8×8 Challenge Recap

Rain and Pain

Two words can sum up last Sunday’s Rollfast 8×8 Challenge. Rain. Pain. Mother Nature came in full force on Sunday morning with heavy rains, wind, cold air, a moment of sunshine, more rain, more wind, more cold and more rain. Yep, that pretty much sums up the day. Oh wait, no it doesn’t!!

55 riders checked in early Sunday morning decked out in rain gear ready to accept the Rollfast 8×8 Challenge. Despite the gloomy skies, there were plenty of smiles at the start line. Or maybe they looked like smiles because of the chattering teeth? Either way, spirits were high and riders were ready to get moving and warm up.

As riders came in from their first lap we expected many to pull the plug and head straight for their cars. To our surprise, they were still smiling! We heard, “This route is awesome!” and “Whoooooo!”. Wow, I’ve raced in this kind of stuff and that isn’t ever the mood in the peloton! I said to Chris, “These riders are nuts!  They love this stuff!”.

While the rain was quite real, so were the hills. Many had pre-ridden the area and knew what they were in for. Others were experiencing it for the first time in some of the toughest conditions possible.

After two laps, many were getting really cold and had to bail out on the challenge. (I can honestly say that at two laps I would have been headed to the truck too!) Others pedaled on. We were at the start/finish and rest area discussing how many might actually finish the full 8 lap challenge.

As the morning progressed, there was a break in the rain around 10am. Some of the guys from Michigan that had been down for a training camp decided to start late knowing that beating the cut off time at 5pm would be difficult.

Right on cue at 11am, Qdoba showed up with a delivery of 120 burritos. Lunch was served. With a large surplus of food, we fed many DNR employees as well as some of the riders families. We hate wasting food!

Speaking of food, the hit of the day was in the rest area tents. RBAR took the riders full attention. Overheard, Peanut Butter and Jelly was the riders favorite flavor. RBAR is a Rollfast partner, and with our special link, you can take advantage of FREE SHIPPING.

Many riders dropped out as the day wore on, but several DID indeed finish their 4 and 8 lap challenge. Results are posted (they were live lap by lap during the event!). We are proud of all that rode on Sunday in less than ideal conditions. And a special shout out to Mark O’Leary, who was the first rider to complete 8 laps! Mark, your entry is comped by Matt for 2019. I hope you’ll come back and conquer the 8×8 Challenge again!

Ready to accept the Challenge for 2019? Well, as of today, registration is OPEN! The ride is limited to 100 riders again and it sold out in 2018 super fast. So, claim your spot on the start line in the hills of Brown County and see if you can complete the Rollfast 8×8 Challenge!