Custom Awards

As you may know, we commissioned some custom awards for the 2009 running of the 12 Hours of Blue Mound. The winners of the solo 12 hour classes got to take home a trophy/end table fabricated from wood, worn-out bike parts, and authentic Blue Mound rock that you're all so familiar with. The trophies are made by a local Blue Mounds artist, woodworker, and mountain biker, Jason Williams.

Good news for 2010, we're expanding the custom awards beyond just the 12 hour solo division winners.

Here's a photo of last year's awards to give you an idea of what they look like.

Wisconsin State Single Speed Championships!

That's right! For 2010, the Wisconsin Singlespeed Championship race is returning to Blue Mound State Park! The inaugural WSC was held at this venue in 2006 and it's back for 2010.

The WSC race will be held in conjunction with the 12, 6, and 3 hour races of the 12 Hours of Blue Mound on August 14, 2010.

More information and a FAQ here...

WEMS Singlespeed Championship

2010 Race Date Announced!

Hey all,

It's official, the 2010 edition of the 12 Hours of Blue Mound will take place on August 14, 2010.

Go here to see the complete 2010 WEMS schedule!
Wisconsin Endurance Mountainbike Series

A Big Thanks!

We'd like to thank all of our sponsors, racers, medical support crews, and volunteers for coming out to the 2009 12 Hours of Blue Mound! It was a beautiful day!

Thanks!

Thanks to Zap Event!

A big thanks to Zap Event and thier staff, especially owner Jeff Wedren, for helping us get online registration up and running for the 12 Hours of Blue Mound!

Online registration offers many advantages. It allows participants to pay for your entry with credit and debit cards, if that's your preferred method of payment, and it allows us to draw on those funds before the race actually happens, giving us a means to prepare for the big day.

Other event promoters can contact Zap Event to set up online preregistration for your event at 1.866.770.3355 or support@zapevent.com

Thanks again Jeff!

Reminder! Pre-ride tonight!

Just a reminder about the group pre-ride tonight at 6:00-6:30.

Start is at the top of the mound by the observation towers...not the normal start area by the swimming pool.

Get a guided lap around the 6 and 12 hour course.

A few of us may get there early enough (about 5:30) to do a lap of the 3 hour course before hand.

Weather.

This is in repsonse to another comment made to the post below this one. I'm having trouble with the Blogger website and it won't let me add another comment there, so I'll do it here.

In the event of a cancellation, we will post here as soon as we know.

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather this week!

Pre-Ride Group Ride!

For those of you interested in pre-riding the race course in it's entirety (including the normally off-limits to bikes Flint Rock Nature Trail), come out to the park on Wednesday evening 8-19 at 6:00PM.

The ride will be guided and swept. There is also the possibility of some grilling and adult beverage consumption afterwards. There is at least one CORP member who's weekend is starting 0n Wed and is camping at the park.

Come on out and see what's in store for you on Saturday. For those racers who have never been to BMSP, it'll give you an opportunity to decide on proper equipment for the big day!

See you Wednesday!

A note about registration

Just wanted to post an answer to a comment posted below...blogger is giving me some trouble with posting comments so I'll answer your question here instead Kristi.

Registration the day of the event is completely OK, in fact, that's how most participants will register. We're hoping that the online registration with Zap Events will take off for the future of the 12 Hours of Blue Mound as well as the rest of the races in the WEMS series. Even if that doesn happen, onsite registration will still be available.

The 12 Hours of Blue Mound won't fill up early either. We're still very much a grass-roots race and race series, so there is absolutely no chance of being left out.

The date is fast approaching! Hope to see a lot of racers next Saturday!

Volunteers Needed

We're getting a lot of positive feedback about the revised race course, and it sounds like we should have a great turnout this year. We want as many people as possible to come out and enjoy our event, and entering the race is the most obvious way to do that. However, if you don't want to race but do want to come out and watch the action, help out your fellow riders, and have a great time, please volunteer to help us run the event. Most volunteer positions involve sitting at a low traffic road crossing with a buddy (or many buddies) for a 4-hour shift. All you have to do is help alert racers as they approach the road if there are any cars coming. That's it, pretty easy. So shoot us an email if you can help out. Thanks!

New Race Course!!!

About half of this year's race course has never been used in the race before. If you've raced or ridden here before, you are probably very familiar with the rocky terrain. However, what many people don't know is that Blue Mound State Park also has a great section of smooth, flowing trail in another area of the park. We want to show you that great trail, so it will be included this year.

It won't necessarily be easier, but it will be different. Each lap is about 8 miles long, with almost 1500ft of climbing. We expect lap times to range from 60-80 minutes.

GT Bike Raffle!

Want a new mountain bike? Even better, want to win a $900 bike for as little as $5? Come on out to the 12 Hours of Blue Mound for a chance to win a GT Avalanche 1.0 in our bike raffle, courtesy of GT Bicycles right here in Madison, WI. Full bike specs can be viewed here: http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa/eng/Products/Mountain/Adventure/#5717

Online Registration Active!

We're about 6 weeks away from the 12 Hours of Blue Mound! Online registration for the event is now active at Zapevents. Please click the button on the right to take you directly to the registration website.

You will also need a daily or annual Wisconsin State Trail Pass. We will be checking for these at Registration/Check-In the day of the race. If you don't have one, we can sell you one at registration. Daily is $4 and Annual is $20. (This is the same pass you need to ride at either of the Kettle Moraine trail systems.)

Erik's Bike Shop - Demo Bikes!

Thank you to Erik's Bike Shop for once again coming through as a sponsor for the 12 Hours of Blue Mound. Erik's will be providing professional mechanical support to our racers free of charge. There will also be a limited number of Specialized demo bikes available. Take a break from your old steed and swing a leg over one of the best cross country race bikes around.

Product Sponsor - Planet Bike

A big "Thanks!" goes out to Planet Bike, who will again be sponsoring the 12 Hours of Blue Mound with some great products for our door prizes. That's right, just sign up for our 3, 6 or 12 hour race and you are automatically entered to win some of the coolest bicycle accessories around, and all from a great local company that gives back to the cycling community. Please check out their website by clicking the logo on the right side of this page. See you in exactly 3 months!

Hotel Sponsor - Hampton Inn

Hey everyone. I know most of you who plan to spend a night or two in the Madison area for the race will probably camp at Blue Mound State Park. For many, though, it is just not worth the hassle (you have small kids, you don't have camping gear, etc). For that reason we have been given a group rate at the Hampton Inn, newly built on the west side of Madison 30 minutes from the trails. King rooms start at just $79, while two-Queen rooms are $89. Please check them out if you are in need of accommodations. Just click the Hampton logo on the right side of the blog page. We get our own registration website and booking a room is very easy.
NOTE: You must book by 7/22/09.

Hammer Nutrition

Hey everyone!

Spring is coming here in South Central Wisconsin! Even though it's only about 15F outside right now, it's coming I swear! Start putting in those miles outside!

We've added Hammer Nutrition as a sponsor. They sponsor the entire Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series, so let's thank them for making this masochism possible! They provide Heed for your electrolyte replacement needs and Endurolyte capsules to help you avoid cramping.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the first WEMS race coming up in only 8 weeks!

New Header!

Greetings everyone,

We've added a new header to the blog (Thanks Brendan!) and are constantly trying to update the site with more information as we have it. In the meantime, take a moment to check out the links to other blogs on the right side of the page.

Pitchblack Singletrack is the race website for the other WEMS race that CORP is promoting in conjunction with the Viking Biking Club, the fine people that bring you such other events as The Horribly Hilly Hundreds, The Insane Terrain Challenge, and the Tour De Taverns. The 12 Hours of Pitchblack Singletrack is a new format for WEMS...8PM to 8AM! Charge up your lights and meet us at Cam-Rock County Park on Labor Day weekend!

Jeff Kerkove is an experienced endurance racer formerly from Iowa (now CO) with a few Blue Mound 12 hours under his belt. He does a great job of outlining the training he does for his endurance adventures.

The Prairie Peddler is a fledgling shop in Prairie du Chien, WI rapidly approaching their first anniversary. Along with bikes, the shop also showcases the local artists, music, and family-oriented events. Plus, Marty is just an all-around nice guy.

Check back often for updates and we're looking forward to seeing everyone at Blue Mound State Park on August 22!

Nater

New Website!

Hey all, this will be the new official "website" for the 12 Hours of Blue Mound race. Pretty new to the blog scene so this may be slow-going at first, but we'll try to keep all pertinent race information up to date here.