Bike Shop Tales: Brazing

Coming from a jewelry back round, I had previous experience that came in handy once.....

Several things about working at Advantage Cyclery were a lot of fun. I had quite a diverse group of fellow workers and lots of things would be going on most of the time, so that it usually was never boring there. (With the special exception of November) We had a frame builder that worked there for awhile, we had a few great athletes that came through there while I worked there, and we had more than our fair share of characters.

One of the things I got to do once actually called upon some special experience that I had learned as a jeweler. Brazing and torch work were second nature to me then. Of course, I was using tiny torches and working on some pretty expensive materials. Bicycle torch work called for bigger torches and the materials were not so precious, but the basic techniques were similar.

This all came into play when we had a customer with an older Fisher steel mountain bike that was fitted with an under-the-chain-stay "U" brake. The customer disliked the placement of the brake since they used the bike as a touring rig, and getting underneath there to release the brake in times when a flat tire occurred was a pain. Especially with bags on a rack that were filled with......well, whatever these folks carted around!

Anyway, Tom asked if I could braze some cantilever studs on the seat stays of this bike, and I agreed I could try that. The parts were ordered while I went about removing the old brake, studs, and any trace of them from the chain stays. We re-routed the brake cable along the underside of the top tube. (I can't remember if I brazed on cable stops here, but I think I did!) Then we got a cable stop to work off the back of the seat binder, and finally, I prepared the seat stays and the bosses for brazing. The job went off without a hitch, really, and the frame was off for a repaint of the Team Fade, which has always been a favorite paint scheme of mine for a Fisher mountain bike. 

I guess I could have veered off into a frame building career right there, but it didn't take root. I kind of regret that. I think it would have been a rewarding experience. Well, until I read some of the flak surrounding custom frame building! I guess every job has its pitfalls.

Bike Shop Tales should return next week! Stay tuned!

Bike Shop Tales: Brazing

Coming from a jewelry back round, I had previous experience that came in handy once.....

Several things about working at Advantage Cyclery were a lot of fun. I had quite a diverse group of fellow workers and lots of things would be going on most of the time, so that it usually was never boring there. (With the special exception of November) We had a frame builder that worked there for awhile, we had a few great athletes that came through there while I worked there, and we had more than our fair share of characters.

One of the things I got to do once actually called upon some special experience that I had learned as a jeweler. Brazing and torch work were second nature to me then. Of course, I was using tiny torches and working on some pretty expensive materials. Bicycle torch work called for bigger torches and the materials were not so precious, but the basic techniques were similar.

This all came into play when we had a customer with an older Fisher steel mountain bike that was fitted with an under-the-chain-stay "U" brake. The customer disliked the placement of the brake since they used the bike as a touring rig, and getting underneath there to release the brake in times when a flat tire occurred was a pain. Especially with bags on a rack that were filled with......well, whatever these folks carted around!

Anyway, Tom asked if I could braze some cantilever studs on the seat stays of this bike, and I agreed I could try that. The parts were ordered while I went about removing the old brake, studs, and any trace of them from the chain stays. We re-routed the brake cable along the underside of the top tube. (I can't remember if I brazed on cable stops here, but I think I did!) Then we got a cable stop to work off the back of the seat binder, and finally, I prepared the seat stays and the bosses for brazing. The job went off without a hitch, really, and the frame was off for a repaint of the Team Fade, which has always been a favorite paint scheme of mine for a Fisher mountain bike. 

I guess I could have veered off into a frame building career right there, but it didn't take root. I kind of regret that. I think it would have been a rewarding experience. Well, until I read some of the flak surrounding custom frame building! I guess every job has its pitfalls.

Bike Shop Tales should return next week! Stay tuned!

Well, That Didn't Work!

I went to work tweaking on the Origin 8 set up recently. I took off the 120mm fork and installed a proper 100mm fork. The wide rim/wide tire combo which wasn't working so well were traded in for a narrower rim/tire combo that went into the frame just fine.

I then tried to figure out the brake set up in the rear, which was a bit tedious, then I contemplated the handle bar. Was it too high? Well, I thought, a lot of folks seem to be running bars higher, why not give it a try? 

Out on the south side of The Camp, (because the Horse People have invaded Cedar Bend, leaving their "steaming piles" all about), I went out and found the ground to be really, really dry and hard. Like concrete hard. The rains that had come before, which were very hard, worked up a bunch of fine sand to the surface, which was spread out over the rock hard dirt in many places. Classic loose over hard pack. Well, it got me.

It was an off camber left hand turn, slightly down hill too. Front tire went away and BOOM! I hit the deck hard on my left shoulder and hip. The shoulder was already messed up from something earlier this summer, and this didn't do me any favors, I am sure of that. Oh well.....

Then I noticed a problem in the rear wheel/brake area. The wheel locked up and I could tell from the sound it was a classic rotor/caliper interference issue. Hmmm...........was the brake caliper moving in the slotted mounting holes? I didn't have time to mess around, I just put the rear brake on and jammed the bike rearwards to undo the effects, and it worked. No more rear brake use on the rest of the ride though. Turns out the adjusters had rattled loose allowing the rear axle to slip forward. Hmm......guess I need some jamb nuts now. Oh yeah...........and a lower front handle bar! Gotta weight that front wheel a bit better!

I'll be back......

Well, That Didn't Work!

I went to work tweaking on the Origin 8 set up recently. I took off the 120mm fork and installed a proper 100mm fork. The wide rim/wide tire combo which wasn't working so well were traded in for a narrower rim/tire combo that went into the frame just fine.

I then tried to figure out the brake set up in the rear, which was a bit tedious, then I contemplated the handle bar. Was it too high? Well, I thought, a lot of folks seem to be running bars higher, why not give it a try? 

Out on the south side of The Camp, (because the Horse People have invaded Cedar Bend, leaving their "steaming piles" all about), I went out and found the ground to be really, really dry and hard. Like concrete hard. The rains that had come before, which were very hard, worked up a bunch of fine sand to the surface, which was spread out over the rock hard dirt in many places. Classic loose over hard pack. Well, it got me.

It was an off camber left hand turn, slightly down hill too. Front tire went away and BOOM! I hit the deck hard on my left shoulder and hip. The shoulder was already messed up from something earlier this summer, and this didn't do me any favors, I am sure of that. Oh well.....

Then I noticed a problem in the rear wheel/brake area. The wheel locked up and I could tell from the sound it was a classic rotor/caliper interference issue. Hmmm...........was the brake caliper moving in the slotted mounting holes? I didn't have time to mess around, I just put the rear brake on and jammed the bike rearwards to undo the effects, and it worked. No more rear brake use on the rest of the ride though. Turns out the adjusters had rattled loose allowing the rear axle to slip forward. Hmm......guess I need some jamb nuts now. Oh yeah...........and a lower front handle bar! Gotta weight that front wheel a bit better!

I'll be back......

Bike Shop Horrors! "Holey" Bike

I had a three tube carbon Trek come in for a flat repair and clean up the other day. I noticed some nasty gouges on the non-driveside chain stay. Upon closer inspection, I found it was actually worn through!

This was beyond where the crank arm could have contacted it. Maybe a case of bad heel rub? Who knows, but this frame looks like it came in contact with a grinder to me!

Here is a shot of most of the chain stay to the drop out. It looks like a metallic dog chewed on it some.

Sorry for the out of focus shot, but you can see other things in this image.

Can anybody find "Otto" and its owner? 

Bike Shop Horrors! "Holey" Bike

I had a three tube carbon Trek come in for a flat repair and clean up the other day. I noticed some nasty gouges on the non-driveside chain stay. Upon closer inspection, I found it was actually worn through!

This was beyond where the crank arm could have contacted it. Maybe a case of bad heel rub? Who knows, but this frame looks like it came in contact with a grinder to me!

Here is a shot of most of the chain stay to the drop out. It looks like a metallic dog chewed on it some.

Sorry for the out of focus shot, but you can see other things in this image.

Can anybody find "Otto" and its owner? 

Thoughts On Belt Drive Systems For Bicycles: Part II

<==Gates Carbon Belt Drive on an mtb. (Image credit: "c_g")
I've been thinking a lot about belt drive mountain bikes again, and after checking into it here, I see I have not posted on the subject in almost two years. (You can read the full rant here)

Interestingly, the case of belt drive systems for mountain biking seems to be a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same". At least, the reminders from my posting in 2008 would indicate as much. Let's take a closer look........

Back then, I wrote the following: 

The belt drive system for bicycles is being developed by the Gates Company which does all sorts of belt technologies for motorized vehicles. They were out at Interbike last year, (2007),  en force to answer any questions and to observe first hand a real world demonstration of the "Carbon Belt Drive System" performance. After a quick briefing by the Gates folks, I got on board a Spot Brand bike and took off on the Demo loop at Bootleg Canyon.

On a steep up, I heard a very loud "pop" and I thought I was going to crash because of a belt failure, but I didn't. I rolled on. At the Spot Brand tent, the Gates folks were telling me I "ratcheted" the belt. This is when you essentially get the belt to slip one tooth over on the cog or more. I did that and that was the loud "pop" I heard. With the belt tensions on the verge of being too tight for the bearings on the hubs already, Gates had to go back to the drawing board for a revision for this year.(2008)

So, as you can see, issues plagued the system from the get go. Noise was common. I heard it. Everyone within earshot of a Spot in 2007 heard them. Then there were the ratcheting problems, and worst of all, breakage. Yes- There have been revisions. In fact, I mention one back in my 2008 post:

What they did was to specify a larger "chain ring" and rear "cog" size with a slightly reduced amount of tension on the belt. The larger "cogs" would increase the number of engagement points and hopefully eliminate the "ratcheting" problems. I'm not sure if this also addressed the many complaints of noise in the system from 2007 Interbike riders, but it may have.

Okay, so they fixed the ratcheting problem and reduced pre-mature bearing failures at the same time. Great. Or wait a minute..............did they? Let's fast forward to 2010 and see where this belt drive business has progressed to.

A cursory reading of this thread on mtbr.com's Single Speed forum shows that in 2010 folks are still ratcheting belts, still getting noise from belts, and still having issues with hubs from high belt tensions, (which Gates seems to have re-instated since I last looked into this two years ago). Now the solutions being suggested range from "belt specific" frame designs that feature heavier, stiffer chain stays, to installing "snubbers" to keep the belt from wandering and ratcheting on the Gates specific cogs, which by the way, have increased in size yet again since 2008.

Okay. Those are the facts about belt drive on mountain bikes in 2010. It seems as though not much has changed about the actual performance aspects of belt drive mountain bikes since 2007, but a lot of solutions have been thrown at the system to remedy the problems folks are experiencing in the field. I still see and hear about failures: from belts out and out breaking, to noises, ratcheting, and being damaged. It seems as though much has changed, but the outcome remains the same.

Belt drive systems are expensive, finicky, and not proven. There are too many failures for the small number of units being actually mountain biked in comparison to chain failures per mountain bike. I don't think Gates could refute that with a straight face.

They would rather you focus on that "greasy, noisey chain". That thing that is imminently reliable, easy to maintain, cheap, adaptable, and works even to single speed your geared bike. No, they would rather have you focus on the fact that belts are lighter, and, ("if" they run a full life), will easily outlast a chain's lifespan. You know, instead of a chain that is easy to repair on the trail, strong, and can be found almost anywhere. Not to mention the fact that belt drive systems are "cool", never mind the fact that you must run certain sized cogs which are hard to obtain and may not clear your chain stays. (Ventana display at Sea Otter 2009, anyone?)  You know, not like a nasty chain drive, which has so many variations on cogs and chain ring sizes that it makes your head spin to have to choose one set. I mean, who needs that?

Who does need that? 

I'm raising my hand high. How about you?

 

Thoughts On Belt Drive Systems For Bicycles: Part II

<==Gates Carbon Belt Drive on an mtb. (Image credit: "c_g")
I've been thinking a lot about belt drive mountain bikes again, and after checking into it here, I see I have not posted on the subject in almost two years. (You can read the full rant here)

Interestingly, the case of belt drive systems for mountain biking seems to be a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same". At least, the reminders from my posting in 2008 would indicate as much. Let's take a closer look........

Back then, I wrote the following: 

The belt drive system for bicycles is being developed by the Gates Company which does all sorts of belt technologies for motorized vehicles. They were out at Interbike last year, (2007),  en force to answer any questions and to observe first hand a real world demonstration of the "Carbon Belt Drive System" performance. After a quick briefing by the Gates folks, I got on board a Spot Brand bike and took off on the Demo loop at Bootleg Canyon.

On a steep up, I heard a very loud "pop" and I thought I was going to crash because of a belt failure, but I didn't. I rolled on. At the Spot Brand tent, the Gates folks were telling me I "ratcheted" the belt. This is when you essentially get the belt to slip one tooth over on the cog or more. I did that and that was the loud "pop" I heard. With the belt tensions on the verge of being too tight for the bearings on the hubs already, Gates had to go back to the drawing board for a revision for this year.(2008)

So, as you can see, issues plagued the system from the get go. Noise was common. I heard it. Everyone within earshot of a Spot in 2007 heard them. Then there were the ratcheting problems, and worst of all, breakage. Yes- There have been revisions. In fact, I mention one back in my 2008 post:

What they did was to specify a larger "chain ring" and rear "cog" size with a slightly reduced amount of tension on the belt. The larger "cogs" would increase the number of engagement points and hopefully eliminate the "ratcheting" problems. I'm not sure if this also addressed the many complaints of noise in the system from 2007 Interbike riders, but it may have.

Okay, so they fixed the ratcheting problem and reduced pre-mature bearing failures at the same time. Great. Or wait a minute..............did they? Let's fast forward to 2010 and see where this belt drive business has progressed to.

A cursory reading of this thread on mtbr.com's Single Speed forum shows that in 2010 folks are still ratcheting belts, still getting noise from belts, and still having issues with hubs from high belt tensions, (which Gates seems to have re-instated since I last looked into this two years ago). Now the solutions being suggested range from "belt specific" frame designs that feature heavier, stiffer chain stays, to installing "snubbers" to keep the belt from wandering and ratcheting on the Gates specific cogs, which by the way, have increased in size yet again since 2008.

Okay. Those are the facts about belt drive on mountain bikes in 2010. It seems as though not much has changed about the actual performance aspects of belt drive mountain bikes since 2007, but a lot of solutions have been thrown at the system to remedy the problems folks are experiencing in the field. I still see and hear about failures: from belts out and out breaking, to noises, ratcheting, and being damaged. It seems as though much has changed, but the outcome remains the same.

Belt drive systems are expensive, finicky, and not proven. There are too many failures for the small number of units being actually mountain biked in comparison to chain failures per mountain bike. I don't think Gates could refute that with a straight face.

They would rather you focus on that "greasy, noisey chain". That thing that is imminently reliable, easy to maintain, cheap, adaptable, and works even to single speed your geared bike. No, they would rather have you focus on the fact that belts are lighter, and, ("if" they run a full life), will easily outlast a chain's lifespan. You know, instead of a chain that is easy to repair on the trail, strong, and can be found almost anywhere. Not to mention the fact that belt drive systems are "cool", never mind the fact that you must run certain sized cogs which are hard to obtain and may not clear your chain stays. (Ventana display at Sea Otter 2009, anyone?)  You know, not like a nasty chain drive, which has so many variations on cogs and chain ring sizes that it makes your head spin to have to choose one set. I mean, who needs that?

Who does need that? 

I'm raising my hand high. How about you?

 

A Tale Of Two Rides

Bzzzzt! Bzzzzzzt!

I really don't like it when things don't run smoothly. Take for instance the fact that any 2.4" tire on a 35mm rim buzzes the Reba Team's brake brace in corners, or when you are out of the saddle. Too bad too, because the combination is otherwise pretty dreamy. Smooth doesn't have enough "O"'s in it.  Well, until you lay it over in a corner. Bzzzzzt!

Man! That bugs me. I can't live with it, so I'm taking this down and re-building the bike as a rigid rig with a different fork and wheels/tires. Maybe then it will realize its potential and be a bike I can not have drive me nuts. It isn't the frame's fault, by any stretch. I know what would fix it up right quick: A 100mm Manitou Minute. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those. I'll have to fix that here soon. Hmm...........

Ding! Ding! Ding!

On the other hand, I love it when you hit upon a combination that is happy-happy, joy-joy. Such was the case when I set up my Singular Gryphon with the Bontrager Race X Lite wheels shod with XR-1 1.9" tires, tubeless, of course.

These were the perfect combo for me to use at the Gravel Worlds last weekend. The sandy gravel never even phased these tires, the MMR sections were no match, and the XR-1's just ripped along as long as I had the legs to push them. (Sadly, the leg part was sorely missing!) Well, gravel and smooth dirt roads are one thing. What about the single track? I aimed to find out.

I took the Gryphon over to Geo Wyth today, and I was absolutely flying around the single track. I was on rails and it was the fastest I have ripped through there since the 90's. Really. It was pretty dang fun. I would say that as long as things are dry, these are the tires to use on Mid-West single track if you want to go really fast. On grass sections- fahgeddaboudit! This tire smooths over grass so well you'd swear you were on pavement, and the grip is like being on a Velcro track. Crazy is what it is. 

So it was a day of two extremes. One disappointment, one total high. Good thing the good ride was the last one!

A Tale Of Two Rides

Bzzzzt! Bzzzzzzt!

I really don't like it when things don't run smoothly. Take for instance the fact that any 2.4" tire on a 35mm rim buzzes the Reba Team's brake brace in corners, or when you are out of the saddle. Too bad too, because the combination is otherwise pretty dreamy. Smooth doesn't have enough "O"'s in it.  Well, until you lay it over in a corner. Bzzzzzt!

Man! That bugs me. I can't live with it, so I'm taking this down and re-building the bike as a rigid rig with a different fork and wheels/tires. Maybe then it will realize its potential and be a bike I can not have drive me nuts. It isn't the frame's fault, by any stretch. I know what would fix it up right quick: A 100mm Manitou Minute. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those. I'll have to fix that here soon. Hmm...........

Ding! Ding! Ding!

On the other hand, I love it when you hit upon a combination that is happy-happy, joy-joy. Such was the case when I set up my Singular Gryphon with the Bontrager Race X Lite wheels shod with XR-1 1.9" tires, tubeless, of course.

These were the perfect combo for me to use at the Gravel Worlds last weekend. The sandy gravel never even phased these tires, the MMR sections were no match, and the XR-1's just ripped along as long as I had the legs to push them. (Sadly, the leg part was sorely missing!) Well, gravel and smooth dirt roads are one thing. What about the single track? I aimed to find out.

I took the Gryphon over to Geo Wyth today, and I was absolutely flying around the single track. I was on rails and it was the fastest I have ripped through there since the 90's. Really. It was pretty dang fun. I would say that as long as things are dry, these are the tires to use on Mid-West single track if you want to go really fast. On grass sections- fahgeddaboudit! This tire smooths over grass so well you'd swear you were on pavement, and the grip is like being on a Velcro track. Crazy is what it is. 

So it was a day of two extremes. One disappointment, one total high. Good thing the good ride was the last one!

So......Now What?

With Gravel Worlds gone in the rear view mirror, I am now left with some catching up to do. First order of business has already been getting taken care of, and that is writing a bunch of reviews and stuff for "the sites".

The next order of business is to start thrashing on this grey Origin 8 frame off road. That will likely take place today. I've heard that the South Side of The Camp is good to go now, so I may be found up there plunking around if you are looking for me. (Not that anyone will be......just sayin'!)


The next order of business is to re-think my geared gravel grinder-lite set up. I have an idea that uses stuff I already have, so it should happen soon. My regular rig for this- the Fargo- remains a main stay, but I have a hankering to do a more minimalistic, lighter set up. And this will only be temporary. I have heard of a new version of "something" that I think may work even better yet. That's yet to come, and may not happen, depending upon certain preferences I have. Sorry to be so "cagey" about it all, but I am not at liberty to 'splain it  now.

Now I have a hankering to do more gravel riding. I miss it. Plus, it gets me in shape better than anything else I like to do. Being a dang "desk jockey" most nights isn't conducive to a "fine figure", so I will be working out a better plan for myself in those regards. Thanks to Gravel Worlds for making that blatantly clear!

 Oh well. My legs are still "barking" at me every time I ride, so I suppose I shouldn't get too crazy with that idea just yet! A little recovery, then we'll get on it.

So......Now What?

With Gravel Worlds gone in the rear view mirror, I am now left with some catching up to do. First order of business has already been getting taken care of, and that is writing a bunch of reviews and stuff for "the sites".

The next order of business is to start thrashing on this grey Origin 8 frame off road. That will likely take place today. I've heard that the South Side of The Camp is good to go now, so I may be found up there plunking around if you are looking for me. (Not that anyone will be......just sayin'!)


The next order of business is to re-think my geared gravel grinder-lite set up. I have an idea that uses stuff I already have, so it should happen soon. My regular rig for this- the Fargo- remains a main stay, but I have a hankering to do a more minimalistic, lighter set up. And this will only be temporary. I have heard of a new version of "something" that I think may work even better yet. That's yet to come, and may not happen, depending upon certain preferences I have. Sorry to be so "cagey" about it all, but I am not at liberty to 'splain it  now.

Now I have a hankering to do more gravel riding. I miss it. Plus, it gets me in shape better than anything else I like to do. Being a dang "desk jockey" most nights isn't conducive to a "fine figure", so I will be working out a better plan for myself in those regards. Thanks to Gravel Worlds for making that blatantly clear!

 Oh well. My legs are still "barking" at me every time I ride, so I suppose I shouldn't get too crazy with that idea just yet! A little recovery, then we'll get on it.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Final Thoughts And Comments

At The End Of The Day: So I had CVO cart my sorry rear end to the start finish where Mike was waiting for me with a pizza in hand! Cornbread fetched me a beer, and we hung out with some finishers and DNF'ers. It was all good.

I'm not sure why Lincoln has so many "skeeters" since it was reportedly so dry and hot there for so long, but the monsters were out not long after I got back and Mike and I were getting eaten alive, so we "bugged" out. (Ha!)

We both were comatose by 10pm. It was a tough, tough day in the saddle for sure.

The next morning we hooked up with MG and Adam Blake at the Two Twins cafe for some killer grub and conversations. The restaurant owner, a fellow from Lincoln that rode in the race, picked up our tab! How cool is that? I'm tellin' ya, you can't beat the Lincoln cycling scene. It's as good as anywhere in the U.S.A.

What About That Course? I heard many folks say afterward that this was tougher than this year's Dirty Kanza 200. Maybe it was. It was dang close if it wasn't tougher. The hills never stopped after the initial turn on to Branched Oak Road, and of course, the heat. Wow! Folks back home were telling me they heard it was well over a 100 degrees with the humidity figured into it. Ouch! I'd have to agree, having been burnt by it.

The course was worthy of "Worlds" status, and in light of that, albeit whether it was meant to be tongue in cheek or not, this Good Life Gravel Adventure has set a standard of toughness that will be hard to match. The balance of MMR to gravel, the remoteness, the logistics, and the unique touches that the Pirate Cycling League brought to this event make it a must ride for any gravel aficionado. Add in the fact that the PCL/Lincoln Crew are as nice and accommodating a group as you could ever wish for and this is a no brainer.  

Look. Here's the real deal: The Dirty Kanza 200 was swamped by entrants this year, and deservedly so. People paid good money to come to that event. Here is a free event with everything the DK had. Really. It is that good. No disrespect to Joel and Jim, or the rest of the DK crew. They are top notch, but this has a "low-fi" feel good nature to it that sets it apart from the Dirty Kanza. It is a "different kind of good", if you will. The Lincoln Crew "gets it" when it comes to this genres roots, and they are sticking close to them. I say good on ya. To my mind, the DK is like going to the theater nowadays. (pun intended) The Gravel Worlds is like going to a back yard barbecue. Both are fun, but in different ways. Anyway...........nuff said there.

If there was a legit criticism I could come up with, it would be that of Kevin Doggett, who told me something along the lines that 'Kansas rewards you with its vastness, where as Nebraska hides it in the folds of the land'.  As far as the experience goes, I guess that is a fair observation. Both have their unique charms to be sure.

All I can say is that back in 2006, Jim Cummings and I were talking about a "Triple Crown" in terms of the "Grand Gravel Events". (Boy does this sound pompous to me now,  but whatever....it is what it is) We were missing "one leg" to get the idea going. Well, the GLGA/Gravel Worlds has more than filled that bill. As far as I am concerned, it is one of the premier gravel events in the U.S. in terms of the "scene" and also in terms of how difficult, beautiful, and awesome the event has become.

Thank Yoose: Kudos to Troy Krause for designing a wicked beautiful course. Thanks to the Pirate Cycling League, Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, CVO, and the rest of the "crew". The Lincolnites, Mike Johnson, Peter and Jane Reinkordt: You are top notch folks! So glad to have met you.(Thanks to "davidr" for getting their names to me.) The Star City Inn, Two Twins Cafe, Oso's Burritos, The Malcom General Store, The Phillips 66 in Valpo- (poor cash register lady!), and everyone that participated in the GLGA/Gravel Worlds. This was a highlight of 2010 for me. 

And with that I bring my posts on the Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska to a close. What an awesome experience.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Final Thoughts And Comments

At The End Of The Day: So I had CVO cart my sorry rear end to the start finish where Mike was waiting for me with a pizza in hand! Cornbread fetched me a beer, and we hung out with some finishers and DNF'ers. It was all good.

I'm not sure why Lincoln has so many "skeeters" since it was reportedly so dry and hot there for so long, but the monsters were out not long after I got back and Mike and I were getting eaten alive, so we "bugged" out. (Ha!)

We both were comatose by 10pm. It was a tough, tough day in the saddle for sure.

The next morning we hooked up with MG and Adam Blake at the Two Twins cafe for some killer grub and conversations. The restaurant owner, a fellow from Lincoln that rode in the race, picked up our tab! How cool is that? I'm tellin' ya, you can't beat the Lincoln cycling scene. It's as good as anywhere in the U.S.A.

What About That Course? I heard many folks say afterward that this was tougher than this year's Dirty Kanza 200. Maybe it was. It was dang close if it wasn't tougher. The hills never stopped after the initial turn on to Branched Oak Road, and of course, the heat. Wow! Folks back home were telling me they heard it was well over a 100 degrees with the humidity figured into it. Ouch! I'd have to agree, having been burnt by it.

The course was worthy of "Worlds" status, and in light of that, albeit whether it was meant to be tongue in cheek or not, this Good Life Gravel Adventure has set a standard of toughness that will be hard to match. The balance of MMR to gravel, the remoteness, the logistics, and the unique touches that the Pirate Cycling League brought to this event make it a must ride for any gravel aficionado. Add in the fact that the PCL/Lincoln Crew are as nice and accommodating a group as you could ever wish for and this is a no brainer.  

Look. Here's the real deal: The Dirty Kanza 200 was swamped by entrants this year, and deservedly so. People paid good money to come to that event. Here is a free event with everything the DK had. Really. It is that good. No disrespect to Joel and Jim, or the rest of the DK crew. They are top notch, but this has a "low-fi" feel good nature to it that sets it apart from the Dirty Kanza. It is a "different kind of good", if you will. The Lincoln Crew "gets it" when it comes to this genres roots, and they are sticking close to them. I say good on ya. To my mind, the DK is like going to the theater nowadays. (pun intended) The Gravel Worlds is like going to a back yard barbecue. Both are fun, but in different ways. Anyway...........nuff said there.

If there was a legit criticism I could come up with, it would be that of Kevin Doggett, who told me something along the lines that 'Kansas rewards you with its vastness, where as Nebraska hides it in the folds of the land'.  As far as the experience goes, I guess that is a fair observation. Both have their unique charms to be sure.

All I can say is that back in 2006, Jim Cummings and I were talking about a "Triple Crown" in terms of the "Grand Gravel Events". (Boy does this sound pompous to me now,  but whatever....it is what it is) We were missing "one leg" to get the idea going. Well, the GLGA/Gravel Worlds has more than filled that bill. As far as I am concerned, it is one of the premier gravel events in the U.S. in terms of the "scene" and also in terms of how difficult, beautiful, and awesome the event has become.

Thank Yoose: Kudos to Troy Krause for designing a wicked beautiful course. Thanks to the Pirate Cycling League, Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, CVO, and the rest of the "crew". The Lincolnites, Mike Johnson, Peter and Jane Reinkordt: You are top notch folks! So glad to have met you.(Thanks to "davidr" for getting their names to me.) The Star City Inn, Two Twins Cafe, Oso's Burritos, The Malcom General Store, The Phillips 66 in Valpo- (poor cash register lady!), and everyone that participated in the GLGA/Gravel Worlds. This was a highlight of 2010 for me. 

And with that I bring my posts on the Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska to a close. What an awesome experience.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 3

<==The Blazing Orb About To Crest Horizon

As my morning unfolded, I found a rhythm and also found myself running alone for the most part. A fellow on a straight up road bike, an old steel one, that passed me early on was seen repairing a flat, but otherwise, this part of the day was flat-ish, and fairly uneventful. Some of the riders were held up by a long passing freight train for a bit, but the group got through the crossing before I got to them. A lone semi driver did wave me through the highway crossing just after the rail road crossing though, which I thought was nice.

Once the sun appeared in the sky, which was right about the time I turned on to Branched Oak Road, the heat began to accumulate and I knew I had to come up with a plan. As readers of this blog know, heat and I have not gotten along well this year. At least I was well hydrated and thought to pack an extra water bottle in the Tangle Bag. I carried it all day, and never needed it, but there is a reason for that which will become apparent soon.

 I made it through to the first checkpoint in decent enough time, I figured. I wasn't going out to burn all my matches up front, and I knew I was pretty far back in the field, but again, the goal was to finish, not be racing for places. To that end, I was right on track.

Coming in to Valpraiso, I was being followed by a fellow on a Giant 26"er and when he finally pulled around he exclaimed that he didn't know how I kept grinding up all the steep hills. I just shrugged and said that I had to "just keep moving" and I'd be all right.

The Valpo stop was being held down mainly by some of the Lincolnites that were out having fun. This included standing around with tallboys wrapped in brown paper sacks. Pretty funny. The stop was also being used as a rally car stop where ladies dressed in very colorful matching outfits had to pay for a dollars worth of gas (in pennies!!), get a receipt, and move on. The cashier at the Phillips 66 was about to lose it with all us cyclists and these eccentric elderly ladies and our shenanigans. I had heard Cornbread say at the start that the convenience store across the road had a much better selection, and they did. Funny thing was, no other cyclists were there but me. Oh well! Whilst I re-filled water bottles and munched down a turkey sub, I was approached by an elderly man in a electric scooter chair, and we had a nice conversation. He got a cell phone call, so I took my leave of him and Valpraiso and motored off towards Malcom, which was the next checkpoint.

<==A few miles out from Valpraiso, getting hotter!

On the way there, I hit a rather hilly dirt road section that was putting the hurt to me. I was really getting over-heated, and here is where I kicked in "The Plan". Since I wasn't out to beat anybody, per se', I decided that whenever I felt I needed a break, I was going to take one. So, having found a perfect spot in the dirt road section, I pulled over and layed down in the still wet, cool grass. It was awesome. I cooled down in a hurry.

It wasn't long before a guy with a cyclo-cross bike and wearing a Tomac Bikes jersey stopped and asked if he could join me. I said he should, and that's when I met Matt. He was planning on just getting to Malcom and calling it a day. We chatted a bit, and then took off together. I was happy to have a bit of company in the suffering.

Well, it wasn't long before I felt the need to pull over for a bit again, and Matt joined me once more. Fortunately, the Good Life Gravel Adventure course had plentiful amounts of shade trees lining the course at regular intervals. It made "The Plan" work. Without the trees, I wouldn't have lasted past the Malcom checkpoint.

After cooling down, we took off again. It wasn't long before I had dropped Matt back about a quarter mile. I thought I was crawling up the climbs and that he was right behind me, but he must have been suffering badly. Then I looked up to see a white, beat up General Motors product from about the early 90's turn on its four way flashers and slow down as it approached. Not understanding why, I instinctively knew this was a sign to pull over. Well, it turned out to be a bright and chipper CVO! He popped up out of the car like a jack in the box, asking what we needed. Beer? Monster Energy Drink? Water? What's your pleasure gentleman?

Well, what would you do if a skinny fellow with a plaid pork pie hat and lime green socks emblazoned with "WTF" on them asked you what you wanted to drink in the middle of a desolate Nebraska gravel road? I had a Monster, and I can't recall what Matt said. I just remember he reiterated to CVO that he was intending on quiting at Malcom. I drained the Monster drink and decided that the negative vibe was not good for me, so I pedaled off without him. 

The minute I pulled into Malcom I saw the Lincolnites pulling out. I was all alone again. I sat down to chow my food choices and re-fill water bottles again. I was feeling okay. I had no cramping issues, no problem with food or water. I thought I was doing pretty good getting to Malcom around 1pm.

It wasn't long before Matt showed up. He already had hooked up with a ride before getting to town. He had news of a rider behind us that was slow to come in, but was also nearly to Malcom. He finally showed up, and I took my leave. Here is where I made a mistake. I didn't buy enough food for the section between here and Hickman. That would eventually hasten my undoing. However; for the time being, I was set on getting to an "oasis" point, about ten miles away.

These oasis points, which there were three of, were set up by folks volunteering their resources to help out the riders. It took me what seemed like forever to reach it, after one more shade tree stop, but I finally found Pioneer Road and the oasis.  It was being packed up as I rode in! Well, I was in last place afterall. So, I didn't blame them, but I wanted to see what they had to eat, if anything. Well, they had veggies, but that didn't look appealing to me, so I just took some water, and some good, long conversation in the shade.

The place belonged to a couple that were both teachers: She a high school German language teacher and He the head of the German Language Department at Doan College. Fascinating people. I heard some fantastic stories about their lives and life on the farm. They were super kind to me, and they insisted on a picture of me and my bike before I left them after a glorious hour. I know- I should have been riding, but these folks deserved my attention. (Thanks! I wish I could remember your names, if I even ever heard them. Not sure I got the names) 

After the oasis stop, I went on, but the good time feelings didn't last too long. The heat, (which I heard was in the upper 90's to low 100's, depending upon who's thermometer you were willing to believe), was literally baking me. I could feel my body get really hot, my breath coming in panting like patterns, and the heart rate start getting higher. I would then seek out a tree to park under. I was walking the steepest hills by now, and falling asleep in the ditches when I stopped.

It was as I was stopped alongside the road, (where I had sat on a cockle burr bush by accident and was pulling the thorny devils outta my "nether regions"), that CVO appeared out of the haze like an angel. He didn't see me until he was right by me, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and backed up the car to see how I was doing. He made the same offers as before, but added that I could get a ride from him as well if I wanted it. I wasn't willing to pack it in, but I did swill a beer from his cooler. Then another one. Then a Monster energy drink on top of that. (Hey! It was awesome at the time!) 

<===CVO takes a swing at it!

As I stood and swilled the beers and energy drinks, CVO grabbed his clubs and some rogue balls and began to profess his love of golfing to me as he took a few swings at the "gravel fareway". Unwittingly, (or maybe not), he invented gravel road golfing in front of my very eyes. This CVO cat is brilliant! Somebody better tell Zach Dundas, who uncovered Urban Golfing for us all in "The Renegade Sportsman" , that another rogue game has been uncovered in the wilds of Eastern Nebraska!

Well, CVO had other duties to attend to beyond entertaining a greying old man on a single speed device, so he took his leave of me and I went back into the "pain cave" for my final miles. It wasn't pretty.

Basically there were more stops, more ditch sleeping, and much more walking of hills. At one point, I got off my bike, sat down, promptly fell over onto my back, head down to the ditch, and passed out for I don't know how long. Some animal hissing at me from close quarters finally awoke me. I stood up and about passed out again with all the blood rushing back outta my noggin.Still, I thought that if I could get to Hickman, I could eat and recover some. CVO had told me it was a "real convenience store" with actual pizza. I was getting really hungry, and that was sounding really good.

 <===Panama Road. Where it all ended for me.


Unfortunately, as a cyclist I knew that when I felt the hunger pains it was too late. Especially after being out for 13 hours on the road. Then I felt the tell-tale signs of a bonk coming on. Blurred thinking. I was second guessing where I was. I wasn't thinking straight at all. I stopped and dug out the last energy bar I had, but that wasn't cutting it. Then I stopped again a few miles further down the road, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything in the bottom of the borrowed Mountain Feedbag I got to use from Mike Johnson. I found a Hammer Gel, and just as I was about to rip open the packet, I heard a car swerving onto Panama Road, kicking up a cloud of dust. it was CVO again!

He went by me once again, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and reversed it back towards me. He slammed it in park right in the middle of the road, opened the door, which he left hanging open, and asked what he could do for me.

I replied that I was beginning to bonk out, so he offered the car ride again. I looked up the road, briefly thinking about pushing on, but better sense got ahold of me, and I climbed into the car and took the ride back to the start. 110 miles in, (including the two from the motel), only about 3-4 miles from Hickman, but I was okay with that.

It was a brutal, tough day for me. I left it all out there. No regrets.

I'll have some more about the end and some final thoughts for Tuesday.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 3

<==The Blazing Orb About To Crest Horizon

As my morning unfolded, I found a rhythm and also found myself running alone for the most part. A fellow on a straight up road bike, an old steel one, that passed me early on was seen repairing a flat, but otherwise, this part of the day was flat-ish, and fairly uneventful. Some of the riders were held up by a long passing freight train for a bit, but the group got through the crossing before I got to them. A lone semi driver did wave me through the highway crossing just after the rail road crossing though, which I thought was nice.

Once the sun appeared in the sky, which was right about the time I turned on to Branched Oak Road, the heat began to accumulate and I knew I had to come up with a plan. As readers of this blog know, heat and I have not gotten along well this year. At least I was well hydrated and thought to pack an extra water bottle in the Tangle Bag. I carried it all day, and never needed it, but there is a reason for that which will become apparent soon.

 I made it through to the first checkpoint in decent enough time, I figured. I wasn't going out to burn all my matches up front, and I knew I was pretty far back in the field, but again, the goal was to finish, not be racing for places. To that end, I was right on track.

Coming in to Valpraiso, I was being followed by a fellow on a Giant 26"er and when he finally pulled around he exclaimed that he didn't know how I kept grinding up all the steep hills. I just shrugged and said that I had to "just keep moving" and I'd be all right.

The Valpo stop was being held down mainly by some of the Lincolnites that were out having fun. This included standing around with tallboys wrapped in brown paper sacks. Pretty funny. The stop was also being used as a rally car stop where ladies dressed in very colorful matching outfits had to pay for a dollars worth of gas (in pennies!!), get a receipt, and move on. The cashier at the Phillips 66 was about to lose it with all us cyclists and these eccentric elderly ladies and our shenanigans. I had heard Cornbread say at the start that the convenience store across the road had a much better selection, and they did. Funny thing was, no other cyclists were there but me. Oh well! Whilst I re-filled water bottles and munched down a turkey sub, I was approached by an elderly man in a electric scooter chair, and we had a nice conversation. He got a cell phone call, so I took my leave of him and Valpraiso and motored off towards Malcom, which was the next checkpoint.

<==A few miles out from Valpraiso, getting hotter!

On the way there, I hit a rather hilly dirt road section that was putting the hurt to me. I was really getting over-heated, and here is where I kicked in "The Plan". Since I wasn't out to beat anybody, per se', I decided that whenever I felt I needed a break, I was going to take one. So, having found a perfect spot in the dirt road section, I pulled over and layed down in the still wet, cool grass. It was awesome. I cooled down in a hurry.

It wasn't long before a guy with a cyclo-cross bike and wearing a Tomac Bikes jersey stopped and asked if he could join me. I said he should, and that's when I met Matt. He was planning on just getting to Malcom and calling it a day. We chatted a bit, and then took off together. I was happy to have a bit of company in the suffering.

Well, it wasn't long before I felt the need to pull over for a bit again, and Matt joined me once more. Fortunately, the Good Life Gravel Adventure course had plentiful amounts of shade trees lining the course at regular intervals. It made "The Plan" work. Without the trees, I wouldn't have lasted past the Malcom checkpoint.

After cooling down, we took off again. It wasn't long before I had dropped Matt back about a quarter mile. I thought I was crawling up the climbs and that he was right behind me, but he must have been suffering badly. Then I looked up to see a white, beat up General Motors product from about the early 90's turn on its four way flashers and slow down as it approached. Not understanding why, I instinctively knew this was a sign to pull over. Well, it turned out to be a bright and chipper CVO! He popped up out of the car like a jack in the box, asking what we needed. Beer? Monster Energy Drink? Water? What's your pleasure gentleman?

Well, what would you do if a skinny fellow with a plaid pork pie hat and lime green socks emblazoned with "WTF" on them asked you what you wanted to drink in the middle of a desolate Nebraska gravel road? I had a Monster, and I can't recall what Matt said. I just remember he reiterated to CVO that he was intending on quiting at Malcom. I drained the Monster drink and decided that the negative vibe was not good for me, so I pedaled off without him. 

The minute I pulled into Malcom I saw the Lincolnites pulling out. I was all alone again. I sat down to chow my food choices and re-fill water bottles again. I was feeling okay. I had no cramping issues, no problem with food or water. I thought I was doing pretty good getting to Malcom around 1pm.

It wasn't long before Matt showed up. He already had hooked up with a ride before getting to town. He had news of a rider behind us that was slow to come in, but was also nearly to Malcom. He finally showed up, and I took my leave. Here is where I made a mistake. I didn't buy enough food for the section between here and Hickman. That would eventually hasten my undoing. However; for the time being, I was set on getting to an "oasis" point, about ten miles away.

These oasis points, which there were three of, were set up by folks volunteering their resources to help out the riders. It took me what seemed like forever to reach it, after one more shade tree stop, but I finally found Pioneer Road and the oasis.  It was being packed up as I rode in! Well, I was in last place afterall. So, I didn't blame them, but I wanted to see what they had to eat, if anything. Well, they had veggies, but that didn't look appealing to me, so I just took some water, and some good, long conversation in the shade.

The place belonged to a couple that were both teachers: She a high school German language teacher and He the head of the German Language Department at Doan College. Fascinating people. I heard some fantastic stories about their lives and life on the farm. They were super kind to me, and they insisted on a picture of me and my bike before I left them after a glorious hour. I know- I should have been riding, but these folks deserved my attention. (Thanks! I wish I could remember your names, if I even ever heard them. Not sure I got the names) 

After the oasis stop, I went on, but the good time feelings didn't last too long. The heat, (which I heard was in the upper 90's to low 100's, depending upon who's thermometer you were willing to believe), was literally baking me. I could feel my body get really hot, my breath coming in panting like patterns, and the heart rate start getting higher. I would then seek out a tree to park under. I was walking the steepest hills by now, and falling asleep in the ditches when I stopped.

It was as I was stopped alongside the road, (where I had sat on a cockle burr bush by accident and was pulling the thorny devils outta my "nether regions"), that CVO appeared out of the haze like an angel. He didn't see me until he was right by me, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and backed up the car to see how I was doing. He made the same offers as before, but added that I could get a ride from him as well if I wanted it. I wasn't willing to pack it in, but I did swill a beer from his cooler. Then another one. Then a Monster energy drink on top of that. (Hey! It was awesome at the time!) 

<===CVO takes a swing at it!

As I stood and swilled the beers and energy drinks, CVO grabbed his clubs and some rogue balls and began to profess his love of golfing to me as he took a few swings at the "gravel fareway". Unwittingly, (or maybe not), he invented gravel road golfing in front of my very eyes. This CVO cat is brilliant! Somebody better tell Zach Dundas, who uncovered Urban Golfing for us all in "The Renegade Sportsman" , that another rogue game has been uncovered in the wilds of Eastern Nebraska!

Well, CVO had other duties to attend to beyond entertaining a greying old man on a single speed device, so he took his leave of me and I went back into the "pain cave" for my final miles. It wasn't pretty.

Basically there were more stops, more ditch sleeping, and much more walking of hills. At one point, I got off my bike, sat down, promptly fell over onto my back, head down to the ditch, and passed out for I don't know how long. Some animal hissing at me from close quarters finally awoke me. I stood up and about passed out again with all the blood rushing back outta my noggin.Still, I thought that if I could get to Hickman, I could eat and recover some. CVO had told me it was a "real convenience store" with actual pizza. I was getting really hungry, and that was sounding really good.

 <===Panama Road. Where it all ended for me.


Unfortunately, as a cyclist I knew that when I felt the hunger pains it was too late. Especially after being out for 13 hours on the road. Then I felt the tell-tale signs of a bonk coming on. Blurred thinking. I was second guessing where I was. I wasn't thinking straight at all. I stopped and dug out the last energy bar I had, but that wasn't cutting it. Then I stopped again a few miles further down the road, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything in the bottom of the borrowed Mountain Feedbag I got to use from Mike Johnson. I found a Hammer Gel, and just as I was about to rip open the packet, I heard a car swerving onto Panama Road, kicking up a cloud of dust. it was CVO again!

He went by me once again, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and reversed it back towards me. He slammed it in park right in the middle of the road, opened the door, which he left hanging open, and asked what he could do for me.

I replied that I was beginning to bonk out, so he offered the car ride again. I looked up the road, briefly thinking about pushing on, but better sense got ahold of me, and I climbed into the car and took the ride back to the start. 110 miles in, (including the two from the motel), only about 3-4 miles from Hickman, but I was okay with that.

It was a brutal, tough day for me. I left it all out there. No regrets.

I'll have some more about the end and some final thoughts for Tuesday.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 2

<===Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska, Home of "Weird Wally", Nebraska's Capitol,and the First Gravel World Championships.

My story began on Friday when Mike Johnson stopped to pick me and my gear up to go to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel World Championships. The trip down was marked by no noteworthy thing, other than it rained.
Hard.
Again.
In Iowa.

Oh well! It hadn't rained much at all in the Lincoln area, and if not for a few mere tenths of an inch the day before, the dust would have been really bad on the day of the event, but I am getting ahead of myself.....

Welcome To Lincoln!

  The event kicked off with an optional pre-race check in at Oso's Burritos on "O" Street in downtown Lincoln. Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey was there with his volunteers getting us dialed in with waivers and souvenirs. (I got a rockin' one-in-50 print commemorating the Gravel Worlds for a song, and a pink PCL t-shirt. Oh yeah!)

We re-connected with gravel aficionados from all across the Mid-West and had an excellent Oso's burrito. I recommend you stop there if ever you find yourself in downtown Lincoln.

 Did I mention that the Pirate Cycling League puts all this on for free with huge support from the Lincoln cycling culture? Oh yeah! They even had these sweet World Champ jerseys ready to go for all category winners. Gotta love the passion for cycling that the Lincoln Crew has.

After the grub and meet-up, we went to the D-Street Hotel, (which is really just a big ol' house that has been the epi-center of Lincoln cycling culture for years), and hung out. The highlight for me was to finally meet "CVO", (a real person, by the way, and not an enigma), and to hang out once more at the D-Street. (Thanks for the hospitality, ya'all!) Then it was off to the Star City Inn for a good nights' rest, because wake up call was set for 4am. The start of the event was set for 6am, and we were going to ride the two miles down to the Lancaster Event Center where the start finish line was set to be.

 <===Under The Banner Of The Pirate Cycling League!


We awoke on time and actually were so efficient we had a few minutes to sit around before having to ride about two miles to the site of the start. When we got to the Lancaster Event Center, we wended our way around until we spied the lone PCL tent and a couple of LED blinkies, which indicated something cycling related going on. We pulled up to be greeted by a smiling Cornbread, who just came off celebrating his birthday that evening. He had CVO and a couple of other guys helping out with check in and numbering the riders, which was performed by CVO by writing the number on our left calf with a magic marker. That felt kinda weird, but it worked.

 <==Cornbread giving the final instructions to the assembled riders.


Soon several riders and cars were appearing. The PCL tent got really busy. Too bad the people didn't take the cue and show up at Oso's the night before. (Note: That's why I require riders come to the T.I. pre-race meeting!) Through it all Cornbread, CVO, and the gang were courteous, calm, and cheerful. Another plus to the Lincoln cycling scene: Cool headed folks that are super helpful. It was awesome to witness.

But due to the human nature of "waiting until the last minute", this "bum rush" at the end of the night made the race start become delayed a bit. I didn't hear any complaints about this, but I would hope that folks would be a bit more conscientious towards guys putting on a free event and make it easier on them by showing up early.

At the end of it all, the event did get underway, albeit a tad later than originally planned. 96 "official" riders took the start along with several that would just be riding along for fun to add up to an undetermined number of cyclists which took off  into the gathering fog and sunlight.

The beginnings of the event were smooth, flat, and comfortable, for me anyway. It was drippy-foggy-muggy, but it was okay with me. I was feeling good and was rolling along just fine.

Stay tuned for Part III

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 2

<===Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska, Home of "Weird Wally", Nebraska's Capitol,and the First Gravel World Championships.

My story began on Friday when Mike Johnson stopped to pick me and my gear up to go to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Good Life Gravel Adventure/Gravel World Championships. The trip down was marked by no noteworthy thing, other than it rained.
Hard.
Again.
In Iowa.

Oh well! It hadn't rained much at all in the Lincoln area, and if not for a few mere tenths of an inch the day before, the dust would have been really bad on the day of the event, but I am getting ahead of myself.....

Welcome To Lincoln!

  The event kicked off with an optional pre-race check in at Oso's Burritos on "O" Street in downtown Lincoln. Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey was there with his volunteers getting us dialed in with waivers and souvenirs. (I got a rockin' one-in-50 print commemorating the Gravel Worlds for a song, and a pink PCL t-shirt. Oh yeah!)

We re-connected with gravel aficionados from all across the Mid-West and had an excellent Oso's burrito. I recommend you stop there if ever you find yourself in downtown Lincoln.

 Did I mention that the Pirate Cycling League puts all this on for free with huge support from the Lincoln cycling culture? Oh yeah! They even had these sweet World Champ jerseys ready to go for all category winners. Gotta love the passion for cycling that the Lincoln Crew has.

After the grub and meet-up, we went to the D-Street Hotel, (which is really just a big ol' house that has been the epi-center of Lincoln cycling culture for years), and hung out. The highlight for me was to finally meet "CVO", (a real person, by the way, and not an enigma), and to hang out once more at the D-Street. (Thanks for the hospitality, ya'all!) Then it was off to the Star City Inn for a good nights' rest, because wake up call was set for 4am. The start of the event was set for 6am, and we were going to ride the two miles down to the Lancaster Event Center where the start finish line was set to be.

 <===Under The Banner Of The Pirate Cycling League!


We awoke on time and actually were so efficient we had a few minutes to sit around before having to ride about two miles to the site of the start. When we got to the Lancaster Event Center, we wended our way around until we spied the lone PCL tent and a couple of LED blinkies, which indicated something cycling related going on. We pulled up to be greeted by a smiling Cornbread, who just came off celebrating his birthday that evening. He had CVO and a couple of other guys helping out with check in and numbering the riders, which was performed by CVO by writing the number on our left calf with a magic marker. That felt kinda weird, but it worked.

 <==Cornbread giving the final instructions to the assembled riders.


Soon several riders and cars were appearing. The PCL tent got really busy. Too bad the people didn't take the cue and show up at Oso's the night before. (Note: That's why I require riders come to the T.I. pre-race meeting!) Through it all Cornbread, CVO, and the gang were courteous, calm, and cheerful. Another plus to the Lincoln cycling scene: Cool headed folks that are super helpful. It was awesome to witness.

But due to the human nature of "waiting until the last minute", this "bum rush" at the end of the night made the race start become delayed a bit. I didn't hear any complaints about this, but I would hope that folks would be a bit more conscientious towards guys putting on a free event and make it easier on them by showing up early.

At the end of it all, the event did get underway, albeit a tad later than originally planned. 96 "official" riders took the start along with several that would just be riding along for fun to add up to an undetermined number of cyclists which took off  into the gathering fog and sunlight.

The beginnings of the event were smooth, flat, and comfortable, for me anyway. It was drippy-foggy-muggy, but it was okay with me. I was feeling good and was rolling along just fine.

Stay tuned for Part III

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 1

Short post: Gravel Worlds was a successful event, albeit super tough and very hot. World Champion Jerseys were distributed. Gutty performances were exhibited.

Me?

I made 110 miles before I bonked and pulled the plug after 13.5 hours of gravelly goodness. Single speed was brutal with all the climbing. (More than Dirty Kanza!) It got up to 97 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day. I gave it everything I had. I have no regrets.

Longer report with pics will come soon. Stay tuned.

Gravel Worlds: Hot, Dusty, And Hilly! Part 1

Short post: Gravel Worlds was a successful event, albeit super tough and very hot. World Champion Jerseys were distributed. Gutty performances were exhibited.

Me?

I made 110 miles before I bonked and pulled the plug after 13.5 hours of gravelly goodness. Single speed was brutal with all the climbing. (More than Dirty Kanza!) It got up to 97 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day. I gave it everything I had. I have no regrets.

Longer report with pics will come soon. Stay tuned.

Oakley Jawbones One Year Review

Oakley Jawbones Eyewear: One Year And Counting....

The Oakley Jawbones eyewear has been in the house and on my face for a whole year now. I have been wearing a couple of other models from another company's line of late, for testing purposes, and I wanted to draw some comparisons to the Jawbones both positive and negative.

First off, the Jawbones have been trouble free all year. I have religiously kept them in their soft bag when not wearing them, and I have always stowed the lenses not in use in the hard case that was provided with the Jawbones. I have zero scratches and no degradation of the frame's structure over the year of use has been noticed. I have swapped out the lenses a fair amount, and the system works flawlessly to this day. So for the structure and day to day wear issues, the Jawbones score a perfect 100%.

Now for the comparo. The other brand's glasses have no surrounding frame. I happen to appreciate this over the Jawbones, which obviously do not have that feature. However; for a full framed sun protection device, the Jawbones do not seem to "get in the way". I only was a bit annoyed after having not worn the Jawbones for a bit and then swapping over to them again from the frameless design. I lost that sensation after wearing the Jawbones again after an hour or so, and honestly, I do not even notice the frames in my periphery vision anymore unless I think about looking for that, which unless I am doing a review, I wouldn't ordinarily do! I  just note this, and please keep in mind, I have a large noggin, so smaller faced folks may not even notice the frame's edges when wearing these.

Air Flow: The other glasses I have recently tried have quite the wrap around effect, and due to this, the airflow around the eye is restricted. I thought this might actually be a plus in their favor, but with the hot, stifling summer we''ve had, I found the eyewear to be too hot at times. Going back to the Jawbones revealed that the airflow is there while wearing them, but it isn't annoying, or even that noticeable unless you have had glasses on that restict airflow, like I had been wearing. I liked the effect for hot weather, and obviously, this helps keep things from fogging up as well.

Optics: Obviously Oakley's claim to fame is their precision optics and coatings. Although the other eyewear is decent in this regard that I have been trying, you just can't approach the quality of vision you get with Oakley. There were times where while wearing the other brand's glasses, I was wondering why things looked grainy, fuzzy, or just not as sharply in focus. I found out why when I slapped the Oakleys on my head again. There just isn't anything that compares, and that's that.

Conclusions: The Oakley Jawbones passed the one year mark with little to no evidence that they had been used a bunch in everything from rain, mud, dust, and dirt. No scratches, and everything works as it should after a full year. The quality of sight you get with these is unsurpassed, and the comfort of the Jawbones is tops as well. What's not to like? Well, when they are not in use, it is a bit of a negative when compared to the others eyewear! Jawbones: Good stuff and I would call them "Best In Class" with no reservations.

Note: These Jawbones were provided to me at no charge for review. I have not been paid, nor bribed for this review, and in fact, until this appeared here, Oakley and their agents had no idea I was writing this up. This is my honest take on this product.