Cyclocross Sunday!! New Year Barrier at Allsopp Park

The season-closing cyclocross races are this Sunday at Allsopp Park at 11:00 AM. Details can be found at the Arkansas Cyclocross site. If you have yet to witness a 'cross race firsthand, ride on down to check it out. It is probably the most fun cycling discipline for spectators. Vino's is on board as a sponsor, so that bodes well for a good time. In fact, I'm so appreciative of their support that I think I'll drop by Vino's this evening for one of their tasty IPAs as a gesture of my gratitude. CARVE is also sponsoring the race, but I'm not aware of any of the CARVE riders making a fine beer, so they'll have to settle for my good will.

Conditions should be perfect for Sunday's races, but I'm sure that could be corrected. Race organizers have been known to find mud where there should be none.

Drop on by!

Team CARVE At Work: River Trail Bike Repair Station

Giving Back To The Cycling Community

Central Arkansas Velo, aka: CARVE, has had a significant presence in our area for a decade as a race team, an active cycling club, and as a medium for supporting cycling in general.  Over the past year, CARVE has reinvented itself with new leadership and  slightly restated mission. While still enjoying the sponsorship of the Chainwheel, there has been a broad effort to be inclusive of more riders, including those who ride for other entities on race days. 2011 marked a banner year for CARVE as they sponsored a string of successful events such as the Burns Park criterium series, capped by the Dr. Feelgood Star-Spangled Criterium in downtown Argenta, State Time Trial Championships, and many other competitive, training and recreational cycling activities. At the CARVE/ Chainwheel anniversary event, CARVE president Sid DeGarmo announced that CARVE would be donating a bike work station to the North Little Rock Parks Department, and then this week I got an e-mail from Sid advising me that the Fixit work station had been installed. Being the curious type, of course, I had to ride on down to check it out.

The work station is located at the pavilion near the north foot of the Big Dam Bridge and incorporates a work stand, pump, and a selection of common bike tools.

Just hook the nose of the saddle on the stand and get to work!

This is the tool selection on the Fixit. 

Much like a new bird feeder, the station immediately started drawing customers. 

 The CARVE kit can be seen on many, many riders in Central Arkansas, some active in the club or team, while many simply enjoy riding in the sharp pro-style kit. One result has been that CARVE has been unfairly portrayed in some circles as being an outfit of trail-racing outlaws. I'm not a CARVE member, but I'll say that my experience with the core CARVE riders has been that they are a conscientious bunch. You'll see small groups of CARVE jerseys on the River Trail as friends ride together, but CARVE club group rides head out of town east or west to avoid trail conflict and to take advantage of the open roads. My experience has been that those rides are typically more orderly and better disciplined than most, due in large part to the experience and regard to safety of the riders, which is not to say that they aren't sometimes fast and competitive.
Thanks to the entire CARVE membership for supporting the work station donation. With the club's effort here, along with their beginner rides, juniors program, mountain bike trail work days, and event support, CARVE is serving and representing our community well by actively promoting a variety of cycling activities.

Chainwheel and CARVE Anniversary Extravaganza

Chainwheel and CARVE  celebrated 40-year and 10-year milestones on Sunday with a ride and party alongside the River Trail at Murray Park. I showed up right on time to sign a waiver, gather some great swag, and saddle up to go on a 40k ride in recognition of Chainwheel's birthday. The point was made that it is unusual for a team to be around for 10 years and downright remarkable that a bike shop is still prospering after forty years. The folks who put together bike businesses like Competitive Cyclist and Orbea USA all paid their dues at Chainwheel before launching their own successful endeavors, so that says a lot about the culture.

 CARVE has always enjoyed sponsorship and a close association with Chainwheel. That bond remains, though the current leadership has tried to make CARVE more inclusive and a bit less of a "store team".

Cyclists who joined the road or mountain bike rides were presented with some pretty good swag, including mugs, some new style water bottles, and Swiftwick socks. Throw in some Fat Tire  and barbecue and it's no wonder there was a large turnout!

The road ride group was huge! It was supposed to split into A, B, and C groups and I guess it did. I guess I was in the A group, but I don't think I saw the front until we turned around at Barrett Road near Pinnacle State Park. The pack was smaller by then, but the rollout was bigger than that of many event rides.

Both pavilions were teeming with hungry folks. I made it a point to stick around for cake.

Scott Penrod introduced the CARVE juniors, cyclists 18 and under.

Michael Mattox and Sid DeGarmo presented a $1000.00 check to CARTI, represented by Rebekah Howe, Steve Bentley, Dustin Hearne. CARVE raised the money with the hugely successsful Star Spangled Criterium and promises more such events in the future.

Scott Penrod presenting $1000.00 to Sallie and Jim Culbreth of Teen Challenge of Arkansas.

Pat Barron used the opportunity of the event to introduce Chainwheel's newest bike line, Pinarello. Pinarello reflects the best in current bike technology in classic Italian style. The brand should be a great fit for Chainwheel.

It's great to see both Chainwheel and CARVE successful and growing. Central Arkansas is fortunate to have a bike culture that is thriving and that gives so much back to the community in many ways.

CARVE Rises!

Last spring, I engaged in a conversation with a long-time top tier racer regarding the evolution of competitive cycling in Central Arkansas. I had just heard thet there was to be no Arkansas road race state championship and it seemed like there was little to offer the competitive cyclist in Central Arkansas. Before I stated riding, I had been aware of CARVE as a racing entity, and even when I hit the road a few years ago, CARVE had both an "elite" squad of racers and a large contingent of club riders. The was some disappointment expressed that the club seemed to have lost its way and, though there were still a few club events and Saturday rides, there was really nothing in the way of a team and it seemed that CARVE's identity was fading. Fast forward to now. I recent months, CARVE has been reconstructed and is ready to re-enter cycling society. Here is the release that I received concerning the revamped CARVE and some pretty ambitious plans for races and other events:

CARVE is back.


It’s odd to say something like that about a cycling club that’s been around for, like, 10 years. But after a couple of years of little activity, Central Arkansas Velo is back on two wheels and ready to roll.


If you ride bikes (and really, you probably wouldn’t be looking at this blog if you weren’t a rider, right?) then CARVE likely has something to offer you. From organized group rides and skill-building clinics, to racing opportunities, the revamped club is hoping to appeal to riders of all levels. From the beginner to the fastest of sprinters, CARVE has you covered.


The club’s officers and core members have been busy this winter setting new goals for the group and planning some very special events for the spring and summer.


First up is the Lake Sylvia Slobberknocker Mountain Bike Challenge on April 30. The Slobberknocker is a 66-mile gruntfest that is part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Marathon Series and will be held in the gorgeous Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock near Lake Sylvia. For those with a little more common sense, a 33-mile Short Course race will also be offered. CARVE members have been working hard on organizing this first-year event and it has the potential to become an annual mountain biking spectacle of pain and good times. The course consists of 95 percent fire-road and will appeal to veteran mountain bikers as well as cyclists who spend most of their time on the road.


For the roadies, CARVE is sponsoring the Ronde van Burns, the weekly Wednesday night crit series at Burns Park. Each Wednesday evening in June, racers line up for the highly competitive series. And this year, to cap off five weeks of elbow-banging, lung-searing, quad-busting throw downs, there will be a morning of criterium races on a section of Riverfront Drive in downtown North Little Rock on July 4. God bless America and bikes.


Don’t feel like racing? Just wanna ride? Cool.


CARVE has scheduled group rides on almost every day of the week. Whether hitting the trails or the tarmac, going long or just getting in a leisurely hour on the River Trail, the club has plans for rides for beginners to veteran cyclists and everyone in between.


Interested? Well, coming in late March or early April will be a membership party at the Hospitality House in Burns Park. That’s the place to meet with current members and hear about what the club has to offer. Our web site, www.team-carve.com, should be up and live just after March 1 and will have lots of information about the scheduled rides, races, and events we’ll be supporting. CARVE is also on Facebook. Search for Central Arkansas Velo, or CARVE, and hit the “like” button.


For those looking to get a jump start on joining, membership forms can be found at Chainwheel in Little Rock. Membership is $100 for two years and includes the new CARVE jersey.


Members get access to club-only clinics, group rides and discounts at Chainwheel. Members who race may also qualify for reimbursement of entry fees.


Of course, none of this is possible without great support, and CARVE is happy to have the backing of our awesome sponsors: Dr. Feelgood, Caldwell Toyota, Neurosurgery Arkansas, Donnie's Foreign Car Service, Metropolitan Realty Development, IFRAH Financial Services, Wild Birds Unlimited, Aristotle, Chainwheel, Cannondale and Trek.


It looks like 2011 is gonna be a fun-filled year for cyclists in Arkansas. It’s definitely gonna be fun for CARVE. Come ride with us.

...and that's the official word!
I know that all of you fashion-forward types are already asking the very important question of:
"So, how cool is the kit?"  Here's the preview of your 2011 summer fashion statement:

Good stuff. One very important thing that came up repeatedly in the conversations I've had about CARVE is that while Chainwheel is a key sponsor, you don't have to be a Chainwheel guy or gal to get involved. Most riders have some sense of loyalty to their favorite local bike shop and that is natural, but don't feel like you've forsaken your boys if you decide to join CARVE. Of course, if you CARVE kit up and race against your crew, that's a different matter. A better idea would be to organize your bunch and bring your team to the CARVE events and see who is still talking smack at the end of the game. I'm not a racer, but we need more opportunities for competition here and it looks like CARVE is going to help fill the void. I'd love to see CARVE, an ACF team, the guys from the Ride, and maybe even some Fast Girls or bike nerds field teams. Some team racing would add a whole new dimension to the summer crit series, state championship events, mountain bike events and any other races that come along. It's all a part of the continuing evolution of our cycling community. Check back here or at the CARVE site for the date of the upcoming membership party.