New in 2010! We are changing the start of the event to the Metamora High School Athletic Complex. Coal Bank Road has developed so many craters it resembles a war zone, the parking is near capacity, the city is putting in a large golf course, which will increase traffic allong Coal Bank, and then there is the hill. Starting out of the sports complex will provide more parking, less traffic, better roads and you will miss the creekbed climb.

The Team Challenge! In 2010, we are going to offer a Team Challenge! Get a 4 person team together - give yourselves a name and ride. The rules are simple. Each rider takes one 50 mile lap. You hand off at the start/finish and at the end we total your times and the fastest combined time wins! A team must have 4 riders, all male, all female or mixed gender.

The event headquarters is still in Washington, IL (no motels in Metamora) and riders are given a special rate at the Sleep Inn. See the Directions > Accomodations menu item for details!

The MM4X50 2009 set no records, unless you count record DNF's! at 90 degrees plus for much of the day there were plenty riders who decided to take advantage of the shade trees at Black Partridge Park. Stops at the halfway checkpoint were also a little longer than they were at the 2008 MM4X50, and we doubled the amount of ice used!

The Metamora double century follows a route originally established by the Peoria bike club in the 1990's. In 2001, the Big Dogs borrowed the route for one of the legs of the Midwest Triple Crown, a short-lived series of double centuries based on the California Triple Crown.

So, when we started looking for a relatively flat double century that would appeal to recumbents, HPV's and handcyclists, Metamora came to mind. As you ride along low trafficked county roads, lined by fields of tall corn, you will get a good idea just how Illinois got the nickname the Prairie State.

The race consists of a 50 mile loop that is ridden 4 times to complete 200 miles, thus, the 4X50! The roads are straight, flat and well-marked, with only one climb of any significance. There is a rest stop at the halfway point where riders can stop and take advantage of refreshments or simply sit in the shade. Although we avoid routing riders through towns, the loop comes close enough to a few communities that you can locate a convenience store if needed.