Giro d' Gilbert

The first annual Giro d' Gilbert was run yesterday and will be an annual occurance going forward during the Giro d' Italia. It is a 50+ mile road ride from Chambersburg, PA that features an extremely steep climb up on Gilbert Road into the Buchanan State Forest which borders the Cumberland Valley to the West. The Giro d' Italia is famous for steep climbs that finish on heinous wicked grades up dirt roads - Gilbert is no different. The main climb is 2.6 miles that averages over 11% has sustained sections of 20% and peaks out at 25%. Noticeably, the top half is on hard-packed dirt. For the inagural run we had an all MBM turnout including: Joel Moats, Cathy Large, Chuck Buczeskie, and Darius Mark. Joel had the wisdom to bring a bike with cyclo-cross gearing.

The ride lasted 3 1/2 hours, 51 miles, and featured over 4,100 feet of climbing. Thanks to the long days we finished just after dark. Kudos to Cathy for bringing flashing bar lights. The ride profile looks like this:
Plan for this one next year during the Giro, as you can imagine we all had a great time.

Maximus

Check out Don's pictures from the race.

http://www.singlespeeder.smugmug.com/

It was intense.........well at least it was for Dale.

Stoopid 50 Weekend - June 8-10, State College

Hello All,
The rumors of a 50 mile race in beautiful central PA are true! Nittany MBA is hosting the 'Stoopid 50' weekend on June 8-10 near Penn Roosevelt State Park in Rothrock state forest. Events include a Friday night ride and Saturday morning rides led by Nittany MBA. We'll regroup Saturday afternoon in time for the fun events - the 2 Stoopidest things to do on your bike in Rothrock. First, a fun time trail down one the best trails in the forest. Then a lung busting hill climb, and finally a technical section to see who can go through clean! After a hard day, relax at movie night and build your courage for the long awaited bonfire bunnyhop competition.
On Sunday, Shenandoah Mtn Touring (W101,Shenandoah100) will be hosting the Stoopid 50 race at 9am. This will be a tough but rewarding course. You will ride sweet singletrack all day and it is possible the mtn laurel will be in bloom. This is the highlight of weekend for both race participants and spectators. Register on-line at:
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4753
Chris has a much more detailed account of the weekend on the site. Come to race, come to ride or come to just hang out. Questions about the weekend? Post online at nittanymba.net.

HO