Country Views: August Gold

These yellow flowers remind me of my Grandpa.

August is closing down, Summer is shot, but there was still one last decent August ride day to be enjoyed. Wednesday it was darn near perfect out for a bicycle ride.

August has been really tame this year when you think about it. We have had very few "dog days" of high humidity, heat, and barely any wind. Typically we get about two to three weeks straight of that, and Summer wears me out. I'm ready for Fall, and clearer, drier air with that crisp, fresh snap to it.

But this August has been so tolerable, nay- so awesome, that I don't want it to end. Perfect levels of, well......everything, have made this August the best one for riding that I can remember. At least here in Iowa, that has been the case. Obviously, it has been quite different elsewhere.

One of the things that I have taken note of since August 2013 are these yellow, leggy flowers that pop up in mid-August and are at their zenith by the end of the month. The irony is that previous to 2013 I never noted them. I know the reason why, and it is because my childhood hero, my "Grandpa", died on August 27th, 2013. I was asked to be a pall bearer at his funeral. There weren't many folks there that day in Lime Springs, mostly because my Grandpa outlived all his contemporaries. You probably don't have a lot of friends and acquaintances left when you are 102 years old. I know that most of the oldest folks at that ceremony were almost 30 years younger or more.

Anyway, when I left that service that sunny day in 2013, I saw all these yellow flowers in the ditches on the way home. They seemed to be connected to what happened somehow, so now I call them "Grandpa Flowers". There were a lot of them out there Wednesday once again.

Light winds, puffy clouds, and Sunshine. It doesn't get much better than this.

Silos for Rob- Rob from Lincoln told me he was fascinated by silos on the GTDRI ride. Well, here ya go, Brother!

The "wooly-bullies" are creeping across the roads now.

I didn't have all day to ride, and I wouldn't have if I did. I am still not 100% over Gravel Worlds. I have had some soreness, especially in the hamstrings, after the ride I put in. Wednesday I was stretching out the legs on the bike the entire ride. I felt slightly tight and sore, but other than that, I felt strong and I actually rode quite well, I thought. All that despite the soreness and my right calf muscle which was freaking out when I started.

Sage Road near the intersection with Gresham Road.

There was a lot of fresh gravel. It was pretty deep and in spots it hadn't been graded yet. That made for some rough going most of the way. I was running Soma Cazadero 50mm tires which were doing pretty well considering the  tough conditions. Interestingly, I think that they rarely "ping" rocks like many tires are wont to do. It was a rare ride which didn't feature rocks zooming off to the side or pinging off the frame and crank arms.

"Cheater Path"- On the bike trail East of HWY 63 near Denver, Iowa. Lots of "Grandpa Flowers" along the trail.

I took the bike trail from East of HWY 63 to just West of that 4 lane monstrosity and I must say, even though it isn't gravel, it is one of the most beautiful stretches of trail you can find. Too bad many folks don't see it. It is just too far removed from Waterloo for many to bother with finding out about it. That's a shame. This path stretches from Readlyn, Iowa all the way to Waverly. Check it out sometime if you are in the area.

Barns For Jason: A ceramic brick barn with a steel roof. Working dairy farms are now rare in this part of Iowa.

The smell of fresh cut alfalfa was strong here.

It's mostly all down hill from the Bremer County line to Waterloo on Burton Avenue. This view is actually from Bremer County!

Turning South I headed straight back to Waterloo on Kildeer and that turns in to Burton Avenue in Black Hawk County. The elevation in Bremer County is higher, so it is a mostly down hill run for almost ten miles from the bike path. Fun times! Lots of rollers in the North of that run too.

Rest stop on the way home.

I had a wonderful ride on another, final August day for 2017. I felt pretty good despite the soreness, and I think that the ride actually did me some good. The gravel was challenging all afternoon on the ride, but I didn't care. I was so glad to be able to be outside riding my bicycle.

Fall is here, basically, despite what the calendar says. September hopefully will be another stellar cycling month so I can get prepared for the Spotted Horse on October 7th, I believe it is. Anyway- lots to do before I get there.

Country Views: August Gold

These yellow flowers remind me of my Grandpa.

August is closing down, Summer is shot, but there was still one last decent August ride day to be enjoyed. Wednesday it was darn near perfect out for a bicycle ride.

August has been really tame this year when you think about it. We have had very few "dog days" of high humidity, heat, and barely any wind. Typically we get about two to three weeks straight of that, and Summer wears me out. I'm ready for Fall, and clearer, drier air with that crisp, fresh snap to it.

But this August has been so tolerable, nay- so awesome, that I don't want it to end. Perfect levels of, well......everything, have made this August the best one for riding that I can remember. At least here in Iowa, that has been the case. Obviously, it has been quite different elsewhere.

One of the things that I have taken note of since August 2013 are these yellow, leggy flowers that pop up in mid-August and are at their zenith by the end of the month. The irony is that previous to 2013 I never noted them. I know the reason why, and it is because my childhood hero, my "Grandpa", died on August 27th, 2013. I was asked to be a pall bearer at his funeral. There weren't many folks there that day in Lime Springs, mostly because my Grandpa outlived all his contemporaries. You probably don't have a lot of friends and acquaintances left when you are 102 years old. I know that most of the oldest folks at that ceremony were almost 30 years younger or more.

Anyway, when I left that service that sunny day in 2013, I saw all these yellow flowers in the ditches on the way home. They seemed to be connected to what happened somehow, so now I call them "Grandpa Flowers". There were a lot of them out there Wednesday once again.

Light winds, puffy clouds, and Sunshine. It doesn't get much better than this.

Silos for Rob- Rob from Lincoln told me he was fascinated by silos on the GTDRI ride. Well, here ya go, Brother!

The "wooly-bullies" are creeping across the roads now.

I didn't have all day to ride, and I wouldn't have if I did. I am still not 100% over Gravel Worlds. I have had some soreness, especially in the hamstrings, after the ride I put in. Wednesday I was stretching out the legs on the bike the entire ride. I felt slightly tight and sore, but other than that, I felt strong and I actually rode quite well, I thought. All that despite the soreness and my right calf muscle which was freaking out when I started.

Sage Road near the intersection with Gresham Road.

There was a lot of fresh gravel. It was pretty deep and in spots it hadn't been graded yet. That made for some rough going most of the way. I was running Soma Cazadero 50mm tires which were doing pretty well considering the  tough conditions. Interestingly, I think that they rarely "ping" rocks like many tires are wont to do. It was a rare ride which didn't feature rocks zooming off to the side or pinging off the frame and crank arms.

"Cheater Path"- On the bike trail East of HWY 63 near Denver, Iowa. Lots of "Grandpa Flowers" along the trail.

I took the bike trail from East of HWY 63 to just West of that 4 lane monstrosity and I must say, even though it isn't gravel, it is one of the most beautiful stretches of trail you can find. Too bad many folks don't see it. It is just too far removed from Waterloo for many to bother with finding out about it. That's a shame. This path stretches from Readlyn, Iowa all the way to Waverly. Check it out sometime if you are in the area.

Barns For Jason: A ceramic brick barn with a steel roof. Working dairy farms are now rare in this part of Iowa.

The smell of fresh cut alfalfa was strong here.

It's mostly all down hill from the Bremer County line to Waterloo on Burton Avenue. This view is actually from Bremer County!

Turning South I headed straight back to Waterloo on Kildeer and that turns in to Burton Avenue in Black Hawk County. The elevation in Bremer County is higher, so it is a mostly down hill run for almost ten miles from the bike path. Fun times! Lots of rollers in the North of that run too.

Rest stop on the way home.

I had a wonderful ride on another, final August day for 2017. I felt pretty good despite the soreness, and I think that the ride actually did me some good. The gravel was challenging all afternoon on the ride, but I didn't care. I was so glad to be able to be outside riding my bicycle.

Fall is here, basically, despite what the calendar says. September hopefully will be another stellar cycling month so I can get prepared for the Spotted Horse on October 7th, I believe it is. Anyway- lots to do before I get there.

My Food For Thought Concerning Nutrition

Everyone is different and has different needs for nutrition on the bike

I've been asked a few different times post-Gravel Worlds to write up a post about nutrition. This post was requested by folks wanting some direction and advice on what to eat, where to go for more advice, and what I do specifically. So, to begin with, I have to post the following disclaimer which I feel is really quite important to understand up front:

There is no "one way" in regard to nutrition on the bike for long distance efforts. Many folks have many needs, some of which may be commonly shared, but many which will not be. You will need to experiment to find what works best for your cycling nutritional needs. Finally- I am not an expert. I am not a nutritional guru, not a degree holder in this field, or even smart enough to know what I should be doing. Take anything I write here with a huge grain of salt. No........wait! Salt in huge grains is bad. I think....... Anyway.......

So, with that out of the way here are a few sundry thoughts on what I have observed and experienced in regard to nutrition for longer distance efforts on the bike.

• Convenience: First off, and this is something I find hugely important, you need to be able to eat whatever you choose without a ton of effort to get at it or to chew it up. This is something a lot of folks don't talk about or even consider. It is quite obvious though, and when you think about these things, they become "duh!" moments which you would think most folks would have covered. Ease of unwrapping/opening food items for consumption is one thing. I would say that anything you have on the bike that you are going to eat has to pass the "One Hand Test". If you cannot open, remove, and consume an item with one hand, it is not good for "on the bike" consumption. Secondly, if you cannot eat what you have without great effort, or without things gumming up your mouth, or without crumbs that get sucked down your windpipe, it isn't good "on the bike" food. 
• Compact Calories: Here's another thing you might think is obvious, but food and water can take up a ton of space. Especially with the way modern day packaging is. So, and this may help with the point above, you may want to consider repackaging food for on the bike consumption and storage to make it easier to get at, eat, and maybe most importantly, store so that it doesn't take up a lot of room in your feed bag or wherever it is that you stash your food. For instance, you may want to pre-open wrapped energy bars, or even cut them up into smaller bits. I have heard of guys even going so far as to crush potato chips into "dust" so it can be carted in a smaller container. I cut up the flattened bananas pictured here into strips and put them in a sandwich bag. Use your imagination. Anything to make it easier and/or more compact is game as long as it doesn't cause things to spoil. 
• Whatever You Do, Don't Eat_____: You'll hear a lot of advice that starts off with "Whatever you do, don't eat (fill in the blank)" Well, I am here to say that for every one of those you will find someone who lives off that for their long distance nutritional needs. For instance, I learned long ago that eating a hamburger during a long ride is the worst idea ever......for me. Conversely, I watched Ira Ryan gulp down two cheapo convenience store cheeseburgers and go on to win T.I.v3.  Casey's pizza? I know many a Trans Iowa finisher that credits the greasy convenience store offering for getting them across the line. Me? There is no way I am touching the stuff on a long ride. Pickles and pickle juice is a sworn by savior for many cramping riders, but I tried it once and it made my gut go South quicker than a Robin in Fall. 

Maybe a "King Kong" burger will make you go the distance or make you puke. Only one way to find out.

Testing: So, what I usually tell folks that are looking for advice or want to know what I do is that you need to do your own testing. There are some general rules of thumb that work for all human beings, for the most part. You'll need water. You will need to replenish electrolytes, and you will need to fuel your body with food of some sort. Again- those are very obvious things, but you would be surprised to find out how many of us ultra distance, "longer event ride" types don't remember to drink regularly, or eat regularly, all through an effort. Once you get behind on drinking and eating, it is very difficult to recover from it and make a decent finish for yourself. I actually had a regular eating and drinking regimen for the 2015 DK200 attempt which I doggedly stuck to and it made a big difference in my ride that day. When I forget and fall behind on drinking or eating it has a devastating effect on my ride.

I've tried the gels, drink mixes, bars, and little chews. Most of it makes me end up not wanting to eat or makes my gut shut down.That's me. Again, ya gotta try it for yourself. I know one very successful gravel rider that lives on Hammer Perpetuem.  Me? It makes me so gassy I feel like the Goodyear blimp.

Whatever you use, there is one piece of advice that Yuri Hauswald gave riders at the pre-race meeting at the DK200 in 2016. It is, once again, so obvious, but such a good piece of advice. He said something to the effect that the event was to be looked at as an eating and drinking contest, and as a bicycle race secondary to that. I like that because it brings focus to what you have to do to get to the end. Miss that and you won't get there. Like they say in NASCAR, "To finish first, first you must finish." Ya ain't gonna finish unless you look at the event as a game of eating and drinking at regular intervals.

Experiment, test, change things up. Make it easy to drink and eat. Always eat and fuel throughout a ride. That's my advice. Hopefully it helps get you on your way to a successful long ride someday.

My Food For Thought Concerning Nutrition

Everyone is different and has different needs for nutrition on the bike

I've been asked a few different times post-Gravel Worlds to write up a post about nutrition. This post was requested by folks wanting some direction and advice on what to eat, where to go for more advice, and what I do specifically. So, to begin with, I have to post the following disclaimer which I feel is really quite important to understand up front:

There is no "one way" in regard to nutrition on the bike for long distance efforts. Many folks have many needs, some of which may be commonly shared, but many which will not be. You will need to experiment to find what works best for your cycling nutritional needs. Finally- I am not an expert. I am not a nutritional guru, not a degree holder in this field, or even smart enough to know what I should be doing. Take anything I write here with a huge grain of salt. No........wait! Salt in huge grains is bad. I think....... Anyway.......

So, with that out of the way here are a few sundry thoughts on what I have observed and experienced in regard to nutrition for longer distance efforts on the bike.

• Convenience: First off, and this is something I find hugely important, you need to be able to eat whatever you choose without a ton of effort to get at it or to chew it up. This is something a lot of folks don't talk about or even consider. It is quite obvious though, and when you think about these things, they become "duh!" moments which you would think most folks would have covered. Ease of unwrapping/opening food items for consumption is one thing. I would say that anything you have on the bike that you are going to eat has to pass the "One Hand Test". If you cannot open, remove, and consume an item with one hand, it is not good for "on the bike" consumption. Secondly, if you cannot eat what you have without great effort, or without things gumming up your mouth, or without crumbs that get sucked down your windpipe, it isn't good "on the bike" food. 
• Compact Calories: Here's another thing you might think is obvious, but food and water can take up a ton of space. Especially with the way modern day packaging is. So, and this may help with the point above, you may want to consider repackaging food for on the bike consumption and storage to make it easier to get at, eat, and maybe most importantly, store so that it doesn't take up a lot of room in your feed bag or wherever it is that you stash your food. For instance, you may want to pre-open wrapped energy bars, or even cut them up into smaller bits. I have heard of guys even going so far as to crush potato chips into "dust" so it can be carted in a smaller container. I cut up the flattened bananas pictured here into strips and put them in a sandwich bag. Use your imagination. Anything to make it easier and/or more compact is game as long as it doesn't cause things to spoil. 
• Whatever You Do, Don't Eat_____: You'll hear a lot of advice that starts off with "Whatever you do, don't eat (fill in the blank)" Well, I am here to say that for every one of those you will find someone who lives off that for their long distance nutritional needs. For instance, I learned long ago that eating a hamburger during a long ride is the worst idea ever......for me. Conversely, I watched Ira Ryan gulp down two cheapo convenience store cheeseburgers and go on to win T.I.v3.  Casey's pizza? I know many a Trans Iowa finisher that credits the greasy convenience store offering for getting them across the line. Me? There is no way I am touching the stuff on a long ride. Pickles and pickle juice is a sworn by savior for many cramping riders, but I tried it once and it made my gut go South quicker than a Robin in Fall. 

Maybe a "King Kong" burger will make you go the distance or make you puke. Only one way to find out.

Testing: So, what I usually tell folks that are looking for advice or want to know what I do is that you need to do your own testing. There are some general rules of thumb that work for all human beings, for the most part. You'll need water. You will need to replenish electrolytes, and you will need to fuel your body with food of some sort. Again- those are very obvious things, but you would be surprised to find out how many of us ultra distance, "longer event ride" types don't remember to drink regularly, or eat regularly, all through an effort. Once you get behind on drinking and eating, it is very difficult to recover from it and make a decent finish for yourself. I actually had a regular eating and drinking regimen for the 2015 DK200 attempt which I doggedly stuck to and it made a big difference in my ride that day. When I forget and fall behind on drinking or eating it has a devastating effect on my ride.

I've tried the gels, drink mixes, bars, and little chews. Most of it makes me end up not wanting to eat or makes my gut shut down.That's me. Again, ya gotta try it for yourself. I know one very successful gravel rider that lives on Hammer Perpetuem.  Me? It makes me so gassy I feel like the Goodyear blimp.

Whatever you use, there is one piece of advice that Yuri Hauswald gave riders at the pre-race meeting at the DK200 in 2016. It is, once again, so obvious, but such a good piece of advice. He said something to the effect that the event was to be looked at as an eating and drinking contest, and as a bicycle race secondary to that. I like that because it brings focus to what you have to do to get to the end. Miss that and you won't get there. Like they say in NASCAR, "To finish first, first you must finish." Ya ain't gonna finish unless you look at the event as a game of eating and drinking at regular intervals.

Experiment, test, change things up. Make it easy to drink and eat. Always eat and fuel throughout a ride. That's my advice. Hopefully it helps get you on your way to a successful long ride someday.

Maintenance Time

Click to enlarge and be enlightened.

With Gravel Worlds done and behind me it was time to swap back parts and do some maintenance. You know.....that activity that more and more people are neglecting everyday.? I know this to be true with bicycles because I work on them for a living.

But many people don't maintain things anymore because we have made it so our society, culture, and education is mostly maintenance free. You don't have to lift a finger to maintain your car anymore, for instance, and the time between visits to the mechanic is measured in years in some cases and most certainly many months for most now. Houses are not as maintenance intensive as they once were, and many younger people don't own their dwelling anyway. It's "someone else's job to maintain stuff". Not the realm of everyday folks anymore, maintenance has been shuffled off on "those other people", service providers, if you will, that do the dirty work these days.

My, how our society has become, and is becoming, more spoiled. The most we have to do is charge our devices and we think that is an inconvenience.

Anyway........

Maintenance subject #1- The Twin Six Standard Rando

I swapped the Redshift Sports Shock Stop stem back to the Standard Rando for now. I also re-upped the sealant in the tires as it had mostly dried up. Then it got a wipe down and inspection. This bike needs a new cassette due to a nuisance issue where the rivets that hold the separate cogs on place have worked loose and the cassette "bangs" when it is shifted from gear to gear. I'll upgrade to a better cassette when I do this. I'm also going to get a B-Rad system for this bike as well.

I test rode it after working on it and the way it is set up is super comfortable. I wish Twin Six would have put double water bottle mounts on the down tube like they did on the Ti Standard Rando, but otherwise this bike is very nice.

Maintenance subject #2- The Tamland Two

I switched out a lot of the parts from the Gravel Worlds set up. The aforementioned stem, the Body Float seat post, and the Bar-Yak cue sheet holder all came off. The seat post is now a Salsa Shaft, the saddle is now a WTB SST, and the stem is a Bontrager Race XX white stem.

Mechanically the Tamland is in remarkable shape. I do not need to do anything in that realm to keep it working as it should be. On my test ride after looking it over I noted the lack of smoothness right away which the suspended bits provided. But that's par for the course. I knew it wouldn't feel super smooth anymore.

The Body Float went back on the Ti Mukluk and it will stay there for Winter. Speaking of which, I have three fat bikes to service before Winter hits. I better get busy, eh? I don't think anyone else is going to be taking care of that for me, ya know?

Maintenance Time

Click to enlarge and be enlightened.

With Gravel Worlds done and behind me it was time to swap back parts and do some maintenance. You know.....that activity that more and more people are neglecting everyday.? I know this to be true with bicycles because I work on them for a living.

But many people don't maintain things anymore because we have made it so our society, culture, and education is mostly maintenance free. You don't have to lift a finger to maintain your car anymore, for instance, and the time between visits to the mechanic is measured in years in some cases and most certainly many months for most now. Houses are not as maintenance intensive as they once were, and many younger people don't own their dwelling anyway. It's "someone else's job to maintain stuff". Not the realm of everyday folks anymore, maintenance has been shuffled off on "those other people", service providers, if you will, that do the dirty work these days.

My, how our society has become, and is becoming, more spoiled. The most we have to do is charge our devices and we think that is an inconvenience.

Anyway........

Maintenance subject #1- The Twin Six Standard Rando

I swapped the Redshift Sports Shock Stop stem back to the Standard Rando for now. I also re-upped the sealant in the tires as it had mostly dried up. Then it got a wipe down and inspection. This bike needs a new cassette due to a nuisance issue where the rivets that hold the separate cogs on place have worked loose and the cassette "bangs" when it is shifted from gear to gear. I'll upgrade to a better cassette when I do this. I'm also going to get a B-Rad system for this bike as well.

I test rode it after working on it and the way it is set up is super comfortable. I wish Twin Six would have put double water bottle mounts on the down tube like they did on the Ti Standard Rando, but otherwise this bike is very nice.

Maintenance subject #2- The Tamland Two

I switched out a lot of the parts from the Gravel Worlds set up. The aforementioned stem, the Body Float seat post, and the Bar-Yak cue sheet holder all came off. The seat post is now a Salsa Shaft, the saddle is now a WTB SST, and the stem is a Bontrager Race XX white stem.

Mechanically the Tamland is in remarkable shape. I do not need to do anything in that realm to keep it working as it should be. On my test ride after looking it over I noted the lack of smoothness right away which the suspended bits provided. But that's par for the course. I knew it wouldn't feel super smooth anymore.

The Body Float went back on the Ti Mukluk and it will stay there for Winter. Speaking of which, I have three fat bikes to service before Winter hits. I better get busy, eh? I don't think anyone else is going to be taking care of that for me, ya know?

What's Next

Route elevation profile and some info on the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra course

Last Sunday I talked about my gear used at Gravel Worlds and mentioned that I had some training for my next big event coming up. Well, that would be the 200 mile Spotted Horse Ultra in early October.

I'll likely use the Fargo for this one since the event has a lot of dirt roads, is pretty remote, and there are a lot of hills to deal with. I won't have water available readily, as in Gravel Worlds, so I'll likely set up the Fargo like I did for my Kansas century ride earlier this year.

Obviously hot and humid won't be an issue, so I think as long as the weather is dry-ish, I'll be good to finish this one. But, you never know until it happens. I'm looking forward to seeing this course up close and personal.

Before I get to that event I want to do another century ride. I was thinking about this most of August and then right after Gravel Worlds on the way to work one day the thought just made a ton of sense. (Well.......to my twisted mind it did. ) I am going to do a gravel century on a single speed. I've done it a few times in the past, so this is not unprecedented, but it has been a while since I have pulled off a 100+ miles with one gear.

I'll probably dust off the Pofahl for this one and I've been thinking about doing the Fat Bike Century route for the mileage. That is a gently rolling affair for the most part with the exception of the Iowa River Valley part which will be right smack dab in the middle of the ride.

Some version of this will be the rig used for the Single Speed Century Ride.

So, speaking of the Fat Bike Century, I want to do that again this Fall as well. Whether that comes before Spotted Horse or after, I haven't figured out yet. But that is a fun ride idea and I will do that again.

Then as far as events go I have something I may or may not do in Missouri in late October then I am done. I want to do a few "Whiskey Gravel Rides" where we ride out to somewhere, have a few pulls of whiskey, then ride back again and maybe do 40-50 miles there. I haven't scheduled a Geezer Ride for this Fall, and I may not do one depending on how much fun I want to have versus organizing things for others. Stay tuned there....

So, anyway, the next big deal is the Single Speed Century. I'll be setting up to get that done real soon, then it will be on to training for the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra.

What's Next

Route elevation profile and some info on the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra course

Last Sunday I talked about my gear used at Gravel Worlds and mentioned that I had some training for my next big event coming up. Well, that would be the 200 mile Spotted Horse Ultra in early October.

I'll likely use the Fargo for this one since the event has a lot of dirt roads, is pretty remote, and there are a lot of hills to deal with. I won't have water available readily, as in Gravel Worlds, so I'll likely set up the Fargo like I did for my Kansas century ride earlier this year.

Obviously hot and humid won't be an issue, so I think as long as the weather is dry-ish, I'll be good to finish this one. But, you never know until it happens. I'm looking forward to seeing this course up close and personal.

Before I get to that event I want to do another century ride. I was thinking about this most of August and then right after Gravel Worlds on the way to work one day the thought just made a ton of sense. (Well.......to my twisted mind it did. ) I am going to do a gravel century on a single speed. I've done it a few times in the past, so this is not unprecedented, but it has been a while since I have pulled off a 100+ miles with one gear.

I'll probably dust off the Pofahl for this one and I've been thinking about doing the Fat Bike Century route for the mileage. That is a gently rolling affair for the most part with the exception of the Iowa River Valley part which will be right smack dab in the middle of the ride.

Some version of this will be the rig used for the Single Speed Century Ride.

So, speaking of the Fat Bike Century, I want to do that again this Fall as well. Whether that comes before Spotted Horse or after, I haven't figured out yet. But that is a fun ride idea and I will do that again.

Then as far as events go I have something I may or may not do in Missouri in late October then I am done. I want to do a few "Whiskey Gravel Rides" where we ride out to somewhere, have a few pulls of whiskey, then ride back again and maybe do 40-50 miles there. I haven't scheduled a Geezer Ride for this Fall, and I may not do one depending on how much fun I want to have versus organizing things for others. Stay tuned there....

So, anyway, the next big deal is the Single Speed Century. I'll be setting up to get that done real soon, then it will be on to training for the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra.

Road Riding Moved To Different Roads.

So, it is dirt, tell me this isn't road riding. Go ahead......

Last week I read a story posted on the Outside Mag's website written by Eben Weiss, better known as the "Bike Snob". It was entitled, "The Death of Road Riding". You can click that title to go check it out if you want to.

First off, road riding isn't dead. it merely moved. Might I add that this was for several reasons, not the least of which is the roadie culture which the "Snob" has made his reputation on. But that aside, gravel riding and racing, (which is commonly put down by many in the established cycling media), has siphoned off a lot of road racers and potential road racers with its grassroots appeal of just "riding whatcha brung", lack of "rules", and open armed welcoming of anyone to the fold. So what if your skewers are on the wrong side and so what if you run a fannypack and a seat bag under the saddle. Whatevs'. Bring it on and let's have some fun.

Then there are the obvious things. Some of which the Snob alludes to. Like the family friendly vacuum that has always been an issue with criterium and road racing in the US. That definitely is not the case with the gravel riding scene. Heck, I saw a mother with her two children meeting a rider at a convenience store to watch him come in and out at Gravel Worlds a week ago, and they did that happily all day, as far as I knew. Many families come out to these events to do things in the communities the gravel events pass through or are hosted in. Family friendly? I'd say yes, it is. Gravel rides are definitely welcoming to all.

The roads, at least the paved ones, are rife with distracted drivers, so, heck yeah, why not go ride gravel? Or a back road? Or a Forest Service road? (NOTE: The word "road" is part of all of these places to ride.)

Okay, so let's get to the heart of this. A veiled swing at gravel grinding is what is going on here.  Gravel bikes are poo-pooed, but for stupid reasons. I've covered the minutiae that various permutations of road disciplines use to justify better performance often described in millimeters and half degrees. Saying that gravel bikes are silly because they vary so little is the pot calling the kettle black at best. At worst it is definitely bitter hypocrisy.  

The lament that road cycling teaches things you cannot learn anywhere else is pure BS. Obviously the draft lines at Dirty Kanza, Trans Iowa, and Gravel Worlds have gone unnoticed or were ignored by the Snob, and a lot of those riders learned how to do that on gravel. not being yelled at by some crusty old patron of some cycling club. He claims road riding on pavement is accessible. Well, thank you, Captain Obvious. No kidding. But saying that "gravel can be difficult or even impossible" to find doesn't include other types of roads like dirt, Forest Service, or even long forgotten trails and byways which are waiting to be explored everywhere. Oh, and by the way, there are gravel events in almost all of the 50 states and internationally many countries have gravel road events. It isn't all just here in the Mid-West. Far from it.

So check it out. Road riding is not dead, it just moved to a more fun, less restrictive, and more welcoming set of roads. And that's a good thing. 

Road Riding Moved To Different Roads.

So, it is dirt, tell me this isn't road riding. Go ahead......

Last week I read a story posted on the Outside Mag's website written by Eben Weiss, better known as the "Bike Snob". It was entitled, "The Death of Road Riding". You can click that title to go check it out if you want to.

First off, road riding isn't dead. it merely moved. Might I add that this was for several reasons, not the least of which is the roadie culture which the "Snob" has made his reputation on. But that aside, gravel riding and racing, (which is commonly put down by many in the established cycling media), has siphoned off a lot of road racers and potential road racers with its grassroots appeal of just "riding whatcha brung", lack of "rules", and open armed welcoming of anyone to the fold. So what if your skewers are on the wrong side and so what if you run a fannypack and a seat bag under the saddle. Whatevs'. Bring it on and let's have some fun.

Then there are the obvious things. Some of which the Snob alludes to. Like the family friendly vacuum that has always been an issue with criterium and road racing in the US. That definitely is not the case with the gravel riding scene. Heck, I saw a mother with her two children meeting a rider at a convenience store to watch him come in and out at Gravel Worlds a week ago, and they did that happily all day, as far as I knew. Many families come out to these events to do things in the communities the gravel events pass through or are hosted in. Family friendly? I'd say yes, it is. Gravel rides are definitely welcoming to all.

The roads, at least the paved ones, are rife with distracted drivers, so, heck yeah, why not go ride gravel? Or a back road? Or a Forest Service road? (NOTE: The word "road" is part of all of these places to ride.)

Okay, so let's get to the heart of this. A veiled swing at gravel grinding is what is going on here.  Gravel bikes are poo-pooed, but for stupid reasons. I've covered the minutiae that various permutations of road disciplines use to justify better performance often described in millimeters and half degrees. Saying that gravel bikes are silly because they vary so little is the pot calling the kettle black at best. At worst it is definitely bitter hypocrisy.  

The lament that road cycling teaches things you cannot learn anywhere else is pure BS. Obviously the draft lines at Dirty Kanza, Trans Iowa, and Gravel Worlds have gone unnoticed or were ignored by the Snob, and a lot of those riders learned how to do that on gravel. not being yelled at by some crusty old patron of some cycling club. He claims road riding on pavement is accessible. Well, thank you, Captain Obvious. No kidding. But saying that "gravel can be difficult or even impossible" to find doesn't include other types of roads like dirt, Forest Service, or even long forgotten trails and byways which are waiting to be explored everywhere. Oh, and by the way, there are gravel events in almost all of the 50 states and internationally many countries have gravel road events. It isn't all just here in the Mid-West. Far from it.

So check it out. Road riding is not dead, it just moved to a more fun, less restrictive, and more welcoming set of roads. And that's a good thing. 

Gravel Worlds 2017; Gear Review

Coming up over the top of a hill at GW2017: Image by Kyle Hansen

The 2017 Gravel Worlds attempt ended at Mile 116 after my intestinal tract/stomach decided it wasn't going to allow anything to pass. Ya know? "You shall not pass!!" Ha ha! Yeah........

Anyway..........

The ride did not suffer from any of my other choices though. I thought I would comment a bit on how my choices stood the test here in case anyone was wondering about what I used. So, a brief comment or three regarding some of the highlights. I will not say anything about the Tamland, because that bike is well documented here and the reasons why it works are discussed in other posts.

Suspended Bits: I guess the big thing here for me was my experience from 2016's successful Gravel Worlds ride.  The Body Float seat post did wonders to smooth out that famous washboard that the gravel roads around Lincoln are known for. This year I added the Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem as another weapon against those washboard sections. It worked great. I had a super smooth experience. One example....

Early on when it was still dark and I could not discern where the washboard was, I steered into a section of it on a fast downhill. My calf muscles were shaking violently, but the rest of my body, being shielded by the suspended contact points, was calm. That was all the proof I needed that the idea to use the stem and seat post was justified.

One negative aspect- The frequency at which I had to absorb energy with my neck was changed from the higher frequency rattling to a much lower one. The bobbing of the stem was barely noticeable, but that motion caused my upper shoulders and the base of my neck to have to try and keep my head level through those oscillations. Think how a bobble head toy works. Anyway, that resulted in a post event soreness in the upper back/neck area that was pretty painful. Something to consider for later.

Another image of me captured by Kyle Hansen

Ritchey VentureMax Bar: This was a risk, but after a couple of test rides and a successful tweak, that bar made sense to me. I gave it a pretty glowing review on RidingGravel.com, so I won't get into details here. I will say that the Bio-bend bit wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. That was a big surprise.

The VentureMax was designed by someone, or group of folks, that "gets it" when it comes to flared drop bars. The brake lever must be reachable from the drop position, and Ritchey got that right. The drop is shallow, again, spot on. The radius of the drop is also spot on. Every critical dimension was nailed in this design. The flare and sweep things are an area, in my opinion, where there is some latitude in choices. The only way that I think the VentureMax could be improved upon is if Ritchey would go with a 31.8mm diameter across the entire bar top, ala the Luxy Bar and the new Thompson flared  drop bar. Otherwise, two thumbs up here.

Saddle: I waffled between going with the WTB Pure V or a Brooks Cambium. I really like both saddles, but in the end I opted for the Pure V. No regrets and I don't remember hating on the saddle at any point during my 11 plus hours of ride time. That may be a factor that was influenced to a great degree by the Body Float post though. I have to try that Brooks saddle out on a long, multi-hour ride to compare. Like a century ride at the least.

Me again! Image by Luke Meduna

Resolute Tires: I just posted up a review on these at RidingGravel.com as well, so again- I won't go on and on here about them. I will add that the sandier, deeper gravel at Gravel Worlds was no match for these tires. They cut right through and held a line very well.

The tires are some of the best you can get for any gravel I've tried them on so far. They aren't coming off these wheels anytime soon, I'll say that much.

Wearables: I wore the Riding Gravel kit made by Podiumwear. I used my Bontrager base layer under the jersey and I was very comfortable throughout the event. I never got overheated, despite what the guy at the Casey's thought in Bennet. I was pretty happy with the performance of the pad as well. Long wool socks made of a thinner wool and the always reliable Shimano 3 strap mtb shoes were on the feet. On the head I had my cycling hat I got at the 1996 Chequamegon 40 and my Bontrager helmet with Spy Optic amber lensed glasses. No issues whatsoever with anything I wore.

Conclusions: So, all the gear worked well. The nutrition was good, it just wasn't getting through. I have a plan to try for that in training for my next big event. More on that later. If I get that squared away, I think I'll be good to go. Questions or comments? Hit the comments section and I'll gladly answer those.

Gravel Worlds 2017; Gear Review

Coming up over the top of a hill at GW2017: Image by Kyle Hansen

The 2017 Gravel Worlds attempt ended at Mile 116 after my intestinal tract/stomach decided it wasn't going to allow anything to pass. Ya know? "You shall not pass!!" Ha ha! Yeah........

Anyway..........

The ride did not suffer from any of my other choices though. I thought I would comment a bit on how my choices stood the test here in case anyone was wondering about what I used. So, a brief comment or three regarding some of the highlights. I will not say anything about the Tamland, because that bike is well documented here and the reasons why it works are discussed in other posts.

Suspended Bits: I guess the big thing here for me was my experience from 2016's successful Gravel Worlds ride.  The Body Float seat post did wonders to smooth out that famous washboard that the gravel roads around Lincoln are known for. This year I added the Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem as another weapon against those washboard sections. It worked great. I had a super smooth experience. One example....

Early on when it was still dark and I could not discern where the washboard was, I steered into a section of it on a fast downhill. My calf muscles were shaking violently, but the rest of my body, being shielded by the suspended contact points, was calm. That was all the proof I needed that the idea to use the stem and seat post was justified.

One negative aspect- The frequency at which I had to absorb energy with my neck was changed from the higher frequency rattling to a much lower one. The bobbing of the stem was barely noticeable, but that motion caused my upper shoulders and the base of my neck to have to try and keep my head level through those oscillations. Think how a bobble head toy works. Anyway, that resulted in a post event soreness in the upper back/neck area that was pretty painful. Something to consider for later.

Another image of me captured by Kyle Hansen

Ritchey VentureMax Bar: This was a risk, but after a couple of test rides and a successful tweak, that bar made sense to me. I gave it a pretty glowing review on RidingGravel.com, so I won't get into details here. I will say that the Bio-bend bit wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. That was a big surprise.

The VentureMax was designed by someone, or group of folks, that "gets it" when it comes to flared drop bars. The brake lever must be reachable from the drop position, and Ritchey got that right. The drop is shallow, again, spot on. The radius of the drop is also spot on. Every critical dimension was nailed in this design. The flare and sweep things are an area, in my opinion, where there is some latitude in choices. The only way that I think the VentureMax could be improved upon is if Ritchey would go with a 31.8mm diameter across the entire bar top, ala the Luxy Bar and the new Thompson flared  drop bar. Otherwise, two thumbs up here.

Saddle: I waffled between going with the WTB Pure V or a Brooks Cambium. I really like both saddles, but in the end I opted for the Pure V. No regrets and I don't remember hating on the saddle at any point during my 11 plus hours of ride time. That may be a factor that was influenced to a great degree by the Body Float post though. I have to try that Brooks saddle out on a long, multi-hour ride to compare. Like a century ride at the least.

Me again! Image by Luke Meduna

Resolute Tires: I just posted up a review on these at RidingGravel.com as well, so again- I won't go on and on here about them. I will add that the sandier, deeper gravel at Gravel Worlds was no match for these tires. They cut right through and held a line very well.

The tires are some of the best you can get for any gravel I've tried them on so far. They aren't coming off these wheels anytime soon, I'll say that much.

Wearables: I wore the Riding Gravel kit made by Podiumwear. I used my Bontrager base layer under the jersey and I was very comfortable throughout the event. I never got overheated, despite what the guy at the Casey's thought in Bennet. I was pretty happy with the performance of the pad as well. Long wool socks made of a thinner wool and the always reliable Shimano 3 strap mtb shoes were on the feet. On the head I had my cycling hat I got at the 1996 Chequamegon 40 and my Bontrager helmet with Spy Optic amber lensed glasses. No issues whatsoever with anything I wore.

Conclusions: So, all the gear worked well. The nutrition was good, it just wasn't getting through. I have a plan to try for that in training for my next big event. More on that later. If I get that squared away, I think I'll be good to go. Questions or comments? Hit the comments section and I'll gladly answer those.

Minus Ten Review- 34

Trek World '07: I really miss the visionary bikes you could actually buy from Fisher

Ten years ago on the blog this week I gave a visual report on some of the cool new 2008 models from Trek and Gary Fisher. You remember Fisher Bikes? Man! I miss the brand and its vision.

Gary Fisher infused his brand with style and a look forward to a day when bicycles could be everyday transpo for all. I know people at Trek still believe in this concept, but it isn't pushed forward like it was with Fisher Bikes. Now it is all electric assist, blah,blah,blah.... Stuff folks cannot really aspire to, nor is there anyone in the company that figures in to embodying the concept of the "everyman cyclist" like there was when Gary Fisher was at the helm of Fisher Bikes.

 It is just hard to get behind the corporate image of Trek, or Specialized and Giant, for that matter, when their visions and philosophies are so hard to relate to. I mean, what is Trek? It used to mean "touring", or "adventure" in the late 70's. It was a concept that embodied everything the company stood for. Now it is what? Heck, I don't know. Same goes for Specialized and Giant and several other companies. Unrelateable corporate entities with faceless persona. Sad. The loss of the Fisher brand is regrettable in that light.

Fisher Superfly. Image by Carl Buchannan

Consider that Fisher Bikes was the brand which championed 29"ers since 2001. In early 2005, the lack of sales almost cost the brand the big wheelers, but then in 2005 Dual Sport bikes, and The Rig brought back 29"ers from the brink of extinction. By 2007 Fisher Bikes were showing the new carbon hardtail dubbed the Superfly, and 29"ers were outselling 26"ers at Fisher Bikes. This all well before many brands had a single 29"er in their line at all.

Had the 29"er been left in Trek's hands without a person like Gary Fisher, what would have happened? I bet something very different would have happened and we'd be looking at a very different landscape for cycling now. Not just in mountain bikes either.

So, what else was going on ten years ago here? Well, I was talking about how 29"ers had brought back steel frames as a viable alternative frame material to aluminum and carbon fiber. I also was yakking about Trans Iowa v4 planning with my new co-director, David Pals. Also, the odd "News And Views" post found a home on Friday, finally, after several random appearances on different days of the week prior to that. I also hinted in that "Friday News And Views" that a "spicy" new 29"er was about to be announced, which was easy to figure out. It was a Salsa model, of course. Stay tuned for what that was in an upcoming "Minus Ten Review" post.