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2012 marks our 20th year for the Cheaha Challenge Century. We have been busy over the past few months planning the 2012 ride. We are a little late opening registration and updating the web site because we have been finalizing several new and exciting changes for this year's event. What's new?

• The 2012 Cheaha Challenge will be a Gran Fondo, complete with CHIP TIMING! We will provide chip timing for all riders. As everyone knows, our event is a RIDE, not a race. However, for years we have provided ride times to our participants and posted those times on the web site. This has allowed riders to come back year after year and many enjoy comparing their results from year to year. But these times have been compiled by a volunteer group and it has been impossible for us to be accurate and consistent with all riders. Chip timing will solve that issue.
  
  
• What is Chip Timing and How Will it Work? Each rider will be given a "wrist-band"-style strip that will need to be strapped to your shoe (under your Velcro or ratchet strap, for example). This strip is disposable, so there is no need for you to worry with returning it to us after the ride. There will be a mat (sort of like a rug) across the start/finish line. When you cross that mat, your time will start. There will be mats across the road at each of the 5 rest stops along the course, each one recording the elapsed time for each rider as you cross the mats. There will be a mat at the base of the famous "3-Mile Climb" to Cheaha State Park. And of course another mat at the top at the Rest Stop located there. So we will record the time it takes for each rider to climb this stretch of roadway (or at least those riders that ride that part of the course). When you return to Piedmont and cross the start/finish line again, your total time will be recorded. We have provided ride-times for our participants for more than 6 years, but it has always been handled by a volunteer group and the results were not as accurate as we'd like. So providing this chip timing feature should be much more accurate and provide much more data about each participant's ride experience. If you'd prefer NOT to have the data recorded for your ride, simply discard your timing strip and enjoy the ride!
  
  
• King of the Mountain! Yes, chip timing will also allow us to measure how long it takes riders to climb our famous "3 Mile Climb" to the top of Alabama at Cheaha State Park. We will have an overall King of the Mountain, but we will also recognize the fastest climbing times in various age categories and by gender.
  
  
• Results in many formats! With chip timing, we will be able to offer results in many formats, including overall results of all riders in order of finish for each route option, as well as in age categories.
  
  
• Win a Lynskey frame! Enter a drawing to win this Helix titanium bike frame MSRP $3295 from Lynskey Performance Designs, Gold Sponsor of the 20th Annual Cheaha Challenge Century.
  Tickets are $5 each (or 5 for $20).
  Second prize winner receives 2 free registrations to next year's Cheaha Challenge Century - a $100 value.
  Third - fourth - fifth prize winners receive a 2011 Cheaha Challenge Jersey autographed by Tyler Farrar.
  
  You can purchase your tickets for the Lynskey frame on www.active.com when you register, or, before the ride on Friday night at Mellow Mushroom during the Hospitality Dinner, Saturday at the Noble Street Festival in downtown Anniston and Sunday morning before the ride in Piedmont.
  
  
• Better food at the finish! We have a new plan in 2012 for our meals! We will go lighter on breakfast food and focus more on providing a GREAT post ride meal. A light breakfast will be offered consisting of bagels, cream cheese, and Red Diamond coffee. Lunch will be catered by none other than Classic on Noble, an award winning restaurant located in downtown Anniston. Classic will prepare pasta alfredo primavera for a meatless entree and pasta marinara with meat as another option. We will also have a fresh salad, bread, and cookies for dessert. Red Diamond will provide their famous tea and Buffalo Rock will provide soft drinks. These meals are included in your entry fee!
  
  
• More Showers! For 2012 we will provide a state of the art shower trailer, providing 8 more private shower facilities! We have always offered the shower facilities at the historic Piedmont Civic Center. These shower facilities will also be available and in good working order. We have been working with the City of Piedmont to improve the general facilities of the Civic Center, a wonderful, historic structure. There is a plan in place to upgrade this1800's era building, but that likely won't begin until after the 2012 ride (but should be completed by 2013!).
  
  
• New Location/Venue for Friday night FREE dinner! We have traditionally hosted a Friday evening dinner FREE to all Cheaha riders and traveling companions to welcome you into town. This has been sponsored by Animal Medical Center and the dinner and live music was hosted on the roof of their business downtown. Animal Medical Center has teamed up with Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers and the dinner location has been moved to the Mellow Mushroom restaurant near the hotels and interstate exit. This will provide more room and the Mellow Mushroom will provide a variety of food items (in addition to their incredible pizza). In addition, BEER will be available for those who want a few extra carbs leading into the weekend! Many of the pro teams racing in Saturday's criterium will be in attendance.
  
  
• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! We have finally plunged into the social media world. Get all of the latest updates from the Cheaha committee and communicate with other Cheaha riders.
  
  
• What Hasn't Changed? We are still blessed with more than 300 volunteers on the day of the ride, complete with our famous themed (some outrageous!) rest stops, unmatched SAG support, state troopers and other law enforcement controlling the course, and the scenic beauty of the Talladega National Forest. All route options remain the same - 26, 47, 66, 88, or the whole enchilada 102-mile route. The shorter routes have much less climbing. The more you venture out into the course, the more brutal it gets, with the 102-mile route inflicting more than 7500 feet of cumulative climbing with some grades exceeding 15%! Our club also continues to produce the Noble Street Festival on Saturday afternoon/evening before the Sunday Cheaha Challenge. This festival has been recognized by the State of Alabama as a Top 10 Event and features nationally ranked pro and amateur criterium racing in the Sunny King Criterium, 12 restaurants serving from tents in the street in the Red Diamond Restaurant Tour, a city block full of activities in the McWane KidZone, a healthy fun run for kids around the .6 mile bike race course in the Mellow Mushroom Mad Dash, an early morning run in the YMCA 5K, and live music under the big top at the Hot Blast Music Cafe. The bike races are streamed live on the internet, with the final event being the main event Pro Men's Race which begins at dusk and ends at approximately 9 p.m. under the streetlights of downtown Anniston!

Online registration only at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=2010296 Until April 14th, 11:59 PM Pacific time. We will offer On-site Registration: Friday Evening at the free dinner at Mellow Mushroom from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM, Saturday at the Noble Street Festival from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM and Sunday morning before the ride from 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM.

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