This might be of interest to some or all of you in the trail world. I for one believe strongly that the Roadless Area Conservation Rule was a very important measure to protect some beautiful wilderness for our future. If you agree you can sign the petition at the link below.

American Hiking believes that:
America's last roadless National Forests belong to each and every American and all our remaining roadless areas should be protected, completely and permanently through reinstatement of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule of 2001.

Join the Petition....If you agree with the statement above, please join your fellow Americans and sign the petition TODAY!
AHS Petition. It's quick, easy, and can help ensure our pristine National Forests remain wild for future generations. A petition with all of the signatures will be presented to President Bush and the Department of Agriculture. Additionally, a copy of the petition will be delivered to your Governor. We need citizens from every state and all walks of life to sign the petition and join the effort to protect our last wild forests. Please take a moment and forward the petition around and help us generate many more signatures.

Click here to learn more about this issue.

Ian Hope

Fellow Cyclists,

Chainwheel is hosting the Cannondale Factory Demo Truck on Sunday, October 16th @ 3P until 6P.

This is a great opportunity to climb aboard a 2006 Cannondale model and give it a proper test ride rather than the typical parking lot cruise!
Chainwheel is located @ I-430 and Rodney Parham Rd in the Colony West Shopping Center and just a few pedal strokes away from the Millenium Trail or Reservoir Park's trails.

Please bring a picture id, helmet and cycling shoes and help us welcome Cannondale to our store.

Following the demo, we will host our CARVE Pro Night. We hope that anyone interested in seeing what our club is about will stay after the demo for fellowship, food, and fun.

Ride On,

Patrick Barron
patrick@chainwheel.com

Aw Yeah....Cannondale's Demo Truck is back Sunday 10/16/05 at Chainwheel. Come ride the 2006 road and mountain bikes from 3P to 5:30P. We're a quick cruise to Reservoir Park's offroad trails as well as the Arkansas River Trail.

Next BACA Meeting - NOVEMBER 3rd, 7:00 PM., OYSTER BAR, 3003 W. Markham

Board Member Basil Hicks will discuss mountain biking and the advocacy issues associated with mountain biking. This issue is not only of importance to mountain bikers, but to all trail users. Please plan on attending the meeting to find out what is available for mountain bikers and other trail users and what we can do to promote mountain biking and trail development. We will have updates on items of interest to all attendees.

ALLSOPP Park users and supporters…
Thursday, October 27th, we will be cleaning up Hillcrest and Allsopp Park! Come join us for a short evening of community service as we get ready to celebrate Harvest Fest! We will be cutting back vegetation and picking up trash within the Park and along Kavanaugh.

* Time: 4:30pm until dark
* Meeting Place: Meet at the pavilion across from the soft ball field
* Provided: Trash bags and refreshments
* Bring: Work gloves & long pants/sleeves

The project is sponsored by LR Parks & Recreation and the Hillcrest Residents Association. Come help take care of one of Little Rock's premier parks and one of the greatest neighborhoods! For more information, call 350-1540.

Please pass this info onto anyone you think might want to help out.

Gary

Aw Yeah.....Commuter Groups organize!....check out this article over at CNN...

THIS FRIDAY - EXTRA SPECIAL FIRST FRIDAYS BIKE TO WORK

IF YOU HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT BIKING TO WORK DOWNTOWN - THIS IS THE FRIDAY TO TRY IT

Thanks to the efforts of Andy Pearson & Pat Riley, owner of the Downtown Athletic Club, the Club will be open for free to First Fridays Bike to Work participants to use the facility for showers & storing clothing after the ride. You will also be welcome to lock your bike to the railing at the Club's parking deck (I will bring a few extra cables & locks if you need a loaner). If you like this service, you can join the club as a locker room member for $20 a month & rent a locker for a month for an extra $10. The Club is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's on the eighth floor of the Stephens Building parking deck at Markham & Louisiana Streets (an elevator will take you & your bike to the 8th floor). Even though I have a shower & locker room facility at work, I plan to take advantage of the shower facility just to see what its like & to be able to tell other BACA members & bicyclists about it. I encourage everyone to give it a try for the same reasons & to show your support for Andy's & Pat's efforts, even if you won't actually be biking to work downtown. In addition, we may receive press coverage for the event.

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

Ken
******************************************************
Saturday - Oct 15th
Every Cyclist is welcome to come to the first Better Life Counseling Center’s Ride for a Better Life. The Better Life Counseling Center is a non-profit organization that provides Christian counseling to families, couples and individuals based on their ability to pay. The money raised in this event will go to the Samaritan Fund that helps pay for the services that our clients receive. The course is about 62 miles of rolling hills on scenic Crowley’s Ridge near Jonesboro, AR. There will also be a 10 and 25 mile course.

The ride will begin and end at the offices of the Better Life Counseling Center which is located at the Southwest Church of Christ, behind the YMCA on Nettleton Avenue in Jonesboro, AR. Registration, Pancake Breakfast, and Packet Pickup will start at 8:00 am. The ride will start promptly at 9:00 am. There will be several rest stations along the way with complimentary drinks and food. There will be ice cream at the end of the event. All riders will receive free items from our sponsors.

The fee for Riding is $30.00 in Advance or $40.00 on day of event. Download the form here and join us for some rocking North East Arkansas riding!

Gary
********************************************************

Charlie sent this note if your up in the Batesville area for a road-ride on Sunday Oct 9th:

The temperature is really getting nice for bike riding. The White River Medical Center Cycling Club is hosting a social ride this Sunday afternoon - Oct 9, at 1:30 PM. This is an opportunity for Batesville Mt. View and Mt. Home riders to get to know other local cyclist. This is intended to be a Sunday afternoon ride in every sense of the word. We will leave the Batesville Department of Health and Human services office at 1:30 PM and ride east on Hwy 69 to Oil Trough and Back. That is a total of about 30 miles. Since it is an out and back ride, you can ride fewer miles if you chose. There is an 8 ft wide shoulder for much of the ride. The pavement is good. There is only one small hill in the ride.
To get to the Department of Health and Human Services office, take Hwy 69 (Harrison St) east from the Wal-Mart Super Center about 1.5 miles, you will see a large tan brick building with a green steel roof on the right, that is it. There is plenty of parking.

See you at 1:30.
Charlie