Two weeks to go!

Two weeks to go. If I can believe the forecast (both meteorological and river level) I think the course should actually be pretty good. The MMRs most likely will be quagmires, but nothing that vets won't be used to. The roads themselves are awesome right now.

I'm still monitoring the Zumbro and will be ready to make some major adjustments if need be.

I'll be confirming a few things this week, but for those of you who come down Friday night, assume the same plan as always and that night before check-in will be available if you'd like. Most likely 7:30-9:30 or something. Just need to confirm location.

On the big day we'll be set up around 6 am in the LOWER lot of Mississippi National Golf Links. Try and park nice. If the weather stays warm there is at least a non-zero chance that the course could be open... they are happy to have us, but I also want to affect their day as little as possible (unless people are heading in for beer/food/etc.).

Please be checked in by 7:15 or so. We'll have some last minute announcements and then try and start as close to 7:30 as possible. Neutral roll out until we hit gravel.

For those that are new to the event know that we hit the first climb of the day pretty much from the start. This strings things out pretty well, but please be mindful of everyone around you as you begin your descent. It can be a little squirrely and there tends to be random animals wandering around at the base of the hill.

Some notes:

1) The weather and work has kept me from making my normal multiple drives/walks/rides of the course to triple check the cue sheets. This MAY mean we just go with the "standard" course. I'm sure most of you will probably actually like that, and any changes made to the course would really only be to make the Garmin files that are out there obsolete and wrong. We pretty much hit the areas and climbs that I want to showcase....
2) There are a lot of hills and descents. Please ride within yourself! When going around corners or approaching the tops of hills be aware that any oncoming car cannot see you either and will definitely not really be expecting to see you. Ride to the right. Ride safe. Ride smart.
3) Don't litter. The quiet roads that we love to ride may have the random Busch Light suitcase in the ditch, but try and keep the litter to just that. Also, if you happen to need to use the bathroom please don't do it right in front of someone's house. There are plenty of remote places to go #1 (or 2!).
4) YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF! What does this mean? This is an organized ride but we require you to sign a waiver stating that you are responsible for yourself and we mean it. Are you lost? Figure it out. Bike break down? Legs break down? Etc Etc. Have a plan! We cannot be everyone's support vehicle. Obviously we know the area well and will do what we can, but you need to be aware of what is going on and have a plan if things don't go as planned.
5) We require you to have a helmet and prefer you to also have blinky lights.
6) CHECKPOINTS! Zumbro Falls and Lake City are the checkpoints again. Feel free to have someone there with support. These are the two places that we allow outside support. Both towns have convenience stores to use for restocking food and water if need be. The past couple of years there have been no port-a-potties in either place (and in LC the bathroom has been locked). So, if you need the facilities, again CONVENIENCE STORE!
7) Checkpoints part two - PLEASE SLOW DOWN IN/THROUGH THE CHECKPOINT! It makes our day much less stressful if we can easily see your number, write it down, and know roughly where you are.
8) Cue Sheets... I'll resurrect the post on how to read them. Each leg of the ride fits on an 8x11 sheet. We fold them in quarters and voila... easy to stash/clip/read tulip notes.

Post up any questions you might have...

Thanks for reading!