FROM YOUR PREZ

Happy October everyone! I want to start off my column telling everyone who could not make it on the Tsali trip in North Carolina what an incredible time we had! Friday night a few of us had dinner (Sherpa Rice) in Nantahala. Saturday everyone met at the Tsali trail and we proceed to experience Johnson and Mouse loops for a combined total of about 15 miles. It was truly awesome, perhaps the greatest scenery I've ever ridden in. Afterwards most of us went back to camp for lunch and a cold swim in Lake Fontana. Saturday evening, we had R&R. ...dinner around the campfire ....and then crashed. Sunday morning we packed up and half the group met at the Namahala Outdoor Center (NOG) where we rented rafts and took an 8 mile white water trip down the Nantahala River. Talk about scenery and cold water .. I would not have missed it for anything! I would like to take the time to share with you some accomplishments of BUMP over the past year..things we have done for the community and for our members as well. First of all we successfully completed our 17 mile mountain bike loop at Oak Mountain State Park. Many, many thanks to all who contributed their precious time over the years! BUMP has also gotten involved in trail access projects, Le. Bankhead National Forest, Rockford and Brompton, etc. We scheduled a number of planned ridesltrips to Sandrock, AL, Trenton, GA, and Helen, GA for the National Championship series to name a few. We have always made a strong effort to bring you fun and educational presentations at the monthly meetings. We helped with educational seminars at Birmingham Sports and more recently at Bob's Bikes. As far as membership goes, we have increased it by nearly 150% because of membership drives and Trail Day events. We all have been working hard to upgrade our little club and by Gosh, we've done it! BUMP always has been open to suggestions and comments as to how we might do even better. I mean, after all, this is your club ... Please let us know what more we can do to strengthen our club. Membership in BUMP expires on November 30th of each year at midnight. Membership dues are payable at the November monthly meeting which will be November 2nd this year. This serves two purposes: 1.) You must be a paid up member in order to vote in the December elections, 2.) it provides a lump sum from which the Board of Directors can budget the next year's projects and expenditures. Some of you joined BUMP late in the year and as a result those individuals membership dues will be reduced as set out below. If you joined late in the year, find your name below and find the corresponding renewal dues. We hope all present BUMP members re-join. Your dues go to a good cause and you can actually save money by joining in that you get a 10% discount on all accessories purchased at Bob's Bikes, Cahaba Cycles, and River Oaks Cycles.

THE FOLLOWING NAMES ARE OF BUMP MEMBERS WHO JOINED BETWEEN APRIL 6TH AND JULY 5TH AND RENEWAL IS $15 FOR 1995:
CARL ROBERTS MICHAEL POLLARD SARAHPATION TRAVIS FOWLER CONNOR MCVEY JIM YEAL Y RANDY CARLETON KAREN BALLIET JOSH BURNS KEN PINKERTON KEVIN MCCAIN AUGUSTA CASH MELISSA DURRETT ELL YN GAGNON JOHN PEARSON STEVE YORK LARRY STANLEY WALLYRETAN LISA FOWLER JOHN OTTO MEtR TOM COSBY VICKI CARLETON SAM JOVINGS KATHY BURNS MARK WILCOXEN LAURA BASS RALPH CASH JOHN GOBER III BEVERLY POWELL INGER KING WILLIAM SUMMERS VIRGINIA POWELL JOSIE CASEY DEANNA MCVEY L1NDAMEIR GAIL COSBY MICHAEL BALLIET KIM JOVINGS MARLEEN PINKERTON PAUL DVORAK GARY WIL TNOT HEATH GOEBEL A.L. GAGNON TODD FRENCH STEPHEN MCCONNEL

THE FOLLOWING NAMES ARE OF BUMP MEMBERS WHO JOINED BETWEEN JULY 6TH AND OCTOBER 2ND AND RENEWAL COST IS $10 FOR 1995:
KEN CATER MARSHALL RUSSELL ALLEN BILL READING NANCY BROWER STEVE POWELL DAVID CHANDLER BRENT MARSHALL LORI KING ALiSA SCOFIELD

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ELECTIONS IN DECEMBER
Under BUMP's bylaws two Board of Directors positions will become available at December's elections held at next month's meeting. Also under those bylaws BUMP officers are no longer elected yearly by members. The Board of Directors each year appoint the officers from the Board of Directors. We believe this system will work well in that first of all, you elect who you want on the Board of Directors. They are your workhorses you have elected to run the day to day affairs of the Club, sweat the details, and try to serve the needs of its members. The "Workhorses" then decide which "horse" will take what position on the team. (continue on page 2)

JEFF KING PERRY BURNETT DAN MEEKS JOHN HARRISON LAURA HARRISON JO MUDD R B TURNSULL WILL LUCKETT SHAWN WRIGHT MICKIE POWELL

EARL HALL BARBARA OLSCHNER GREG KILBURN LAUREN HENDERSON HOLLY O"SHEA BILL CHRISTENBERRY DR. ERIC SOLOMON SHERE MCBRYDE MICHAEL SAKALIAN

ANYONE MEMBER WHO'S NAME DID NOT APPEAR ON THESES LISTS WILL BE ENTITLED TO PAY THE FULL $20 FOR THEIR 1995 MEMBERSHIP. PLEASE TURN IN YOUR CHECKS AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING.

(continued from page 1) Experience has shown the Board runs on a consenses basis anyway. Because only two or three Board positions are vacant each year, there are always old hands on board to help the newly elected board members. This method provides some continuity and stability to the club. The present Board of Directors hopes to bring more members into the actual workings of the club with the goal in mind of getting new blood on the Board. Anyway, Hugh Leader (ph. 942-9128) has appointed (they volunteered!) Mike Herring (ph. 663-6083), Mark Richman (ph. 9877991) and Teresa Piercy as the nominating committee. So far three individuals have expressed an interest in running for the two upcoming Board vacancies. They are Hardwick Gregg, Amy Hunter, and Laurie McClennan. There is plenty of time for other interested members to place their name on the election ticket. The "Regular Ticket" nominees will be presented to the members in November.

CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 2ND - WEDNESDAY HOOVER PUBLIC LIBRARY. 7 P.M. BUMP MEETING.

NOVEMBER 4TH-6TH - FAll KNOB SCORCHER AT NANTAHAlA OUTDOOR CENTER (704) 488-6737. NOVEMBER 5TH.- SATURDAY 10 A.M. TRAIL MAINTENANCE WORK DAY. MEET AT THE PARK OFFICE ON TERRACE DRIVE. BRING WATER, WORK GLOVES AND A SNACK. NOVEMBER 12TH _ MAD DOG DUATHAlON AND NORBA SANCTIONED MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE, SPRINGVillE, ALABAMA. THERESE BYNUM, 930-0012.

Bump Newsletter
Last month for various reasons, our Board of Directors decided to cease funding of "The Grinder" and go back to a Club Newsletter. This decision was announced and discussed at the OCtober meeting. I am not sure many of you have noticed, but The Grinder has been copyrighted to its Editor for months and is now an independent publication. While we hope the Newsletter doesn't revert back to "Ransom Note" quality it once was, it is also not expected to ever develop into a ten or twelve page publication. We hope this Newsletter will continue to serve the needs of its members. We will strive to provide an informative, constructive, and positive Newsletter which is also less of an expense to BUMP's total budget. This Newsletter will be an all volunteer, hopefully group effort. It may take a while to get the Newsletter up to speed, but please bear with us and if you have the inclination, please volunteer to help the Newsletter make it to print.

LA YA WA Y NOW FOR CHRISTMAS!!

cannondaIe
dealer.

newest

Your

MAt) t)()G MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE NOVEMBER 12, 199'1

ALL TEER BUMP MEMBERS MAD THAT CAN, PLEASE ARE AT NOT 930VOLUNRAC0012 TO WORK DOG IF YOU BYNUM

I NG. CONTACT FOR INFO.

THERESE

t'lilCAHABA
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3120 CAHABA

BUMP

HERDS

FOR THE MOUNTRINS

1927 HOOVER COURT

HWY 31

HEIGHTS PLAZA

BY BARRY HAIR
BUMP had a group trip to the famous and ''totally buff' Tsali trails near the Nantahala River in North Carolina in Mid-September. To those of you who did not make it, you missed a great time. (continue on page 3)

967-2003

822-6600

(Tsali Trip continued)

Everybody but Barbara and Jim Dailey drove up on Friday night (Incredibly, they drove up Saturday, a five hour drive, rode, turned around and drove back. Sounds brutal). Most people camped at the Turkey Creek Campground in Almond, N.C., just a few miles from the Tsali trailhead. I recommend Turkey Creek to anybody who wants to stay in that area: the bathrooms and showers are clean, the campsites have electricity, and its proprietors are laid back. By the way, it is also cheap. Anyway, the weather was perfect, the sky was blue and the temperature comfortable. Twenty BUMP members showed up for the Tsail ride on Saturday. The Thompson and Mouse Loops were open for mountain biking that day. The first loop Thompson is a quicker, picker, upper. You star climbing right off the bat and from the sound of some riders wheezing around me and the numbers showing on my heart rate monitor, most folks were bumping up on their max heart rate. This loop is like the way I eat birthday cake. Eat the cake part first and save the icing for last. After some climbing which is steep (but still shorter than Oak Mountain) you then have several miles of fast, twisting, sweet singletrack. Everybody raved about the descent. There are several scenic overlooks on this loop where Lake Fontana is visible below and five thousand foot mountain peaks line the horizon. Everybody played tourist and stopped to view the scenery. After a short break, The Mouse Loop was next and was the same riotous fun. Much of the singlet rack is very tight and follows the convoluted shoreline of Fontana Lake. At one point I was descending on the singletrack at a good clip and coming around a turn, I was faced with a slightly muddy trail for poor braking and a biker straddling his bike in the middle of this narrow trail, looking at me in a daze like a deer in bright headlights. Not a good scenario. I managed to throw the anchor out, get under control, and squeeze by the rider at a slow speed. Sight distances can be short on the trails and the singletrack is mostly narrow, so exercise caution. After riding both loops, some of the crowd, myself included, grew lazy and thoughts of drinking a post ride beer and swimming in Fontana Lake seemed like a capital idea. Others opted for another slice of singletrack. About ten of us went back to the Campsite and was given instructions on how to get down to the Lake via an old forest road. Everybody got on their mountain bikes (swimsuits and cycling shoes) and descended down the grassy road for a cool dip in Fontana's clear waters. To heck with training, this was a vacation. That evening most everybody hung out around the campfire which felt great since the evening had a slight chill to it. My theory and story that there is a rare light pulsating green ground fungus (due to past camping experiences) at Turkey Creek was called into question by skeptics. Hah! I had seen it there before in the wee hours of the night and beer had nothing to do with it. Skeptics were quickly quieted when sure enough, as darkness advanced, the ground started pulsating here and there with green light. Two scientific types wanted closer examination and proof. I was confident of my theory. WeIL ...as it turns out it was not fungus after all but was instead, a just as rare form of mutant (you know like penquins are to birds) wingless lightening bug! To that I have witnesses. The next morning the campsite was the Land of the Slugs. There were no early morning rise and shine hammerheads to be found. Most of us opted for a white water trip down the Nantahala River and blew off riding entirely.

Some of the others went back to the Tsali trails for more riding. Ask Hugh and Jack about their radical form of boatless white water rapid shooting. A great weekend was had by all and I can't wait to go back. Thanks to everybody who joined in on trip. It was great to ride among so many familiar faces and friends.

t.\ON"T FOR GET IMBA ftUl.t:S OF THE TRAIL:

1. RIt')E ON Or-EN TRAIlaS ONLoY. RESPECT TRAIL
AND ROAD CLOSURES (ASK BLE TRESPASS ON PRIVATE AUTHORIZATION AS MAY BE STATE WILDERNESS AREAS IF NOT SURE), AVOID POSSILAND, OBTAIN PERMITS AND REQUIRED. FEDERAL AND ARE CLOSED TO CYCLING.

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NO TRAct:. BE SENSITIVE TO THE DIRT BENEATH YOU. EVEN ON OPEN TRAILS, YOU SHOULD NOT RIDE UNDER CONDITIONS WHERE YOU WILL LEAVE EVIDENCE OF YOUR PASSING, SUCH AS ON CERTAIN SOILS SHORTLY AFTER A RAIN. OBSERVE THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF SOILS AND TRAIL CONSTRUCTION; PRACTICE LOWIMPACT CYCLING. THIS ALSO MEANS STAYING ON TRAIL AND NOT CREATING ANY NEW ONES. BE SURE TO PACK OUT AT LEAST AS MUCH AS YOU PACK IN.
3. CQNTftOLo YOUR 8ICYCbE .. INATTENTION FOR EVEN A SECOND CAN CAUSE DISASTER. EXCESSIVE SPEED MAIMS AND THREATENS PEOPLE; THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IT.

4. ALoWAY:) YIELot') THE TRAI .. MAKE KNOWN YOUR APPROACH WELL IN ADVANCE. A FRIENDLY GREETING (OR A BELL) IS CONSIDERATE AND WORKS WELL; STARLING SOMEONE MAY CAUSE LOSS OF TRAIL ACCESS. SHOW YOUR RESPECT WHEN PASSING OTHERS BY SLOWING TO A WALK OR EVEN STOPPING. ANTICIPATE THAN OTHER TRAIL USERS MAY BE AROUND CORNERS OR IN BLIND SPOTS. S. NEVER :)r-OOK ANIMAbS. ALL ANIMALS ARE STARTLED BY AN UNANNOUNCED APPROACH, A SUDDEN MOVEMENTS, OR A LOUD NOISE. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR YOU, FOR OTHERS, AND FOR THE ANIMALS. GIVE EXTRA ROOM AND TIME TO ADJUST TO YOU. IN PASSING, USE SPECIAL CARE AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF HORSEBACK RIDERS (ASK IF UNCERTAIN). RUNNING CATTLE AND DISTURBING WILD ANIMALS IS A SERIOUS OFFENSE. LEAVE GATES AS YOU FOUND THEM, OR AS MARKED. 6. rbAN AHEAt'). KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT, YOUR ABILITY, AND THE AREA IN WHICH YOU ARE RIDING - AND PREPARE ACCORDINGLY. BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AT ALL TIMES. WEAR A HELMET, KEEP YOUR MACHINE IN GOOD CONDITION, AND CARRY NECESSARY SUPPLIES FOR CHANGES IN WEATHER OR OTHER CONDITIONS. A WELL EXECUTED TRIP IS A SATISFACTION TO YOU.

IB3lIJOOlF CCCO>MMIIlrlrIEIE
WE ARE CURRENTLY FORMING COMMITTEES. WE HOPE WE CAN DEPEND ON YOU TO JOIN ONE. BELOW IS A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES:
1. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE 2. FUND AAISING 3. RIDES & TRIPS 4. LAND ACCESS 5. TRAIL BLAZING 6. SPECIAL EVENTS 7. RACING 8. MEMBERSHIP 9.TRAIL MAINTENANCE 10. PUBLIC RELATIONS

988-0930

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THIS IS LIFE!! RIGHT'!'!!