Gravel Racing in Minnesota

This morning I received an email from Hurl of CrC fame alerting me to the fact that a Minneapolis gravel race is already in the works. It's called the Westside Dirty Benjamin

from their site:

What is the Westside Dirty Benjamin you ask? Well let's start off with a bit of how the Dirty B was born...

In 2009, 100 miles of gravel road racing was gaining momentum in Minnesota. With the Almanzo 100, Ragnarok 105 and Heck of the North representing their respective areas with picturesque horizons, diabolical routes, and a down right grand ole time, the AGRS Race for the Cup was born. (Shout out to Almanzo!). Talking to many bike heads around town, there was great energy and desire to get out there and ride a gravel century. This was also evidenced by the Ragnarok filling up within hours and the Almanzo approaching 300 entrants!! Heads can't get enough of wanting to ride the bits for five plus hours. We thought that a gravel race a showcasing Carver County would be fit right in to the scheme.

Carver County??? Yup, the same county lying west of Lake Minnetonka. The route will start and end near enough to Minneapolis for those Minnies who may not have the ability to get out of town for an early morning start. For the out-o-towners, there is a great opportunity to visit and stay with family and/or friend located the Twin Cities.

The race is free and we'll be opening it up for postcards in a few months...more on that later so check the blog. The format is the same as the other rides of the AGRS and the details of which will also be posted at a later date. So much to look forward to.

Oh, by the way, the date will be June 12, 2010. Nice! Should be a great day
*the flyer says June 19th and the text says 12th not sure which to believe

Not only that I also learned that the organizers of many of the other gravel road races around the state have joined forces to create the:
Almanzo Gravel Road Series: Race for the Cup

Here's how it will work

In order to qualify for points in any of the events listed above, a rider must take the start and finish each event that they choose to participate in.

Upon finishing, each rider will be awarded 30 points, these points will then be added to any additional points the rider might accumulate should they finish in the top ten, with points for placement ranging from 1st place (16pts) to 8th place (2pts). *see breakdown below

Should a rider be disqualified for any reason, his or her points will not be awared. EACH RIDER MUST START AND FINISH AN EVENT TO BE AWARDED POINTS FOR THAT RACE.

Following the final race, the Lord James and Lady Elizabeth Cups will be presented to the male and female riders that have accumulated the most points for the current series year.

The Cups will be loaned to the winners for one month following the final series race. At the end of one month the Cups must be returned to the AGRS International Hall of Fame where the winners names will then be etched into the cup for the remainder of eternity. Once engraved, the Cups will be placed on display until the beginning of the next series when the entire process begins again.

And laslty there's this little number in Iowa next month


2010 CIRREM registration is now open. pre-register before february 14 and get a free CIRREM shirt. we hooked up with the eight seven central crew to bring you a quality shirt you will actually wear. the shirts are slim fitting, so if you're barely sliding into a medium, get a large. make sure to include in the comments of your registration your shirt size.

the lowdown...
1- CIRREM is a self-sufficient 62 mile gravel race....there will be no support, besides maybe one checkpoint/aid/water station along the route
2-there are no refunds for any reason....well unless the race is cancelled
3-since we do not yet have the power to close 62 miles of roads, obey all traffic laws, wear your helmet, and be seen with blinkies if needed
4-if you leave the race route and do not return to the point of exit, you will be DQ'd without question
5-cross bikes, mountain bikes, and even road bikes are all welcomed
6-hesitation is devastation...register before feb 14 to get your CIRREM shirt
7-proceeds will once again benefit the DSM Bike Collective