Febuary 6 & 7 Trail work day

Last weekend was great, 3 new friends of the trail, Meme Hughes, Gram (Patrick Rehab) and Casey Harmon, who just renewed his trail membership, all came out to see what all the fuss was about, and all three are hooked now. New bridge is still in the works, and we have a few new trail sponsors, Bob Ashby (Ashby’s Hardware) donated a heavy duty hoe and Lincoln paving donated 4-5 tons of crusher run for the trail. We might have a Greenway yet. Next trail work day Febuary 6&7 8-12 a.m., hopefully in March we can have a 5k trail run to break in the new trail.

Elk River Trail workday

January 2, Trail workday on the Elk River Trail
8:00am anyone ready to start the new year off with volunteering their time or just walking what will be 3 miles of public mountain biking and walking trail in Fayetteville along the Elk River. Please RSVP so we can have enough food at noon for everyone. Again come to work or just walk and see with your own eyes what we are going to have when the trail is completed in June.
931-438-1777
rkfreeman68@yahoo.com

Kevin Freeman

Poland to Fayetteville, TN

Polish couple bikes across the world; makes stop here
Laurie Pearson, Staff Writer


A Fayetteville family recently hosted an adventurous young couple from Poland, whose goal is to cycle their way around the world.

Ania Kozhowska, 25, and Kris Gasior, 28, left Poland Aug. 16.

"We want to start basic life again," said Ania, in slightly broken English.

"My personal goal is to meet good people in the world and for adventure," she said, noting that they both want to see new places.

This is not their first tour. Ania said they started cycling 10 years ago. Their first cycling trip was around Poland.

"And we fell in love with bicycles," she said.

The two met in their hometown of Goleniow, in northwest Poland.

Over the past several years, they have cycled through Germany, Sweden, Norway, Lapland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

In August, they cycled from Poland to London, England, then took a flight to Halifax, Canada. It was a tiring seven-hour flight to the Halifax airport. Once they landed, the couple reassembled their bicycles at the airport and prepared for the next leg of their journey.

From Sept. 1 through Oct. 8, Ania and Kris bicycled through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, enjoying the beautiful forests, rivers and lakes. They rode through the Appalachian Mountains with the wind, more times than not, blowing in their faces.

While riding through Canada, they stopped in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls. And while their $7 per day (for food, bike parts, etc.) budget doesn’t afford them much more than bread and jam for meals, they have been fortunate many days to meet kindly people who will buy them a meal or invite them to stay overnight in their homes and provide them with a warm meal.

Other times, they’ve had to pitch a tent along the way, even when the weather is cold and rainy. Like the night in upstate New York after they cycled all day to run from the forecasted, only to spend the night in their tent in a field next to some railroad tracks.

Fortunately, a website Warmshowers.org hooks up touring cyclists, when possible, with sponsors that allow them to stop and take a warm shower. Occasionally, their location corresponds with a sponsor’s home.

From upstate New York, they cycled to New York City, which they described in their blog as "huge, busy and terrifying."

Ania and Kris generally cycle 50 to 60 miles per day, but sometimes take a day to rest, sightsee or watch a concert.

From New York, they traveled to Philadelphia, saw the Liberty Bell, city hall and the steps Sylvester Stallone ran up in the movie "Rocky."

Their next goal was to see Washington D.C., which they considered the best, big city in the U.S.A., because of its malls, museums, landmarks and beautiful bike routes.

In Virginia, they once again headed toward the Appalachian Mountains, nature and fresh air. The cyclists crossed the mountains through the Shenandoah Valley and did some hiking.

Ania and Kris, country music fans, looked forward to arriving in Tennessee. They refer to Nashville as "the little big city". While there, they managed to listen to some country music.

While riding through Fayetteville last week, the couple was spotted on the Huntsville Highway by Kevin Freeman, a local resident with a passion for bicycling. He said that he saw they were serious about traveling and invited them to stay with his family that evening.

Once Ania and Kris reach the southern coast, they plan to bicycle through Mexico, then Venezuela, through the Amazon and Argentina and then … "the rest of the world."

January 2, Trail workday on the Elk River Trail

8:00am anyone ready to start the new year off with volunteering their time or just walking what will be 3 miles of public mountain biking and walking trail in Fayetteville along the Elk River. Please RSVP so we can have enough food at noon for everyone. Again come to work or just walk and see with your own eyes what we are going to have when the trail is completed in June.

http://cyclingfreak.ning.com/page/trails-4k-1

December on the Trail

Lots of birds on the trail in December, Geese, Ducks, Hawks, King Fishers, Blue Herons, song birds, I mowed an area across the creek on the new Elk River Trail, so we can view Hawks and Owls hunting. The trail has been getting lots of attention from Farris; she has planted tulips along the trail and installed a bench on the Leopard Frog Loop. White Oak seedlings were planted last week around the Trail Head.

This trail can't be done soon enough!

Tina and I walked, what will soon be the Elk River Trail, this trail will blow peoples mind's with it's beauty. Wildlife everywhere and wild sweetwilliam still blooming. It's killing me not to start on it tomorrow, still lots of sponsors and lose ends to tie up before January 2, the official first workday on the new trail

The Paint Store

Thanks to Reggie, the owner of The Paint Store here in Fayetteville, he donated all the paint that is needed to paint trail markers so everyone will know what trail is what and which way to go. Green, Yellow, and Red paint to signify the difficulty of the trail. He even through in a $9 brush. Please support the bussinesses that are making this trail possible.
2009-2010 Sponsors
Planet Bike
Hammer Nutrition
The Paint Store
Paper House
La Fuente Mexican Restaurant
Little Caesars
Pendergrass Supply and Rental
Fayetteville Parks and Rec
The City of Fayetteville
Cline Towing

November 16, 2009

The trail is maturing, different people are walking and riding the trail daily. Audrey and I planted White Oaks and Hemlocks this week along with lots of wildflower seeds. Water lilly's and a wood duck box have also been seen on the kids trail.

Elk River Trail 2010

They all voted yes, success, I can't believe that we are going to have a bicycle trail on the Elk River. Thanks to everyone who backed me on this, the 6 Alderman and Mr. Lee, and friends of the trail and sponsors.

Saturday October 10 on our trail

Should have stayed in bed this morning, but I didn't. Got to the trail early so I could finish the sign for the new Elk River Trail, but before I could get around the lake I had gotten stuck. Up to my eyes in mud, I asked a few people for help, one guy said $50 and he would do it. So I waited and finally called my wife to confess. She called Cline Towing and they saved the day, talk about helping a friend in need.... people still do that kind of thing.

Elk River Trail

Great news, looks like the Elk River Trail is going to happen. 2 Hours in a meeting this morning and no opposition. Cross your fingers

Today's the Big Day!

Will they (Alderman) see what a community changing project the Elk River Trail could be, or will they think of only the negatives, floods, trash, etc. The positives will far outway any negatives the projest will bring to the City of Fayetteville. Planet Bike, Pendergrass Supply and Rental, Little Ceasarsnd many other companies

Trails for kids

Febuary 2009, six kids and myself (The Freak) started on what would soon be the first, and the only public mountain bike trail in Lincoln County. March 17 more kids came and put time into this trail. April locals were starting to use the trail for walking and by June other families had noticed the bicycles streaking through the woods. August the trail is done, Trail Head sign completed, time to ride and race on this jewel that we call Lions Club Bicycle Trail (Trails for Kids). 2010 we, friends of the Trail will start on phase 2, 4 more miles on the Elk River.

How to grow a bicycle culture!

Was It Really That Easy?I live in a small town of 17,000, bicycling has never been the in sport in this community. I grew up in east Tennessee and cycling was my passion at the age of 14 when I completed my first century in 6 hours and 42 minutes. Soon I started racing and in 1989 won the Tennessee State Road Race. A couple of years racing against professionals like Alex Steida, "First North American to where the yellow jersey", and Jim Copeland had me in the best shape of my life. Tragedy soon happened, when my mother found out she had lung cancer, she was my biggest fan; she died October 17, 1994. The only thing that kept me going was that earlier that year I became a father. I took Hunter for long rides in his baby seat thinking he would soon be hooked on cycling. I bought Hunter his first racing bicycle when he was 9. Two years of racing and he had lost interest. None of his friends rode bicycles or their bicycles were broken. In 2006 I got permission to build 10 miles of mountain bike trails on private property. I finished in 2007 and helped the landowner with two National Calendar 12 hour Endurance Races. Tinker, Nat Ross, and 600 mountain bike racers converged on Fayetteville to ride the trails I built for my kids. Still no success, kids just were not riding their bikes. Then in August of 2008 I figured it out. I would open my own shop; fix all the bicycles in Fayetteville, start kids group rides on the weekend, and work with local school administrators to offer incentives to kids who rode their bike to and from school. Well let's just say it worked, I opened a shop in my garage, fixed 15 bicycles the first week,” kids 16 and under are free", took 15 boys on a group ride with my son Hunter, I'm shooting a bicycle safety and repair video for all the kids that attend schools in Lincoln County, and on October 3rd I'm working with two bicycle companies to give incentives to kids who ride their bicycle to school on that day. Was it really that easy? It really was, I had tried everything from cutting 10 miles of mountain bike trails to making my kids ride with me. All I had to do was fix their bikes and take them on an adventure that was easy. The 6 boys I took on a 15 mile bike ride this morning were still riding this afternoon, they’re hooked. Success!
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Be the Change you want to see!

Why don’t we have… how come we don’t, that what most people say their whole life. That what I said until I realized that change starts with me. Not elected officials, Volunteers, citizens who are so passionate about their cause that it’s contagious. Growing up in east Tennessee (Knoxville) I rode my bicycle everywhere, in 1982 I rode my first century in 6 hours and 42 minutes, I was 14. Bicycling was part of the culture back then or at least that was how everyone got around to save money. All through High school and two years of college if I went somewhere it was on my bike. Touring was soon replaced by racing and I traveled all over the country to little towns in Wisconsin, Ohio, Alabama, North Carolina and California and I started saying the phrase, “Why don’t we have and How come we don’t”. Bicycle lanes, shops, races, and bicycle paths (greenways), why were these things so important in some communities and not in mine. Well Knoxville soon caught up with the rest of the world, bicycle shops in every community, races every weekend, and greenways popping up everywhere. I moved to Fayetteville in December of 1995, married and had 8 month old son (Hunter), east Tennessee couldn’t hold a flame to the beauty that I saw while riding my bike in Lincoln County. Shade covered roads, deer and turkey everywhere, this was a bicyclist utopia. I would ride loops through Coldwater, Taft, Booneshill, and Mimosa and just couldn’t believe there weren’t more people taking in the beauty that Lincoln County had to offer. There was one guy that I heard rode a lot but was warned that people might think I was him and run me over thinking I was that cocky attorney Ray Fraley. 10 years I rode around Lincoln County, met that attorney Ray Fraley, even rode a few long rides with him and even heard him say, “Why don’t we have and how come we don’t”, and nothing seemed to change but a few shopping centers and housing developments. Where were all the bicycle riders, this was an Olympic sport, what was the deal. In 2006 I started working on some mtn bike trails so my family and I would have a place to hike and ride mtn bikes. 10 miles and 12 months later two families had the first and only bicycle trails in the History of Lincoln County. Next thing you know Dirt, Sweat, and Gears. The race was a success, in two years The race has raised $4000.00 for two charities. Locals talked about it and joked about it, but you also heard that phase, “why don’t we have and how come we don’t”, these trails are private so we still didn’t have a place the community that you could hike for 4 hours or ride our bicycles with our kids without the fear of being run over or getting lost. Starting in the fall of 2008 I’m promoting the sport of bicycling by hosting,”Beat the Freak Cyclocross Series” in Fayetteville Tennessee. The word freak was given to me by that attorney I was warned about. It use to bother me when I here my bicycle buddies scream across the square,” Freak”, then I realized I was part of a community that most people don’t understand, they would ask why would you ride a bike when you could drive a car, or I would here I use to ride a bike to school.
So since I was still riding my bike at age 40, I was a freak. Well there are a lot of freaks in this world and a few are going to visit Fayetteville this fall. October 18,19 25,26 & November 22,23 bicyclist from all over the south will converge on Fayetteville to race cyclocross. Cyclocross is a bicycle race on a one mile loop, usually in a park, that last up to one hour. Seven racing divisions from professional (CX 1,2) to CX 4(beginner) and Juniors( kids 10-18) and of course women(CX 1-4), races start at 9:30am and end around 3:00 pm. Three weekends, six races, the bicycle riding population is about to explode in Fayetteville. 100% of the money raised from this event will be donated To what I think is the most important charity of all, “Our Youth” in our community, specifically the Lincoln County High school Band, Lincoln County High school Cross Country Team and Bicycle Advocacy in Lincoln County. Hopefully proceeds from future events can go to projects like, Norris Creek Greenway, or free bicycle repair clinics for our youth in the community. Hopefully this race series and many future events will deafen those words,” Why don’t we have and how come we don’t”. A leader in our community said to me recently, change starts me. It doesn’t take an army.