Slow Cooking This Thing

Beer, gravel roads, maybe some music.......what could go wrong?

Friday I mentioned a bit about this gravel double metric ride I am involved in getting organized and off the ground. Myself and the other gentleman involved with this went and did a little recon of a different type on Saturday after I finished up teaching a mechanic's class at the shop where I work. (There is another class this Saturday, and spots are still open, I believe.) Anyway.....

We went to the town where we want to get this ball rolling and met with a business owner who was very excited about the possibilities for this. Now here's the deal- we are starting small, with reasonable expectations. We want this to not only be manageable, but most importantly, successful. For everyone involved from the town, the businesses, the organizers, and the riders. So, with all of that in mind, the cap for this deal is going to 150 folks for the first year. We feel that will be very manageable, on all fronts. If things look good after year one, it could grow. That will yet to be determined.

Format: The event will have two distances, one 200K course, the other a 100K course. (126 miles and 63 miles respectively) There may be two start times, we'll see. There will probably be timed sections which will account for the "winners" in a couple of categories. Otherwise it will be more like a fondo. You'll go through a town with a convenience store, and we are planning a special surprise in the middle of nowhere for those that get that far. Anyway, after the ride, there will be beer, and we're looking for a way to get a band and food in the mix as well. Oh yeah, the beer will be craft brewed locally, and there will be a special beer just for the event.

Time: September 3rd, which is the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We figured that gives folks time to do other things and/or get home without having to work the next day.

The "What" will be better defined for you soon, when we know all the details. We are not even sure what we are calling the event yet! That goes for the "Where" of this as well. Well, we know where it is going to be, but we're not saying publicly just yet.

Stay tuned.........