For those of you who may not be familiar, Minnesota is proud to enjoy a gravel road racing series of 100 milers. The grandaddy of them all is the Almanzo 100, which takes place in Southern Minnesota near Rochester.
click here to see my recap of last year's race
Well this year the organizer, Chris Skogen, has decided to set the bar even higher with another race running concurrently titled the Royal 162. As in 162 miles of gravel roads on some very hilly roads. For those of you who may be laughing that I'm calling anything in the Midwest hilly, I invite you to come race. After 50 miles of that shit you'll be singing a very different tune, it's up and down and up and down, incessantly.
Here are the organizers own words regarding the change:
Why the addition of the 162? When the first Almanzo 100 was raced in 2007 the field was 12 people (4 of whom finished) and the reviews were unanimous that the course was difficult. The following two years the numbers grew and the times got faster. Last year we had 34 people finish under 6 hours...that is simply amazing! With the faster finishes and growing numbers we've gathered that while still difficult for the likes of us, there are riders out there that can finish 100 miles with ease. So, this year we've decided to raise the bar and try to make a portion of the Almanzo more difficult for those looking for that extra challenge. Sure, 162 miles isn't for everyone and we don't expect everyone to sign up for it (that's why we've kept the 100 and always will), but we know that there are racers out there looking for more and that's why we've decided to add on.
Find all the details available here
