Listen close and We HOPE you understand.  Hope hydraulic brakes are unbelievable.  We have used all models. The reliability is by far the best I have ever witness.  Hope products are made in Barnoldswick England. Hope makes headsets, lights, hubs, stems,  pedals, brake pads.  Hopefully cranks in the future.   The cross country brakes We use are the Tech 2’s with the floating rotors and braided hose.   The organic brakes pads keeps  everything quiet so you can sneak up on your competition .  Absolutely no plastic parts on the Hope brakes. Terry tried her Santa Cruz Tallboy today and was amazed on how the Hope brakes performed on a 28 mile up and down ride. Terry comments on the Hope. Life is so much easier using these brakes. These guys are not paying me to write about any one product. We are just sharing our experience  tried and true.  My first mountain bike was purchased in 1979 and hangs in the our barn. A Ritchey Timberwolf with road bike parts at the time you could purchase BMX wheels or road touring parts and brakes to construct or build a MTB.  Loving dual suspension for comfort and hydraulic brakes is like riding in a Cadillac.

Mike

Congratulations!  The following athletes will be included in Faces in the Crowd in the Jan. 9 issue of Sports Illustrated:

• Chance Bukoski – Soccer
• Evelyn Tripp – Cross country
• Matt Lipscomb – Cycling
• Sam Barker – Soccer
• Craig Cheney – Water Polo
• Kadie and Amber Rolfzen – Volleyball

Thank you so much for your cooperation in providing nominations, information, photos and stats. It was a pleasure working with each of you.

Faces in the Crowd has been published every week in Sports Illustrated since 1956. The Jan. 9th issue first arrives in subscribers’ mailboxes and hits newsstands on Wednesday, 1/4.

Faces in the Crowd will also be posted online Wednesday afternoon at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/faces
You can find more on this week’s Faces picks and on famous Faces alums on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/@SI_Faces

Thank you all again, and if you know of any outstanding amateur athletes in the future, please don’t hesitate to fill out a nomination form here: http://si.com/faces, or send them along to me at: faces@simail.com.

All the best,
Ali Fenwick

Celebrating 22 years of Mountain Biking on New Years Day.  Five years ago we introduced Mulberry Gap to a Very Special event. The New Years Day ride with The Big Dawg’s Family and Friends. Come out and enjoy 1…0, 15, 25, miles on Bear Creek, Pinhoti 1,2,3 and a wonderful dinner by the Best Cooks in North Georgia hands down. A traditional New Years Day meal for good luck to everybody. We all look forward to riding with you on New years Day. Host! Mulberry Gap, Cartecay Bike Shop, Ellijay Mountain Bike Club. Happy New Year.

Reminder!  If you haven’t marked your calender for the first Chili Dawg Ride of the year, do it!  It will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving Nov. 26th at 10a, starting at Mike and Terry’s house.  691 Pisgah Rd, Ellijay, GA 30536.  Head East on 52 out of Ellijay, turn left at Big Creek Rd, go about 7 miles and turn left at Big Creek Firestation onto Pisgah Rd. Our house is .75 miles on left, look for the big red van.

Not only will you have the opportunity to burn some those Thanksgiving calories, you also can bring your Thanksgiving leftovers and get rid of them!  I will be making my famous smoked turkey chili.

There will be a short, medium and long ride.  The short is the Big Creek Gravel Road Ride and it starts at my house, goes North on Pisgah Rd, left on Big Creek Rd, up and over Hardslate Gap (about a 2mi climb) and then along Big Creek Rd to Aska Rd.  Turn around and come back.  If you have never ridden Big Creek Rd, it is a beautiful area with rolling hills and great scenery.  It is a 20mi ride.

The medium ride is the Black Ankle Buffalo Ride ( 27mi ) and follows Big Creek Rd North to left on Aska Rd, left on South Aska Rd, left back onto Aska Rd, then right at Shallowford Bridge, right onto Old Dial Rd, right onto Newport Rd, right onto Black Ankle Rd, left onto Big Creek Rd then back to the house.

The long ride?  That’s the Big Dawg’s creation.  If you’re hardcore and want to suffer, follow Mike.

Terry

Bear Creek and Pinhoti Breakdown with the “Big Dawg”.  Saturday Nov 19th, 2011 meeting at Bear Creek and Gates Chapel Rd at 10am.

The ride will be any combination of trails or trail that you want to do. You take your pick.  Most everyone knows the trails so buddy up with someone who wants to ride the same as you.  Mike, I am sure will be doing all of the trails.

I won’t be able to be there due to the Board of Directors meeting for SORBA in Gainesville.

Directions:  Take Hwy 52 West to mile marker 8, turn right onto Gates Chapel road go 5 miles and you will see Bear Creek Campground road. We will be parking on Gates Chapel Road as soon as you pass

Terry Palmeri

Mike, you are a true example of what Brotherhood is all about, and a true brother.
If you ever find your way down here, please give us a shout. Our houses are your houses.

We had really great weekend up there and it was badly needed. If and when I can swing a new bike, I will make the trip up to your shop and buy one from you. Support the Brotherhood and a really cool bike shop in the mountains.

Your new friends ,
Meatloaf, Talk Radio, Plank, and Spellcheck.