1200 Miles & A Cup O' Dirt!

Q) Soooo, just what the heck is this 1200 Miles and a Cup 'O Dirt thing anyway?

A) Well, ya log 12 or 6 centuries, during the course of 2007, all of em on dirt, and ya get an official Cup O'Dirt or Mississippi Mud! Just send me an e-mail (dave@all9yards.com) to tell me about yer century then I can log yer progress, and yer in! It don't even cost ya anything!

Q) Dirty Century, let's see... what is that?

A) A huner'd miles on dirt, duh! Dirt? It can be a gravel road, double track, logging road, singletrack or you can do a whole bunch o'laps on yer grassy yard! To count for the Cup O' Dirt, yer century must be at least 80 miles that ain't paved.

Q) Does it have to be an organized ride ta count fer the Cup?

A) Nope - just lemme know what ya did - ya can be alone, ya can be with friends, ya can be with strangers! Ya can do it in a race, ya can do it in a tour, ya just gotta do it in a day! (note to Trans-Iowa competitors: Ya can do an overnight, just no sleeping, that'd be 2 rides!... and, ya complete the Trans-Iowa and ya git to count 3!)

Q) Any special awards er anything?

A) Yep! Old Oakley Rob has committed a sweet pair of Oakley's that'll be drawn from all the yahoo's that get a cup o' dirt! Thanks Rob! Squirrel is makin' a cool biker lamp fer a lucky winner! I got all year to get a bunch of other sweet swag ta give ya. Anyone wants to throw in some stuff - just lemme know and I'll pass the word!

Q) Do ya gotta do one a month to count?

A) Nope! Ya can do em all in a row, if want. Now, if you do one every month - I'll give ya sumpthin' special!

Q) Soooo, what is this 'Cup O' Dirt'?

A) Glad you asked! It is a sweet handmade stoneware mug, created just special for this here gig by New Harmony Pottery of Earlham Iowa. Ya may have seen their stuff if ya done the Living History Farms Race and saw the awards they gave out. Sweet swag. Now, the dirt? Good ol' Iowa black dirt... can't beat that!

Q) So, if it don't cost nuthin to participate, and I'm gunna git this super sweet cup o' dirt, who's payin' fer it?

A) Them fine boys at All9Yards Realty! That's who! They gots a bike racin' team and want to promote their fine new website www.cyclingupdate.com. Check it out - it's gunna have all the info fer racin' on two wheels that ya'd want! Race schedule, results, training, news, equipment - everything!

Q) Finally, why ya doing this crazyness?

A) Cuz I love ridin' in the dirt and I seen some dudes bucket' o' belt buckles and thought "Now, why can't we have somethin' cool like that right here?" So I did it. The extra cool thing is... ya can do it wherever ya are!!! There is folks from Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas and Mizzou followin' along!

Q) OK, OK, One more thing, when do I git my Cup O' Dirt?

A) 3rd Saturday of December, we're havin' a hoe-down (and a dirty century, of course!) right here, somewhere in the middle of Iowa. I'll git us a big ol' barn or lodge with a big ol' fire place, I'll cook us up a big ol' pot o'chilli! During the day, we'll go fer a huner'd mile long gravel road ride, then that night, I'll give ya all yer Cup O' Dirt and all the other swag! We'll have a blast - swap stories, maybe some pics from the year, some tunes. Ya won't have to do the ride, ya can just come and git yer dirt and play that night! I'll have detials as the time nears. If ya got any more questions or to tell me about a century, drop me a line! dave@all9yards.com

Now, I also gotta say, that this ain't no orgainzed ride - ya'll are on yer own. Ya oughta wear yer helmet each time ya ride - in fact, if I see a pic of you ridin' without yer helmet on a century that ya wanted to count - I ain't count'n it (sorry Kim!). Ya should be careful out there, don't forget yer lights if ya get caught out after dark, bring a spare tube. Remember to be nice to the lady at Casey's that looks at ya funny when you buy the place out of coffee and pizza at 10 O'clock in the mornin', first, she don't really wanna be working there, but hasta ta make ends meet, and second, ya smell! Finally, remember to have fun - last I checked, I wasn't gettn' paid to ride, so I must be doin all this to have fun!

Peace - Dave Mapboy Mable