The new year is barely underway, and
we’re already well into the planning process for the next Hilly
Hundred. We’ve completed our debriefing, including your Comment
Cards and e-mails, and we’ve pledged to make the 2010 event the
best ever.
On the issue of the date change, the local motels
won’t
have a problem moving your reservations from the 15th & 16th to the
8th & 9th. The IU football game that’s now scheduled for the
16th will allow them to completely sell out that weekend. They’ll
be happy to accommodate your request for a change. 
For a variety of reasons, we’ve decided to change Saturday’s route. It will be even more challenging that the old route, with a couple of significant hills, and a slightly longer distance. Stay tuned for details. It will include better county roads and much less use of SR 43.
2010 Hilly Hundred registration will open on June 1st. On this date the Active.com link will go live, and you’ll be able to download a pdf form to send to us in the mail if that is the option you wish to use. Additionally, the paper application form will be sent to you in your June edition of the CIBANews and it will be mailed in late May to recent participants. In addition, we traditionally make the Hilly application form available to customers of local bike stores, and we’ll continue to do that over the course of the summer.
We don’t market the Hilly Hundred to all bicycle riders. We want
our participants to be somewhat experienced: used to riding in groups
of other riders and able to complete at least 50 miles of a route that
includ
es some difficult hills. For this reason, we don’t advertise
to the general public, which makes advertising and marketing a challenge.
Over the years, our best marketing has been through “word of mouth” and
participants returning with their friends. With this in mind, we’re
going to capitalize on this concept, and offer an incentive to recent
participants who bring new Hilly riders in 2010. Remember, the focus
will be on riders with whom you ride over the course of the summer, and
for one reason or another have never attended the Hilly. Watch for details
of this new program on your 2010 Hilly Hundred application form.
We’ll see you in October. Bring your cycling friends because the Hilly is more of a people event than it is a cycling event.
Skip Higgins
Managing Director
Hilly Hundred Weekend