Most lasting relationships seem to work better this way, we think. Doing your own thing most of the time, and occasionally coming together to reach a common goal. The common goal this weekend was to celebrate our independence . . . see how that full circle works!

It was great seeing our new friends, and friends dating back to when we started RideSouth almost eighteen years ago! Bikes, and some folks, were decorated with red, white, and blue along with their great flashing lights. All the numerous recumbent riders we saw were decorated with smiles, as well. Not so much for most of the upright riders seen on the beautiful St. Tammany Trace! Maybe they were curious as to why we outnumbered them on these two days!

Most of the large group of riders got in more than seventy miles for Sunday and Monday rides. The only fault of the Trace is that it has too many places to stop, it seems. There are so many eating and drinking places to stop at along the wide, shady trail that you just need more time to enjoy it all! Even though a speed limit sign is posted in places, we saw ample rabbits along the way to chase, and plenty of open trail to do it on!

We encountered one speeding roadie rabbit and made a new friend, and a believer in the speed of the trikes. At a water stop, he wanted to know more and we obliged him, of course! Turns out, roadie Frank was a Brit and knew more about our Independence Day than we did! Guess the Brits have studied us a bit lately! Hope to see Frank in the RideSouth shop sometime soon!

Our first experience riding the St. Tammany Trace was a good one. Everyone felt completely comfortable riding alone, or in a group. You can relax through the many quiet areas, have a brew or snack in many different areas, or blow out the cobwebs and chase a rabbit or two on the long flats. Basically, it is a great place to ride by yourself or with a group. Isn’t that what recumbent riding is all about . . . being independent together?

RideSouth . . . The Way to Ride!

BentLovers and Friends

Independence Day Rides (Revised Launch Spot)

Thanks to everyone for the information on the St. Tammany Trace! This should be a great weekend! Here are the RideSouth plans thus far:

The RS bus will leave the RS shop around 10:00 AM on Sunday so we can get some more miles Sunday afternoon. We think that translates to launching from the Covington Trail Head around 2:00. We are very flexible about the rest of the afternoon and will follow the lead of you local folks about where to ride/eat/drink, etc. for the rest of the day!

On Monday, we plan to launch from the Covington Trail Head again, this time at 7:30 AM sharp. That way if you plan to meet us along the Trace you will know the approximate time. Many of us plan to tour the length of the Trace and return in the afternoon for a 2:00 checkout. We can eat along the way or after the ride, depending on the group preference.

For our customers in Jackson, if you would like to take the bus, please arrive at 9:30 AM on Sunday morning so we can pack your bike. Let us know on Saturday if you plan to make it and we will have some flags for your bike! Happy Independence Day!

[email protected]
601 992-2490

The RideSouth shop will be closed tomorrow at 11:00 AM. We are traveling out of town for a family wedding. We will be open at 1:00 on Monday June 27. Hope to see you then!

We will have our first shipment of the awesome Hobie Eclipse stand-up PEDAL board on display next week! You need to be the first to get yours! Come by early next week as these boards will disappear in a few days, we think!

More choices . . .

Today, many folks seem unsure of their perceived choices. The two, well publicized styles have too many issues. In fact, a majority of people dislike either style so much that they might choose to not even participate!

Yes, peer pressure is a very powerful force to keep you in the pace line of mainstream thinking. But is it really thinking, or just reacting? Someone pointed out that thinking is the hardest work a person can do . . . that is why most people don’t!

However, the forward thinkers are beginning to discover alternatives. They are looking past the stereotypes and liking what they see. They are seeing their future in a different way. A safe, comfortable way that is truly sustainable and green. That is, growing and life giving green.

So, are you up for a little thinking work? Are you ready to open your mind and consider the alternatives? If you are, we think you will find some excellent, politically correct choices you can live with whether you are riding a bike or saving a planet! You might even have some fun along the way!

This weekend, May 28, we will begin our long-standing Bread Rides at 7:30 AM on Saturday. Come out and join us for a great time!

We have a few sale kayaks left, so if you are looking for deals, now is the time! Memorial Day weekend is here and the weather is getting hot. Cool off in the water with a kayak!

The RideSouth BikePark is now open for test rides on all of our machines! Come and try it out! We had a great opening ceremony that was well attended and fun! Thank you Flowood Chamber of Commerce!

We are getting in a few more of the prototypes for the GreenSpeed Aero. If you are on the waiting list, you need to visit us soon! The production models will come out in August, we think! Also on the floor is a GT-20 sample for you to test ride. This will be a great compliment to the Magnum for a lot of riders. It will go into production in August as well.

We have a full suspension HP Scorpion that is an awesome ride for someone wanting suspension. Soon we will have the Catrike Dumont, their first entry into the full suspension arena. This will be a popular bike for sure!

There are many new and used two wheel recumbents that need a new home! Please come out and check them out! We rode our Bacchetta this week and still love it! There is even a bike with no chain for you to consider! No mess, no fuss, full suspension.

We will be open all day Saturday and part of the day on Monday, by appointment. So, come by in the next couple of days for your summer recreational pleasure vehicles! We will be looking for you!!

BentLovers & Friends

This week, Green is our favorite color! Our green BikePark grass is growing and the oak trees are beautiful, offering a serene atmosphere for sure! Our riding shirts are bright green as are many of the helmets we sell, providing an extra measure of safety. Friday, we will have the new GreenSpeed GT-20 here for you to test ride! We also have the exciting GreenSpeed Aero for you to drool over! Even the prototypes are works of beauty and speed!

So, come out tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 for a ribbon cutting, and test ride our trikes! We will have brauts and burgers till they run out. Please bring your trike to test the track and we will have a few paired Park Pursuit turns around the track for fun! We are inviting the business folks in Avalon Centre so there may be a crowd. At any rate, we are glad to offer the RideSouth BikePark for our customers to enjoy!

Also, join us on Saturday morning at 7:30 for the kickoff of the Park Pursuit and the Trike Trial Series. You are sure to enjoy the Pursuit and the Bread Ride afterwards! Looking forward to a great, Green weekend!

RideSouth . . .The Way to Ride!

Trike Trial Series and Bike Park Opening

BentLovers and Friends

We are growing! We now have a Bike Park adjoining our shop parking lot for customers to test ride our trikes and bikes on. The track is concrete and one tenth of a mile long. The turns are banked and we have planted grass in all the open areas. We have lots of planned uses for the track and plan to get you involved this weekend.

This weekend, we will sponsor a grand opening party beginning at 4:30 PM on Friday night, May 20. We plan to have bikes, beer and Brauts for you to enjoy! The Flowood Chamber plans to have a ribbon cutting at 4:30, so plan to be here for that. Bring your trikes and show them off! This will be a good opportunity to get used to the track for events on Saturday!

Saturday morning, we plan to have our first Park Pursuit event! We will pair trikes and test out the format at 7:30 AM, so come early. After all have had a chance to test out their skills on their machine, we will launch a Bread Ride around the Pelahatchie Bay. We will have fresh oat bran bread and real maple syrup ready when you return!

So here is a summary of the Trike Trial Series we have planned for the following months. We will schedule each event in plenty of time for you to attend. All trikes are invited.

RideSouth Trike Trials (or Try a Trike Series)

Park Pursuit
Test your trikes agility on the RideSouth Bike Park concrete test track! Paired trikes will launch from opposite ends of the 0.10 mile track and pursue their opponent until caught, or 10 laps.

Church Loop
Test your trikes speed on a 1 mile loop road around Pinelake Baptist Church. Winners will be chosen by the most number of completed laps in the allotted time frame. Riders will mass start from the church parking lot.

Trace Trip
Trikes will mass start from the Natchez Trace Overlook and finish at River Bend. Individual place finishes and time will be recorded at River Bend. Riders can ride back on their own, or be transported by the RideSouth bus and trailer.

Trike Trailer
Same as the Trace Trip except all trikes must pull a trailer. Any type of trailer is ok. Bring your kids, dog, a friend or gear along for the fun! Riders can have time subtracted by trailer and cargo weight.

Trike the Trails
Leave from the Park Pursuit and head across the Spillway towards Clinton on the Ridgeland bike trails. Total time will be recorded from, and back to the RideSouth shop.

Battlefield Battle
Tackle the Vicksburg Military Park. Do one or two loops of the hilly, 16 mile park.

444
Ride the Natchez Trace top to bottom! 444 miles.
Team ride from Nashville to Natchez.

Trike Tammany
Ride the Tammany Trace, end to end.

Trike the Levy
Ride the Mississippi Levy in New Orleans!

Sumrall Summit
Ride the LongLeaf Trace. Some called this the Picnic Poker Ride!

Tanglefoot Tango
Launch from Pontotoc and ride the Tanglefoot Trail in north Mississippi.

Mardi GRAS Madness
We will decorate our trikes again and enter a Carnival parade! Every time we do this we get first place!

Coasting on a Trike
We will travel to different places on our Gulf Coast to enjoy the view!

Rally
Yes, we will bring the Recumbent Rally and Convention back!

Team Trials
We are working on trike relay events for your team riding pleasure. Be getting your team together!

Trade a Trike
One month, we will have a swap meet for you to trade gear, clothes, or even bikes with each other.

So, there you have it. A monthly series that will start with the Park Pursuit for local events, and bus transportation available for away events. All this will be kicking off this weekend at 4:30 Friday! We will invite Avalon Centre folks to the Park and we will have trike supplier representatives here with new trikes to show, including the new Greenspeed GT-20. You really should try it! Hope you can join us!!

RideSouth Recumbents, LLC
105 Avalon Court
Brandon, MS 39047
601 992-2490
www.ridesouth.com

[email protected] Facebook/RideSouth Twitter#bentbikeman linkedin:RideSouth YouTube@bentbikeman

The RideSouth shop will be closed for the Picnic Poker Ride this Saturday, April 2. Please join us in Sumrall for the ride launching at 9:00 AM. If you have traveled from afar and need to buy some bikes or kayaks, please let us know and we will assist you when we return from the ride at 5:00 PM.

BentLovers and Friends

Join us for a Picnic Ride Saturday April 2, 2016 on the Longleaf Trace! We will have special events for all trikes and bikes, including a Picnic Poker Ride! Bring your favorite picnic food for later in the day, or you can choose from a couple of restaurants nearby to refuel. Launch with us at 9:00 AM from the Sumrall Gateway to the Longleaf Trace. Everyone will Ride South to Hattiesburg for a maximum of 15 miles, then return to Sumrall. Your mileage and speed may vary!!

Then you can have lunch if you wish, or keep on riding toward Prentiss. The temps will be just right for a good long ride, so plan to make a day of it! We will have a fun riding game planned for all. You can read about it below. We will have the bus available for you and your trike or bike to be transported to and from Sumrall, if you wish. The bus will need to leave the RideSouth shop by 7 AM and will return by 5 PM. The shop will be closed for the day. Please RSVP if you need to ride the bus.

Picnic Poker Rules

At launch time (9:00 AM) each rider will be dealt 3 cards. Rider will display these cards on bike or person at all times using the card display device provided. All riders will launch towards Hattiesburg on the LongLeaf Trace from Sumrall (launch point). Along the way riders are encouraged to swap cards with other riders, or form alliances with riders to enhance a combined 5 card poker hand. Teams formed along the way should coordinate their arrival time back at the Sumrall Station to arrive together and register their hands on the clipboard at the picnic area.
Riders wishing to continue can head toward Prentiss and continue to swap cards or form new alliances to enhance their hands if desired. At 3:00 PM the registered 5 card hands from individuals, or formed teams, will be compared and prizes will be awarded to the top 5 according to standard poker rules.