Growlers Gulch Racing Announces 2010 Ride Circuit

The Board of Directors of Growlers Gulch Racing has released a tentative schedule for the 2010 season. Please note that dates will be solidified within the next few months.

Once again, five wheels will be on the line, with coveted Fist of Five, Four-Wheel and Rider-of-the-Year recognition up for grabs. We will do our best to work around the race schedules of our DH brethren. 

While ride totals may be adjusted, it is likely that we will limit the number of entrants. First priority for sign-up is always given to those who ride and work on trail regularly at Growlers.

Growlers Gulch 5K – May: The goal of this event is to browbeat us into getting in decent physical condition before the summer ride season. Knowing that the 5K is coming up forces us to train. There’s a clock, so I guess it’s a race. The ‘09 route covered 28 miles, with 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Mike Van Hoose was the winner in 3:41. We will continue to seek ways to move more of the climbing to single-track in ‘10. Looking at a total of 25-35 riders. 

Tour de Gulch XXIII – June: Our oldest and most festive event, the TDG typically draws more than 50 riders. We split into groups and hit as much trail as possible in three hours, with plenty of food, libations, bike talk, and schwag at the post-ride party. 60 riders max. No exceptions.

Ride ‘em All – July: As the Voice of Reason for the reason-less members of Growlers Gulch Racing, I lobby hard each year to eliminate this fiasco. But the rest of these guys are just too dumb to be sensible. The goal is to ride virtually every trail at Growlers. Things will, of course, be worse in 2010 because we will definitely be adding trail. Expect to cover 32+ miles over 5-7 hours. No more than 25-30 morons will be “allowed” to participate.

Growlers Gulch Super D – September: We are dumping the time trial in favor of a Super D, which will give local DHers to showcase their talents. The run will be from the top of the 313, down Creation, Bad Gravity, Jekyll, the Lower KMAs and Secret Garden. We think the entire thing will cover about two miles. In order to win, all you have to do is beat pros, national champs, Pacific Northwest champs, and a raft of other speed demons. How hard can it be? We will organize by divisions, so that racers are separated from mere mortals. We are still working on the logistics, specifically, how to handle timing and whether we will limit the event to one run (With the blue gate closed, it would mean riding about 3.5 to 4.0 miles from the bottom of the Secret Garden to the top of the 313 hill to get a second shot). We will probably limit this to 40-50 thrillseekers.

Growlers Gulch Climbing Championship – October: Last weekend’s CC was a blast. It was easily the most spectator-friendly event of the season. We will again have five nasty climbs (to be selected by an anonymous GGR elder), with total footage determining the winner. The GG5K is a climbing event, but a completely other skill set is needed to compete well at the climbing championship. And having rain simply ups the ante.

What’s in the Mix for 2011? Maybe we need to push the envelope a bit. I’m thinking we could ride the Spike from the Stella side and then do the entire Ride ‘em All route. Here’s a chance to increase the adventure quotient!