I've always been a master of procrastination. I am usually good at being on time, or finishing something right when it's due, but accomplishing something ahead of time is not my specialty. So for those people who have already mailed in your registration postcards, thank your for doing this so early in advance. A local friend of mine dubbed me "Piano Mark" for choosing to set up a postcard entry system (you may know what this is in reference to). I had a few good laughs over this. But the truth is, if you direct an event, you borrow a lot of ideas from the the event experiences you've had, and you implement the ones that seem to work the best. So the postcard system seems to work well, plus it's fun to get a variety of interesting pictures from people.
I took a little time last weekend to drive this years course. During my drive I managed to find a few new roads that are ride worthy and keep people from needing to spend much time on pavement. It seems like road commissioners do more and more paving each year unfortunately. I'm pretty excited about some of the hills that will be on this years course. One of the hills was so steep that it made me worry for the safety of riders going down it. Oh well, that's what brakes are for. For those who like a good uphill climb, you'll be glad to know there will be about 800 more feet of climbing this year compared to last year. There will still be plenty of flatter sections, but for those who think Illinois is only flat, you'll be in for some hilly treats.