Thank you for signing up for the upcoming Blankets Creek 3 and 6 Hour Race on September 30th! We are excited to have you all join us and are committed to providing a safe and fun event for everyone!

Please click on the button below and check your name and category/distance. If you want to change your category or teammates, you must do so by 9/25.

PARTICIPANT LIST - VERIFY YOUR DETAILS

▪	OPTIONAL early check-in is available Thursday September 28 from 4 to 7 pm at Free-Flite Bicycles, 2949 Canton Road, Suite 1000, Marietta, Georgia 30066. You must bring a signed WAIVER to Free Flite to get your race number and swag.

ARRIVAL AND PIT SETUP

▪	Saturday Check-in hours are from 7 am to 9 am. No parking lot pit setup before 7 am so please do not arrive before then. (Gate will be closed) When you arrive, parking helpers will help direct you to parking/pit areas for the 3 and 6 hour race.

▪	To facilitate parking and pit setup, familiarize yourself with the PIT AREA SETUP MAP so you know where you can park and set up. Maximum canopy size is 10' x 10'. There are different areas for 3 and 6 hour racers, as well as solos and teams.

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Overflow parking will be at River Church once the Blankets Creek Lot fills, or you are welcome to park there if you want an easier/unrestricted exit. If you know you are not setting up a pit area behind your vehicle or if you are sharing a pit with others, please consider parking at the Church after dropping off your gear.

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The only area where you may set up pit areas before 7 am on Saturday is in the grass field behind the fence between the Blankets Creek parking lot and River Church. NOTE THIS AREA IS NOT ALONG THE COURSE LOOP. I would not recommend leaving anything set up overnight. CLICK HERE FOR PIT AREA SETUP MAP

▪	There is no trailer or RV parking in the Blankets Creek Parking lot. Large vehicles that do not fit in a normal sized parking spot must park at River Church. Per Cherokee County Parks and Recreation, overnight camping/parking is not allowed at Blankets Creek.

RACE DAY CHECK-IN

▪	If you checked in on Thursday, you don't need to check in again. Just show up in front of the bathrooms 5-8 min before your wave's approximate start time. Easy peasy. We will call each wave down to the start area one at a time.

▪	Waivers need to be printed at home, filled out ahead of time, and brought to race check in. CLICK HERE FOR EVENT WAIVER

▪	Proceed to appropriate check-in line with waiver.

▪	No race day distance changes or rider swaps - if you want to change distance or swap riders, you need to contact me via email no later than 9/25. No changes or transfers after 9/25.

RACE PROCEDURES

▪	Each participant will receive a unique number whether on a team or solo. Make sure number plate is mounted on your handlebar. Twist ties will be in your swag bag.

▪	START WAVES AND APPROXIMATE START TIMES ARE PRE-ASSIGNED AND WILL BE POSTED ON THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE RACE AT THE LINK BELOW.

2023 START WAVES - AVAILABLE THURSDAY 9/28

START WAVE NUMBER WILL BE WRITTEN ON YOUR RACE PLATE. WAVES WILL BE RELEASED AT APPROXIMATELY 1-1.5 MINUTE INTERVALS. YOU MUST START IN YOUR ASSIGNED WAVE, WITH YOUR CATEGORY. Start waves will be by category, but there may be multiple categories in a start wave. Line up in front of the bathrooms 5 - 8 minutes before your approximate start time and be ready to go. Look for the "Wait Here to Start" signs and stand at the appropriate cone - listen for instructions. Your time starts when we start the wave, so everyone in the wave will have the same start time. Your finish time cutoff will be exactly 3 or 6 hours after your cross the start mats, so each wave will have a different cutoff time, but it will be exactly 3 or 6 hours. MAKE NOTE OF YOUR START TIME SO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR CUTOFF TIME IS...WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LOOK UP INDIVIDUAL CUTOFF TIMES SUPER QUICKLY, SO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR START TIME. You must finish your last lap before the 3 or 6 hour time limit or the lap will not count. Junior 1 and Junior 2 racers will just race one or two laps, respectively.

▪ If you start in the wrong wave, either by accident or not, you will not be eligible for awards.
▪ Make sure your number plate is attached to your Handlebar (twist ties will be in your race bag) - do not bend the foam timing chip.
▪ The team divisions are relay format so only one person rides at a time. Only send ONE rider to the start area.
▪ While we will have some brief announcements before the race starts, consider this your pre-race meeting.
▪ Neutral Snacks and Water will be available in the pit area, which riders will pass after each lap - All riders must be self sufficient and carry their own water and nutrition while out on the trail loop.
▪ At the end of each lap, riders will make a loop through the parking lot (shown in pink on the PIT AREA SETUP MAP before going back into the woods.
▪ Solo riders should place their nutrition/fluids anywhere along the parking lot loop or skills yard area - either in their pit area or in an open spot along the loop. Riders do not need to dismount at the end of each lap this year, however, you need to slow down and be careful when riding through the parking lot area as teams will be switching riders along the parking lot loop. Keep the aisle clear if you are stopping so you are not blocking the course for other riders.
▪ 6 hour teams may do their rider exchange anywhere along the parking lot loop, however YOU MUST BUMP WHEELS OR TAG PARTNER BEFORE YOUR NEXT RIDER CAN LEAVE. DO NOT LEAVE EALRY - OTHER TEAMS WILL BE WATCHING YOU!! If more than 2 people report that your rider left early, your team will lose that lap. If it happens twice, you will be DQ'ed. Keep the aisle clear if you are stopped/waiting so you are not blocking the course for other riders.
▪ Course will be well marked with pink ribbons and pink/black arrow signs at turns. Pink ribbons indicate the direction you want to head and are also used to designate that you are on-course if it has been a while in between turns. Course marshals will be positioned throughout the course for your safety. COURSE MAPS AND DETAILS ARE ALL HERE.
▪ ANNOUNCE if you are passing to riders ahead and say PASSING RIGHT or PASSING LEFT and give them a chance to move to the side. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WORK TOGETHER, AND MOST OF ALL, BE NICE.
▪ Because we have multiple start waves, the faster riders may catch some later start waves at the middle/end of their second/third lap. Again, PLEASE BE PATIENT, WORK TOGETHER, BE COURTEOUS and give each other space out on the trails. Remember, we have riders of all ability levels in this event, and they may not be as comfortable with passing as you are. As an overtaking rider, it is your responsibility to execute a safe pass.
▪ Port-o-lets as well as permanent bathrooms with running water will be available at this venue.

▪	If you start in the wrong wave, either by accident or not, you will not be eligible for awards.

▪	Make sure your number plate is attached to your Handlebar (twist ties will be in your race bag) - do not bend the foam timing chip.

▪	The team divisions are relay format so only one person rides at a time. Only send ONE rider to the start area.

▪	While we will have some brief announcements before the race starts, consider this your pre-race meeting.

▪	Neutral Snacks and Water will be available in the pit area, which riders will pass after each lap - All riders must be self sufficient and carry their own water and nutrition while out on the trail loop.

▪	At the end of each lap, riders will make a loop through the parking lot (shown in pink on the PIT AREA SETUP MAP before going back into the woods.

▪

Solo riders should place their nutrition/fluids anywhere along the parking lot loop or skills yard area - either in their pit area or in an open spot along the loop. Riders do not need to dismount at the end of each lap this year, however, you need to slow down and be careful when riding through the parking lot area as teams will be switching riders along the parking lot loop. Keep the aisle clear if you are stopping so you are not blocking the course for other riders.

▪

6 hour teams may do their rider exchange anywhere along the parking lot loop, however YOU MUST BUMP WHEELS OR TAG PARTNER BEFORE YOUR NEXT RIDER CAN LEAVE. DO NOT LEAVE EALRY - OTHER TEAMS WILL BE WATCHING YOU!! If more than 2 people report that your rider left early, your team will lose that lap. If it happens twice, you will be DQ'ed. Keep the aisle clear if you are stopped/waiting so you are not blocking the course for other riders.

▪

Course will be well marked with pink ribbons and pink/black arrow signs at turns. Pink ribbons indicate the direction you want to head and are also used to designate that you are on-course if it has been a while in between turns. Course marshals will be positioned throughout the course for your safety. COURSE MAPS AND DETAILS ARE ALL HERE.

▪	ANNOUNCE if you are passing to riders ahead and say PASSING RIGHT or PASSING LEFT and give them a chance to move to the side. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WORK TOGETHER, AND MOST OF ALL, BE NICE.

▪

Because we have multiple start waves, the faster riders may catch some later start waves at the middle/end of their second/third lap. Again, PLEASE BE PATIENT, WORK TOGETHER, BE COURTEOUS and give each other space out on the trails. Remember, we have riders of all ability levels in this event, and they may not be as comfortable with passing as you are. As an overtaking rider, it is your responsibility to execute a safe pass.

▪	Port-o-lets as well as permanent bathrooms with running water will be available at this venue.

RESULTS/AWARDS

▪	Lap times wlll be uploaded to our results website, mgaresults.com, so you can view them on your mobile device from your pit or elsewhere at the venue.

▪

Awards will at 1 pm for Junior 1 and 2, 1:30 pm for the 3 hour race and 4:10 pm for the 6 hour race in the Festival Lawn area near the Pavilions. AWARDS WILL NOT BE MAILED - THEY MUST BE PICKED UP AT THE RACE. If you cannot be present, you are welcome to have a friend or teammate pick up your award.

For 2023, we will be riding CLOCKWISE on both Dwelling and VMT. For the opening lap riders will head straight down Hamilton's Hop to space out before hitting the Dwelling Trail. Riders will enter Dwelling to the left and ride clockwise up to the bench at the top of the Flow Trails, following the advanced line up to the top. Riders will descend the Rock and Roll Flow Trail down to the bottom and continue riding Dwelling clockwise, using intermediate lines on the remainder of the Dwelling Trail.

Riders exit Dwelling to Hamilton's Hop, cross the bridge and turn left onto Mosquito Flats. The course follows Mosquito Flats to the Mosquito Bite/Van Michael Trail, entering in the CLOCKWISE direction over the wooden boardwalks. Riders will complete the Van Michael Trail clockwise, but will skip Kevorkian Pass and the 420 climb.

Once done with VMT, riders will take a left onto Mosquito Flats and ride back towards the parking lot. Riders will take a left on Hamiltons Hop, then left again to an access trail that goes around the metal building and around the paved portion of the parking lot. Teammate exchanges can take place anywhere along the paved parking lot loop.

For subsequent laps, riders will take a left onto Creekside Mosquito Flats on their way to Dwelling.

Total distance (with the loop around the parking lot) is approximately 8.3 miles with roughly 780' of elevation gain per lap. This course configuration offers longer climbs but also longer descent sections and some fun jumps and flow on Dwelling and VMT. The clockwise direction will also allow for Friday pre-riding in the race direction.

RACE WAIVER - PRINT, SIGN, AND BRING TO CHECK-IN

LINKS TO COURSE MAP, GARMIN FILE, GPX FILE HERE

Hammer Nutrition endurance fuels will be on the course at the 2023 Blankets Creek 3 and 6 Hour Bike Race! Hammer’s been supplying athletes with natural products free of added sugars, artificial colors, flavors, chemicals, and preservatives for over 30 years.

BLANKETS CREEK 3/6 HOUR BIKE RACE TIP #1: REPLENISH ELECTROLYTES WITH A BALANCED FORMULA (NOT JUST SALT!) IN AMOUNTS APPROPRIATE FOR CONDITIONS

FACT: Salt (sodium chloride) cannot fulfill your entire requirements for electrolytes. The minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium also must be replenished to ensure the proper functioning of key body systems. In addition, your daily dietary sodium intake, fitness level, acclimatization, and the environmental conditions (heat, humidity, etc.) all affect the number of electrolytes you will need to replenish during exercise.

For a balanced, full-spectrum formula of electrolytes, replenish with Endurolytes. Choose regular Endurolytes, Endurolytes Extreme, or Endurolytes Fizz in doses appropriate for the conditions.

Follow Hammer Nutrition to their website at Electrolytes to learn more HERE.

BLANKETS CREEK 3/6 HOUR BIKE RACE TIP #2: BEFORE WORKOUTS AND RACES, CONSUME 300-400 CALORIES. COMPLETE YOUR MEAL 3 HOURS BEFORE YOU START EXERCISE

To perform and feel your best during races or workouts, consume no more than 300-400 calories. Choose easily digested, complex carbohydrates, along with a small amount of protein and a little healthy fat. Avoid fiber, simple sugar, and acidic foods. Finish your meal 3 hours before exercise. Eating within 3 hours can seriously hurt your performance by 1) reducing the conversion of fats to fuels, and 2) accelerating glycogen depletion.

Tip: If your race is early, don't sacrifice sleep to eat! Instead, consume a small amount of supplemental fuel, such as one Hammer Gel, about 5 minutes before starting.

Follow Hammer Nutrition to their website at Pre-Exercise Fueling to learn more HERE.

We are partnering with SORBA Woodstock to bring you these events. SORBA Woodstock has built and maintains the trails at both Blankets Creek and Rope Mill Park. These events serve as major fundraisersfor the Chapter - please come out and show your support by either racing or volunteering!

Want to volunteer at these events for SORBA Woodstock? We need you!

Please send an email directly to lisa@mountaingoatadventures.com with your shirt size and availability. Volunteers are needed for registration, parking, course marshaling and bike patrol.

Want to help work on your local trails?

Visit the SORBA Woodstock Website and view the calendar for work party dates and locations. Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, and bring your own water. SORBA Woodstock provides the rest. This is a chance to help give back to the trails. SORBA Woodstock could not maintain our wonderful trails without the help of a small army of generous volunteers like you!