Whoa! What? Where have you been?

2013 is catching up with us.  Sorry not to have updated this earlier.  PBST is still alive.  Although in an abbreviated format (just a 3 hour for solo and duo racers).  The race will still be held at Cam-Rock county park on August 24th and will be the wrap up to an all day event called CORPfest (Capital Off-Road Pathfinders, IMBA chapter).

So what's CORPfest?  Open to all, community based, group rides, kids race, music, bike olympics (think Huffy toss and Pixie races), food, and camping.  All finished off with a 3 hour night race from 7pm-10pm.  We're going to run 5 classes: Solo Male/Female and Duo Male/Female/Coed.  This is going to be a fast course and all fun.  We're even gonna work out a cash pay out of some kind (more to come).

So, come spend the day with us.  Enjoy a day in the park.  Bring the family.  And top it off with a fun night race.  Did we mention the race was only $15 to enter?  You could be home and in bed by 11pm or stick around for some more shenanigans and spend the night camping.

For more information regaring CORPfest, please visit www.corpfest.blogspot.com or visit our club home page at www.madcitydirt.com.

Thank you PBST 2012.

Thanks for a great race everyone!  I'd like to give a special thanks to Erik's Bike Shop, Action LED, Sigma, Hammer Nutrition, Heather's Bar & Grill for all of the great raffle prizes.  Also a special thanks to all of our volunteers from CORP getting the trails ready and helping with course set up, tear down, and timing; Up Hill Grind for coffee and mechanical support; Bike Patrol for keeping a watchful eye on all of our racers; and Dusty Rhodes and O&A Manufacturing for this years awesome awards; and Josh Henry for setting up the mid-lap check point VBC and motivating racers with pump'n tunes and chasing racers down the trail to make sure everyone got a Twinkie.

Be sure to check out the results at wemseries.com and the XXC online mag write up by Chris Schotz our 12 hour solo winner.

Online registration is closed, but you can still race!

We will take "day of" registrations on Saturday.  Registration will be open from 5-7:30pm.  Just fill out the paper form when you get there.  Remember, the race start/finish and pit area are behind Heather's Bar & Grill in Rockdale.

Wait...but you still don't have lights! 

No worries.  Action LED will be on hand for light rentals and "day of" purchases.  If you plan to rent, click their logo to the right and let them know. They will also bring plenty of stock for rental or purchase to the race. They'll also have Magicshine lights and the new Gloworm X2 available for purchase. (The 20% discount will still apply.)

Custom Awards

I was pretty stoked about my second place award from Wausau24 this year.  Not your normal trophy store award.  So I said, "hell, we can do that....maybe even a little better."  I call this R&D in manufacturing; rip-off and duplicate.  So I called up Dusty Rhodes, our designer, and asked him to rethink our logo into a medal that could be cut from stainless steel.  Then my friends Brad and Chad over at O & A Mfg. in Verona cut these out on their laser bed and put a nice #4 finish on them for us.  Thank you Dusty and O & A for our sweet awards.

You've gotta pin it to win it!

Shirts, Technical Support, Lights

We'd like to formally welcome Camrock Cafe & Sport to PBST this year.  They opened a great shop and cafe in Cambridge.  They are quickly becoming a hot spot for pre and post ride activity.  They've got a great beer selection and food.  Jeff's been heading up regular Monday evening rides and will be sharing Technical Support at the event this year with Uphill Grind.  They've got a great deal going on with SERFAS lights.  Click the link to the right go get to their page.

Here's this years long sleeve shirt $20 in "ashen gray", chicken not included.  No time to figure out why I can't save the orientation of this photo.

Recieved notice from Light & Motion that they won't be able to make it due to an unforseen schedule issue with a driver.  If you need lights, please contact Action LED by the link on the right.

FIRES - We will again be allowed to have only ABOVE ground fire pits.  Dane County Parks will have a burn barrel to dispose of your coals and ash the following morning.

Food, Music, and Prizes!

Things are coming together.  Sounds like we're going to have a great race this year.  Here are a couple of updates:

Heather's will be serving an all you can eat breakfast in the morning for $7.  They've got a couple bands scheduled to play on the deck that day/night.  Their grill will be open to provide you that mid or post race Dozer Burger and beverages.  If your friends aren't racing, there's no excuse not to come spectate and have a good time.

We've got a partnership with Uphill Grind and Cam-Rock Sport & Cafe to offer you mechanical support all night long.

We will have a raffle again this year.  Prizes are still coming in but Sigma is sending us some nice lights, Heather is kicking in some stuff, goodies from Hammer, and my friend Greg Wood is putting up this spank'n new Pabst Blue Ribbon Beach Cruiser!  Hipsters rejoice!

2012 Course

Here's the 2012 PBST course map. Come on out and pre-ride. I'm guessing the course should be marked by 2pm.

Also, just got word from Light & Motion that they will be at the event also. Great to see so many light vendors take interest this year.

Light Rentals By Action LED!

Pitch Black Single Track Rental Program (Just click on the Action logo on the right side of this page). Gemini Lights and Action LED Lights have teamed up to provide a light rental/rent to own program for the Pitch Black Single Track endurance race. You may select a Gemini XERA and/or Gemini Olympia to use for the race. Rental fees are $20 for the XERA and $30 for the Olympia. (Additional battery rentals are $6 for 4 cell batteries or $9 for 6 cell batteries) A charging station will be provided at the race. At the end of the race you may return the light or apply the rental fee to the purchase of the light and receive an additional 20% discount off the list price of any light and/or battery. (You may also directly purchase any light or battery on the site for 20% off by entering the discount code PITCHBLACK at checkout anytime between now and the race on August 25th.) To take advantage of this offer make your selection on the site and at checkout, enter the discount code PITCHBLACK to receive 20% off, then choose the payment method Pitchblack. Your light will be waiting for you the day of the race. A deposit will be required when you receive the light. If you wish to receive the light before the race place your order up to 3 weeks before and pay for it in full. If you then wish to wish to return the light at the end of the race, bring it to us and we will refund your purchase minus the shipping and rental fees. Accepted payment methods: Cash, Check, Credit Card (MC, Visa, Discover, American Express) or PayPal. (We cannot accept debit cards unless processed as a credit card) Contact us with any questions. 815-317-6682 support@action-led-lights.com

XXC Magazine Article

If you aren't familiar with it, XXC Magazine does a great job reviewing endurance racing. Check out the latest edition #15 at an extremely affordable price. In it you'll find an excellent article about Pitch Black Singletrack by Tim Sybrant.

Tim's an urban and downhill rider. I met him on the bench outside Verno's Tattoo on Madison's east side. It didn't take long to strike up a friendship and invite him onto a team for last years race.

I think his article hits all the marks when it comes to night riding and the vibe at PBST, which is that this is a fun race for everybody, regardless of how competitive you want to be.

Check it out here:

http://xxcmag.com/emag

2012 Edition- Scheduled 8/25-8/26

By popular request, we are moving away from the normal Labor day weekend schedule for Pitch Black. This years date will be the weekend of 8/25-8/26. Overwhelming opinion was that we could improve attendance if we moved the event away from a holiday weekend.

WEMS' hopes to have registration open by May.

Reschedule date, September 24th.

Reschedule date for PBST is September 24th. This was the predetermined date that the WEM series has had posted ALL year and I need to respect that date for the series racers that have planned on it.

Please understand that rescheduling a race like this is no easy task for an event director and we apologize for any conflicts that this may create. There are no, "good" dates remaining in September and PBST needs to be completed before the WEMS Championship race in October.

If there are issues regarding the reschedule date, please e-mail me directly at cole_retzlaff@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,

Coleman Retzlaff & Collin Hagen
Race Directors

Rain Cancellation

Sorry folks, it just can't happen today. Constant on again, off again rain expected all day. Trail is ridable but getting greasy. Without some sunshine and the continued drizzle, it's only expected to get worse. Tentative rain date for WEMS has been scheduled for 9/24.

Weather Update

Weather Update for Tonight's Pitch Black Singletrack Race:

Initial reports from last night's rain are that the Cam-Rock trail system is in good condition. Cam-Rock is also known to dry out quickly.

Your safety, trail stewardship, and bringing you a great event are our top priorities.

Check back here should there be any change. As of now, the race is still on for tonight.

Heather's to feed the masses with booze and burger!

Heather's Bar and Grill loves both kinds of dirty bikers. She'll have the grill on late for us and will be whipping up an all you can eat breakfast in the morning (5:30a.m.)for $7.

Bring your friends and family for spectating. The Cool Front band will be playing Saturday night (no cover charge)and the deck out back overlooks the pit area and timing tent loop.

Online Registration will close at 9pm Friday night.

Registering the day of the event costs you $40 for 6 & 12 hour events and $30 for the 3 hour event. Preregistering online discounts these prices by $5. Hit the registration button on the side before 9pm on Friday to recieve the discount. You might even feel like this guy when you're done.

This Years PBST Shirt

Here's my lovely wife modeling this years 3/4 Sleeve Baseball Shirt. My littlest guy, Porter, is showing you his muscles. $20 for the shirts, get them while they last, we plan to sell out.

Top Ten Reasons to Race PBST this year.

10. Don’t have to deal with the sun in your eyes or mid-day heat.
9. Free camping with no walk to the race course (if you have time to sleep between laps).
8. In the beam of your headlamp, it always seems like you’re riding really fast.
7. The logo looks scary and awesome at the same time.
6. Get to enter a Round-A-Bout without worrying about getting hit by a car.
5. Sunrise Lap…guaranteed epiphany and euphoria, epic and iconic, and other words used too much in mountain biking.
4. Heather’s burgers that night and an all you can eat breakfast buffet in the morning.
3. Best spectator luxury box in the whole WEM series.
2. Check point VictorBravoCharlie thumping you through mid-lap with Twinkies and bacon.
1. Pitch Black Single Track, P.B.S.T. is almost PABST………say no more! Come get your blue ribbon!

$100 Award

Erik's Bike Shop has given us a $100 Gift Certificate for fastest lap. Gotta leave it all out on the trail to get this one. Go get some!

Disclaimer: Fastest lap is determined at the timing tent....not your bike computer.

Good luck!

Lights - Sorry, no rentals this year.

Unfortunately, Sigma does not have their rental program available for us this year. However, the have offered a generous 30% discount on a one time order. Use coupon code, PITCHBLACK, (all caps). Here is the store link:

Sigmas Sports Store

Sigma has also donated a bunch of cool raffle prizes again this year! Thanks Sigma!

Camping and Fires

The Start/Finish/Pit area will be allowed to have pop-up tents and above ground fires only. Personal sleeping tents will be accomodated as space allows in the pit area. The grounds and parking lot at "Area III" are also available for family camping and should be considered "quiet areas". The day after, fire remains (ash and coals) must be disposed of in the barrel that will be provided.

Course Map

Here's a copy of the this year's course map. Should come in around 7 miles a lap. The course has been different evey year for PBST. We've added some new trail and changed some routings. This course is also different than what WORS just ran a few weeks ago.

Wausau 24

Pitch Black got its start after falling in love with the night laps during the 24 Hours of Nine Mile, now the Wausau 24. Those were always the most exciting and challenging laps of the event. If you were lucky enough to be riding a lap during sun rise you surely rode away with a feeling of clarity.

I was disappointed not to be able to ride Wausau 24 this year due to a fractured rib. However, I did pack up the family and drove up just to taste the atmosphere. There's nothing like it!

I walked around and tried to speak with as many people as possible and remind them of the dates for PBST this year. Please come check out the trails at the Battle of Cam-Rock(WORS)this weekend. Same trails but a different course will be had for PBST.

Working Through The Details

We're well under way with planning the 2011 event which will be held on Labor Day weekend, Saturday 9/3. We look forward to seeing you there and bringing you another great event. For those of you that have never been to PBST, we promise a competitive race and supportive party atmosphere. I know the guys out at checkpoint VBC are cooking up some new things to keep you entertained and motivated during your lap.

I hope to have an image posted of our new shirts in the next few weeks, so check back and buy ahead of time, we ran out last year.

Thank You For a Great Night of Racing!

The Viking Biking Club and Capital Off Road Pathfinders would like to extend a very large thank you to everyone that participated in this years event! We had a great night and saw some great racing.

Results are at:
wemseries.com/results.html

Pictures by Peloton-Pix can be seen here:
http://www.peloton-pix.com/

A special thank you to all of our sponsors:

Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series
Hammer Nutrition
Sigma Lights
Up Hill Grind - Bikes & Coffee, Crossplains
Sweet Ride Bike and Board, Mt. Horeb
Budget Bicycle, Madison
WORBA - Mountain Bike Patrol
Heather's Bar and Grill

Registration On-Line

Please register on line at zapevent.com. You can click the registration button on right and it will take you there.

WEMS instituted a $5 discount by preregistering within 7 days of the event (by paper)or by registering online.

Mosquitoes and other helpful hints

We will be spraying the pit/start/finish area before everyone arrives to help knock down the mosquito population. Please be advised to show up with a good repellant.

Last year a lot of people were also suprised at how wet their feet got. Make sure you bring several change of socks. Consider getting out your cold weather neoprene booties to keep your toes dry. You'll be glad you brought them.

Last day to order rental lights from Sigma!

Today, Wendesday 9/1, will be the last day that you can place a light rental order and expect to recieve it by race day. This is a pretty loose statement. For specific delivery times, I'd confirm with Sigma directly.

Check Point Victor Bravo Charlie

It was always a welcome sight during 24/9 and the Wausau 24; check point Victor Bravo Charlie (viking biking club)carries on the tradition with the staples to see everyone through an all night event. The stereo will be pumping and the party raging to help push you through the lap. Feel free to stop and share in the good time or rip off a wheelie to impress the girls! Watch out for the voodoo skulls....and I keep hearing something about a disco ball??

4th Post Today? Things must be coming together!

Shirts are in! I'm no model so I can't do these threads justice. Ring spun cotton=super soft. Get them while they're available, $20. You can secure yours when you register on-line or role the dice with your walk up registration.

We'll also have some of last years Sweat-Vac performance shirts available the day of the event.

Sigma Lights - Rentals and Raffle Prizes

Sigma continues to be a great sponsor of our event. If you need a light, they've got a great rental program with a buy out option. Great deal! Just click on the Sigma logo down the page on the right. This will take you right to the rental page.

They've just contacted me to say they're going to be shipping me a couple of Karma light systems and some micro lights to raffle off.

These Karmas are little beauties. This is what I ride with.

Elevation Profile

Here's a look at the elevation profile of this year's course. Thanks Dave!

Up Hill Grind to support PBST

More great news from Uphill Grind! Not only are they brining us 8+ gallons of hot and iced coffee but they've also kicked in some raffle prizes. Two Continental Explorer ProTection tires and a Deuter Hydration Pack.

Uphill Grind will be performing mechanical support for the duration of the event. Please come see them if you need adjustment.

Word is they will also have some extra gear, so if you find yourself cold or with wet feet they may be able to bail you out at a reasonable cost.

Above Ground Fire Pits Allowed

We will be allowed to have above ground fire pits like the one shown above. If you bring one, you must place the coals in the barrel provide the following morning. Do not dump them in the grass or along the creek bank. Last year it got pretty cold and the few fires we had were welcome. Bring some good wood too so we don't smoke out the valley.

Lights and Breakfast

Question came up about required lights.

Standard requirement of a minimum 10 watt head light. Do not attempt to ride this event with a commuter light. Rear (red) light is not required but encouraged.

Breakfast? Yes, for those of you that haven't been to this event, the pit area is in the back yard of Heather's Bar and Grill. Just for us, she's going to put on a $6 all you can eat breakfast starting at 6a.m. Last year this included eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, biscuits/gravy, fresh fruit, and sweet rolls. Sooooo good!

Added Trail and Changes in Direction

So here is the tentative course for 2010. Some changes over last year with MORE single track and for those of you familiar with Cam-Rock it will all be raced in the correct direction. Last year we had to run some of the trail in reverse. I'm most excited about an addition called the "Outback" which has some very fun berm sections. It is labeled "expert" because C.O.R.P. has been working on placing elevated features in this section on trail. These of course will be taped off as necessary. This trail doesn't drain well, so lets hope it stays dry or we'll have to opt around it.

Light Rentals & Charging station

Sigma Lights will again be sponsoring Pitch Black. They've got a great deal on a great light. I own one of these myself. Perfect opportunity for a one time night race! Rental cost is $40 plus a $85 deposit. Deposit refunded when light is returned. Shipping to and from your house is FREE! Just click their logo on the menu to the right.

If you like the light, keep it, and you've saved yourself $25 under retail.

We will again supply a neutral charging station for this years event. Last year we had some issues with converters taking up too many postions on the power strips. To solve that, I've wired up about 40 seperate wire harnesses so everyone will have their own plug. It might look ugly but there is sure to be an open plug for you.

Please put your name and phone number on your equipement. The charging station is not managed and leaving your equipment will be at your own risk.

On-line Registration Open

On-line registration is now open.

Go to:

www.pitchblacksingletrack.zapevent.com

or

Click the registration tag on the right side of the page under "Guidelines and Registration Information."

Uphill Grind -Mechanical Support, Coffee and Gear

We're excited to have Michael Osborne and his crew from Uphill Grind Bicycle and Coffee Shop to assist with mechanical support this year. They had a team that raced last year and had so much fun they thought they'd just bring the whole shop. They'll be prepared to handle any adjustments or that tube/tire change you might need during the race. Oh, and they're bringing coffee too!

The Pitch is Back!

2nd Annual Pitch Black Singletrack. A Labor Day tradition of darkness and punishment. September 4th & 5th, 2010.

Great Racing!

What a race! Thank you to all that participated and kept this party rolling all night. A big thank you to our sponsors: Hammer Nutrition, Sigma Lights, Sweat Vac Shirts, B & B with A & D (Bikes and Beer with Ana and Devon), and Heather’s Bar and Grill.

We exceeded our goal with a total of 77 riders! Not too bad for a first year event. It was great to hear how happy people were to find such a good variety of challenging single track that many didn’t know was even there. Spread the word about the great riding available at Cam-Rock!

A big thank you to Josh Henry for setting up the rock’n checkpoint Victor Bravo Charlie. Did everyone appreciate the jamm’n tunes, twinkies, bon fire, fright fest décor, and some mid-lap cheering?

We still have shirts left, so if you didn’t get a chance to buy one and would like to now, please let me know.

Many people took the time to come out and take pictures, so check’m out:

Peloton-Pix

Garret Kipp

DJ Scoot Train

Krad

All timing results:

WEMS Results


Please send any comments you may have good, bad, or otherwise to cole_retzlaff@yahoo.com

What's that? You didn't register in time?

No worries. We WILL accept walk up registrations for the race tomorrow night. Registration opens at 5pm.

Not feeling up to racing or holding on to that excuse of not having any lights? No worries. Come out and cheer on some fellow riders from the deck of Heather's bar. Stick around for awards and some raffle prizes ($1 each) from Hammer, Sigma Lights, and 6 packs of good brew donated from "B&B with A&D".

We've also got a plan to throw up a screen and play some "bike porn" (downhill, free ride, and dirt jump movies). The guaranteed inspiration for these riders to keep it up all night.

Checkpoint Victor Bravo Charlie: There will now be a beverage & Twinkie stop between the back woods sections sponsored by Josh Henry, one of the Viking Biking Club's illustrious members. He'll have a campfire roaring and some metal tunes to help keep you pumped up for the second half of your lap. Watch out for the skulls and bats. There may be a sacrafice somewhere along the way...it is going to be a full moon. OOOOOOWWWWWWWW!

Probably the last day to order a light rental!

This is probably the last day you can get away with ordering a light rental from Sigma. If you are interested, just click on the Sigma logo on the right when you scroll down. Nice light and a great buy-out option. More details in posts below.

I might suggest calling them to confirm delivery time to your location. 888-744-6277


Don't forget our sweet Sweat Vac shirts for sale. You can order yours during on-line registration for $20. They'll be $25 the day of the event though.