SV100

SV100 riders, welcome to Race Week! We’re just days away from this year’s race rollout… and the weather guessers are predicting a Chamber of Commerce day, ideal for 100 miles of self-supported gravel racing adventures in Bluff Country USA.

If you haven’t downloaded the updated race route I announced in the most recent race report, please do so before race day.  Warning: If you use any of the old race routes you have saved, you will find you won’t be able to cross the river at Forestville State Park due to an emergency bridge closure. Here’s the link to the bypass route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42493292

I received confirmation there will be a food truck and beverage wagon (both for cash purchase) at the Finish Line in Willow Park.  So bring a lawn chair, grab a hot meal and cheer on our fellow riders through the Finish Line for an afterglow in the park.

Start and finish will still be from historic downtown Spring Valley with race number distro available the night before from 4-6 p.m. and the morning of from 6:30-7:30 a.m. at the Community Center on Main Street across from City Hall.  Complimentary Day-of Parking is available at the City Gravel Lot adjacent to the Finish Line at Willow Park.

We’re looking forward to meeting you all at the Start and Finish lines.  Bring a friend.  Anyone interested in volunteering at the Finish Line, please reach out to me.  pvogel3634@gmail.com

See you soon,

Paul

 

SV100 riders, we’re 30 days out from this year’s race and by now you’ve probably had the opportunity to get out and train, “outside!”, thanks to some record weather events over the past couple of weeks. Keep up the great work, find a hill, climb it, and climb it again and again and again.

In the last race report I alerted everyone about a potential re-route due to an emergency closure of the Forestville State Park Bridge.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to get into the park this year via our usual route, or via a reasonable alt route, due to the closure.  While we could have come in from the backside, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to add a 4 mile in and out to get to the park.  I traveled to SE MN Easter weekend and did some surveying of alternate routes and have finalized the re-route.  Special thanks to a perpetual rider, Todd Keune, for double checking my tech skills by driving mile 50 to Cherry Grove at mile 75/76 ish yesterday.  We also took the opportunity to update a bunch of outdated cues and fixed the Gravel to Paved ratio to correctly reflect the surface we’re primarily riding on…Bluff Country Gravel.  Route is on RideWithGPS as: 2023 Spring Valley 100 Forestville Bypass and will be posted on the City of SV EDA race site soon, as well as here, spread the word as you are able with those traveling with other riders:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42493292

I’ve heard the SV100 Race Angels will be setting up a pit stop at the Cherry Grove Community Center this year…that’s at mile 75.5…approx.  After 35 years in the military, who doesn’t love a good rumor mill about these Race Angels appearing.  There is a modern restroom there (that’s not a rumor), a couple not so modern ones too (also true, but guessing they’re no longer outfitted with a Sears Catalog). Be sure to thank the hosts, they’ve popped up a tent the past two years, and it’s always a welcome sight to see what they’ve gathered and laid out on their tables.

Although not confirmed, I’ve also heard there will be a food truck, a beverage stand (both for cash purchase) and a DJ at the Finish Line in Willow Park. So bring a lawn chair and cheer on our fellow riders through the Finish Line for an afterglow in the park where we can swap stories of the day’s adventures while recharging our bodies with something other than sugar, salt, (pickle juice for Oriole Hill), caffeine and electrolytes.

Start and finish will still be from historic downtown Spring Valley with bib distro(we’ll have twist ties to affix to your handlebars) available the night before and the morning of at the Community Center on Main Street across from City Hall.  Complimentary Day-of Parking is available at the City Gravel Lot adjacent to the Finish Line at Willow Park.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all at the Start and Finish lines.  Bring a friend.  Anyone interested in volunteering at the Finish Line, please reach out to me.  pvogel3634@gmail.com

If you are planning on camping the night before, the City has a campground, which we pass by just before the trout ponds as we near the finish line.  Reach out to City Hall to reserve a site, some have power, some do not.

Cheers,

Paul

 

 

SV100 riders, hard to believe we’re 80 days and a wake-up away from this year’s race.  Welcome back!  If you’re on the fence, it’s time to come on down off your fence and sign up for this historic race, the original Grandaddy course on the Gravel Racing scene. This year marks the 14th consecutive year of gravel century racing hosted by Spring Valley; grassroots, self-supported and still free.

Alert! There is a strong potential of a race re-route, but I don’t want to post it just yet as there are fingers and toes crossed along with movement afoot that could make the re-route unnecessary.  The re-route would involve the historic 1899 bridge at Forestville State Park, which is currently closed to all forms of traffic due to structural concerns. For those who have ridden the route before, you’re familiar with it being the only way across the river at Forestville State Park and the place where historically “Race Angels” have set up a pop-up recharge station in the past. I requested a one-day special use exemption to utilize the equestrian crossing, but since it’s a State Park this doesn’t appear to be an option and there’s not enough time to officially get the equestrian trail permitted for bike traffic. If we need to re-route, I’ll take a trip to Forestville in April to verify a viable bypass and get the route up on RideWithGPS. The race goes.

Start and finish will still be from historic downtown Spring Valley with bib distro available the night before and the morning of.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all at the Start and Finish lines.

 

Paul