Anyone who has ridden Habron Trail at Lake Hope State Park lately knows that the bridge Athens Bicycle Club built some years ago was in trouble. The ravine was washing away, causing the I-beams that supported the bridge to sink and the bridge to twist. Today seven ABC members and two park representatives built a new, longer bridge using 25-foot telephone poles to span the ravine. The project started on Friday, when park officials were nice enough to float the poles across the lake and haul them to the site using a four-wheeler with a winch and a trailer. This morning in less than four hours we demolished the old bridge, removed it, built a new bridge, and worked on drainage leading up to it. Malcolm Idleman and Dave Sapienza weren't even done nailing down the shingles before two unidentified cyclists rolled across the bridge and gave it the thumbs up.

— Meredith, May 20, 2006

Upcoming Events

May 28-29: Tour of the Hocking River Valley
Athens to Reedsville, Ohio
2006 marks the 35th running of this fantastic road tour. Enjoy great roads and even better food. Visit www.athensbicycleclub.org for information.

June 10-11: 24 Hours of Big Bear
Bruceton Mills, W.V.
Several members of Athens Bicycle's Mountain Bike Team will be participating in this relay race, with still more team members working the pit. Check out the action in real time at www.grannygear.com.

June 23-25: Women's Mountain Bike Weekend
Slatyfork, W.V.
Enjoy a weekend of guided trail rides and mountain bike instruction during the day, followed by gourmet meals and chill time in the evening. Athens Bicycle owner Meredith Erlewine and West Virginia NORBA pro Kristy Mantz will be your guides. Visit Elk River Touring Center online for more info.