Gents Race 5.0

Posted Feb 16, 2015
16,765

The BikeIowa.com Cycling Team would like to request the presence of YOU and 4 teammates for the Gents Race 5.0 on April 4, 2015.

This will be the 5th year of the Gents race and we expect 2015 to bigger than last year.

in 2014 45 teams signed up and 33 finished. In 2013 37 teams signed up and 24 finished. 30 teams (145 "gents") threw down in 2012. In 2011 15 teams came to play for the first year.

IN THE KNOW

For those "in the know..." you can skip to the "2015 CHANGES" section.. All other, just hold tight and keep readin'.

WHAT IS A GENTS RACE?

Glad you asked! To directly quote the folks at Rapha that started the whole concept (and that we’ve blatantly stolen it from): ‘I sold it to the racers as an unsupported, unsanctioned, unmarshalled, five-rider team time trial meets alley-cat, meets ‘Cannonball Run’…….

So there you have it. 5 teammates (friends), racing for nothing more than pride over the roads surrounding Slater, Iowa. 65 (or so) miles of gravel.

Winners get nothing but pride and high-fives.

No money to enter, no money to win.

It will be fun.

More about the 2015 Gent's Race 5.0 or watch a video.

RULES?

Yes: There are a few rules...

No cheating. No working with/drafting off of other teams. All teammates must stay together at all times. No bad attitudes. No outside support. Be Gentlemen (or ladies).
To make it interesting teams will be staged according to your team's potential. If you have a fast team then you will be one of the last teams to start the race. For instance - first team left the starting line last year at 8am sharp while the last team left at 9:30am. The race is a time handicapped race. It makes for a very interesting finish.
There will be a small ride to get to the START LINE. Remember, there WILL be a staggered start for each team. First team goes off at 8AM, with each remaining team rolling out at equally spaced intervals yet to be determined.
You are responsible for YOU-you are doing this event at YOUR risk. For you, by you. Take care of yourself. Ride smart. Roads will be open to traffic. Dogs will come say hello. Miles will add up. NO neutral support. NO sag wagon. NO power food sponsorship. Again, you are doing this BY CHOICE.
There will be a mandatory checkpoint at or around the race halfway point. Here, you will also have access to your drop bag (one per team).
Your TEAM CAPTAIN will register the complete team below. We are shutting it down at midnight on March 27th 2015. You must be registered by then or no gents for you.
Teams can be comprised of all males, all females or a mix of both.
All staging handicaps are final. Our team of Nerf-ball engineers have devised a special algorithm to ensure every team has the correct handicap.
Time penaltieswill occur for any changes to your roster AFTER registration closes. No exceptions.

TEAMS

I have a Team of 5. Cool - Register below AFTER 3/4, when registration opens.

I have a Team but need one or more person. Almost there - You can request a teammate via our FB page.

I am looking for a Team. Sure Thang.- You can put you name out via our FB page.

COMMUNICATION

The ONLY correspondence going out to your team will go to your TEAM CAPTAIN, it’s THEIR responsibility to relay information to YOU.

General information and updates about The Gents Race can always be found here (See the updates section).

2015 CHANGES

As we head into the 2015 edition of the gents race, it's good to update you on a few changes that were made in an effort to make the event even better, while still holding on to the exact same race format/mileage/etc you've come to know and love.

START/END
The largest change you'll see is we are now starting/finishing in SLATER, iowa. you may be asking why? i'm glad you asked.

rider safety. ankeny is growing. quickly. each year, getting you all to the start line, and in/out of town, safely, was a challenge. by moving to SLATER, we can circumvent the headache of riding from a staging area to a start line, as well as lessen our concern for your safety getting you TO the gravel once the race starts.
simplicity. starting at the place you register in the morning, and finishing at the place the party is afterwards, and having all those places be the EXACT same place is simple. simple for you, simple for us. simple is good. simple.
support. the bikeiowa.com cycling team wants to support folks that support cycling in iowa! while we've had some great after race parties, we've also not been able to find a consistent place to house you all, eat and drink, and tell stories after the event. we are VERY proud to support the NITE HAWK bar and grill, and have them support our event (they also support cycling in general). seems like a win/win

INSURANCE

The next big change you'll see is INSURANCE. yes, every racer will be insured this year, and you might be asking why and how? again, i'm glad you asked, you're very inquisitive!

We're adding insurance because it's the right thing to do for the racers and promoters! simple as that. but here's the deal, and we'll see how it goes...

YOU still race for FREE!
As promoters, we are PAYING for insurance
At the event start and finish, we'll have a place to donate whatever you'd like to, if you'd like to, to help cover these costs if you're so inclined
After the event, we'll take every penny of that to pay insurance fees
IF there is an overage in funds after insurance is paid, we'll donate every penny of it to a charitable foundation with a focus on support for autism. april is autism awareness month, and we don't want to profit from this race. we'd rather pay it forward!

SLATER
Last, it's worth mentioning a few things....

Slater is only 13 measly miles from ankeny.
It's easy to get to,
It gives us a safer and supportive environment to play bikes
Nite Hawk is a supporter of BIKEIOWA.com and we like that we can support them
It turns nearly EVERY mile of our race into gravel.

so don't let the change do anything but make you MORE excited for the event.

KYLES BIKES
We'd like to give a huge shout-out and thank you to kyle and his crew. they're been our largest supporter since day 1, and have literally rolled out the red carpet and let us take over their bike shop each year on gents race day. we're VERY sad to leave, and forever indebted to kyles bikes for the support. and we're happy to announce that, since we're moving, they plan to come to US in slater to lend support however they can, and put out the kyles bikes vibe while they're at it!