RACE WEEK BULLETIN
Hear Ye Hear Ye All Wente Riders, Racers, Participants, Volunteers!
Wente is upon us! Everybody knows this is The Best Event on The Planet and that it is made of hearts and chocolate and puppies and rainbows. However, it’s still got some rules ‘n things you need to know and do to make it work right. Here they are, in order of importance:
REGISTRATION CHANGES.
The last time to make online changes or transfers is Wednesday, May 29th at 5 p.m. No Exceptions. None. At All. Zip. Zero. Nada. Capiche?
REGISTRATION CHANGES PART DUEX.
The last time to make onsite changes or transfers is Friday**, May 31st. No Exceptions. None. At All. Zip. Zero. Nada. Comprende?**
REGISTRATION CHANGES PART…THREE.
There will be no onsite changes on race day. There will be no onsite changes on race day. There will be no onsite changes on race day. There will be no onsite changes on race day.
FOOD.
If you didn’t get your meal tickets you will have to purchase them through the general store.
ARRIVAL.
As a reminder, Willits is not Wente. Wente is “in” Willits, but not really. It’s outside of Willits. In fact, you must pass through Willits to get there, and not only this, once you finally reach the gates of Wente, there are another 2 miles of dirt road that costs them a whole lotta money to rebuild and maintain every year (more on this in the next point). SO, give yourself an additional 20 minutes of drive time to whatever your favorite mapping application tells you it’s gonna take.
DRIVE SLOW.
Like your grandpa after too many pot brownies. Seriously (although pot isn't allowed in Wente). If you are like “man, I’m really driving hecka slow” then slow the heck down cause it wasn’t slow enough. Drive UNDER 10 miles per hour. It’s going to feel like you’ll never get there. But you will. There are reasons for this: 1) There are kids all over this freaking place. It’s a Scout camp, and they’ll pop out of the forest on their mountain bikes like Jack-In-The-Box when you least expect it. 2) Drive any faster and you’ll create a bunch of dust, and that SUCKS! 3) This road is difficult to maintain. Please respect the work that goes into this place that thousands of others get to enjoy all year. It’s an important place with an important purpose. Respect.
VAN CAMP.
Is full. If you snagged a spot you’re lucky and staff will direct you. We’ve got lots of vans to make room for so prepare to snuggle up! Don’t get sneaky — vans are considered “large vehicles” — you can NOT show up in your van like you can with your car or smaller truck and try to pass it off as your commuter, looking for a place to park. There is not room for you. Period. You’re a jerk for reading this and not abiding by it. Van camp sites sold out long ago, and that’s even after accommodating a dozen more than last year with tightening belts, which eludes to the fact that YES, you gotta make sure you’re parking in an orderly fashion in Van Camp like never before. We’ve made the space, but you have to follow directions from our staff when parking in Van Camp. You don’t get to stake your own claim of space. You need to be considerate of the others who will be joining you, regardless how early you got there on Friday, after 11:00AM, and not before.
CARPOOL.
Is cool. You get a parking pass with your registration. Fun fact: most cars seat at least 4 people, meaning 4 cars are not needed for 4 people. Extra cars create a gargantuan problem for us at Race Wente because each year it seems people think they can invite their friends to “join you” at Wente Scout Reservation for a great weekend of glamping while you race around on your bike. But this problem has a sinister side: we run out of space, and that’s really not good. Got three other friends who want to drive to Wente to “support” you, but aren’t racing? No. Please ask them to carpool, hitch a ride, or whatever. If you need an exception, and we mean EXCEPTION, then be prepare to pay a PREMIUM as a deterrent for that kind of tomfoolery because we really don’t have the space. Extra vehicles driven without a registered racer inside of them will be charged CASH upon entry for a parking pass.
Sorry to be all RULES RULES RULES and all ALL CAPS and kinda Monkey-Yelly-Screamy, but this stuff is important so we can get back to the rainbows and puppies and hearts and chocolate. 💕 See you at the Camp!
