2019 IRONBULL Red Granite Grinder 85-mile Route

Race - Oct 17, 2020

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Features Views

Riders get a chance to explore the grit in the western portion of Marathon County on several gems that can only be accessed through this race. Riders will fully experience Central Wisconsin by riding through areas not usually open to bikes in addition to passing ginseng fields, dairy farm pastures, barns, and farm fields in each the 50, 85, and 140 races.

If you'd like to be a part of the event but don't want to spend hours on your bike, consider the 12-mile recreational ride, or volunteer!

Riders will be tested through a variety of hills, with the top male and female climbers being crowned "King / Queen of the Hill" before descending trails at Rib Mountain State Park for this one and only day!

We also offer a family friendly, timed, non-competitive ride in downtown Wausau for those wanting to participate in this event. This 12-mile route starts with a hill then is flat, totaling less than 400 feet of climbing for the entire route. All participants under age 18 are free and those racing in the longer events may also participate for free with their families and friends (if they are able to finish in time for the 12-mile start!).

Read race report here: gravelcyclist.com/race-repo…

Riders start out on the 140-mile route and are immediately tested. Riders get a taste of what's in store with climbing 800 feet to the top of Rib Mountain, setting the tone for the day. With lactic acid-filled legs, riders must dismount for a mile hike-a-bike before white knuckling down Turkey Vulture Trail, needing every ounce to maintain focus on the unpracticed, yet technical descent.

Riders leave the city, where the race travels through the Wausau School Forest with one-of-a-kind bridges. After a spin in the Wausau School Forest, riders take several more miles of dirt via snowmobile trails at Nine Mile County Forest. After a few miles of gravel to Fenwood, riders finally can catch their breath on a rail-to-trail all the way to Edgar.

In Edgar, riders enjoy the wooded trails at Scotch Creek Preserve. Riders get some reprieve at a stocked and energized aid station at mile 51 before the 85-mile route splits off the 140-mile route and heads east, where riders will have the wind at their backs. Riders have one last chance to refuel in Red Granite country before tackling the final gut-wrenching climbs.

In Maine, riders will fly down Billy Goat Hill only to gut it out on the final hills before heading back to downtown Wausau. Riders can finally relax as they welcome flat, smooth pavement all the way to the finish line in the heart of downtown Wausau.