IMPORTANT WAVE ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION

***Update from the office: This was an April Fool’s Joke posted on 4-1-2021**

We have received a lot of emails from eager racers since we opened registration on March 5. While many have covered topics ranging from shuttles to Expo vendors and even the start location, one word is by far the most common: waves. We’re happy to unveil the 2021 Wave Assignment system! 

This has been a challenge for years and something we tinker with meticulously all year long. We know just how much wave assignments influence not just your competitiveness, but also your race day experience, and we value that. Over the past three decades, you’ve voiced your opinions, and we hear you. 

That’s why we are really excited about taking your feedback and creating the perfect wave assignment system. The idea really struck during last fall’s Virtual SRAM Ice Cycle Expo, which hundreds of you joined in on Zoom or on Facebook Live. We used a prize spinner to pick the winners of free entries, jerseys, even Cody’s beloved Trek Top Fuel! So we thought; people love the Prize Spinner; why not make it a Wave Spinner?

So, using technology pioneered by our friends at Saris, we unveil to you the Saris Wave Spinner! Instead of 55 waves in total, we’ve broken out 4500 racers into 100 waves chosen totally at random. Spin the wheel, get your wave assignment; what could be simpler?

“We’re really eager to see how this new format shakes up the race for everyone; and we mean everyone, because the Pros will also be assigned waves this way. Who doesn’t want to Geoff Kabush lining up next to a tandem? Of course we want to see Chloe Woodruff bumping bars with a twelve year old; we just don’t see any way this could possibly go wrong, “ commented Race Director Cody Sovis. 

There are actually 101 spots on the spinner, with the extra space designated “Tailgunner”. This wave will get a unique perk, though. In their registration packets, they’ll receive a handlebar-mounted clicker to tally all the people they pass from the waves ahead of them. The rider with the most overtakes at the end of the race will win a 2021 Subaru Outback! With just a big prize, we expect the last rider on this wave to finish in under 90 minutes, though there’s a fair chance they’ll leave a wave of destruction in their path. 

As you might have guessed, the change wasn’t an easy one to make. “This is a terrible idea and I want everyone to know it was Cody’s idea,” commented Steve “Iceman” Brown. He’ll be making his Iceman debut this year, but with that attitude, we might be tempted to stop the spinner somewhere in the high 40s for him. 

We hope you’re as excited about the Wave Spinner as we are! Until November 6, we hope you’re healthy, happy, and training…and lucky when it’s your turn to spin.