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Almanzo 100 (Rochester - Mankato)

Old 04-12-07, 12:21 PM
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Almanzo 100 (Rochester - Mankato)

Anybody here planning to ride this race? It's Rochester, MN to Mankato, MN on gravel roads. I'd love to, but maybe am not in good enough shape to do 100 miles.

https://www.postbulletin.com/newsmana...?a=290229&z=22

Bike race will be for do-it-yourselfers
4/11/2007 11:26:29 AM

By Jason Feldman

The Post-Bulletin

Chris Skogen likes to bring people together for a common cause, especially if that cause results in people feeling better about themselves in the end.

That's why the 29-year-old Rochester man ran for mayor in November.

The election didn't fall his way, but Skogen wasn't deterred or discouraged.

He's in the final stages of organizing a large gathering of like-minded athletes for an event that will test them physically and mentally, and will result only in personal satisfaction for each participant.

Skogen's vision -- a 100-mile bike ride, primarily on gravel roads, from Rochester to Mankato -- will come to fruition on May 19.

The Almanzo 100 is named after the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who once lived near the area that the ride will pass through.

The idea came to Skogen after hearing of other similar races.

"There's a group in Iowa who puts together the Trans-Iowa ride; it's about 300 miles, completely self-supported and runs about 36 hours on gravel and dirt roads," Skogen said. "There's also the Great Divide Race, which is about 2,500 miles -- it's the length of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to New Mexico.

"There are people putting these things on all over the country, so why not here?"

One-car family

Another reason Skogen organized this ride is just because of his passion for bike riding. He bought his first "nice bike" when he was 16 and said he soon learned that "biking is a very efficient way to get around and fun to do."

He and his wife have just one car, and he rides his bike wherever he needs to go -- work, shopping, etc. -- whether it's the middle of July or the middle of February.

Self-supported ride

The Almanzo 100 is a completely self-supported ride, meaning riders must fend for themselves at all times. If a rider's bike breaks down, it's his or her issue to deal with. If a rider needs food or water, he will have to pack it and carry it himself, or wait until the trail goes through a town.

The ride is scheduled to begin at Central Park in Rochester. It will continue through Medford, about 50 miles away, then through Waseca and finally to Mankato.

And if a rider needs to get back to Rochester? They either will have to have someone scheduled to pick them up in Mankato, or they'll be riding in the Almanzo 200.

"People are completely responsible for themselves," Skogen said, "which I think adds to the fun aspect of it. A lot of times with cycling races they can seem very official.

"When you take the formal rules and regulations, and the entry money out of it ... it brings it down to, if you like to ride and just have fun, then this is the ride for you."

Skogen said he has spoken briefly with law enforcement officials, who told him that, since the riders are fully self-supported, they have no problems with the event as long as riders follow state laws and regulations.

Skogen said he will have a map and other information, such as nearby hospitals along the route, available for riders on the day of the event.

The ride is open to all cyclists ages 18 and older, and though it's a self-supported ride, Skogen said he will award trophies to the first riders to complete the 100-mile journey in four classes.

"I wanted to bring people together just to get together and have a fun time," Skogen said. "No one really benefits from this ride, except for their own personal accomplishment."

Web links

* Almanzo 100 bike ride
* One less car blog
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Old 01-27-08, 09:25 AM
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Hey, looks like this race is happening again this year. May 17, 2008. Rochester to Mankato, MN. I already got my registration in.

Almanzo 100 Info or Almanzo 100

Gravel roads for 100 miles.

Last edited by gunnar; 02-21-08 at 12:38 PM.
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Old 02-29-08, 03:58 PM
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I didn't ride last year, but made a pact with the devil so am committed to ride this year. I need to buy a cyclocomputer before may 17.
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Old 03-16-08, 11:19 AM
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Looks like Chris is thinking of changing the route to a 100 mile loop starting and ending in Rochester. Guess something went wrong in Mankato.

https://www.almanzo100.blogspot.com/
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Old 03-16-08, 12:57 PM
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One of the local guys is all ready signed up for the race. I'm thinking about it as I've all ready got 2 gravel centuries in this year so at least I've had some training. We'll see what the doctor says about my shoulder tomorrow and find out if I'm going to be off the bike for any significant time. I crashed hard enough this morning to crack a helmet in two spots and nail my shoulder hard, so I'm just taking it easy with my good friends ice and ibuprofen this afternoon!

Rick
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Old 05-18-08, 09:09 PM
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The race was yesterday. It was a beautiful day. We had perfect weather. I beat my time goal by 1 hour. Chris Skogen did a great job organizing the event. Great cue sheets. A lovely route. He even got one of the sponsors to pony up free BEvERages for the finish line.

Oh, and yes this was my first century.
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Old 05-19-08, 10:53 AM
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My long ass race report.

My buddy Squirrel riding it fixie.
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Old 05-19-08, 10:54 AM
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Squeaky, where did you finish?

Rick
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Old 05-19-08, 01:05 PM
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#46 (8:58). I was on the Green Specialized Tricross single speed. Blue shirt and yellow helmet. I'm not in any of the pictures.

I was feeling good until the last 20 miles. At that point, pain in my left knee (ILTB) slowed me down. I walked up the last several hills. Classic mistake of trying to keep pace with the stronger riders.

I did well keeping hydrated. Carried 64 ounces of water and 20 ounces of Gatorade. Stopped to resupply in Spring Valley. In both Spring Valley and Rochester, I finished my last water just outside of town. I brought too much food. Took half of it home with me. I ate beef jerky, nuts, sesame sticks and Gardettos.

I only missed a couple spots with the sunscreen. The back of my calves are a little burned. I've got red stripes around my biceps right next to my shirt sleeves.
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Old 05-19-08, 01:14 PM
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Good job on finishing. This was a race to be earned for sure. I didn't think to put on any sunscreen so my legs got toasted completely.
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