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Alexander, meet the world. The world, meet Alexander.

Yesterday we drove the unknown portions of the newest member of the Almanzo family, Alexander. We say unknown portions, because like her counterparts, she takes in the entire Almanzo 100 course and nearly all of the Royal 162 course.

In the 360 miles we drove, the elevation gained was close to 15,000 feet. Combine that with the Royal course and you end up with almost 25,000 total feet gained. This new long-distance gravel route will take you from Spring Valley, MN down through Harmony, MN to the town of Lansing, Iowa. From there you'll cross the mighty Mississippi into Wisconsin where the hills of the Driftless Region await. Once in Wisconsin you'll navigate your way 75 miles through the bluffs to Prairie du Chien, WI. Back across the river into Iowa and you'll find yourself in Marquette and then heading south to McGregor (home to the Ringling Bros.). From here you'll travel north and west to Decorah for the last piece of civilization before returning to Spring Valley.

Let it be known that this adventure is not for the newcomer. This course covers close to 400 isolated miles and will contain stretches of up to 100 miles without services. We will do everything we can to inform you of the important pieces of information you'll need to be successful, but at the end of the day, this little beast is all on you.

Please keep an ear to the floor here as we will continue to bring you more information and updates regarding this nasty little route.