going. “At this point you might think we should go check on whatever I hit, but the skunk had been confirmed by the first two riders, and you don’t just walk up to a skunk to check on the ‘little fella.’ “So we rode on to the house.” That’s where the extent of the damage made itself known. Although the cyclists had not checked on the skunk, the skunk had checked them. “My whole garage stunk to high heaven,” Lamb says. “But poor ol’ Joe got his foot and shoe sprayed and nearly missed a whole day of work trying to get rid of that awful smell.” Lamb was able to solve his problem simply by washing his bicycle, but Cossich washed his leg with vinegar, poured tomato juice on it and “rubbed, scrubbed with soap and water and was still banished to the outside for most of the day,” Lamb says. Cossich soaked his shoes in soapy water laced with vinegar for two days. After that they smelled OK, but a month later, he still isn’t bringing them into his house. This group of cyclists meets weekly to ride the same trail, but now, Lamb says, “we call doublefile, tight-pack, fast drafting ‘full skunk formation.’”

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B.THORNTON Gary Lamb (front)was recently “skunked” while riding with his pals (from left) Trey Williams, David Nutt, Rick Del Donno and Ron Daugherty.

From ABC's forums....
Today, myself and a select group of dedicated cyclists met with Bryan Day of Little Rock and started the planning process to bring the Arky 100 back to Little Rock for 2006. After leaving the meeting I felt more than a little excited. By all accounts, the city is willing to take over the ride and help develop it into a first class event. We discussed several options, among them a road race, mountain bike race and making the Arky a weekend long special event. We put together a steering committee and we will start the process of mapping routes and finding a date for the ride.

The main goal for this move is to make the Arky 100 a ride the caliber of the Hotter N'Hell or Ride for the Roses. Without the help of a large municipality like Little Rock, this is never going to happen. I will keep everyone informed as the planning progresses.
_________________
Ian