Sunday will likely be something you have NEVER done before! We listened to feedback from 2021 and people wanted more gravel less road of course. So we scoured the entire county trying to find a solution, and came back to an idea that we borrowed from the UCI Tour of Labitibi. We will literally transport everyone and their bikes 11 miles out of town for a start at a different location. Sounds crazy, but its really not.
How will it work? Riders will park and meet at the start at the Shelton in Old Town Palestine (start/finish location) where buses will be waiting. The 70 and 100 mile riders will load up on the bus at 6:15-6:30am, and bikes will be loaded in an equipment trailer. The bus drives 15 minutes out to the start in Jarvis. We prep up and start from there and it almost immediately goes into the gravel. The buses return after the start and begin loading for the 35 mile riders who do the same. ALL routes finish back at the Shelton in Palestine.
Why? There are two big reasons
1) All the roads leading in and out of Palestine were paved, the only way to open up more gravel without increasing distances was literally bring the riders closer to the gravel.
2) Moving further out also opens up several new route options by extending the range of each route 11 miles.
But is it actually happening? YES, the buses are booked, we own the truck and trailer, and the start venue is confirmed.
FlashFridaySale 8/12/22 Discount Codes
70 Miler
105 Mile
Our team is currently checking all the new sections, while we have the routes nearly complete, we want to ensure they are all safe and enjoyable for participants. Stay tuned.