Gravel Worlds: Pre-Race Prep

The rig is dialed

Gravel Worlds is this weekend and my final prep has already been taking place. I have been keeping myself in some semblance of physical fitness, and my bike is dialed. As mentioned Monday, the Tamland Two is getting the call with Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires.

I'm going with a Topeak saddle bag and my Bike Bag Dude "Garage Bag" on the top tube. There will be two Chaff Bags to hold two extra water bottles. I'll utilize jersey pockets for food and the Garage Bag for that as well.

I'm going a hair on the minimalist side here, and that's due to my past experience with the event. I've come within 40-ish miles of finishing it twice, both times on a single speed, so with gears, I feel I will be gaining an advantage. The weather and course generally don't demand that I bring anything other than the basics- tube, pump, multi-tool, and enough water to get by for 40-50 miles at a crack. Food is also replenishable out on course at different spots. Now, I may regret these choices later on, but if I do, it would be because something happened incongruent to my past experiences with Gravel Worlds.

Oh yeah......I found an old Cateye computer in my stash that works. So, I didn't have to buy another. I'll stick a new battery in it, calibrate it, and that will get me by for this event. It will come off immediately afterward! I just don't care for computers on my bicycles. Now all I have to do is pack up my clothes and I'm good to go.

It looks a lot more like mid-September than it does mid-August!

I did go for a couple fat bike rides on Wednesday, just to blow off some steam. The day was cool and wet. Much like a mid-Fall day than a late Summer one. I actually had to wear a rain jacket and it felt okay. Not like wearing a stuffy garbage sack, which is what it should have felt like for a rainy August day. This is surely a preview for Fall weather which is right around the corner.

Speaking of weather- it is the wildcard at any of these events I go to or put on. It looks like we will see a slight return to Summer-like weather for Gravel Worlds with a typical humid, windy forecast, highs in the upper 80's, and possibly a late afternoon thunderstorm out and about to make it all interesting. I'm ready for heat and humidity. It's been that way around here for well over a month and I've done some tough days in some hot conditions. I feel pretty confident I am okay with doing 150 miles of Nebraskan gravel in the upper 80's for temps.

Now a thunderstorm down that way could get real interesting. I'm not going to pack a rain jacket, so if it should decide to pour rain, I'll have to deal with that without the rain gear, which, if it is humid and hot, wouldn't keep me dry anyway. Lightning, on the other hand.....

Well, we won't even think about that right now!