Messilla Valley Circuit Race - Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at 9:00AM.............

Sunday, February 26th - The Messilla Valley Circuit Race - 9:00AM:

This classic Circuit Race course is back for 2012! Registration will open at 8:30AM at the top of the hill of Messilla Valley Road - just near the intersection with Pentz Road. The "A" Category will be starting their event at 9:00AM, and the "B" Category going at 9:01AM, and if there are enough riders, the Junior and Category C event will start at 9:02AM(Category C and Juniors Event will be 5-laps, totaling 17.5 miles and 1,500 feet of total climbing). The number of laps for Category A & B will remain the same as previous years - 10 laps for each Category. Women's & Masters Categories will be combined with the Category "B" race, but picked separately. If you drive, please park at Spring Valley School, which is only 1-mile away from the Start/Finish Line - or at Butte College and ride in. There's not much parking at the Start/Finish area. The Messilla Valley Course is approximately 3.5 miles in length with about 300+ feet of climbing per lap. 10 laps = 35 miles and 3,000+ feet of climbing.

**ALSO - There will be 2 3-point King of the Mountains/Queen of the Mountains points/laps in this race - points count towards the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series. I will have one water container at the Start/Finish Line, but water bottle hand-ups will be SOLELY dependent upon Volunteers - so if you have a volunteer, bring 'em with you! For a map of the course, please click on this link:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/46118826/

Most USA Cycling rules apply to these races - you know, WEAR YOUR HELMET, don't ride like a nutcase, and all that good stuff. Sandbaggers are strongly discouraged (a Sandbagger would be a Category "A" rider racing a Category "B" or "C" race - must be completely obvious to the Race Director). 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 - especially on this course! Normally, in a USA Cycling sanctioned race, you would not be allowed to have them on your bicycle in a mass-start event like this one - but I know many of us like them on our bicycles and use them for training. 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. The race will be timed as well - and I will have results, photos and videos posted of the race online later that day.
HELD RAIN OR SHINE!
Helmets are mandatory!
(40-point event in the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series - also, the 1st event in the 2012 Series!)

2012 BUTTE ROAD R.A.C.E. SERIES INFORMATION:

Hi Everyone! After the great turn-out at last year's Butte County-area Road Races, we're going to be doing them again for the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series! This Series will go from February 2012 through October 2012. Most of the races will be starting at either 8:00AM or 9:00AM on the weekends. A list of various races that could(and probably will) be a part of the 2012 Series:

Messilla Valley Circuit Race
Table Mountain Road Race
Butte City Road Race
The Field of Dreams Road Race
Aguas Frias Road Race
Jonesville Road Race
Cohasset-to-Gravel Road Race
Coal Canyon Circuit Race
The Vilas Road Race
The Forest Ranch Road Race
The Forest Ranch Circuit Race
The Inskip Road Race
Honey Run Road Race
The Nimshew Race
Wheelock Circuit Race
Grainland Road Race
Lunt Road Race
Troxel Circuit Race
Lomo Road Race
Ord Bend Road Race
The Belden Road Race
The Midway Road Race
Stirling City Road Race
The Bloom Circuit Race
Pinkston Canyon Circuit Race
The Chico Road Race
All of the Mini-Road Races - like Troxel, River Road, Cohasset, Honey Run, Centerville, Neal & Humboldt
and many others.

In addition, the Road R.A.C.E.s could be part of the various Omniums going on in 2012(Nutcracker, Rumpstomper, Devil's Kick, Rodneyums, Oro-Chico Omnium, The RockHammer, The Cuts, The Diomnium, and others.......think Friday Night Crit, Saturday Hill Climb and/or Flat TT and Sunday Road Race, etc.).

Why have this event?
Looking at cycling from an international view, "road racing" is one of the most prestigious aspects of bicycle racing. The greatest racing champions in the history of our great sport - Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Inga Thompson, Connie Carpenter, Fausto Coppi, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Gino Bartali - the list goes on and on and on. These riders were great "road racing" champions. The road race itself requires great stamina, strength, speed, skill and sense to win - or to place. To win a road race - or place highly in a road race consistently - is the epitome of a great cycle racing champion. This contest will track the most consistent riders in the area for road racing. The winner of this event will have a great opportunity for bragging rights - plus, they'll win the Series Championship Trophy, and whatever goodies we can give away! Not to mention......it's just fun - and a GREAT workout! We will be using our new website - www.RaceChico.com - for Results on these races as well - so tune in there for updated calendars, results and Overall Standings in the Series.

How does it work?
Okay, here are a few notes for the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series:

1. We will be using a variety of courses for this Series - including some flat courses, very hilly courses, somewhat hilly courses, some long courses, some short courses, circuit race courses(no Crits), some point-to-point courses, and so forth. The idea is to get a variety of course profiles going for the Series to test riders a bit. The Series starts in February 2012 and goes through October 2012. We will have the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series Awards Ceremony in October/November 2012 at a location to be determined.

2. ALL riders MUST sign in at the start of EACH event - There will be a small table at the Start/Finish location - just sign in at the table and you are good-to-go! Sign-ins normally start 30 minutes before the event takes place and closes about 1-2 minutes before the event starts. Rain or wet weather will normally NOT cancel the events. However, a couple of years ago we had some tremendous smoke from the Humboldt Fire in this area......which, in turn, may cancel some of the Road Races due to hazardous air quality. In addition, if the roads are icy, we will cancel or shorten the event. Also, quite a few USA Cycling rules apply to these races.....but we're not going to go rule-crazy out there......just ride safe, look out for your fellow rider and have a good time.....that's why we do these!

3. There will normally be 3 Categories racing at the Road Races - the Category "A" Event(Advanced riders), the Category "B" Event(Intermediate riders), and the combined Category "C"(Novice riders) & Junior Event(normally, riders under the age of 16). However, EACH Series Category will be picked separately(Women's, Masters, etc.). Category "A" races will normally start first, with the Category "B" races starting a couple of minutes later, and then the Category "C" & Junior races a couple minutes after the Bs. If you are not sure what Category you should enter, just talk to me at the Start and we'll get it all figured out. No worries - we're just out there to have fun, gain some good fitness and have some new experiences.

4. Helmets are MANDATORY! So, please....please.....wear your helmet.

5. Volunteers - Water bottle hand-ups will be almost solely dependent upon volunteers at these events.......so bring a volunteer with ya!

6. All are welcome - you don't have to do the Series - just come on out and give this Road Race training/riding a shot! They're a GREAT workout! No license required, no entry fee - just sign in and RACE - and have fun!

7. Points are used to calculate the Overall Standings in the Series, and are awarded at each race. As an example, the point breakdown for a 30-point R.A.C.E. is as follows:

30-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1, with an additional 3 points being given to each participant finishing each event.
So, 30 points goes to the winner, 24 points goes to 2nd place, 22 points goes to 3rd place and so on.........in addition to 3 more points for COMPLETING the event. The rider with the MOST points at the end of the Series in their respective Category wins the Overall Title - and the 2012 Butte Road R.A.C.E. Series Championship Trophy, plus whatever goodies we can give you. ALSO - There MAY be some additional points awarded in the Series for KOM/QOM - King & Queen of the Mountains......will be announced before each race. Also, many of the Road R.A.C.E.s in 2012 will be used in the various Omniums going on locally - An "Omnium" is just a stage race using points rather than time - and you do not have to complete one stage in order to do the next stage. You garner points for each stage depending upon how you did in the stage.......and, in the R.A.C.E. Omniums, the MOST points wins(many Omniums reverse this and have the least amount of points winning). Chico-area Omniums this year include: The Nutcracker, Devil's Kick, The Rumpstomper, multiple Rodneyums, Oro-Chico, Field of Dreams and others. AND - we WILL be doing a timed Stage Race this year, so a Road R.A.C.E. will be part of that as well.

If weather conditions are particularly harsh - or if a Road R.A.C.E. course is particularly harsh - we will add "misery" points to the totals. So, if it is pouring down rain at the Jonesville Road Race, we may add an additional 10 points for the "misery" involved in that race. In addition, most of the "Mini-Road-Races" held during the week(Humboldt Road Race, Cohasset Road Race, Troxel Race, etc.) will be counted towards the Overall Series, but with fewer points awarded(5 to the winner, 4 to 2nd, 3 to 3rd, 2 to 4th and everybody else gets 1 point).

Mini-Road Races: These are usually held during the weekdays.....either early in the morning or on some evenings.......and include a shorter distance "road race" event.....something like, the Chico Airport to the Cohasset Narrows, or Humboldt Road from bottom to top. For instance, we had the Wednesday Morning Humboldt Road Races at 6:00AM last year and quite a few riders came out for those each week. In addition, we use to hold the Friday Night Cohasset Road Races at 6:00pm and lots of riders came out for those too! The idea is to get in a quick workout either before work in the AM - or a quick workout right after work in the PM, etc. Very minimal points awarded at the Mini-Road Races, but a great little workout - and a good way to gain a few additional points in the Overall Series. Remember - the key to winning the Series will be consistency - it's amazing what can happen by just showing up to race!

8. Although the races are advertised as having 3 Categories out on the course - Category A, Category B and Category C/Juniors - the Series itself has even more Championship Trophy Categories, including:

Category "A" - Advanced Riders

Category "B" - Intermediate Riders

Category "C" - Novice Riders

Women's Category

Men's Masters 50+ Category(in Cat. B)

Juniors Category (essentially, riders under 16 years of age)

***In addition - The rider who has the MOST points in the entire Series at the end will receive the "Grand Champion's" Plaque as well.

These are the Categories which all qualify for a Series Championship Trophy - as of NOW. We could add Categories if enough riders show up out there - so tell your friends! If nobody - or very few folks are in one category - we may eliminate it and add an additional category where the numbers allow it. As usual, sandbaggers are strongly discouraged (A Sandbagger would be a Category "A" rider entering a Category "B" event - this would have to be completely obvious to the Race Director).

NOTE - The R.A.C.E. Director reserves the right to re-classify you at any time(within reason and with plenty of notice). So, if you are just demolishing the field at the Category "B" races, it is a sure bet that I will upgrade you to Category "A".

In addition, winners medals or mini-trophies may be given out at some of the Road Race events for the winners in various categories............depending upon the very very limited budget of the Race Director. I will try my best to have the Road Race Results out - as well as the Current Overall Series Standings - within 24 hours from the completion of the event. Results will be posted to the R.A.C.E. e-mail list, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, www.ChicoBike.com & our new website - www.RaceChico.com. Also, photos and video of the events will be posted on Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest and YouTube.

If you would like to be added to the R.A.C.E. e-mail list, just send me an e-mail with the word "ADD" in the subject line and send to ChicoCyclist@gmail.com.

9. Although donations to put on these events are always very very appreciated and accepted, this Series is FREE - so come on out and take advantage of some, or all, of these Road R.A.C.E.s in 2012! Although donations are always extremely appreciated, they are NEVER necessary to enter these events - I just want y'all out there testing yourselves on your bicycles and having a good time! Also, ANY and ALL sponsorships for these events are highly welcome - so, if you'd like to sponsor the R.A.C.E. events, just let me know! Finally, this Series is not associated with any cycling clubs, so you don't have to be a member of any club to take part in any of these events(Sorry - get asked that question all the time). NOTE: There WILL be some races in 2012 that ARE entry-fee events, so keep your eyes open for those. The reason for these entry-fee races is to try to raise some much needed funds to keep the R.A.C.E. events going.

10. The Race Director reserves the right to disqualify(DQ) any rider for unsafe riding or unsportsmanlike conduct at ANY time. Also, PLEASE - try not to use colorful language out there - especially with the little kids around watching the race at the finish line and so forth. ANY rider breaking these rules can be subject to disqualification from - not only the race - but from the entire Series. So, please - just do what ya always do and just be cool!

11. Finally, remember - these Road Race events are essentially for practice and exercise - we have fun out there and get a great little workout in, and we get to work on some quality cycling skills. But, overall, they're no big whoop....no World Championship/Olympic medals or million dollar contracts on the line. So, with that in mind, just treat 'em as such - a good training event to try some new things, gain some good fitness, meet some new people, try some new roads & courses.....and maybe even get into a sanctioned Road Race at some point in time. Or not. Just have fun with it! We'll have trophies and hopefully some prizes & event T-shirts for the Series winners and placers - and definitely loads of fun....and pain and suffering. ;) But remember - it's all in good fun and will prove to be memorable!

Hope to see you out there!

Rodney............
R.A.C.E. - Rodney's Amateur Cycling Events
Chico, California
www.RaceChico.com
www.ChicoBike.com
~Grassroots Bicycle Racing Events~