Odds and ends

Here are some additional details and answers to some questions that have come up.

Bike choice... The bulk of the route on crushed limestone bike path, the rest is pavement. A road bike will work fine unless you coddle yours like a newborn.

Lights... You'll need a front and rear light. The moon will be pretty much full and it's a wide open path with only the occasional low hanging branch, critter, and pothole to keep an eye out for so you shouldn't need a megawatt of lighting power. A basic commuter light powered by a couple of AA batteries should get you by (more can't hurt though), just keep in mind that you'll need about 6 hours of battery power. Again, you will need a front and rear light.

Support... There is none. If you crash, get lost, bonk, or find yourself in any sort of predicament then you're going to have an interesting night. Make sure someone who cares about your well being knows what you're up to.

For the winner... In a slight change from the original description, instead of a backpack there is going to be a bike trailer full of goodies at the finishing line that you are responsible for attaching to your bike and dragging back to Madison. It will hook up to any standard quick release or bolt on rear hub. It may be heavy. If you think you have a shot at winning and have concerns about how the trailer attaches drop me a line and we'll work through it.