Newspaper Page Text
Players Of The Week
By Cesar Borri
Note: Since there wu no
paper last week we will include
the games pUypd after the 15
of January: On January-15, the
Teddy Bears beat Savannah
State, 82-65. The same night
the Bears lost to Northeast
Louisiana 94-81; on January 17,
the Bears lost to Louisiana Tech
84-64; January 22, the Teddy
Bears were upset by Shorter
73- 71, while the Bears loK.
again, to Southern Misai^uppi
74- 64; on January 24, »l*e Bears
lost their fourth prme in a row,
this time to $*uiford University
by 4*-4o; and on January 25 the
Teddy Bean beat Georgia State
74-61. Since January 15, the
Bears have played four games,
while the Teddy Bears have
played three. The Player of the
Week Award will be given tp
the best player of these games.
Mercer Bears Player of the
Week:
of 20.5 points per game. He also
had 31 rebounds.
Mercer Teddy Bears Player of
tbfrWeek:
Jerry Thruston, a 6'7" Thruston scored 82 poir
forward from Owensboro, Ky. last four games for an
Boom Is Over, But Bicycling Still Popular
Reprint from [~
Tie Atlanta Journal
By Roger Pavey
&■* supposed to be one of
thoee thing, you new forget. A
simple sport. One thet little kids
can even do.
All you've got to do if
straddle that Little thing they
IIRELLI
Cinturato
Radial Tires
call a seat and pedal.
So much for the eeey part.
Bicycling, which took the
country on an extended ride a
fowyears beck, ia now braking to
"Business right now ia
down," says Ed Neffinger of
Atlanta Cycle Imports. "1973-
GORDON BUSH TIRE CO. WESTGATE
"Radial Tin Spetialuu"
IRELM
SEMPERIT
Hofmann Computer Wheel Balance
luB ficdty U
74 were oar beet years Wa re
sort of rolling along now, but it
looks like another bad winter.”
At 1 International Bicycle Co.,
manager Jerry Metcalf agrees.
‘Ten speed ia not as big ae it
used to be. Now 10s are a kids
market...Bikes am a luxury
item end people did away with,
luxury things.
"But bumness has picked up
in the last eight or nine months.
We're Belling 16 to 20 percent
more then last year."
Jack Taylor, president of the
Southern Bicycle League also
believes the big bike boom is
over, but he adds, "our club
bee not experienced that. We
have more members now than
ever."
The SBL leys claims to 750
active members, of which. 90
per cent live ia metro Atlanta.
Although riding a bike may
b« easy, buying one is another
Rosy. It's like buying e car.
There’s blue book value,
trnde-ine and options galore.
Too should look for a
double-butted frame." ea/s
Metcalf, "ft's mudh stonger,
and usually one to two pounds
lighter."
Metcalf recommends canter-
poll brakes rather than side
pull. The aide-puD system
does t at have as good response.
The renter pull is much better
for braking.”
"Derailers (or shifters)
should be made of steel or alloy,
not nylon, ft wears out."
Although Laker, can bean
seau moat my day on tbs
streets of Attala, the
of bike paths has caused
concern.
So, cyclists have resorted to
good old Stone Mountain and
Piedmont Park. And, says
metcalf work is nearing com
pletion on a 14-mile path from
Avondale, through Clarkston, to
Stone Mountain.
But Neffinger is not satisfied
with make-do paths. "What we
need is a way a cyclist caq get
from point A to Z without
getting scared out of hie wits.
"Atlanta is not a biking town.
There's no trails end it’s
difficult to commute. All the
roads are 46 m.p.h., jam-
packed thoroughfares. They're
very few shortcuts, ft’s danger-
our.”
SBL’s Taylor simplifies it a
bit saying, "Our biggest prob
lem is doge. Not cars.
“Motorists seam to have
done their bit. They're more
tolerant thaa they were three or
four years ego. They've come to
expert bikes on the road."
If ¥
tolerant it’s because of dubs
like the SBL. They have a stridy
enforced rule, which Taylor
matter of fartly aaye: "If people
don't obey traffic rules we ask
them not to come back. ”
The reasons for cycling s
popularity ire as many as there
are -breads of- bikes. The
ovending one, however, ia
physical fitness.
“So many tried jogging and
«» of those switched to
cycling,” says Taylor "because
it's not so hard oo your body.
The only problem irith cycling ia
your rear end.”
Metcalf, ■ 13-year veteran of
the bicyde business,
his body recently with
supposed quick trip. I get
one the other day and road
about two miles and I guarantee
you I was tore.”
A sore spot with dealers is the
lack of preventative mainten
ance bike owners perform. They
say it tends to put s bad rap on
the sport, but they like the
work.
All deals claim bike repairs
would be e lot less is if bikes
were kept out of the rain, tires
property inflated and the gears
well oiled.
Metcalf also says mainten
ance is usually quite reason
able. "But someone who tears
one up will pay through the
nose.”
, And that’s bad news for some
Dade.
However Neffinger aaye, "If
you boy e good'one (from 6150
to 6200) it'd outlast your legs.''
One leg, which was outlasted,
belonged to e former president
of SBL.
“We were on ■ century ride,
(100 miles)," aaye Taylor, "one
nerty day. We were riding
through e county and the sheriff
A°ffood us. He instructed us to
ride oo the other aide of the
road I feeing traffic).
“Be knew the state law and
quickly corrected the officer -
telling him that he was on the
right side of the rand.
The sheriff would have none
of it sad yelled to him, I don’t
care about the law. Just get that
bikn on. the-left aide of the
road."'
Tbe biker, not bulbed, got off
hie bicycle end walked two
miles until be walked right out
of the county.