2008 marks the 25th anniversary of the event and we plan to do a lot to celebrate that, including:
- Having the race founder, John Marino, along with Michael Shermer, on hand.
- Having the original winners, Michael Secrest and Kitty Goursolle, on hand.
- Encourage former champions, from 1983 through 2007, to compete.
- Classic Rendezvous Division: See below.
- Publish a book about the history of the race instead of a Race Magazine.
- Scholarships for solo entrants 20 years old or younger: Riders 20 or younger will pay just $100 to enter, perhaps even receiving even more support if we can round up the sponsors.
- Extra special jersey, medal, and other commemoratives.
- More sponsors to support the race, the athletes, and the goodie bag (Do you own or work at a company which might benefit from involvement with The 508? Please get in touch!)
- Post-Race Event: We hope and plan to have a really nice event at the conclusion of the race on Monday morning which many, it not most, of the racers and crews will attend. If you have any ideas, or contacts in the 29 Palms area, let me know!

We are very excited about the new 2008 gear we've designed and which will be produced by our new garment supplier, Hincapie Sports. All of the new AdventureCORPS gear may be ordered when registering for the Fall Death Valley Century and Double Century via Active.com on June 2, as well as when 508 applicants confirm their entry in the 2008 Furnace Creek 508 in early May. The gear may also be ordered by anybody else with an order form which is available on the website. All orders must be received by June 2 to insure delivery in October.

Note: All 2008 508 official finishers will be awarded a FREE jersey at the finish line in Twenty Nine Palms, so 2008 entrants should not order one with this form. However, if you are a veteran 508 Official Finisher from 1989 through 2007, and you will NOT compete in 2008, you may order a 25th Anniversary Furnace Creek 508 jersey! Orders must be received by June 2 and jerseys will be delivered in October. If you've worn out your original 508 jersey, or just want a fresh new one to celebrate your previous Official Finish, and the 25th Anniversary of the race, this is your ONLY chance to get one. Order one now!

Check out, and order, our new Death Valley jersey, Rough Riders jersey, Furnace Creek 508 jersey, Furnace Creek 508 vest, and AdventureCORPS arm warmers by clicking the blue button at left!

New for 2008 and beyond, The 508 will feature the Classic Rendezvous Division. The requirements to enter this division - which will be a sub-category of ANY 508 division, whether solo, tandem, or 2x / 4x relay, will be to race on technology from 1983 or older. Specifically, this means:

- The frame and fork must be lugged steel (but built in ANY year, including brand new). - Yes, we know that aluminum bikes existed before 1983, as well as fillet-brazed steel...
- No more than six cogs on the rear wheel.
- 32 spokes per wheel minimum.
- Friction shifting on the down-tube or bar-ends (must be true friction shiters; not clickables set in friction mode).
- Toe clips and straps.

Just to be clear, the frame and parts don't have to actually be 25 or more years old - just the technology has to be 1983 or older. Of course "style points" will be awarded to those whose entire bike, other than the obvious - tyres, cables, chain, brake pads, etc - are from 1983 or older!

This new division is supported and endorsed by Classic Rendezvous, a website and email group dedicated to celebrating classic bicycles and history. More info here.

Our "Bulletin Board" is kaput and has been replaced with a blog where would-be crew members can post their availability to crew, and where 508ers looking for crew can connect with would-be crew. Check it out! (Soon we'll add other topics to the blog about which you can comment and discuss.)

Mavis Irwin is a Furnace Creek 508 veteran, a 27-year-old, female graduate student, and a passionate cyclist and cycling advocate. Mavis can not speak, nor hear, but she has compiled a very thorough blog which documents the numerous and troubling questions and issues involving the purchase of the Race Across AMerica (RAAM) by the UMCA, the so-called governing body of the sport of ultracycling, as well as other related issues.

On February 23rd, she received a letter from RAAM's attorney, essentially telling her to take her entire blog off-line. This kind of threat is known as SLAPP suit. That was followed up with a nasty, threatening, and extremely condescending email from the RAAM CEO. We find these actions despicable and we wonder how the long the Board of Directors of the UMCA will allow this sport-destroying nonsense to continue. You can read the relevant, disgusting documents here:

http://ultracycling-us.blogspot.com/2007/11/raam-llc-threatening-to-sue-umca.html

Here is the SAVE THE UMCA blog's front page:
http://ultracycling-us.blogspot.com

Here is Mavis' time splits and bio page on The 508 website:
http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/individualTd.php?e=121

Here is Mavis and her support crew at the finish of the 2007 508:
http://www.the508.com/2007web/shows/show20/pages/DSC03089.html

The self-appointed and virtually unknown "governing body" of ultracycling, the UMCA, bought the Race Across AMerica over a year ago and spends the overwhelmingly majority of its time, resources, magazine pages, money, and efforts to promote RAAM. We do not think this is what a governing body should be doing, nor do we think it is in the best interest of the sport, the athletes, or all the other great races that make up the backbone of ultracycling.

The founders of the UMCA (and RAAM), John Marino and Michael Shermer, vehemently oppose this relationship between the UMCA and RAAM, as well as how the most recent UMCA board of directors election was handled. So do we. Until the UMCA proves that it deserves our support, and its tax-exempt "non-profit" status, we will no longer endorse, support, or participate in any UMCARAAM program. If you would like to learn more about what's going on behind the scenes with the UMCA, we encourage you to visit this extremely important and informative website:

http://ultracycling-us.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, we'll just keep doing what we always do: work hard to produce and promote the very best endurance sports events we possibly can! Thanks for your support, everyone!

Please join us for CORPScamp Death Valley, our new annual cycling lifestyle training camp based in Furnace Creek and featuring up to 400 miles of epic, one-of-a-kind cycling in and around "Mother Nature's Greatest Sports Arena," Death Valley National Park. Come join Chris Kostman and the folks at AdventureCORPS along with fellow athlete-adventurers from around the globe for five fabulous days of cycling and camaraderie in beautiful, one-of-a-kind Death Valley! The adventures will include riding the route of the Spring Death Valley Century, the route of the Fall Death Valley Century, to the summit of Townes Pass, up to Danté's View, and more!