AGRS: Race for the Cup

After Five Events

2011-10-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the breakdown for the AGRS leaders after five events.

Lord James:
Jim Bell - 168pts
Hurl Everstone - 151pts
Jason Buffington - 147pts

Lady Elizabeth:
Kelly MacWilliams - 190pts*
Amy Kippley - 122pts*

With only one event left in the tank, it'll be interesting to see how this thing unfolds.

Remember in addition to the simple glory that comes with victory, these folks are racing for custom frames built by Josh at Three Stars and Dan at Pallas Athena. Good luck in St. Cloud!

*A miscalculation on our part resulted in a different point total for this contest. Apologies for any inconvenience.

After four events...

2011-06-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the breakdown for the top five contenders in the race for the 2011 Lord James and Lady Elizabeth Cup's:

Lord James
Jason Buffington - 117pts
Charlie Farrow - 103pts
Jim Bell - 92pts
Joe Meiser - 91pts
Hurl Everson - 91pts

Lady Elizabeth
Kelly MacWilliams - 118pts (Overall Leader)
Amy Kippley - 82pts
Kristi Henderson - 46pts
Darcy Sanford - 46pts
Mara Larson - 46pts

Please remember that these folks are racing not only for their Cup and all the glory it holds, but for a custom frame built by either Josh at Three Stars (for the lady) or Dan at Pallas Athena (for the lord).

Standing(s)

2011-04-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Things are a bit hectic here at the AGRS headquarters. So, while we continue to dig through the couch cushions for our missing abacus beads, we'll work on finally finishing the current standings. In the meantime, we thought you might as well watch this. It's aptly titled.

ORBA SQUARA "GRAVEL" MUSIC VIDEO from LORCAN FINNEGAN on Vimeo.

...and so it begins.

2011-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Saturday, it also happens to be the date for the AGRS kick-off. Tomorrow morning in Red Wing, Minnesota about 100 people will line up to test themselves on some of the finest gravel roads in the Midwest.

It is humbling to see this sport grow, but more importantly it is incredible to see the community that has risen up from all of this bicycle riding. So, if you're in the area and are interested to see what this is all about, make your way to Missippippi National Golf Course (try to leave a soft footprint during your visit, as we are guests there and our return depends heavily on not interrupting their everyday business) tomorrow morning around 7:00 and take it all in. While the race is closed to any new entries, the sights will be many and the buzz in the air will be profound.

The Ragnarök 105 is alive and well and so it begins.

Take care...

2011 Cup Winners

2011-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

So you've gone and thrown your hat into the ring for the 2011 AGRS: Race for the Cup, but for what? Fame and glory? Your name on the side of the jar? Sure. Those two are certainly worth racing for, but if there were more would your heart race? Would you give it everything you've got?

We would.

What if we told you that the Women's champion would be having a custom frame built for her by Josh at Three Stars Cycles? Would that put a jump in your step? It should.

Also, what if we told you that the Men's champion would be receiving a custom frame from Dan at Pallas Athena? Enough to get your motor going? It ought to be.

There it is folks, the cards are down. Get on your bikes and ride!

Two Thousand Heckleven.

2011-02-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

News update for the Heck of the North registration. Get on it. Also, those fellas at the Westside Dirty Benjamin are wrapping things up...

More nuze down the road...

Point total adjustment.

2011-01-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to our attention here at the AGRS that some of the 2011 Cup hopefuls were not so lucky in trying to gain admission to the spring classic known as the Ragnarok 105. They have petitioned us to make an amendment to the point system currently in use.

They propose that with the addition of the two new events, the Royal 162 and the Dirt Bag, the 2011 Cup contenders should be able to submit their 5(five) best finishes and the total then be tallied from those. They argue that this new method for collecting AGRS points would level the playing field for everyone not able to gain entrance into the "lottery" styled events. We agree. So...

This year, anyone hoping to get their name permanently etched into the side of the Cup must submit their 5(five) best finishes from any of the events; the Ragnarok 105, the Almanzo 100, the Royal 162, the Westside Dirty Benjamin, the Gentlemen's Ride, the Heck of the North and the Dirt Bag. The 5(five) finished event points will then be combined and totaled for the final standings. As per last year, he and she with the most points wins.

Welcome to the New Year.

2011-01-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2011, may this year's gravel racing be in your favor. New for 2011 we'll be adding the mid-October classic known as the Dirt Bag to the list (more on this later) as well as awarding points for placement and sub-15 hour finishers of the inaugural Royal 162. For now, as per usual, we'll be keeping track of the finish line rosters so you don't have to on your quest for the cup.

Also, keep a look out for the cups as they should begin traveling the state (with the names of former winners) sometime around the Slick 50/88.

Word.
-Chris

Tah dah!

2010-10-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Lady Elizabeth & Lord James
(the blue jackets were purely coincidental)

Photo finish.

2010-10-05T00:19:00.000-07:00

The results are in, but the photos are not. Giant congratulations to Mister Hurl Everstone and Miss Chelsea Straete for their incredible victories in the first ever running of the AGRS:Race for the Cup.

If you see these two about town or on the road someplace, be sure and give them high five or buy them a drink because they certainly deserve it.

Here's to your success and I'll get the photos up as soon I get them back from the developers.

Best,
Chris

Going into turn four...

2010-09-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the points breakdown going into the fifth and final event, the Heck of the North.

There is a three way race for the fellas and it goes as follows:

Andy Lambert - 128pts
Hurl Everstone - 128pts
Neil Cary - 123pts

The ladies race is all but wrapped up, and there is only one gal at the top:

Chelsea Straete - 102pts

The trophies will be present this weekend and handed out to the winners upon their return to the start/finish...so bring yer camera and snap some photos of these heroes.

2010 AGRS Jersey

2010-08-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

If you rode in the Ragnarok 105, the Almanzo 100, The Westside Dirty Benjamin or have plans to ride in the Gentlemen's Ride or the Heck of the North, you belong in this jersey! The guidelines for getting one of these are the same as the Almanzo jersey. In order to get in this round of jerseys, I am going to have to have ask anybody who is interested to pre-pay. I will place an order on the 15th of September, with delivery coming somewhere around Thanksgiving. The final cost for the full zipper, club cut, three pocket jersey is going to be $70. If you could please make your payment via the "Donate" button on the right side of the Almanzo blog with a note attached marking the size you need (see below) and an address where it can be sent I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks to everyone who has shown interest. I truly appreciate your support.

Sizing info:
Mens Chest Size - 36(XS), 38(S), 40(M), 42(L), 44(XL), 46(XXL), 48(XXXL)
Womens Chest (inches) - 30(XS), 32(S), 34(M), 36-38(L), 40(XL), 42(XXL)

Jersey?

2010-08-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ol' Kershaw been pushing me to get this drawd up...so here it be. Let me know what you think as it ain't necessarily finished yet.

Top 25 (after 3 events)

2010-08-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

MEN:

99 - Struchynski, John
90 - Everstone, Hurl
90 - Lambert, Andy
90 - Jargo, Kevin
90 - Sudheimer, Erik
90 - Krawczyk, Paul & Janna
90 - Cary, Neil
90 - Stauffer, Al
78 - Loosen, Ted
73 - Meiser, Joe
72 - Kowaliw, Mark
71 - Farrow, Charlie
70 - Dittmer, Dan
68 - Millner, Chad
65 - St. Pierre, Sam
65 - Doom, Ben
62 - Larry, Sauber
60 - Stukel, Jason
60 - Palmer, Jim
60 - Hendricks, Rich
60 - Rudnick, Martin
60 - Novak, Jason
60 - Robbie, Green
60 - Grelk, Dennis
60 - Karrow, Eddie

WOMEN:

82 - King, Susannah
76 - Larson, Mara
72 - Straete, Chelsea
70 - Hanson, Molly
46 - Olson, Kristi
46 - Henderson, Kristy
46 - Sanford, Darcy
44 - DeShano, Lisa
42 - Martin, Amy
38 - Bell, Sally
36 - Rhutenberg, Maria
33 - Brick, Tara
31 - Berg, Wanda
30 - Lockhart, Fiona
30 - MacWilliams, Kelly
30 - Stow, Jana
30 - Hamann, Cara
30 - Lane, Brianna
30 - Bond, Veronica
30 - Christy, Karen
30 - Tsurutani, Gabriella
30 - Alquist, Greta
30 - Young, Erin
30 - Crecelius, Mary
30 - McCormick, Molly

Standings...

2010-07-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Fear not, the current results are coming. Seems we've gathered ourselves a bit of a posse though so it's taking a bit longer to compile the totals. Hang in there and I'll have it all done when I get back from the Canadian border. Peace.

Current Standings (after two events)

2010-06-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the way the cards have fallen so far. After two events the are four leaders, a whole grip of people tied for 5th place and scores of folks holding down the sixth place spot with 30pts a piece (too many to mention). Here's the list and if you're not on it, you either a.) only competed in one event and finished with 30pts or b.) didn't finish any of the events and currently have zero points. So it goes.

Joe Meiser - 73
Charlie Farrow - 71
John Struchynski - 66
Larry Sauber - 62
Jason Stukel - 60
Martin Rudnick - 60
Hurl Everstone - 60
Andy Lambert - 60
Jason Novak - 60
Robbie Green - 60
Dennis Grelk - 60
Eddie Karow - 60
Kevin Jargo - 60
Justin Pitts - 60
Burton Avery - 60
Eric Sudheimer - 60
James Bialis - 60
Paul & Janna Krawczyk - 60
Neil Cary - 60
Roy Vosberg - 60
Josh Peterson - 60
Mara Larson - 60
Al Stauffer - 60
Brett Swenson - 60
Josh Schneider - 60
Susannah King - 60
Pete Bell - 60
Brent Bruessel - 60
Troy Lawrence - 60
Don MacNaughton - 60
Derek Chinn - 60
Scott Sundby - 60
Brian & Kim Eppen - 46
Charlie Tri - 46
Jim Cochran - 44
Tim Ek - 44
Jeff Barnes - 42
Ryan Horkey - 42
Sean Mailen - 38
Nick Martin - 38
Geoff Perrill - 36
Ted Loosen - 34
Ben Doom - 34
Troy Krause - 33
Dirk Rettig - 32
Sam St. Pierre - 31

Current AGRS Standings (After One Event)

2010-04-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Charly Tri - 46
Tim Ek - 44
Ryan Horkey - 42
Charlie Farrow - 40
Sean Mailen - 38
John Struchynski - 36
Ted Loosen - 34
Joe Meiser - 33
Larry Sauber - 32
Sam St. Pierre - 31
Brandt Elson - 30
Brandon Manske - 30
Jason Stukel - 30
Heath Weisbrod - 30
Jim Palmer - 30
Rich Hendricks - 30
Dave Pramann - 30
Pat Dowling - 30
Martin Rudnick - 30
Jeremy Kershaw - 30
Hurl Everstone - 30
Andy Lambert - 30
Andrew Kroese - 30
Dan Dittmer - 30
Chad Millner - 30
Jason Novak - 30
Nick Oswald - 30
Rob Green - 30
Dennis Grelk - 30
Eddie Karow - 30
Kevin Jargo - 30
Ray Nickles - 30
Justin Pitts - 30
Lee Nesbitt - 30
Dan Hansen - 30
Burton Avery - 30
Eric Sudheimer - 30
James Bialas - 30
Paul and Janna Krawczyk - 30
Neil Cary - 30
Rob Belz - 30
Mark Engen - 30
Matt Engen - 30
Roy Vosberg - 30
Rick Kompelien - 30
Josh Peterson - 30
Matthew Johnson - 30
Kristi Olson - 30
Matthew Horner - 30
Mara Larson - 30
Brian Dukek - 30
Al Stauffer - 30
Robert Danneker - 30
Brett Swenson - 30
Grant Braasch - 30
Joshua Schneider - 30
Ben Johnson - 30
Susannah King - 30
Tom McDonald - 30
Elliott Krizek - 30
Jeff Zipfel -30
Pete Bell - 30
Don Fox - 30
Brent Bruessel - 30
TC Worley - 30
Bob Shepherd - 30
Troy Lawrence - 30
Don McNaughton - 30
Ross Hargrove - 30
Jay Obenauer - 30
Porter Million - 30
Todd Larson - 30
Derek Chinn - 30
Scott Sundby - 30
Scott Kinderman - 30

Here we go...

2010-04-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's racin' time.

Dirty's doin it.

2010-04-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Postcard registration is open for the Westside Dirty Benjamin. Get 'em in before April 15th or yer out. Holler.

Heck list announced.

2010-04-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Captain Kershaw has released his rider list for the 2010 Heck of the North. He's got her filled up with a waiting list. Says he's kept 5 spots open for anybody that isn't on the list but is in the running for the AGRS title. Hope you've been getting those base miles in...

Westside!

2010-03-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Registration for the Westside DB is open from April 1st to April 15th. Get on it. Be cool.

Behold.

2010-03-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Heck Date Change

2010-02-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Senator Kershaw has informed me that the date for his soirée has been changed to the 2nd of October.

Event Registration

2010-02-13T05:26:00.001-08:00

Registration notes for the Heck of the North and the Westside Dirty Benjamin have been posted on their respective sites. The registration info is as follows:

Westside Dirty Benjamin - Postcard Entry - April 1st to April 15th

Heck of the North - Postcard Entry - March 1st to March 31st

You been told. Be sure to keep your ear to the ground for the Slick 50, as this guy doesn't disappoint.

Westside!

2010-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

Benjamin. It'll be on the list for the cup. Keep your eyes peeled.

I'm going mad!

2010-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

For immediate release:

2010-01-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

All of us here at the Almanzo project are excited to see that the CIRREM is growing. With the growth comes a need for more financial support from its participants. We are sorry to lose them from the community of free races that make up the AGRS, but wish them well and look forward to watching the sport of gravel road racing grow.

Amendment

2010-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Per one Matthew Lee's suggestion, I have made an amendment to the point system set in place for the AGRS. Please see the first AGRS blog post comments for more detail.

CIRREM

2010-01-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Just saw a date for the CIRREM race down in Des Moines. Bring a parka. February 27th, 2010.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T18:01:00.001-08:00

Heck Yeah.

2009-12-26T07:45:00.001-08:00

There is movement on the Northern front. Recent developments near Duluth have been recorded and it is apparent that Senor Kershaw is updating his 2010 calendar. There is evidence that he has blocked off a window of time for Heck of the North registration as well as selected a date for the big dance itself. Here is the break down:

Registration:
March 1st - March 31st
This will be a lottery entry (more info here)

The big show:
September 25th - Duluth, Minnesota

2009-12-16T08:13:00.001-08:00

Ragnarok Registration

2009-12-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well folks, the door has been closed on the Ragnarok registration. If you're in, sweet. If you're not, I know they allowed more than twenty extras on top of their original cap of 80 riders so there isn't really any excuse. Either way, it's time to start piling up the gravel (not trainer) miles.

More gravel.

2009-12-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

It looks like there is another event scheduled to hit the Upper Midwest next October. Just found out about this one that is slated for the 16th of October. If anybody wants to ride it maybe we could arrange for a wagon train and heck, if their gravel is as good as ours, I'll see if they want to throw their helmet in for the 2011 Race for the Cup.

From the land of Evermore.

2009-12-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

Slick Rick.

2009-11-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

In the spring there is an opportunity to stretch ones legs for the upcoming gravel road races. It is called the Slick 50 and it is a guaranteed good time. If the calendar works out the same as it did last year, this ride should come about two weeks after CIRREM and three before the Ragnarok. A perfect between race warm-up. Check it.

Ragnarok Update

2009-11-18T05:58:00.001-08:00

I just checked the Ragnarok blog and saw that there are currently 28 of the 80 spots filled. Some of the Cup contenders are on there already with Ek, Farrow, Palmer, Tri, Meiser, Novak & Kershaw signed in to take the start. Looks like it might be a nice winter to spend every waking moment on the trainer...or maybe not.

Public Service Ad #1

2009-11-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

It's catching on.

2009-11-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

We're not the only ones digging the gravel.

This Saturday

2009-11-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

I'll be there looking for you.

...

2009-11-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

Rag Reg

2009-11-05T05:36:00.000-08:00

Got a message from Jake at the Ragnarok headquarters. It looks like they're going to take registration in two phases. The first window (now through whenever) is open to those that have ridden the event in the past and the second (starting December 1st) is for everybody else. They're only taking 80 people this time so get your ducks in a row and get signed up.

One heck of a portrait.

2009-11-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

Ol' Captain Kershaw sent me this photo (courtesy of Chris Gibbs) this morning. It's an image taken directly from the pages of Kershaw's Heck of the North last September. This was early on when the pack was still about 25 guys strong. Good times and even better company!

Other Gravel

2009-11-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd mark a spot for a few other fine gravel road riding opportunities. While some of these are slightly different in length or organization, they are definitely worth checking out as they will certainly offer you, the rider, all the pain and suffering you can bear to withstand. In no particular order I give you the list...

Dirty Kanza
Rouge Roubaix
GLGA
Barry Roubaix
Monte Paschi Strade Bianche, Eroica Toscana
L'Eroica

Looking to keep those legs this winter?

2009-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of events way up north in the colder part of the icy tundra I like to call home. If you're brave enough to weather the elements you might want to check these get togethers out. Thing is you ought to do it quick, because I believe they fill up fast. Either way...

Tuscobia
North Shore Ultra
Arrowhead 135

Who doesn't like Halloween?

2009-10-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ragnarok Teaser

2009-10-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just got a message from Jake at the Ragnarok 105. In it he told me that the organizing posse was getting together to discuss the 2010 race and registration process. He wrote that the group was going to announce the sign-up window on their blog on November 8th. Again, the registration information for the 2010 Ragnarok 105 will be announced on the Rag Blog on November 8th. Here we go!

Welcome

2009-10-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

AGRS:Race for the Cup from Chris Skogen on Vimeo.

What this is.

2009-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Born out of a desire to combine the finest gravel road cycling events in the country and the people that ride them, the folks that brought you the Almanzo 100 are proud to present another element to the world of FREE bicycle riding: The Almanzo Gravel Road Series: Race for the Cup.

Taking place on some of the Upper Midwest's finest backroads in some of the areas most remote places, these events are guaranteed to take you to places you've never thought existed.

Cheers...and here's to riding gravel!