R.A.C.E. Events this weekend!

R.A.C.E. EVENTS THIS WEEKEND:

Friday, July 22nd - Friday Night Criterium - 6:00pm & 7:00pm - "Devil Takes The Hindmost" Format!!


Saturday, July 23rd - The Bloom Circuit Race - 9:00am


Sunday, July 24th - The Field of Dreams Time Trial - 9:00am


Monday, July 25th - The Bidwell Forest Short-Track Mountain Bike Race - 6:30pm - NEW EVENT!

R.A.C.E. INFORMATION:
All the R.A.C.E. Events are FREE to enter - the goal is to get you out there on your bicycles for fun & fitness!!

Friday, July 22nd - The "Devil Takes The Hindmost" Chico Airport Criterium - 6:00PM(As & Bs) & 7:00PM(Cs and Junior Races):

This event will be held at the Chico Airport Criterium course starting at 6:00pm(for As & Bs) and 7:00pm(for Category C and Kids race)! Registration will open at 5:40pm on Convair avenue at the Airport - with the first event starting promptly at 6:00pm. We'll be using our standard Tuesday/Friday Night Chico Airport Criterium course starting/finishing at Convair Avenue:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Chico-Airport-Tuesday-Night-Crit-Course
***Now - the format: The "Devil Takes The Hindmost" is a format used in track racing......but we are using it out at the Criterium on this night. The races will go for 35 minutes at first......then, after that point, the rider who crosses the start/finish line LAST each lap will be pulled from the race. Once we are down to 2 riders left per Category, there will be 1 lap to go - and the race will be on. This is a tricky race - you MUST know where you are at all times once we reach the 35-minute mark - KNOW whether or not you are in last place coming across the line......the Devil has a tendency to take the unsuspecting in these races!! If I call you OUT, you must pull out of the race.
The Category C and Juniors Race will go for 20 Minutes PLUS 3 laps. Riders must sign in and wear a helmet in order to compete. Prime Points will count towards the 2011 Chico Airport Criterium Series!
RAIN OR WET PAVEMENT WILL ALWAYS CANCEL THIS EVENT!
Helmets are mandatory!
(DOUBLE POINT EVENT in the 2011 Chico Airport Criterium Series!)

Saturday, July 23rd - The BLOOM Circuit Race - 9:00AM:

YES, it's back! We first used this course back in August of 2009, and it was a doozy! ;) This event is named after our very own Mark Bloom - Mark told me about this Circuit Course in 2009 and thought it might make a good R.A.C.E. Event - and man, he wasn't kidding!! This course has a little bit of everything - and it is quite beautiful too!! This Circuit Race will be 5 laps of a 5.1 mile long circuit off of Hwy. 70........for a total of 25.5 miles. However, the total elevation gain for this event will be approximately 4,600 feet.......that's more than double the Table Mountain Road Race climbing in the same distance. So......bring your climbing legs and climbing gears! There is a parking area at the Vista spot right on the course on Hwy. 70 - right at the Intersection with Lunt Road. Registration will open in the Vista Area at 8:30am.........with the Category "A" event starting at 9:00AM.........and the Category "B" event starting at 9:02AM. Women's Category & Masters Categories will be scored separately, but starting with the Bs. The race starts with a descent off of Hwy. 70, down Lunt Road - over to Nelson Bar Road - to Concow Road - and back to Hwy. 70. Each lap includes 920 feet of total climbing - with some good pitches in there for good measure! This is also a 50-point Event for the 2011 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series. The course is very diverse - and quite fun and scenic - but has a bit of climbing to it!
***One Note - The descent down Lunt Road is quite steep - make sure that your bicycle is in good working order, and that your brakes work! Again, most USA Cycling rules apply to these races - you know, WEAR YOUR HELMET, don't ride like a nutcase, be safe, and all that good stuff. Water bottle hand-ups will be SOLELY dependent upon volunteers - so, if ya have a volunteer, bring 'em out!! I will bring "some" water out, but not a ton. A mention about Tri Bars - You can have Tri Bars on your bicycle - BUT, you must NOT use them if you are in a pack or paceline! Normally, in a USA Cycling mass-start race, you would not be allowed to have them on your bicycle - but I know many of us like them on our bicycles and use them for training/triathlons/TTs. This isn't the World Championships - we do these Circuit Races for fun, fitness and practice - but please do NOT use your Tri Bars in a pack/paceline situation. Thanks!! For a map of this course, please visit:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Bloom-Circuit-Race
Rain Will Cancel this Event!
Helmets are mandatory!
(50-point Event in the 2011 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series!)

Sunday, July 24th - The Field of Dreams 12.6 Mile Time Trial - 9:00AM:

A newer rolling course Time Trial! Registration will open at 8:30am at Spring Valley School on Pentz Road - the first rider will go off at 9:01am......and we will go in 1-Minute Intervals. This Time Trial is approximately 12.6 miles in length and includes some rolling terrain - for a total elevation gain of about 680 feet. The course itself is just one big loop - 1 lap for everyone. So, you'll have a chance to experience wind direction from a variety of locations!! The Start/Finish is at Spring Valley School(the Lunch Stop of the Wildflower Century) on Pentz Road - you'll go to Hwy. 70 to Clark Road, take Clark Road to Durham Pentz Road, then Durham Pentz back to Pentz Road to the finish at the school.......all right-hand turns. The course will be marked with Route Arrows. A map of this course can be found here:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Field-of-Dreams-Time-Trial-LongCourse
Event will be held rain or shine!
Helmets are mandatory.
(20-point Event in the 2011 Chico Time Trial Series!)

Monday, July 25th - The Bidwell Forest Mountain Bike Short-Track Race - NEW EVENT - 6:30pm:

We did this race for the first time last Monday night and it was a blast!!! So, thought we would give it another go! This race will start on the north side of the 5-Mile Recreation Area - near the dirt parking lot. Registration will open at 6:15pm for the 6:30pm start. The course will run through the single-track in "The Forest" in Upper Bidwell Park. This is an area just north of the 5-Mile Area - in between the 5-Mile and the entry to the North Rim Trail Parking Area. The course is VERY shaded and cool - great for summer racing - and is about 1.25 miles in length per lap......and is almost all single-track. The race will start and finish near the dirt parking area on the north end of 5-Mile, will be 40 minutes PLUS 2 laps. And, again, the course is just 1.25 miles in length, very shaded, and is ALL FLAT - no hills. We will race the course for 40 minutes, at which point I will give you the 2 laps to go sign. GREAT for beginners and Juniors - or those just wanting to get out on your mountain bikes for a spin! Can definitely use a cyclocross bike(Scott Heather won the race last week on a cyclocross bike) - or even a road bike if you wanted - but is a mountain bike race. For an approximate map of the course, please visit the MapMyRide link at:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/41538906
RAIN, WET TRAILS OR CLOSED TRAILS WILL ALWAYS CANCEL THIS EVENT.
Helmets are mandatory!
(Part of the 2011 Mountain Bike R.A.C.E. Series!)


Rodney........
R.A.C.E. - Rodney's Amateur Cycling Events
Chico, California
www.ChicoBike.com