Friday News And Views

Somewhere near Lincoln Nebraska in 2015 during Gravel Worlds

Gravel Worlds:

Today will be travel day to Gravel Worlds in Lincoln Nebraska. This is always a fun get together with people I have gotten to know through doing gravel events over the past decade plus. I enjoy getting back together with these people and getting to know new folks as well.

The weather. Yeah..... It is always the talk going in to any of the big gravel gigs. This time of the year in Nebraska is generally brutally hot and humid. Gosh.......I've been toasted so many times down there, it is amazing I have gone back again, but like I say, it's the people. Anyway... This year we're hitting the weather jackpot, in a manner of speaking. Sure, there will be a massive, long, hill ridden stretch in to a Northwest wind, but that temperature! A high of 72°?!! Are you kidding me? I've started at Gravel Worlds in warmer temps at 6:00am than that!

So, yeah.. The pressure to finish this thing is on big time now. The weather will, for all intents and purposes, be perfect, for this time of year. I just have to keep fueled up, keep hydrated, and pedal, pedal, pedal..... I have a new strategy for fueling that should help with the gut issues, so I'll have a report on how that goes and everything else that goes down coming up Monday.

I think the Geezer Ride will take in this road again.

Geezer Ride:

The second Geezer Ride of 2016 will take place again September 17th, 2016 out of Cedar Falls, I am thinking at this point. The Geezer Ride is already getting some attention from locals here and two guys I have spoken with about this are complete rookies to gravel riding. This is what I like about this ride, and it is the whole intention of it. To get new folks out in the country.

But even more than this, I feel that the Geezer Ride is just a great way to enjoy cycling as it was meant to be. Casual, fun, and with a small element of challenges and adventure thrown in. Getting off the couch and moving. However slow that is, at least it is moving time. I always tell folks that we go as slow as the slowest rider, so this is definitely NOT a competition.

Geezer Rides are also pretty easy, well......as easy as I can make them! That said, the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area I use for the Geezer Ride is typically pretty flat. I know how I can string together a pretty pleasant route, and we'll do 40-ish miles and it may take 5-6 hours with stops, but it will be totally doable. I also typically throw in an after the ride meeting spot for beverages and story telling. So, if this all sounds like fun to you, stay tuned to the link above and I will be posting details after Gravel Worlds when I have a chance to start riding my proposed course.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch, Stickers, And More:

If you haven't heard, I am part of a podcast. That's tech-speak for a downloadable audio track and in this specific case, you get to listen to myself and my partner, Ben Welnak, gab about all sorts of crazy stuff. Sometimes we have guests too, which is always fun. Anyway, check out the latest one here. It's Episode 16, and Ben and I go on about the ills of the cycling industry and more, including some love for Gravel Worlds.

The next podcast we do should be about your "Average Joe" gravel cyclist, and we have a potential guest lined up. We will talk about the gravel scene, what the perception of some hot topics are from the viewpoint of an "average cyclist", and we will discuss what beer we would have if we were at a bar post gravel riding. It should be fun. Stay tuned for that one......

Since I'll be at Gravel Worlds, I will have some Riding Gravel stickers along They look like the logo shown right here on this post. If you see me and want one or three, say hello and just ask me for some. I'd be glad to share the sticker booty. Arrgh! Plus, I'll be scoping out the scene down there and I may pop up a Periscope broadcast or take some pics of cool people. Maybe even get an interview, who knows. Stay tuned for anything worth sharing which I will try to disseminate via Facebook on the Riding Gravel page or on Twitter.

Okay, so that's a wrap on today's post. Have a great weekend! Stay safe and get out and ride!