Sunday, sunday, sunday!

The Rag Crew I believe will be getting together Sunday to figure out who is in and who is out. As previously stated it is a weighted lotto. What I can say is that all three time starters are..........................kidding no hints! Most of the entrants will go through the lotto, good luck.

Some of you have horrible hand writing and others decided not to give me an email address. This means make sure you check back here often! When the list comes out and your name is highlighted it means I need contact info. I'll give those people 2 weeks to get it to me.

Good Luck check back soon!

101

Just broke 100 cards!

Some little nuggets about the probably 2011 course

Just to get you salivating, and maybe get you to send in a card in case you are on the fence... a few tidbits of info regarding the changed up course...

1) The KOM lives. The first half of the race will be very similar to in years past (but not the same as previous editions).

2) We will still be going through Z-Falls. Hopefully the road out of town is able to be cleaned up a bit by the spring, but regardless the town was devastated by the fall rains. Driving through was a bit surreal, biking through could be the same.

3) There is no way for us to ever actually drive the whole course. Regardless of mode of transport (unless it is on two wheels).

4) I think that we have about the same amount of pavement as usual (not THAT much considering) with about twice or 3 times the minimum maintenance road mileage.

23

# of cards the first day, thanks everyone. I expect a bunch tomorrow. I will send out emails in the next couple of days.

If I don't get back to you within a week of sending a card, email me at jakedothuot at hotmaildotcom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Game on!

With only a few day 'till registration a couple notes

a)If you have sent in a card already, you might want to send another one. You know who you are.

b)Please DO NOT send more than one card, the mail man will hate you if you do! In our new weighted lotto system sending more that one card will penalize you!

c)We are all excited please respect the process. send post cards to Ragnarok105 1079 Putnam Ave Red Wing MN 55066 check later post for more details

d)If you are new to the Rag, this is an unsupported race and we will not be available to help you when you are in the middle of no where. Be prepared for anything along the course! Also, if you get in and don't show up without a good excuse, I will publicly post your name and email so respect us enough to check your schedule before sending. If this warning scares you, think twice before you send a postcard.

Happy postcarding, I will try to keep you posted on the # of cards I get.

The guide for registering for Ragnarok 105 V.4

So we are doing things a bit different for 2011. We will still have you send a postcard with your name, age, gender, email and any other information you would like us to know about you. We will take all postcard with a post date from November 25th - December 25th, from there we will put all of you in a hat and draw 105 cards. Now all you Rag finishers are thinking, not fair, well it will be a bit weighted. For example if you have started and finished all three additions you have a good chance you will be drawn within the first few cards. We will be pretty strict on our weighting just to be fair to newcomers. For all of you that have signed up previously, got in, and didn't show, you better start begging now!

Recap:

Postcard; Name, Age, Date, Email, send to Ragnarok 105/ 1079 Putnam Ave, Red Wing, MN 55066

Dates open; November 25th - December 25th

Number of riders accepted; 105

Good Luck

We have something good for you!

We drove what is pretty much the set course today. I will not be leaking anything at this time. All I have to say is this might be my favorite Rag course yet, which is saying a lot for all you newcomers. No pics sorry, it was tough enough to navigate let alone take pics(I signaled a couple wrong turns). Hopefully we will have a registration date and the number of entrants we will allow in the race this coming week.

Take Care!

Update your calander!

Announcing the date for the fourth running of Ragnarok 105........drum roll.............April 9th, 2011! I will not tell you when or where you have to send your post card just yet. Will be riding and driving options for the course this weekend and reaveal the route next week........kidding the route is secret as all of the returning riders should know already. Untill then good luck with winter!

Check 1,2... 1,2

(clearing throat sound)

Is this on? Be ready for some announcements in regards to the 2011 version of the 'Rok. Some changes are in store, but only good ones.

A little cat to let out of the bag... we will almost certainly have a "mountain top" finish this year... that should be enough to whet your appetite.

Shortly we'll have an official announcement of the date of the race (it'll be in early to mid April as always, just need to finalize things to set the exact date). We're also going to be driving the course to see if some of our new ideas make sense...

Zumbro Falls Checkpoint

The Zumbro Falls checkpoint has been a bit damp this week.

I hope everyone is out on their bikes.

Offical Results

It appears that the official results page (that were the live results) is down... so for all posterity here are the finishes of the 2010 Ragnarok.

1. Charly Tri 6 hours 16 minutes (repeat CHAMP!)

2. Tim Ek 6:16 (KOM winner)

3. Ryan Horkey 6:16

4. Charlie Farrow 6:17

5. Sean Mailen 6:17

6. John Struchynski 6:31

7. Ted Loosen 6:34

8. Joe Meiser 6:34

9. Larry Sauber 6:34

10. Sam St. Pierre 6:34

11. Brandt Elson 6:36

12. Brandon Manske 6:38

13. Jason Stukel 6:52

14. Heath Weisbrod 6:54

15. Jim Palmer 7:02

16. Rich Hendricks 7:02

17. Dave Pramann 7:02

18. Pat Dowling 7:02

19. Martin Rudnick 7:04 (1st SS)

20. Jeremy Kershaw 7:05

21. Hurl Everstone 7:12

22. Andy Lambert 7:12

23. Andrew Kroese 7:20

24. Dan Dittmer 7:20

25. Chad Millner 7:20

26. Jason Novak 7:20

27. Nick Oswald 7:23

28. Rob Green 7:35

29. Dennis Grelk 7:37

30. Eddie Karow 7:41

31. Kevin Jargo 7:45

32. Ray Nickles 7:52

33. Justin Pitts 7:53

34. Lee Nesbitt 7:53

35. Dan Hansen 7:54

36. Burton Avery 7:54

37. Eric Sudheimer 7:56

38. James Bialas 8:04

39. Paul and Janna Krawczyk (1st Tandem) 8:05

40. Neil Cary 8:09

41. Rob Belz 8:10

42. Mark Engen 8:10

43. Matt Engen 8:10

44. Roy Vosberg 8:16

45. Rick Kompelien 8:21

46. Josh Peterson 8:28

47. Matthew Johnson 8:33

48. Kristi Olson 8:39 (1st Female)

49. Matthew Horner 8:45

50. Mara Larson 8:45

51. Brian Dukek 8:45

52. Al Stauffer 8:45

53. Robert Danneker 8:48

54. Brett Swenson 8:50

55. Grant Braasch 8:52

56. Joshua Schneider 8:57

57. Ben Johnson 8:58

58. Susannah King 8:59

59. Tom McDonald 9:04

60. Elliott Krizek 9:07

61. Jeff Zipfel 9:08

62. Pete Bell 9:12

63. Bob Shepherd 9:13

64. Don Fox 9:16

65. Brent Bruessel 9:17

66. TC Worley 9:18

67. Troy Lawrence 9:26

68. Don McNaughton 9:34

69. Ross Hargrove 9:35

70. Jay Obenauer 9:42

71. Porter Million 10:24

72. Todd Larson 10:24

73. Derek Chinn 10:57

74. Scott Sundby 10:57

75. Scott Kinderman 11:03

Thanks to our Sponsors!!!

We probably don't give our sponsors tons of publicity but big props go out to our sponsors this year:

Wheelhouse Cycles - Not only does Wheelhouse provide some awesome service when our bikes need some help after miles and miles of grit getting into every orifice of our bikes, but the shop donated a Fargo frame!!! Rob Belz was the lucky winner of the frame. We had a drawing of those who made it to the Zumbro Falls checkpoint and his name came up as the lucky one!

HED Wheels - A first time sponsor HED wheels came through big time. They donated a pair of wheels that were made specifically for races like these! Eric Sudheimer won these sweet running wheels for finishing 37th. We random number generated a number between 20 and 60 the night before. Yeah it's a weird way to give out such a sweet prize, but we're a weird race. Note... Andy Tetmeyer of HED wheels missed the start of the race due to missing Colvill Park yet he still came through with the wheels! If you're looking for a beautiful wheelset made by a local company who supports local racing, look no further than HED!

Cars-R-Coffins - Longtime sponsor Cars-R-Coffins came through with some unique little messenger bags and water bottles. Not only that but some of their crew came down and rocked the 'Rok! Thanks again Hurl and crew for supporting the local races!

Salsa Cycles - Again Salsa Cycles came through with some awesome swag. Unfortunately Jake had the stuff in his car and it broke down in Lake City while he was patrolling the course. We'll find a way to get some stuff out to random people who participated. Also, it was commented on more than once that it seemed almost EVERYONE was on a Salsa yesterday. The race was won on a Fisher, but I would venture a guess that 7 or 8 of the top ten were riding Salsa (either the Fargo or La Cruz or Chili Con Crosso - I think those are the right names). Thanks for the three years of support!!!

A few pics

A few pictures taken at this year's 2010 Ragnarok 105

'Rok 2010 is in the books

A beautiful April day saw a young Mr. Charly Tri get a small gap on the return climb up Lehrbach and held it through a mad dash through a little of downtown Red Wing to become the first repeat Ragnarok champion! He was closely followed by the climbing zen-master Tim Ek only seconds behind, while powerhouse Ryan Horkey rounded out the rock trophy recipients for the men. The top 5-6 guys were averaging well over 16 mph for the total 105 miles (for the first half to 3/4 almost 17-18!!!).

Kristi Olson was the top female finisher with an impressive preformance overcoming a couple of flat rear tires and some stiff competition from second place female Mara Larson and never say die Susannah King.

More complete results can be found for the time being at the links in the previous posts. We'll try and post up the official results on the blog tomorrow. Right now we're bushed.

Thanks to all who made this such a great race!

'Rok Crew

sorta kinda live updates... maybe

We are going to try and do some near realtime updates
click on the links:

Checkpoints and final times

King of the Mountains points

No guarantees, but we'll give it a go.

Tulip note reading 101

It's easy...

The dot on the tulip note is you, moving forward...

The arrow is the direction you go. If it's a left turn, the arrow points to the left. Etc.

Each tulip is drawn to replicate (or at least generally replicate) the intersection that you are going through. Follow the arrow!

When there is a note in [brackets] that is the road that you are crossing/passing/NOT going on. So for example this year at mile 11.7 you will take a right. The information/note says "stay on old Church road [Hill Valley road]". That means that you take a right while staying on Old Church road and the intersecting road, that you don't ride onto at this point, is Hill Valley.

We have noted the KOM locations in the first half of the race. These distances are approximate. We will try to match up where we are parked as close as possible, but it won't be perfect. We will make all attempts reasonable to make the KOM point clear. Most likely unless otherwise noted assume it's the back of the vehicle.

Thanks for reading... only a few more days!!!!

Tulip Notes

Alrighty, we are working on stuffing folders. I have just a few notes on the notes.

1) They are cut 41/2 X 11, if you fold them in half they will fit nicely in your Banjo Brothers map holder.

2) KOM have a milage posted on the cue sheets, they will not be exact to where the official will be standing. The official line will be where we want it.

3) Your race folder will have a map in it just incase you need to be picked up and have to give your crew directions. If you choose to use it to find a short cut, do not bother to show up. This lists only major roads. If you think you want something more detailed you will need to pick that up yourself.

4) This year we will require you to tie your number plate to the front of your bike. We will have twist tie available to do so.

5) We are not sure if the bathrooms will be open at Colvill, last year they were but do not count on it. There is a Kwik Trip within a mile away. Make sure you have all the water you need before you show up. As with the bathroom, there might not be running water on yet. Another smart thing to have is sunscreen, if you have not looked at the forecast yet it's looking great as of today.

6) Most importantly, you are responsible for yourself, be prepared!

Last week!!!

Just 5 days or so away!

To reiterate the details:

6:30-7:15 will be registration in Colvill Park, Red Wing, MN. We'll be down there a bit earlier, so feel free to stop down before then. It shouldn't take too long to get people registered, but try and get there well ahead of time. We want to start at 7:30 sharp.

You have until 1:00 to get to the Zumbro Falls cut-off. The note cards that you will get at registration will get you that far. If you make it to the cut-off in time you will obtain the cue sheets to get you back to Red Wing.

You have until 7:30 pm to return to Colvill Park. This is averaging less than 10 mph, if you can keep those legs moving you can make it!

Remember: You are responsible for yourself... we'll give you directions, but it is your responsibility to follow them and follow traffic laws etc. You'll be out on public roads, and people won't really be looking for you. We try and keep you off of sketchy sections of road, but you still need to be ready and neighborly.

Also, the dogs are certainly more frisky than normal with the early spring. Be careful out there.

Up next: some snapshots of the race profile (if I can just figure out my computer)

Lodging and service location information

Here is a link to a Google map that shows the location of the start and mid points. It also shows some lodging options in Red Wing.

Link to Google maps

Last half of the race is double checked! If you have not started riding yet, you might want to do that. I will not come pick up any slack-assed folk and will leave you in Deliveranceville to be feasted on by mange stricken dogs. Which leads me to... BE PREPARED!

We will probably give some last min updated so stay posted, as of right now Covill park is under water and closed. Pretty sure it will be open by the time the Rok starts but stranger things have happened, so please keep checking the blog.

-The ROK Crew

Some Gravel Road Riding Tips

As the race approaches here are a few tips for riding on gravel roads... most of you are probably experts but I'll give them anyway....

1. Pay attention! Most of the roads are lightly traveled by automobiles but they can sneak up on you.

2. When going up hills or around blind corners make sure to inch over to the right if possible. Cars will not expect to encounter cyclists, so being to the right is the safest place to be.

3. Dogs are out and about! We aren't on many different roads than the past couple of years so expect the same canine (and chicken) involvement as in years past. Be ready if a snarling dog runs out at you. On the course we haven't ran into any violent dogs, but dogs can have bad days too. So just have a plan if one starts to chase.

4. Be ready to fend for yourself. We'll give you accurate directions, but you must follow them or prepare to be lost. Also, if you have to drop out you must have your own strategy for getting back to civilization. You are responsible for you!

5. Water! Dust and wind and the sun can dehydrate. You must bring enough water to get you at least 60 or so miles. There is one town that we go directly through. Goodhue and Lake City will be passed relatively closely but are not on the route.

I'm sure there are a ton of other things I could talk about but it's time now to get out and ride!

Refresher on some rules

If you've signed up for this thing you probably pretty much know what is going on, but here are some more specific rules:

0) You are responsible for yourself!

1) Follow the rules and laws of the road. You will be traveling on public roads that will not be closed in any way. If you see a stop sign, please stop, etc. etc. etc.

2) Wear a helmet while on course.

3) There will be one official checkpoint in the race this year. At approximately mile 55 we will have a checkpoint. At this point, and at only this point you can get outside assistance/help. There also are a couple of convenience stores to pick up water/chips/etc. Unfortunately the roller dogs are in short supply, so if you want a crappy hot dog you might just want to throw one in your jersey pocket. The course will pass within a couple of miles of two other towns, but will not pass anything really useful. So, have enough water and food!

4) Carry enough water and food!

5) You are responsible for yourself!

6) Ride within yourself. Watch your speed if you need to on the downhills. There are some long and very very fast descents. It's fun to bomb them, but be prepared to deal with loose gravel, washboard, oncoming tractors etc. Also, when you are climbing up a hill, it's probably smart to not be on the left side of the road. There isn't much traffic on these roads, but be smart.

7) You must have a computer or some means of tracking your progress (in miles).

8) Have some sort of small (or large) front and rear (red) lights. It doesn't have to be so you can see, but you want to be seen.

9) You are responsible for yourself!

10) Don't litter. Respect that we're riding on public roads.

11) Watch out for dogs, chickens, and livestock!

12) Have fun!!!

We will be starting at 7:30 am in Colvill Park in Red Wing, MN. You will get the cue sheets for the first half of the race at registration. We will publish the cut-off times to get to the checkpoint in Zumbro Falls and to finish.

I think I got most of the big ones. Please feel free to ask any questions as we get closer to the race... only a little over a month away!

Pics from the 2009 event

Here are more pics from last years event.

http://picasaweb.google.com/larryboberry/Ragnarok200902?feat=directlink

Something to look at!

Trainer Meeting

What a better way to have a Rök meeting than spinning while watching "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Not much needs to be discussed in mid winter, but figured we should get together. The course has been picked, driven, and all it needs it to be double checked. Sponsors are together and excited (I hope).

Now all we need to say is train hard and show up!

Disclaimer: this is a self-supported race be prepared! (figured I'd start saying it now)

Almanzo 100

If you don't know about the Almanzo 100 (which most of you race it), you can now sign up 'till the end of the month. It's a great race put on by a motivated director. I believe all of us from the Rok headquarters will see you there. My suggested training, ride in a wind tunnel, 'cause that the kind of wind you will have to conquer.

www.almanzo100.blogspot.com