3-30-10 Please help! Anyone have a photo of the drummer or the Subaru display at the shelter?

3-29-10 Brian Hancock wrote a nice article for CX Magazine. Thanks Brian!

3-28-10 Results are located here. Thanks to all the racers, volunteers and spectators that made this race a huge success. Over 700 racers signed up making this the third largest bike race in Michigan I believe. More recaps when I recover…;-)

3-26-10 Seven a.m. here and 20 degrees. Yikes! If you have never used embrocation muscle warming cream Saturdays race will be the day to give it a try. Soigneur will be on hand with some of there Motivation warming cream. $20 a tub. Or you just might win some in the raffles later in the day but that won’t help you much during the race. I would highly recommend getting some and using it on you legs, toes and low back. Awesomeness!

3-25-10 There is no cap on the amount of racers we can have. Register Saturday starting at 7:30 a.m. Due to the overwhelming amount of racers signing up day of, the race start may be delayed a bit. We will make announcements throughout the morning. Please arrive early for packet pick-up. We will be ready to go at 7:30 a.m.

If you have questions, fire away tonight, I won’t be around Friday to answer them.

We have a lot of tasty Founders to award as prizes and raffles, 432 bottles to be exact. I know everyone won’t be lucky enough to win some so please plan to BYOB and stick around awhile. Should be a good time at the beach bonfire!

3-24-10  Picked up 18 cases from Founders. Ever hear of Double Trouble? Just as the name implies, it is a big one, Double IPA at about 9.5%. Everyone please drink responsibly! Summit Flags has made a special edition Barry-Roubaix flag, they will be on site or you can buy it on-line too. Check it out: here

 3-24-10 The raffle table is going to be huge! 2 Raxter racks, 2 Velocity wheelsets, 3 Alpha Q forks, 72 Founders six packs, Bob’s Redmill, Soigneur, Libby Glassware, Sheila Moon, Kenda Tires, Smith sunglasses, Dakine bags, T-9 lube, a free Peak2Peak entry, Peace Coffee and 4 pair Lake winter shoes plus Lake bags!

3-23-10 The Old Town hot dog cart will be on hand with dogs, sodas and chips at very reasonable prices.

3-22-10 More good news! For those looking to camp before or after the race the State Park has decided to open camping at the Gun Lake Unit early just for us. Actually they are so tired of your calls that they want them to stop! The facilities will be semi-modern (200 sites); pit toilets, pump water and electric on some sites. Rates will be $16 per night and no reservations needed. Just self-register upon arrival. Remember a State Park Motor Vehicle Permit is required, either annual or daily.

3-22-10 On-line reg is closed and we reached a total of 558! Last year I believe we had 100 day of registrations so 600 total is not unlikely. Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming support. I wonder what the most popular weapon of the day will be; a cross bike? mountain bike? take my survey, lets find out! I will post this link on Facebook too so answer once please. Take survey here:

Click here to take survey

Great article in the local Grand Rapids Press too, check it out. Thanks Howard!

3-20-10 On-line registration closes Sunday March 21st at 11:59 p.m. Day of registrations are available for an extra $10. Registration will open at 7:30 a.m. We are approaching 500 racers so far! The course is completely thawed and dusty dry (until we got an inch of snow today!). The upcoming mild temps and the occasional rain shower should make the course perfect for racing!

3-19-10 First 200 registered get a free pint glass. Qualify? Look here.

3-19-10 Hey look who signed up! Jeff Stanton, 1993 World Supercross Champion and 3 time AMA 250 National Champion. Jeff was one heck of a motocross rider and were glad to have him with us for the day. Jeff and Marty Minka will be riding a tandem in the 35 mile race. Good luck guys! On-line registration ends this Sunday the 21st. The mail-in option closed on March 17th. Sign up now or be forced to wait until day of and pay an additional $10. Right now the forecast calls for sunny and 45 degrees come race day!

3-15-10  Dan “Clarkman” Clark original 2010 Barry-Roubaix Poster.
Dan’s art has graced the cover of Dirtrag many times! Limited edition, signed and numbered, 14×18 2-color hand screen-print on 100 lb natural cover. Only 50 available. Delivered on race day. These are very nice pieces suitable for framing. I anticipate that these will be successful enough that Dan will make a collectible one each year. Don’t miss out, order on-line at Bike Reg now! We have entered a new category and you may order just the poster with your cc now! I know Bike Reg has that fee and all but consider it cheap insurance you’ll get one. 3-14-10 I personally rode the small course today. I will say the frost appears out of the ground on most all of the roads. (we skipped W Sager since we heard it was icy). A few squishy mud sections where the sun doesn’t hit but all in all fast and hard packed. Others in the parking lot reported the same conditions on the large loop. All the bikes looked very clean considering it is March.

3-13-10 Proud to announce that Trailspotters of Michigan will be providing sag service during the race. Check out their shuttle service for anywhere in Michigan.

 3-11-10 Great news, Bay Pointe Inn has become the host hotel sponsor for Barry-Roubaix. Mention Barry-Roubaix/bike race during reservations and receive 10% off. That would make most rooms $80 a night. This place is really nice compared to the accommodation choices in Hastings, etc. It is by far the closest place around, within a 10 minute drive. They also have a restaurant/bar on site called the Terrace Grill. Enjoy a meal there Friday night or before heading home on Saturday. They open at 4:00pm. Call for room reservations at 1-888-GUN-LAKE  or go to www.baypointeinn.com

 They have an excellent map of the local establishments around Gun Lake. Check it out here. Gun Lake Area Map

Other chain hotel accommodations are available in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids or Lansing. All of these about 30-45 minutes away.

3-9-10  Beginner Awards held at noon, Expert awards at 12:30, Sport awards at 1:00 and Elite awards at 2:00. If you finish in the top three please attend.

3-8-10 Races Services will be using the disposable D-tag for scoring this year. Please take a look at the link and know how to use it.

3-6-10  The current course conditions include snow and ice free surfaces except W Sager Road (two-track) which is snow covered and impassable. The frost is leaving the ground slowly with the mild and dry air. Cold morning rides are dry while afternoon rides can get muddy in areas. Enjoy the training rides! We are currently showing over 378 riders registered!

3-1-10 Interesting facts for the 2009 race. The average speeds were as follows: Beginner: 13.1 mph, Sport/Expert: 15.2 mph, Elite: 16.9 mph
Just so you know. Thanks Tony and Dennis!

2-26-10 Fun event by our friends in TC.  Join us at Hopcat Saturday March 13th for the Hopcat indoor sprint competition. Brought to you by Fixed Gear Gallery and Hell Yes Sprints. HopCat gets turned into a regular Tour De France…IN HELL! You don’t gotta wear spandex to come check this out. Brett is brewing a special beer just for the event. Registration starts at noon and the sprints start at 1pm and go until 5pm.

2-24-10 Cash payout for men and women Elite racers as follows:

1st place-$350  2nd place-$250  3rd place-$150 

all other classes will receive locally handmade wooden “medals”

2-20-10 New start procedure; the race starts at 10am with a neutral roll out lead by the sheriff for the first 1.5 miles. Racers will line up in waves by class Elites 1^st and Beginners last but we will all roll together. If you drop out of the race please inform a race official, everyone needs to be accounted for!

2-19-10 We have surpassed last years race registration totals and we still have 5 weeks remaining! Racers are coming from all over the place; MI, OH, KY, IL, IN, PA, WI, MN, CO, MO, TN and Canada!

2-10-10 There is no racer limit for this event. Come one come all. I keep getting emails regarding licenses. No license is necessary for the Barry-Roubaix. The Road Cats and MTB classes are just reference points to help direct you into the class you should enter into. Since we have roadies and mountain bikers completing on the same course I figured this would guide you into the proper class based on your ability. No sandbagging allowed! Another question, can you race the 65 miles category even if you are not a Cat 1/Elite racer, yep! Want the challenge, go for it.

2-2-10 A race like this takes many volunteers. If you would like to help please contact me via the contact button on this site. We will comp a free entry in return for a 2-3 hour volunteer shift. A great way to keep your significant other busy while you race! Contact Rick for more details. 

1-20-10 All vehicles entering the Gun Lake Unit will need a Michigan State Park motor vehicle permit, either an annual or daily pass. Please have permits purchased in advance to speed up the entrance to the parking area come race day. You can purchase your annual pass on-line here. Daily pass is only available on site.

Michigan’s 2010 cycling race season is fully underway now that the Killer Gravel Road Race – The Second Annual Barry-Roubaix is in the books!

Racers were treated to sunny skies but the morning lows were in the 20’s and by race start the temps only crept to 34 degrees with a 15 mph biting wind out of the southeast. We didn’t see 50 degrees until 3:00 pm.

The new start venue at Yankee Spring/Gun Lake Unit was a great place to stage a race and has room for growth. Speaking of growth, we had an increase in attendance by over 250%. Nearly 700 racers toed the start line! Derek Graham captured the mens Elite race and Mackenzie Woodring lead a blistering pace in the womens Elite class to defend her 2009 title.

We will continue to modify and improve the event each year. The overwhelming growth and enthusiasm for this race continues to amaze us.

Thanks for attending and see you in 2010!

Racers were treated to perfect conditions; cool and sunny weather prevailed and the roads were a perfect combo of moisture and traction.

Michael Simonson and Mackenzie Woodring lead a blistering pace in the mens and womens Elite categories to capture the first ever BRX Elite titles while the racing action in the Expert/Sport category was just as hot. The category of the day had to be the 19 mile Beginner class as these guys and gals really showed us all what a great sport cycling is. Many riders dusted off old bikes hanging in the garage and participated in their first bike race ever or their first race in 10-15 years! Awesome to see the determination.

After the racing came to a close everyone enjoyed fresh Zoup chili and Founders Ale while the awards were announced at the Historic Long Lake Outdoor Center, complete with a roaring fire in the fieldstone fireplace.