New Development on Sierra Cascades Route
This trail is still in the early stages of its creation and fundraising to buy the rail bed is a high priority. "We have two years (from March 2012) to raise the funds to purchase the property. We hope to do that in less time. Once we own the property we?ll start improving the infrastructure. We?ll probably focus on opening the parts of the trail closest to the two towns -- McCloud and Burney -- first. We?ll be posting information on our web site www.shastatrail.org so folks can follow our progress there and on our Facebook page," said April Gray, President of McCloud Local First Network, a nonprofit organization working to improve the local economy and one of five nonprofits working together to develop the trail.Though plans do not include paving the trail, our hope is that it will remain well maintained like many of its rail trail counterparts across the country. Most bicycle travelers on this route will have a slightly more rugged set up allowing a comfortable ride on packed gravel and ought to find it a welcome break from riding on SR 89. Since it will stay relatively close to SR 89 and the towns along the way, services will be readily available from end to end.
If you want to support their efforts, check out their website to donate and Facebook page to purchase a shirt or baseball cap to help spread the word.--
GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/09/new-development-on-sierra-cascades-route.html

There are always indicators in life that that tell you that a particular industry is doing well and the fact that WD40 has entered the cycling market with its Anti friction dry ptfe and Fast acing degreasers is a shore case of telling you cycling is on the up. I wonder why cycling is doing so well? In UK and London were I am it is booming with more and more bike shops opening on every street corner. It reminds me of the mobile phone boom when there was a mobile phone shop on every street corner then big business got in Involved and then disappeared the small independent shops. Cycling is differently on the up you could say I am a product of that I am out at least three times a week racing against me self trying to beat the time I did last time I was out on my bike, or in the winter I am on the turbo trainer even this blog is a result of the cycling boom. You just need to look and the number of cyclist in Richmond Park on any given Saturday or Sunday morning or the huge numbers using TFL super highways every weekday rush hour to see how popular cycling has become.