Barry-Roubaix : The Killer Gravel Road Race

2012 Barry Roubaux Race Review

Rick — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:37:22 +0000

1536 racers registered for the 2012 edition of the Barry-Roubaix.

Weather in Michigan so far this season has been anything but normal. It will go down on record as the warmest month of March in history. We saw many days of temps over 70 and 80 degrees leading up to the race. It made the roads quite dry and dusty around here but that all changed Friday when we received over an inch and a half of rain overnight and left us with an overcast but mild 60 degree temps on Saturday. The course was not dry anymore! Some large puddles on the two-tracks were the new challenge of the day while the rest of the course had damp roads that made for some very fast conditions. A new record was set by Mike Anderson at 2:51:05. Mike Anderson and Brian Matter battled hard all the way to the line and we had similar battles all day long. Check out this one; Devin Deboer and Mark Quist of QD Racing barely nudged out Earl Hillaker and Gabe Niehof of Founders Alger Racing in the 36 mile tandem class with a time of 1:52:41 and 1:52:42 respectively. There are tons of great videos and interviews at Cycling Dirt. Thanks Thom!

On a completely different note we were once again blown away by the amount of attempted and successful theft by racers. Racers were caught lifting bottle openers, t-shirts, posters, Heed containers, raffle prizes and even vendor banners right off the shelter walls. My Barry-Roubaix banner alone cost about $90. A few that got caught were male adults that claimed they just wanted a souvenir. Good one guys, real nice work.

Improvements? Parking, entry drive and finish line set up were the number one items of improvement for 2012 and I think we delivered on that, now some minor tweaks are needed in 2013 to make the race even better. We will strive to continue making this event grow and improve every year.

I would like to thank the Thornapple Valley Church friends and families that performed great volunteer service all day long!

Hope to see you again in 2013!
Rick and Cathy

2012 Results

Rick — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:45:18 +0000

2012 Results Link

Photography links will be posted early next week or as they start to appear.

Video of the new Shaw Road section

Rick — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:09:32 +0000

I created a video of the new Shaw Road section that we added this year. It eliminates some pavement but adds about 1 mile of dirt road and two-track to all of the courses. Sand it the culprit here, it will add some walking or running time to your race, just what the Ultra Cross Series demands. Enjoy!

Video:

Also, we have edited the pdf course map so that you can read the road names and tweaked the start waves to include Women’s age classes rather than an age only start time.

Updated FAQ page

Rick — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:40:14 +0000

We have replaced the Info+ tab with frequently asked questions and organized the content better. Please read the Rules and Full instructions page too. 2 weeks to race day!

SMS Messages available

Rick — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:19:50 +0000

Participants will have the opportunity to receive their results through social media messaging provided by Options available are Facebook, text message, Twitter or email. Interested participants will need to sign up when the link opens March 16th on the Barry Roubaix website. We encourage you to make all category or class changes by March 9th, changes made to your entry after March 9th may not be reflected correctly in an SMS message.

Don’t forget, your age used for the results is based on your age on March 24 2012 (race day) not 12/31/12. Please email us if you need your age corrected.

T-shirt and posters sales still open

Rick — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:07:13 +0000

If you would like an event t-shirt or limited edition poster please order them now, I will leave the Bike Reg order form open for those items until February 27th.

Sold Out!

Rick — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:25:26 +0000

As of 2-4-12 at about 6:00 pm we have sold out the event. There is still a chance to get in if someone can’t make it and wants to transfer their entry. A good place to watch for those would be on the MMBA Forums or the Barry-Roubaix Facebook page. You may also create a comment to this post below and include your request for a spot and your email address.

The procedure for transferring an entry goes like this; the replacement racer goes to the Barry-Roubaix Bike Reg site and clicks on transfers. It will ask your name, address, etc. It will also ask which racer he/she is replacing, the class he/she is signing up for and the original racers confirmation code(sent via email when the original party signed up). It will cost the new racer $5 to complete the transfer. The original entry fee is to be handled separately between the two parties

Only 100 spots left!

Rick — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:11:12 +0000

Don’t come whining to me, you have been warned!

Only 199 spots left!

Rick — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:11:24 +0000

January 31st and things have really heated up, just like today’s weather. No more sitting on the fence if I were you. I bet these spots will be gone in a week or less.

Greenware Beer Tent for 2012

Rick — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:08:40 +0000

This will be disappointing to some but for 2102 we will have to enlist a non-profit to sell and serve beer. State of Michigan laws and licencing for selling and serving beer is continually tightening and we must adhere to the law. The good news is that we will keep the prices very reasonable, have a better selection of Founders, and help raise funds for the West Michigan Mountain Biking Alliance’s 50 in 5 campaign, 50 miles of single track in 5 years! Cheers to that!