Roadskater.net Carolina Century Roadskate and Bike Ride for Charity Welcomes Inline Skaters and Cyclists November 8 2008

We're hard at work on the 2nd Annual Carolina Century for MS 102/51/31/21-miler with 10 hours of support for those of you who want a nice leisurely century on 2 or more wheels. This year's date is Oct 24, 2009. More info soon. For now, here's what it was like last year.

Roadskater.net Carolina Century Roadskate and Bike Ride for Charity

The latest info on our skride will always be at CarolinaCentury.com (currently, this page).

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO DONATE TO HELP MS THROUGH ROADSKATER.NET:

• Donate without riding or skating (any amount, proceeds to charity):
  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=803136

CYCLISTS REGISTER HERE:

• Register to Bicycle ($20 or more, proceeds to charity): (link removed; donate above)
• Cyclists and non-century skaters may also register 730AM-815AM and roll at 830AM. If you can bring cash or prepay online, that helps. Cyclists needing more than 8 hours to do a hundred miles should preregister online and arrive in time to start with the roadskaters.

SKATERS REGISTER HERE:

• Register to Skate ($20 or more, proceeds to charity): (link removed; donate above)
  Roadskater century skaters start at sunrise (for 2008, that is 649AM, prerigistered by the night before).

ROUTES AND SUPPORT

• Cyclists & Roadskaters, we want you to come and try a century! We provide several routes, but we wanted to offer a bike or skate century for those who never thought they could finish in time. If you start at the early rollout with skaters and average 10mph, we'll be there to support you (if you start later on any non-century route, we'll support 10mph for you, too.). If you think you're going to ride but can't preregister please write me so we can plan for your presence (take out the spaces and funkiness that follow): carolinacentury atthingy roadskater.net.
• Routes will be approximately...
  • 21 miles (1 rest stop at 12, stores at 1 and 10, rolling support),
  • 31 miles (2 rest stops at 12 and 20, stores at 1, 10 and 21, rolling support)
  • 51 miles (2 rest stops at 12, 27, stores at 1, 10, 28, 37, rolling support), and
  • 102 miles (5+ rest stops at 12, 21, 56, 64 and 78, stores at 1, 7, 9, 18, 30, 35, 38, 53, 79, 89, rolling support)

• All routes will be marked.
• Supersweet map and turnsheet included.
• The course is designed with preference for smooth, rural, fast, scenic, safe roads, downhills with runouts, and challenging uphills (for the Piedmont).
• Dale Brown from Cycles de Oro will be supporting registration and start with help from cyclist and artist, Katherine Brown (who will be helping with a rest stop too).
• Jamie Birt will be providing SAG support on all routes all day (Whew! Thanks! Let's give her some help!).
• Valerie and Jim Gardner, Tour to Tanglewood volunteers extraordinaire, will be managing rest stops and more.
• Jim and Betty Lambert will be providing rest stop and finish line support.
• Elizabeth Bailey has donated many hours assisting while I was driving hundreds of miles of roadways during route development.
• The Roadskater.net team helped by skating and cycling several route versions, including the sub-50-mile route as "Hannah and Her Skaters" the first day of the Tour to Tanglewood, when the Day 1 ride had been canceled due to tropical storm/hurricane Hannah. Jared Ingersoll, Jamie and Elizabeth provided rolling support for that development skride.

LOCATION

• The Start/Finish parking area is graciously provided by:
  Gospel Baptist Church (http://gospelbc.org),
  5949 N Church St,
  Greensboro, NC 27455
• LatLon: 36.225364,-79.790987 or +36° 13' 31.31", -79° 47' 27.55"
• Park at the NORTH side (away from the intersection of Church Street and Hwy 150) as far back toward the house as possible to the right side of the church as you enter the lot. Please be considerate of the family living next to the lot by keeping noise to a minimum. Thanks.
• Gospel Baptist Church is holding a special BRUNSWICK STEW LUNCH that they provide as a free service to the community. All riders are welcome to participate at no charge, or to donate to help defray their costs. We will have a signup sheet so we know how many riders and skaters have participated.

VOLUNTEERS WELCOME, EARN DONATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR'S TOUR TO TANGLEWOOD

• If you can volunteer we can make the skride even better! Please email me so we can use your skills and time to greatest effect (take out the spaces and funkiness that follow): carolinacentury atthingy roadskater.net.
• Earn donations for your Tour to Tanglewood 2009 fundraising!

CYCLISTS

• Helmets required
• Event numbers with emergency contact info on the reverse required (numbers supplied).
• Waivers required.
• Please check in at the finish.
• The course will be open for 10 hours. Even if held open longer, at sunset (516PM) the course must close and participants must be off the roads.
• Cyclists are encouraged to attend the skateylove sermon (Friday evening, see below) so you can meet us and hear about the course.
• The optional weigh-in for the Power Challenge will be available at the start line (see below).
• There is one very fast hill on the Century only (Freeman Rd.) There's plenty of run-out but the entrance to the hill contains a turn (when you turn left onto Freeman Rd. from Piney Grove/Kernersville Rd. at the Goodwill Baptist Church cemetery.
• There is one downhill to a stop sign (Gold Hill Rd. to Bethany Rd.) on the 51 and 102-mile routes. It is moderate, but it is VERY important to stop. Don't try to save your brakes here. This is where you can see a church parking lot on the far side of the T-intersection.

SKATERS

• Skaters doing the century must preregister and attend the skateylove sermon Friday night (route and safety talk) at 700PM for all CENTURY skaters (cyclists and all other skaters encouraged, but not required).
  Golden Corral Restaurant
  2419 LAWNDALE DRIVE
  (336)545-5808.
  LatLon: 36.100998,-79.820325 or +36° 6' 3.59", -79° 49' 13.17"
• Time for the route discussion and "skateylove sermon" is changed to 700PM to accommodate out of town guests...we think we'll have a few from Atlanta and the Triangle in addition to the local skaters. 
• Skaters doing less than a century and all cyclists may bring cash (please) to the start line registration from 730AM-815AM.
• Roadskating experience required; Hills in the 102 and 51 include 40-42 mph sections; while there are fewer, some hills in the shorter routes will be 30-39 mph. Not trying to skare you, but to let you know. Safe runouts or they wouldn't be on the course.
• Helmets required
• Hand or Wrist protection or both required.
• Skaters are strongly encouraged to wear a brake or wheels you are happy to burn for safety.
• Event numbers with emergency contact info on the reverse required (numbers supplied).
• Waivers required.
• Please check in at the finish.
• The course will be open for 10 hours. Even if held open longer, at sunset (516PM) the course must close and participants must be off the roads.
• There is one very fast hill on the Century only (Freeman Rd.). There's plenty of run-out but the entrance to the hill contains a bend to the left (after you turn left onto Freeman Rd. from Piney Grove Rd./Kernersville Rd. at the Goodwill Baptist Church cemetery. This is fast enough that we have yet to do it in a pack! 
• There is one downhill to a stop sign (Gold Hill Rd. to Bethany Rd.) on the 51 and 102-mile routes. It is moderate...simple enough to stop fully on skates, but it is VERY important to stop. Don't try to save your brakes or wheels here. This is where you can see a church parking lot on the far side of the T-intersection.
• Fly in to GSO airport.
• You'll need access to a car.
• NC-68 and I-40 are reasonable places to grab a reasonably-priced hotel. There very few hotels near our start/finish area (which is the point, when you think about it).

ROADSKATER.NET & ROADCYCLIST.NET POWER CHALLENGE

• The Roadskater.net & Roadcyclist.net Power Challenges are separate categories for cyclists and skaters, favoring those who get the most speed per pound. This is simply pound-miles per hour (pounds times miles divided by hours including stops).
• Skaters may shoulder skates at weigh in.
• Cyclists may shoulder bikes for weigh in.
• Water bottles, packs, cameras, batteries, televisions and such, which you may indeed carry, unfortunately don't get to count for the power challenge.
• For bikes, packs for tools and such affixed to your bike which you actually carry, and bottle cages and such count, but things that hold water for drinking don't count even if you are going to carry them.
• This is for fun so we'll try not to get too serious about it, OK?
• After the routes are closed and we've packed up, we will have a post skate and ride dinner where it is warm and dry. Details at the finish line. Leave us contact info if you want a call about dinner. Optional of course!

MORE STUFF IT IS OK TO IGNORE

• REST ROOMS
  • We are not certain of rest room availability on site, so please remember to use the rest room before arriving and visit and patronize the fine folk on the corner of NC-150 and Church Street. I will see if we can get access to rest rooms but if we do, no rolling or cycling shoe walking inside, please.
  • On the route, to drive more funds to charity, we ask that you use rest room facilities in the fine stores and fire houses along the way, which are ample.
• AWARDS
  • We'll have "awards" (maybe just a hug and some skateylove) and for those who like, we'll keep a database of participants' miles, age, finish time, and, optionally, weight.
  • We will likely use digital camera EXIF data timing, not anything fancy, so make sure the official timer gets your finish line photo as soon as possible at the end!
  • We will make mistakes of course, so keep your time for yourself if you want to be sure to have it.
  • This is not a race, but you may enjoy knowing your weighted pace relative to others'!
  • Prizes, physical awards, medals, goodies, swag, and such, IF ANY will be mailed or otherwise delivered after we know who participated and who finished, so we don't waste resources on stuff you don't really want anyway. We don't have specific plans but reserve the right to be better than you expected.
  • Mainly, let's burn some calories and donate some bucks.

• DISCLAIMER
  • You're old enough to know everything is subject to change, blah, blah, blah, right?
• WHY?
  • Others can't do what we do and this is one way we can help them get through their days better
  • Proceeds will go to the local chapter of the MS Society, and if there is an abundance of giving, perhaps to our favorite local charity rides: Tour de Lions, Tour de Kale and Tour de Tammy.
  • We are representing our sport with love so please spread joy and not division.
  • We miss you and want to see you on the roads again.

Location