Piggy's 60 mile route for 2015

   Last week-end, the entire loop of Piggy’s Revenge 60 was ridden. Here is the news: First it’s 55 miles long, you won’t complain about that at the finish and you’ll be happy to have finished the entire course. The rainy season extended late into fall this year, which have caused a few issues. Many areas are still underwater and the land managers are behind on the mowing. I had to change the route to avoid the worst areas. This is how we ended up with 55 miles instead of 62.

   The course will be a challenging mix of terrain. Gravel, hard packed double track and a 6 mile road section make up most of the loop, but thrown into the mix are some sand, water crossings and muddy/flooded areas. Let’s not forget the big unknown Pig damage. It tends to be clustered in a few spots. Dry weather over the next few weeks might allow wet and muddy areas to get better by race day. If you are planning on riding a cross bike you will have an advantage in many of the areas but you will suffer in a few spots. I wouldn’t use anything less then 38’s and run a lower air pressure. If you are going to use a mountain bike the long straightaways and the road section will not be your favorite. You both will hate the sand and Pig damaged areas. The hard stuff is in the first 40 miles except for a section between mile 50 and 51.

   We will have a SAG stop around mile 21 and you will pass a gas station at mile 40.

I will post the GPX file in the next few days, you’ll be able to download it and study the route. I might mark some of the more important turns before race day but don’t count on it. Your GPS will be your main guide.

   Attached is a link to the course preview and you might be able to use this if you use Garmin products. There will be bail out point at mile 22 and 34. We will reward you at the finish line with homemade grilled sausages and all the trimmings.

If you are planning on riding the 20 or 40 mile routes, they will be marked and all you have to do is follow the arrows. The Sag stops will be around 12 and 30 miles. Those loops include the Boldlygo Singletrack.

Last day to register online is December 28^th and you are guaranteed a T-shirt. Day of registration will be $40 and the T-shirts are first come first serve until we run out.

Piggy’s Revenge  60 miler for 2015 :

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/8532487

Eric

Back country riding at it's best.

This part of the state is still very wet and we are expecting more rain today. My riding has taken me to explore new areas looking for some dry riding and was pleasantly surprised by some of the new areas I found. The 60 and 40 miler will probably be changed to take advantage of the nicer terrain and  have further reduced the amount of asphalt on the 60. The swampy miles are almost completely bypassed, but I still have some more riding to do to asses one or two particular sections. Overall I think we will have some great riding on January 11th.
I did remember to take a picture or two...

 This picture was taken in a quite remote area several miles away from roads. As you go along, you hear a lot of big splashes, gators perhaps? Back country Florida at it's best!

This is a picture of a newly rediscovered section that bypasses asphalt, it's hard and fast.
Think about joining SCORR for another great Piggy's Revenge.
It will challenge you and you will see parts of Florida that few ever explore.
Eric

As I was riding part of the 60 mile loop this is what I encountered.

This is a typical grassy section, still very moist but smooth with some muddy sections.All that wet stuff is expected to dry up by the time you ride through it.

On this long stretch of  gravel road in the middle of one of wilderness areas, it's just you and the critters.

First Recon Ride Results

Things are improving, the roads are getting dryer, the water is slowly turning into dirt.Yesterday I tested a few of the roads and I was pleasantly surprised by how well things are rolling.By January we should have a great network of roads and trails to ride. On a personal note, 10 miles out I broke my seat post. So it was a test of my legs on the return to base. I can't emphasize how isolated some of theses trails are, you have to be self sufficient, It would have been a long walk if something worse had broken. The 20 and 40 mile loops will be closer to the parking lot but the 60 riders will the middle of nowhere. I wasn't able to capture on film the multiple deer and hogs that I saw, the alligators were more cooperative.Eric

Less Than 90 Days till the start

This is what the trail looked like last week due to our very wet end of the summer. The trails are drying up but we still can't ride them yet. The 20 mile loop will have 10 miles of single track riding and the rest will be double track, gravel, grass,pig ruts,deer and naturally plenty of wild pigs. The rider on the 40 miler will get 20 miles of single track and the rest will be challenging sections of double track etc... where we will have Tom's Musical Rest Stop at the half way point. The two loops will be clearly marked and some bail out points will be available. I've heard some obnoxious guy might be camped on the course with some beer ups and a cow bell. At the finish, we will have our famous homemade Wisconsin style Bratwurst hot off the grill with all the trimmings. It will be another great day in the wilderness of southwest Florida. See you all there. Eric

62 metric fantastic

I am in the planning stages of the Metric Fantastic loop for Piggy's Revenge 2015.It looks like it will be exactly 62 miles long.Get ready for a great adventure through 3 wilderness areas. Two refueling stops are planned,one at 24 miles supplied by SCORR and you will pass a gas station at mile 46.There will be 15 miles of road riding (some are very poorly maintained roads), optional sidewalks, several water crossings,some sugar sand and swampy sections.The rest is gravel, grass covered double track and occasional pig ruts.There is no single track on this loop,  making it more suitable to a monster cross bike or 29'er.Expect some surprises and WTF moments.This loop will not be marked for the most part and will require a GPS to find your way around.As usual you will be on your own. Now I am just waiting for things to dry up so I can preride the course and finalize the route. Next are the 20 and 40 mile off road loops.
Eric

Time to start planning next years event.

The Fourth edition of Piggy's Revenge will be January 11th 2015.
In addition to the 20,40 mile loops geared more toward the purely off-road crowd ,we will have a 60 mile plus loop for the more adventurous riders.The Super Pig will not have any single track but will cover grass, gravel ,sandy sections and some road sections.A challenging gravel grinder for sure.The actual route is not yet determined but should satisfy the needs of those that like it long and hard.This one will require a GPS track to find your way around.Pick your poison.

Cross boy from Cycle-logic show us how it's done.

Check out the action at the front of the race.

Piggy's Revenge 2014 a look back

Every event has a story and this year was all about perseverance. We had 73 riders come out and many were from out of town and state. At the riders meeting, I suggested that the riders attempt some-thing beyond their comfort zone such as try and ride farther or faster than usual. Many heeded the call-ing and for example, Jake an 11 year old, managed to finish the 20 mile course with a smile and is ready to do it again while several other participants rode the Carlton or off-road for the first time ever.
The weather conspired with us and the night rain helped firm up the trails. The temperatures on Sun-day were near perfect. The routes followed the best trails the Carlton has to offer. A few riders got a little confused at some turns, it was to be expected after several hours of cycling but all made it back to the pavilion where grill master Shawn Milliken made sure the homemade brats had the required grill marks. Everyone enjoyed the food and drinks at the finish where they had a story to tell. The gator in the middle of the trail, how to master the water crossing in the single track, that mystery root or tree that tripped us up, how about that section of trail that was overgrown or vaguely marked (chuckle).
The big story was the fight for first place, with four riders from team Cyclelogic (Gainsville) who set out to defeat local rider Rick Latimer. He new his only advantage was in the single track sections of the course, so he created a gap the first time through Boldygo. Rick managed to stay away until he reached “Tom’s Oasis” at mile 28 and from then on they attacked him repeatedly sacrificing two of their riders. The winners averaging 13.5 mph for the 60 miles was Rob Robbins in first followed by Jayson O’Mahoney second both from Team Cyclelogic. Rick Latimer ended third, Kevin Greten from Sanibel was in fourth and last years winner Steve Christian in fifth. For another year the debate will continue: is a cross or a mountain bike the winning ride? Right now if you are willing to take the physical beating a cross bike is a winner.
Planning has already started for next years event which by then the single track should be longer however, Piggy’s Revenge and the Carlton will still challenge riders of all abilities. Thank you to SCORR ,everyone who participated and volunteered at the Carlton.
Eric.

Courses links correction.

You have got to love software and websites,here are the links to the 3 courses I created for Piggy's.
You should be able to download from here.
Hopefully.
I wouldn't worry too much about it since all the loops will be well marked.

Piggy
http://www.mapmyride.com/courses/1347579      for the  20 miles

http://www.mapmyride.com/courses/1347581       for the 40 miles

http://www.mapmyride.com/courses/1347580      for the 60 miles

Last minute details.

Last chance to save a few bucks because online registration closes at 5 pm today. If you show up on Sunday, registration is $35.00. The fee helps pay for insurance, food, supplies and t shirts and any extra funds raised go right back into the building and maintaining the trails. Support your local trail builders and have a some fun with like minded people.

The park gates open at 7:30 am, sign in follows shortly after that. No pets or glass bottles are allowed in the the park.We will have a riders meeting around 8:00 - 8:15 am. Remember the park closes at 6 pm and your car will get locked in. The weather should be perfect 60's to 80's.Make sure you have enough water to ride 3 hours or more, the only water source will be at mile 28. Carry a spare tube and a way to pump it up, the recent dry weather increases the number of sand spurs which can create slow leaks in your tires. Go tubeless! Grilled sausages and foamy beverages will be waiting for you at the finish which should be a lot of fun.
If you need a GPX file you can use the link to the ride previously posted. The Ridewithgps site allows you to create a file. The only issue is that the single track is not in detail, just the general direction is indicated. No worries though as that part of the course is well defined. So your GPS might beep for that section, just follow the trail, ignore your electronics for a little while and all will be well when you get out of that section. The whole course will be marked with easy to follow arrows painted on the ground and with signs. 

This years Piggy will be challenging for some but overall  a lot of fun.

Harden up!

Oink,Piggy.

6 days of training left!

I checked out some of the trails this week-end and they look great due to the recent rain which has helped a lot. The weather is predicted to be perfect next Sunday (60 for a low and 79 for a high). We made the homemade bratwurst this past week-end so the post ride cookout should be tasty. I am working on finishing up the trophies which are one of a kind. As a reminder, the course will be marked with painted hot pink arrows on the ground, so all you have to do is pedal and connect the dots. The two pictures below show you the range of the terrain you will cross with narrow tracks and wide open gravel roads. Don't forget to look up and enjoy the wild of Florida that few ever see. 6 days to go! If you want  more dynamic information check out the  Scorr Rider Facebook page. Eric

Route Preview

If you are curious about what Piggy's routes are going to be.I have links to the 3 loops.Keep in mind that the single track is not mapped in detail so add another half a mile to the totals .There are bailouts at 13,28,48 and 51 miles. A rest stop to remember around mile 26.Everybody does the same first 15 miles.The 40's and 60's do the next 11 miles together then they each go their own way at the rest stop.The 40's and 60's do the single track twice.The more difficult sections are on the River trail (not mowed with a lot of tall grass) and parts of Doe Hammock (a small bumpy section at the beginning).The rest is in the best shape we have seem.The single track should flow well.
It breaks down on the 60 to approximately:25 miles of hard gravel roads,6 miles of twisty single track,6 miles of bumpy track,the rest is smooth grass and dirt tracks.The unpredictable is the amount of pig damage as they can really dig up the ground.

SCORR.

the 20 :http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/340592483
the 40: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/340577869
the 60: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/340589359 

PS: Remember only 1 week left to sign up. Challenge yourself.
PPS: In the map option box you can add distance markers.