The Last Big One Of 2018

When I set out my goals for this year, the last race I penciled in on my calendar was Gravel Worlds. I didn't plan on anything else after next weekend's festivities. Yeah......there are a lot of cool events in the Fall. True. However; I have my reasons for not wanting to do anything race oriented after Gravel Worlds.

Honestly, I wouldn't even do Gravel Worlds but for the people involved. Both the folks coming to ride and the organizers. Gravel Worlds is put on by some looong time gravel luminaries and they have a crew of excellent folks surrounding them who also have been immersed in the gravel scene long before it was "cool" or anything that folks in the cycling industry took seriously. In fact, some of these folk's involvement with gravel travel pre-dates my own entrance into the scene.

I respect that, but added on top of this is the fact that all of these folks have hearts of gold and are prime examples of why I love gravel riding. They took me in, they put me up in their humble abodes, and they were smiling and welcoming to others as well. How could I not go and see these folks? To ride in the event they create for us every year is a privilege and an honor that I do not expect will last forever.

Anyway, enough of that. This week is Gravel World's final prep week. I have a lot of stuff to pull together for this event and be ready to leave for Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday morning. That's an example of one of the reasons why I am not doing anything more after this weekend. I need a break to recharge after all this energy has been put into not only Gravel Worlds, but the GTDRI and the 24hrs of Cumming which came before that.

I know I need a break. All these events came in the space of a month, so for me, that's a LOT of thought, work, and not to mention physical beat down that the rides dish out, which drains me and I knew that coming into the year. I knew this stretch would have me needing to back off anything else for the remainder of 2018.

My plan is to enjoy some down time from cycling events, get some pre-Winter house chores done, and ride for fun. I may even make a couple of "pilgrimages" to certain places I want to ride. Stay tuned.......