Friday News And Views

New gravel event in August in Iowa for 2022

 Tour of Central Iowa Event Announced:

Relentless Events announced a week ago now that they would be putting on a new gravel event in Central Iowa called "The Tour of Central Iowa". The Relentless Events group also put on Iowa Wind and Rock, The Spotted Horse Ultra, and the Iowa Gravel Classic. 

This new event will feature a hill climb event, a 100K, 200K, and a special tribute to Iowa cyclist Joe Mann dubbed "The Mann Powered 380". There will be solo and supported categories amongst other details which you can see at the Tour of Central Iowa website. 

The event is set for August 12th-14th and will happen one week before Gravel Worlds. Event promoters are billing the event as a way to test your self before Gravel Worlds. Registration will be held by BikeReg and will open on 1/1/22. The location of this event will be at Cumming, Iowa at the Cumming Tap. Some of you may remember this event location from CIRREM or the 24hrs of Cumming events. 

Comments: Relentless Events is living up to their name- "relentless". This will be the fourth event created under that banner, three in the past three years. One week before Gravel Worlds? Interestingly I cannot find anything on a 24hrs of Cumming for 2022, but I thought I saw that it was going to happen. If it does it likely would have been the week before this, but with the Tour of Central Iowa being out of the Cumming Tap, I don't know what to think there. Anyway......UPDATE: I have it from Steve Fuller, one of the principals in Relentless Events, that there is no 24HRs of Cumming anymore. It was announced on Facebook by Steve Cannon, the event's RD, apparently. I also had a comment to the same effect here this morning.

Good deal and this will figure highly into my planning for 2022 rides. I did not sign up for Gravel Worlds and this event is a LOT closer to home. Stay tuned......

Getting reviews wrapped up will keep me busy!

Getting Everything Buttoned Up:

My biggest fear this time of the year is early snow that sticks and which shuts down reviewing of products. Typically I figure I am okay until Thanksgiving, but after that? 

I'm living on borrowed time.

It could snow any day after Thanksgiving and when it does, that usually stops the country rides. Last year it waited until the second week of December to kick in, but you just never know with Winter. 

Right now I have it laid out so that everything kind of culminates and comes to an end at the end of November, which isn't far away now! So, I have to get cracking with this job, but these chilly temperatures are not very inviting. It gets harder to get motivated and harder to get dressed up for the cold. But, I know what to do, how to do it, and I've been there before. I just have to, you know......do it! 

I'm just about there and there is no stopping me now, unless ice comes, and then I'm stopping! No need to crash my brains out. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I still have open roads and time. So, I will just have to buckle up and git er dun! It is ironic because last year I didn't have so much stuff to get reviewed by this point in the year. This with all the supply chain issues! Weird! 

Clipless pedal cleats....in titanium! Image courtesy of SILCA.

Just In Time For Gift Giving- Titanium Clipless Pedal Cleats!

SILCA seems to be on some sort of titanium kick of late. They recently offered an outlandish titanium Garmin mount which is 3-D printed. Now they are offering clipless pedal cleats made of that famous grey element. 

But instead of seeming frivolous, a titanium clipless pedal cleat just might actually make sense. SILCA claims they last longer and weigh less. Here is what the webpage says: 

"Cut the weight of your cleats in half while getting 4x the life expectancy. Brass cleats are soft and wear quickly, while 3D printed titanium is much harder and half the weight."

Even the fasteners are made of titanium. Yes- they are expensive, being more than three to four times the price of  typical Shimano cleats at $85.00 a pair. But, if you have to have all the 'latest and greatest' stuff, you have to have these. By the way, you can get these in Crank Brothers and TIME ATAC flavors as well. 

Comments: Wow! And also, "Whoa! That's expensive! But maybe if I was burning through those brass TIME ATAC  cleats in a hurry, yeah...... Maybe then. But I am a Shimano pedal user, and I can get the cleats for those pedals for a LOT less money and they last as long as my shoes do. For myself, these Ti cleats are a tough sell.

Speculation On What Effect PON Holding Company Will Have On NA Bike Market:

A recent think piece published on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" website authored by Rick Vosper delves into what the landscape for bicycle retail will look like going forward after PON Holding Company's purchase of Dorel's bicycle brands. The sale of the brands does not take effect until early next year, but all industry experts agree that PON will now represent the largest retail bicycle purveyor in the specialty retail sector when the sale does become completed. 

In the article, Mr. Vosper speculates that PON will most likely be aggressively looking to buy up bicycle shops to help them gain a foothold in the market here as Cannondale currently sits a distant 4th from the leaders now which are Trek, Specialized, and Giant respectively. The thought being that PON would not have any issues buying up retail brick and mortar locations based upon their corporate history in high end automobile dealership takeovers. 

However; it may be that brick and mortar shops will only play a small part in PON's bicycle business model. I saw no mention of any direct to consumer ideas, which would play right into where PON is sitting with regard to a lack of retail showrooms compared to the other top three marks in the industry. The new, big warehouse lease near the East coast port of Savannah is perfectly situated for not only the assembly of bikes, but as a warehouse to the Eastern half of the USA for D2C sales. All PON would need to do is augment that with a West Coast facility and the whole retail side could be a two-pronged affair instead of a cash intensive buy-out of existing brick and mortar. 

But we shall see. This has a much bigger potential to disrupt the status quo than Canyon Bikes coming to the USA ever did.

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

New gravel event in August in Iowa for 2022

 Tour of Central Iowa Event Announced:

Relentless Events announced a week ago now that they would be putting on a new gravel event in Central Iowa called "The Tour of Central Iowa". The Relentless Events group also put on Iowa Wind and Rock, The Spotted Horse Ultra, and the Iowa Gravel Classic. 

This new event will feature a hill climb event, a 100K, 200K, and a special tribute to Iowa cyclist Joe Mann dubbed "The Mann Powered 380". There will be solo and supported categories amongst other details which you can see at the Tour of Central Iowa website. 

The event is set for August 12th-14th and will happen one week before Gravel Worlds. Event promoters are billing the event as a way to test your self before Gravel Worlds. Registration will be held by BikeReg and will open on 1/1/22. The location of this event will be at Cumming, Iowa at the Cumming Tap. Some of you may remember this event location from CIRREM or the 24hrs of Cumming events. 

Comments: Relentless Events is living up to their name- "relentless". This will be the fourth event created under that banner, three in the past three years. One week before Gravel Worlds? Interestingly I cannot find anything on a 24hrs of Cumming for 2022, but I thought I saw that it was going to happen. If it does it likely would have been the week before this, but with the Tour of Central Iowa being out of the Cumming Tap, I don't know what to think there. Anyway......UPDATE: I have it from Steve Fuller, one of the principals in Relentless Events, that there is no 24HRs of Cumming anymore. It was announced on Facebook by Steve Cannon, the event's RD, apparently. I also had a comment to the same effect here this morning.

Good deal and this will figure highly into my planning for 2022 rides. I did not sign up for Gravel Worlds and this event is a LOT closer to home. Stay tuned......

Getting reviews wrapped up will keep me busy!

Getting Everything Buttoned Up:

My biggest fear this time of the year is early snow that sticks and which shuts down reviewing of products. Typically I figure I am okay until Thanksgiving, but after that? 

I'm living on borrowed time.

It could snow any day after Thanksgiving and when it does, that usually stops the country rides. Last year it waited until the second week of December to kick in, but you just never know with Winter. 

Right now I have it laid out so that everything kind of culminates and comes to an end at the end of November, which isn't far away now! So, I have to get cracking with this job, but these chilly temperatures are not very inviting. It gets harder to get motivated and harder to get dressed up for the cold. But, I know what to do, how to do it, and I've been there before. I just have to, you know......do it! 

I'm just about there and there is no stopping me now, unless ice comes, and then I'm stopping! No need to crash my brains out. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I still have open roads and time. So, I will just have to buckle up and git er dun! It is ironic because last year I didn't have so much stuff to get reviewed by this point in the year. This with all the supply chain issues! Weird! 

Clipless pedal cleats....in titanium! Image courtesy of SILCA.

Just In Time For Gift Giving- Titanium Clipless Pedal Cleats!

SILCA seems to be on some sort of titanium kick of late. They recently offered an outlandish titanium Garmin mount which is 3-D printed. Now they are offering clipless pedal cleats made of that famous grey element. 

But instead of seeming frivolous, a titanium clipless pedal cleat just might actually make sense. SILCA claims they last longer and weigh less. Here is what the webpage says: 

"Cut the weight of your cleats in half while getting 4x the life expectancy. Brass cleats are soft and wear quickly, while 3D printed titanium is much harder and half the weight."

Even the fasteners are made of titanium. Yes- they are expensive, being more than three to four times the price of  typical Shimano cleats at $85.00 a pair. But, if you have to have all the 'latest and greatest' stuff, you have to have these. By the way, you can get these in Crank Brothers and TIME ATAC flavors as well. 

Comments: Wow! And also, "Whoa! That's expensive! But maybe if I was burning through those brass TIME ATAC  cleats in a hurry, yeah...... Maybe then. But I am a Shimano pedal user, and I can get the cleats for those pedals for a LOT less money and they last as long as my shoes do. For myself, these Ti cleats are a tough sell.

Speculation On What Effect PON Holding Company Will Have On NA Bike Market:

A recent think piece published on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" website authored by Rick Vosper delves into what the landscape for bicycle retail will look like going forward after PON Holding Company's purchase of Dorel's bicycle brands. The sale of the brands does not take effect until early next year, but all industry experts agree that PON will now represent the largest retail bicycle purveyor in the specialty retail sector when the sale does become completed. 

In the article, Mr. Vosper speculates that PON will most likely be aggressively looking to buy up bicycle shops to help them gain a foothold in the market here as Cannondale currently sits a distant 4th from the leaders now which are Trek, Specialized, and Giant respectively. The thought being that PON would not have any issues buying up retail brick and mortar locations based upon their corporate history in high end automobile dealership takeovers. 

However; it may be that brick and mortar shops will only play a small part in PON's bicycle business model. I saw no mention of any direct to consumer ideas, which would play right into where PON is sitting with regard to a lack of retail showrooms compared to the other top three marks in the industry. The new, big warehouse lease near the East coast port of Savannah is perfectly situated for not only the assembly of bikes, but as a warehouse to the Eastern half of the USA for D2C sales. All PON would need to do is augment that with a West Coast facility and the whole retail side could be a two-pronged affair instead of a cash intensive buy-out of existing brick and mortar. 

But we shall see. This has a much bigger potential to disrupt the status quo than Canyon Bikes coming to the USA ever did.

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend!

Randomonium: Catching Up

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

After a week of event recap it is time to get back on track here at Guitar Ted Productions. Regular blog scheduling will now commence! So, to get up to date here, I have a few tidbits that I thought were interesting that I would share here before getting into current events.

Finish Line FiberLink Sealant: 

I mentioned the new Finish Line sealant in an "FN&V" post a couple of weeks ago. Well, some showed up for testing on RidingGravel.com last week. (Standard Disclaimer) Now I have it installed on a set of wheels and we will see how it goes. Stay tuned for that...

Rainy Daze:

Almost every day in June, July, and half of August was rain-free. Now it decides it is time to play catch-up! Man! Last week we got hammered a few days with rain to the point that neighborhoods in Waterloo were getting flooded. Obviously it has affected the dirt trails and gravel roads here also. The biggest threat to cycling is the lightning. I really do not want to be out with the possibilities for that being as high as they were. I know that Tuesday here I would have gotten hosed had I been out in the country because that storm blew up, (literally and figuratively) in a big hurry. Glad I wasn't out that day, and I could have been, but I was in recovery mode from Gravel Worlds. 

24hrs of Cumming Changes Hands:

In late 2018 it was announced that there would be an event based on Trans Iowa and called "Iowa Wind and Rock". It would join the Spotted Horse and soon to be announced Iowa Gravel Classic as the three events which would fall under the auspices of a group called "Relentless Events". 

Now Relentless Events has 'adopted' the 24hrs of Cumming, an event run for several years by Steve Cannon, the ultra-distance runner/cyclist from Iowa. The 24hrs of Cumming is much like an MTB 24hr event in its format and with regard to its classes. The course can be done solo, in a duo format, by teams, in a relay style, and in 24 or 12 hour formats

 Steve Cannon has stepped aside as the director and now with Relentless Events taking the reins it appears that Adam Blake, who has previously been associated with this event, is taking over as director. From the release posted on the 24hr of Cumming's Facebook page;

"We are looking forward to continuing to offer the 24 Hours of Cumming in a format that everyone has come to expect, and we have some exciting changes planned going forward. We are also happy that Adam Blake’s energy and wit will continue to be part of the 24 HOC experience for everyone to enjoy."

 Questions Over Unfairness In Women's Gravel Racing Arise:

After the kerfuffle arose from the recently run SBT GRVL concerning the practice of men working to pull a woman contender to the front and keep her up front, there have been several media posted articles and athlete discussions on social media about this tactic. Many from the gravel side say it is unfair while those coming from a pro road racing background are now calling for separate women's fields and start times. 

Meanwhile, almost everyone that is not a Pro or Elite racer doesn't care. 

That should be the very first red flag for promoters to notice. Your core audience thinks maybe that stuff is goofy, and they could give a rip about whether you have racers up front or not. So, it would seem that these problems are arising due to an unnecessary part of an event for most people. It's true that many times entry fees are deferred for certain Pros, and obviously concessions to the Pros make racing for others more expensive. Not to mention what amenities have to be provided to cater to that level of athlete. 

Secondly, the purses and prizes- not to mention the intangibles of sponsorship and support outside of the event prizing, are another factor involved here. When it comes to sponsorship and prize money, those pearls are what Pro/Elite racers strive for to support/fund their season. When that sort of stuff is at stake in an event, the tactics and strategies to obtain them, or chances at the sponsorships outside the event, are going to motivate unsavory results. 

My more detailed take on all of this can be read HERE. The only other thing I'll add here is that most of these issues could be solved if promoters/RD's took a stronger stance against the silliness and actually enforced what they say with swift disqualifications without regard to who is the offending party. If, for instance, you, as a male, are told not to 'work for' a female competitor, and you are found doing so? Both the male and female get the DQ. Promoters whine and say this is unenforceable. I say bull dookey! Find ways to do this IF you are inviting those likely to cheat and take unfair advantages to your event. I can think of a few ways I would do this, so if a silly punter in Iowa has some solid ideas, I bet those smarter than I could get the job done. Drones come to mind.... Anyway..... Another idea- Don't cater to the old racing formats you think are 'necessary'. There are creative ways to get competitive racing juices flowing without drawing from Pro Roadie tradition. (Cue sheet nav, timed sections) Or how about this- Take away the money. You cry foul? I say- Almanzo 100! (Which would still be going on had it not been for the unnecessary instability injected into the proceedings by its former  RD) 

Saying "it can't be done" is quitter talk. I do not want to support quitter mindset promoters. It's on the RD's to clean this up, and strong willed, fair minded, action-taking RD's will not have issues with the following: Men letting women draft so women gain an advantage on fellow competitors, litter bugs, course-cutters, supported riders in "unsupported events", or whatever the latest issue-du-jour may be for the Pro/Elite fields. And yes- maybe Pro/Elites need their own events. (See how far down the road that takes you once you get off the backs of ordinary riding folk.)

Gearing Up For Late Year Adventures:

One other thing I did last week was I went through my Ti Muk 2 so it would be good to go for things coming up. Ya know.....like Fall and Winter? It's just around the corner now. 

Of course,  a couple of those things I needed to do were already done. Like getting new sealant in the tires, and putting on that new Answer handle bar. But during the process of putting the bar on I somehow disconnected the rear tail light wire. I looked into that and it turned out to just be a pulled spade connector which was easily repaired. 

I did get a test ride in last Friday and everything worked out great. I only have to tweak the angle of the saddle a bit which had been knocked out of whack last year when I came down wrong on the saddle after slipping off one pedal. Once that gets rectified the Ti Muk 2 will be ready for adventures on gravel, dirt, and snow.

And with that I think I've covered the things that were going on here and most important while mentioning some current events in the gravel scene. Next I have a report on a ride over the weekend, some Trans Iowa Stories news, and regular "FN&V" with some other meanderings coming soon. 

Thanks for reading!

Randomonium: Catching Up

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

After a week of event recap it is time to get back on track here at Guitar Ted Productions. Regular blog scheduling will now commence! So, to get up to date here, I have a few tidbits that I thought were interesting that I would share here before getting into current events.

Finish Line FiberLink Sealant: 

I mentioned the new Finish Line sealant in an "FN&V" post a couple of weeks ago. Well, some showed up for testing on RidingGravel.com last week. (Standard Disclaimer) Now I have it installed on a set of wheels and we will see how it goes. Stay tuned for that...

Rainy Daze:

Almost every day in June, July, and half of August was rain-free. Now it decides it is time to play catch-up! Man! Last week we got hammered a few days with rain to the point that neighborhoods in Waterloo were getting flooded. Obviously it has affected the dirt trails and gravel roads here also. The biggest threat to cycling is the lightning. I really do not want to be out with the possibilities for that being as high as they were. I know that Tuesday here I would have gotten hosed had I been out in the country because that storm blew up, (literally and figuratively) in a big hurry. Glad I wasn't out that day, and I could have been, but I was in recovery mode from Gravel Worlds. 

24hrs of Cumming Changes Hands:

In late 2018 it was announced that there would be an event based on Trans Iowa and called "Iowa Wind and Rock". It would join the Spotted Horse and soon to be announced Iowa Gravel Classic as the three events which would fall under the auspices of a group called "Relentless Events". 

Now Relentless Events has 'adopted' the 24hrs of Cumming, an event run for several years by Steve Cannon, the ultra-distance runner/cyclist from Iowa. The 24hrs of Cumming is much like an MTB 24hr event in its format and with regard to its classes. The course can be done solo, in a duo format, by teams, in a relay style, and in 24 or 12 hour formats

 Steve Cannon has stepped aside as the director and now with Relentless Events taking the reins it appears that Adam Blake, who has previously been associated with this event, is taking over as director. From the release posted on the 24hr of Cumming's Facebook page;

"We are looking forward to continuing to offer the 24 Hours of Cumming in a format that everyone has come to expect, and we have some exciting changes planned going forward. We are also happy that Adam Blake’s energy and wit will continue to be part of the 24 HOC experience for everyone to enjoy."

 Questions Over Unfairness In Women's Gravel Racing Arise:

After the kerfuffle arose from the recently run SBT GRVL concerning the practice of men working to pull a woman contender to the front and keep her up front, there have been several media posted articles and athlete discussions on social media about this tactic. Many from the gravel side say it is unfair while those coming from a pro road racing background are now calling for separate women's fields and start times. 

Meanwhile, almost everyone that is not a Pro or Elite racer doesn't care. 

That should be the very first red flag for promoters to notice. Your core audience thinks maybe that stuff is goofy, and they could give a rip about whether you have racers up front or not. So, it would seem that these problems are arising due to an unnecessary part of an event for most people. It's true that many times entry fees are deferred for certain Pros, and obviously concessions to the Pros make racing for others more expensive. Not to mention what amenities have to be provided to cater to that level of athlete. 

Secondly, the purses and prizes- not to mention the intangibles of sponsorship and support outside of the event prizing, are another factor involved here. When it comes to sponsorship and prize money, those pearls are what Pro/Elite racers strive for to support/fund their season. When that sort of stuff is at stake in an event, the tactics and strategies to obtain them, or chances at the sponsorships outside the event, are going to motivate unsavory results. 

My more detailed take on all of this can be read HERE. The only other thing I'll add here is that most of these issues could be solved if promoters/RD's took a stronger stance against the silliness and actually enforced what they say with swift disqualifications without regard to who is the offending party. If, for instance, you, as a male, are told not to 'work for' a female competitor, and you are found doing so? Both the male and female get the DQ. Promoters whine and say this is unenforceable. I say bull dookey! Find ways to do this IF you are inviting those likely to cheat and take unfair advantages to your event. I can think of a few ways I would do this, so if a silly punter in Iowa has some solid ideas, I bet those smarter than I could get the job done. Drones come to mind.... Anyway..... Another idea- Don't cater to the old racing formats you think are 'necessary'. There are creative ways to get competitive racing juices flowing without drawing from Pro Roadie tradition. (Cue sheet nav, timed sections) Or how about this- Take away the money. You cry foul? I say- Almanzo 100! (Which would still be going on had it not been for the unnecessary instability injected into the proceedings by its former  RD) 

Saying "it can't be done" is quitter talk. I do not want to support quitter mindset promoters. It's on the RD's to clean this up, and strong willed, fair minded, action-taking RD's will not have issues with the following: Men letting women draft so women gain an advantage on fellow competitors, litter bugs, course-cutters, supported riders in "unsupported events", or whatever the latest issue-du-jour may be for the Pro/Elite fields. And yes- maybe Pro/Elites need their own events. (See how far down the road that takes you once you get off the backs of ordinary riding folk.)

Gearing Up For Late Year Adventures:

One other thing I did last week was I went through my Ti Muk 2 so it would be good to go for things coming up. Ya know.....like Fall and Winter? It's just around the corner now. 

Of course,  a couple of those things I needed to do were already done. Like getting new sealant in the tires, and putting on that new Answer handle bar. But during the process of putting the bar on I somehow disconnected the rear tail light wire. I looked into that and it turned out to just be a pulled spade connector which was easily repaired. 

I did get a test ride in last Friday and everything worked out great. I only have to tweak the angle of the saddle a bit which had been knocked out of whack last year when I came down wrong on the saddle after slipping off one pedal. Once that gets rectified the Ti Muk 2 will be ready for adventures on gravel, dirt, and snow.

And with that I think I've covered the things that were going on here and most important while mentioning some current events in the gravel scene. Next I have a report on a ride over the weekend, some Trans Iowa Stories news, and regular "FN&V" with some other meanderings coming soon. 

Thanks for reading!

What's Up, GT?

A new fork on the Raleigh....

The end of the year business and the "State Of The Gravel Scene" posts have gobbled up all my space for recounting the day-to-day stuff around here. So, without further adieu, here's what has been happening since, or, around Christmas time.....

• Hours cut waaaay back at work. The business climate in bicycle retail has, well.......it sucks. Not just where I work either. But suffice it to say that the purse strings were tightened and Christmas time was a frugal one at the G-Ted household.
• 24hrs of Cumming entry: Sam, my co-conspirator in the 24hrs of Cumming last August started sending me some messages that were......cryptic. Then at the end I get a confirmation that I was in the 24hrs of Cumming and a "Merry Christmas" from Sam. This all a day ahead of registration opening, which.......I don't know how that worked. Point is, I am in with Sam. This time we will be known as "Team Snack Sabbath". 
• 20th Anniversary: Mrs. G-Ted and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary January 2nd. Again- a frugal affair, so no big deal, but it didn't matter because our family was together.  
• Sickness: Yep. Regular readers know I usually get sick around this time of year. Had a 24hr bug, recovered in a few days. 
• Renegade Gents Race 9.0: April 6th. The Careless Whispers are in for their 9th time. Lets see if we can get EVERY team member to the finish on the regulation course! 
• C.O.G. 100 Registration: Opened January 2nd. Sold out two thirds of the field within four hours and we only had a handful of spots left by the end of day one of the registration process. Sold all 75 spots in three days. Added 25 additional spots over the weekend. Pretty surprised by that, I won't lie. I figured finding 75 single speed freaks would be tougher than that.

Then this retro single speed stuff showed up.

Speaking Of Single Speed..........

I got a message between Christmas and New Years from Grannygear. He asked me if I might be interested in some single speed hubs he had, some old White Industries ENO hubs. I said yeah, and he said, no problem. Okay, so filed away for some other time.

Then on the day of my 20th wedding anniversary, I got a heavy box of pretty decent size. What? I opened it, and besides the vintage hubs, there were two Shimano square taper cranks with rings, a White Industries free wheel, two saddles from WTB, and to top it all off- the White Industries ENO freewheel tool!

Thank you, Grannygear! Wow! This is so cool. One of the cranksets is even a 180mm length! That one, a 9000 series crank, has a rare 34T Onza Buzzsaw chain ring too. The stuff needs cleaning and a touch of TLC, but hey! I ain't complainin'! First thing to do after a bit of polishing up will be to get a new set of bearings in the rear hub. Then I'll build up a wheel set for my Blackbuck rig with some rims from Velocity of some sort. Probably some Velocity Blunt SS rims. Anyway, these wheels are gonna be sweet.

That White Industries free wheel will probably end up on the Blackbuck at some point. It's a 21T or 22T job, too low for any gravel travel. The cranks...... Dunno yet. I probably will put one set on the Blackbuck and retire the ano-green Suginos I've run on there for the last ten plus years. One of the saddles is a Pure V, my favorite, so I'll have no trouble finding a home for that. The other is a well worn, possibly an OG from the 90's, WTB SST saddle. I have one and have broken my other. Good time to replace that.

So, there ya go. Some catching up, housecleaning, and whatnot from late last year till the present. Back to "regularly scheduled" postings tomorrow.

What's Up, GT?

A new fork on the Raleigh....

The end of the year business and the "State Of The Gravel Scene" posts have gobbled up all my space for recounting the day-to-day stuff around here. So, without further adieu, here's what has been happening since, or, around Christmas time.....

• Hours cut waaaay back at work. The business climate in bicycle retail has, well.......it sucks. Not just where I work either. But suffice it to say that the purse strings were tightened and Christmas time was a frugal one at the G-Ted household.
• 24hrs of Cumming entry: Sam, my co-conspirator in the 24hrs of Cumming last August started sending me some messages that were......cryptic. Then at the end I get a confirmation that I was in the 24hrs of Cumming and a "Merry Christmas" from Sam. This all a day ahead of registration opening, which.......I don't know how that worked. Point is, I am in with Sam. This time we will be known as "Team Snack Sabbath". 
• 20th Anniversary: Mrs. G-Ted and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary January 2nd. Again- a frugal affair, so no big deal, but it didn't matter because our family was together.  
• Sickness: Yep. Regular readers know I usually get sick around this time of year. Had a 24hr bug, recovered in a few days. 
• Renegade Gents Race 9.0: April 6th. The Careless Whispers are in for their 9th time. Lets see if we can get EVERY team member to the finish on the regulation course! 
• C.O.G. 100 Registration: Opened January 2nd. Sold out two thirds of the field within four hours and we only had a handful of spots left by the end of day one of the registration process. Sold all 75 spots in three days. Added 25 additional spots over the weekend. Pretty surprised by that, I won't lie. I figured finding 75 single speed freaks would be tougher than that.

Then this retro single speed stuff showed up.

Speaking Of Single Speed..........

I got a message between Christmas and New Years from Grannygear. He asked me if I might be interested in some single speed hubs he had, some old White Industries ENO hubs. I said yeah, and he said, no problem. Okay, so filed away for some other time.

Then on the day of my 20th wedding anniversary, I got a heavy box of pretty decent size. What? I opened it, and besides the vintage hubs, there were two Shimano square taper cranks with rings, a White Industries free wheel, two saddles from WTB, and to top it all off- the White Industries ENO freewheel tool!

Thank you, Grannygear! Wow! This is so cool. One of the cranksets is even a 180mm length! That one, a 9000 series crank, has a rare 34T Onza Buzzsaw chain ring too. The stuff needs cleaning and a touch of TLC, but hey! I ain't complainin'! First thing to do after a bit of polishing up will be to get a new set of bearings in the rear hub. Then I'll build up a wheel set for my Blackbuck rig with some rims from Velocity of some sort. Probably some Velocity Blunt SS rims. Anyway, these wheels are gonna be sweet.

That White Industries free wheel will probably end up on the Blackbuck at some point. It's a 21T or 22T job, too low for any gravel travel. The cranks...... Dunno yet. I probably will put one set on the Blackbuck and retire the ano-green Suginos I've run on there for the last ten plus years. One of the saddles is a Pure V, my favorite, so I'll have no trouble finding a home for that. The other is a well worn, possibly an OG from the 90's, WTB SST saddle. I have one and have broken my other. Good time to replace that.

So, there ya go. Some catching up, housecleaning, and whatnot from late last year till the present. Back to "regularly scheduled" postings tomorrow.

Rear View 2018: Late Summer

Team Pink bikes at the 24 Hrs of Cumming

A short week after the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational I made the trek to Des Moines, Iowa to hang out with my brother, Sam, and we were scheduled to do the 24hrs of Cumming. This was an endurance mtb style event where the course was set up in four separate loops which yielded a 400K-ish distance if you did all of it. Spanning Saturday and Sunday, it was to be a big deal for Sam and I.

Sam drew first ride in our two man attempt. So, I had to await his return in the early afternoon. Meanwhile I spent a bunch of time waiting, waiting......fooling around with my set up, waiting......messing with how much nutrition to carry.....and a few minutes talking to a few of the folks hanging out. The attic above the Cumming Tap was our roost for the weekend, so that was part of the reason I was sort of "invisible" much of the time.

When Sam came in and I left, things seemed good for a while but then the weekend previous reared its ugly head, my legs went away, and well..... I finally got back, but we were doomed. Sam started the next loop but cut it short. We then celebrated his birthday at the Tap, I stayed up all night, and the weekend ended with a good time amongst friends.

Following this melt down of the legs was Gravel Worlds, only a mere two weeks later. I tried to recover, but after about 80 miles......... Not so much. I was supremely disappointed, but there ya go. That event ended with at least a good time hanging out with good people. Still, I haven't quite got over the physical meltdown I had over this period, at least mentally. I think physically I have been back on good footing for a while, but the disappointing performances are tough to forget.

At least I got to see some great new territory in Nebraska. This was one of my favorite stretches here.

I also did a little of my own exploration after abandoning Gravel Worlds, and why not? It is a beautiful area to ride in.

Well, after all of that came September and hopes of single track in the Fall. No more events though! I needed to take it easy the rest of the year.

Next: A Wrap On 2018's Rear View.....

Rear View 2018: Late Summer

Team Pink bikes at the 24 Hrs of Cumming

A short week after the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational I made the trek to Des Moines, Iowa to hang out with my brother, Sam, and we were scheduled to do the 24hrs of Cumming. This was an endurance mtb style event where the course was set up in four separate loops which yielded a 400K-ish distance if you did all of it. Spanning Saturday and Sunday, it was to be a big deal for Sam and I.

Sam drew first ride in our two man attempt. So, I had to await his return in the early afternoon. Meanwhile I spent a bunch of time waiting, waiting......fooling around with my set up, waiting......messing with how much nutrition to carry.....and a few minutes talking to a few of the folks hanging out. The attic above the Cumming Tap was our roost for the weekend, so that was part of the reason I was sort of "invisible" much of the time.

When Sam came in and I left, things seemed good for a while but then the weekend previous reared its ugly head, my legs went away, and well..... I finally got back, but we were doomed. Sam started the next loop but cut it short. We then celebrated his birthday at the Tap, I stayed up all night, and the weekend ended with a good time amongst friends.

Following this melt down of the legs was Gravel Worlds, only a mere two weeks later. I tried to recover, but after about 80 miles......... Not so much. I was supremely disappointed, but there ya go. That event ended with at least a good time hanging out with good people. Still, I haven't quite got over the physical meltdown I had over this period, at least mentally. I think physically I have been back on good footing for a while, but the disappointing performances are tough to forget.

At least I got to see some great new territory in Nebraska. This was one of my favorite stretches here.

I also did a little of my own exploration after abandoning Gravel Worlds, and why not? It is a beautiful area to ride in.

Well, after all of that came September and hopes of single track in the Fall. No more events though! I needed to take it easy the rest of the year.

Next: A Wrap On 2018's Rear View.....

New Tweaks And Sore Legs

Oh.....and in case you didn't know, my daughter named this "Captain America"

Well, I've been busy doing stuff since the 24hr of Cumming reports rolled out last week. For one thing, I put another saddle on the Raleigh Tamland Two. This has been sort of like a round table of saddles with regard to this bike. I never have had the same one on for very long.

I was pretty sure the Brooks Cambium was the saddle here, but then WTB sends over a couple perches for me to test and........well, I have to try those saddles on something! 

The good news is that I like WTB saddles a lot and generally speaking, if the saddle from WTB is wide enough, I will like it. That's been the issue though, many saddles they make are not wider. That's why I always used SST's until they quit making them and Pure V's and now "Pure" saddles, because they are the wider saddle model from WTB. Well, now there is a Silverado and a SL8 in wider widths so I am able to try and see if one of those will be my new go-to saddle.

My buddy MG has been a long time Silverado user and has had nothing but high praise for that model in the skinny-butt version. I hope that I find that to be the case with the wide load version. Oh yeah..... Keen eyes will also note that I swapped seat posts. This is the Salsa regulator titanium post. My third one in the fleet.

The Silca Tattico Bluetooth pump saved the day!

Saturday I got out for my first gravel ride in a week after my 24hrs of Cumming beat down. I had ridden back and forth to work all week, but my legs were protesting heavily and I was really fatigued. I tried getting longer nights of sleep, but I haven't been bouncing back as I'd like to.

So, Saturday was dubbed an "easy ride", just to get out and spin. I tried keeping it chill, and I did fine. That is up until Petrie Road's Level B section.

I got in there and saw that the rains we had gotten in the beginning of the week had made for some bad mud ruts and standing water. I got up on top, where that puddle is pretty much permanent, and I stopped to watch some young frogs leap across the road through the murky, discolored waters. It made me think later about AG chemicals and mutations, and..... yeah.... Poor frogs!

Anyway, I went to reach for my bike, and just as I am lifting it up, I hear a "psssssssshhhhhht!" Dang it! A puncture?!! Yes, a freaking puncture right then. So random! I futzed with it till it sealed up and then I had to pump it back up again. This rig I was riding had my Silca Tattico Bluetooth pump attached, so I got out my phone and opened up the app. I started pumping and the app showed I had lost air from 40psi down to 17.5! Whoa! That was close to not sealing up. Anyway, I pumped it up to 39psi and prayed it would hold out till I got back to my starting point.

Not a lick of wind. Dog days of Summer!

I took it extra chill on the way home but the tire seemed to be holding up. After a  bit I forgot all about it and was hammering home on Aker Road like any other day out here. Then I got to the pavement, crossed Shaulis, and hit the ramp up to the bike path. Bang! I bottomed out against the rim!

Well, that tire must have had a slow leak yet. No wonder, since the sealant blew out like crazy to start with and I probably haven't got much left there to get by on. The hole wasn't even super visible after I got back to the truck, but it acted like a big puncture. What the cause was is still a mystery. I will report on it if I ever figure it out.

The discouraging thing was that afterward my legs felt like they did after the GTDRI and the 24hrs of Cumming- roached! I am pretty concerned about Gravel Worlds and my ability to get 150 miles done there. It's going to be tough no matter what, but if I cannot recover fully by then I will be a hurtin' unit fer sure!

Meanwhile I have to turn around my BgP Black Mountain Cycles MCD rig before Thursday, as that is the rig I plan on suffering on for Gravel Worlds. That or my Gen I Fargo. So, stay tuned to see which bike makes the cut!

New Tweaks And Sore Legs

Oh.....and in case you didn't know, my daughter named this "Captain America"

Well, I've been busy doing stuff since the 24hr of Cumming reports rolled out last week. For one thing, I put another saddle on the Raleigh Tamland Two. This has been sort of like a round table of saddles with regard to this bike. I never have had the same one on for very long.

I was pretty sure the Brooks Cambium was the saddle here, but then WTB sends over a couple perches for me to test and........well, I have to try those saddles on something! 

The good news is that I like WTB saddles a lot and generally speaking, if the saddle from WTB is wide enough, I will like it. That's been the issue though, many saddles they make are not wider. That's why I always used SST's until they quit making them and Pure V's and now "Pure" saddles, because they are the wider saddle model from WTB. Well, now there is a Silverado and a SL8 in wider widths so I am able to try and see if one of those will be my new go-to saddle.

My buddy MG has been a long time Silverado user and has had nothing but high praise for that model in the skinny-butt version. I hope that I find that to be the case with the wide load version. Oh yeah..... Keen eyes will also note that I swapped seat posts. This is the Salsa regulator titanium post. My third one in the fleet.

The Silca Tattico Bluetooth pump saved the day!

Saturday I got out for my first gravel ride in a week after my 24hrs of Cumming beat down. I had ridden back and forth to work all week, but my legs were protesting heavily and I was really fatigued. I tried getting longer nights of sleep, but I haven't been bouncing back as I'd like to.

So, Saturday was dubbed an "easy ride", just to get out and spin. I tried keeping it chill, and I did fine. That is up until Petrie Road's Level B section.

I got in there and saw that the rains we had gotten in the beginning of the week had made for some bad mud ruts and standing water. I got up on top, where that puddle is pretty much permanent, and I stopped to watch some young frogs leap across the road through the murky, discolored waters. It made me think later about AG chemicals and mutations, and..... yeah.... Poor frogs!

Anyway, I went to reach for my bike, and just as I am lifting it up, I hear a "psssssssshhhhhht!" Dang it! A puncture?!! Yes, a freaking puncture right then. So random! I futzed with it till it sealed up and then I had to pump it back up again. This rig I was riding had my Silca Tattico Bluetooth pump attached, so I got out my phone and opened up the app. I started pumping and the app showed I had lost air from 40psi down to 17.5! Whoa! That was close to not sealing up. Anyway, I pumped it up to 39psi and prayed it would hold out till I got back to my starting point.

Not a lick of wind. Dog days of Summer!

I took it extra chill on the way home but the tire seemed to be holding up. After a  bit I forgot all about it and was hammering home on Aker Road like any other day out here. Then I got to the pavement, crossed Shaulis, and hit the ramp up to the bike path. Bang! I bottomed out against the rim!

Well, that tire must have had a slow leak yet. No wonder, since the sealant blew out like crazy to start with and I probably haven't got much left there to get by on. The hole wasn't even super visible after I got back to the truck, but it acted like a big puncture. What the cause was is still a mystery. I will report on it if I ever figure it out.

The discouraging thing was that afterward my legs felt like they did after the GTDRI and the 24hrs of Cumming- roached! I am pretty concerned about Gravel Worlds and my ability to get 150 miles done there. It's going to be tough no matter what, but if I cannot recover fully by then I will be a hurtin' unit fer sure!

Meanwhile I have to turn around my BgP Black Mountain Cycles MCD rig before Thursday, as that is the rig I plan on suffering on for Gravel Worlds. That or my Gen I Fargo. So, stay tuned to see which bike makes the cut!

Friday News And Views

Gear Review From The 24Hrs Of Cumming:

Well, not really much of a gear review  as it is a further word on the Black Mountain MCD, or as it has been dubbed, the "Bubblegum Princess", or BgP for short.

Essentially what I am finding is that it feels and rides a whole lot like a Gen I Fargo to me. Long time blog readers here will find that as high praise because they know how much I like that bike. I just fits me, and the ride is very comfortable.

It does handle a bit differently than the OG "Orange Crush" Black Mountain Cycles bike I have. It doesn't feel as short, and it feels as though I am a bit more "in" the bike and "behind" the bars which is what I prefer on a gravel rig. I don't like bicycles that make it feel as though the front wheel is pinned down either by geometry or weight distribution, or both. Those sorts of bikes don't handle looser, deeper stuff well at all. In other words, most gravel I travel.

When I set up this bike I had the benefit of having two other bikes I had spent a lot of gravel time on around here and, of course, the Fargo. Between the three I basically set the BgP up as something in between those bikes. Not as high and stretched as the Fargo, but not as low and compact as the Orange Crush or Tamland.

I said that I may tweak the set up, but honestly, I don't think that is going to happen after riding it this past weekend. The RedShift Sports ShockStop stem is amazing on here and I can highly recommend the Whiskey seat post that I have on here. VERY comfy! The Whiskey carbon bars are great as well. My bad shoulder never gave me any aches or pains from vibrations all weekend.

Sam Auen, host of the Cyclist- Not Biker Podcast

Cyclist- Not Biker Podcast:

This came out last Tuesday, but you should give it a listen. I didn't know how it would be as a podcast, but this conversation between myself and my "Team Pink" partner, Sam Auen came out really good, I thought. I figured that if it makes me laugh out loud, think, and generally feel good, then maybe you would like it too.

We rambled for sure since we had zero planning going into this. You can tell at the beginning and at another point where we really didn't know what to do, but for 95% of it we were pretty much on fire, and the dang thing is two hours long! 

We cover the death of Trans Iowa, some good TI stories, and then we get into the future of gravel, and what will keep it going strong from here. Like I have said elsewhere, there are swear words and you may not want to play this out loud in front of certain folks. Otherwise, enjoy! I had a blast doing it.


Sam has a post-event podcast in the can that we did, listen to that HERE. Again- it's sweary, so NSFW and certain tender ears. This episode is a bit more focused on the event.

 Trade Wars Update:

The tariff on bicycles and related parts, plus raw materials which I wrote about last week is in the news again. It is being reported by the trade publications that the 25% tarrif on e-bikes is going to be implemented.

This will have a detrimental effect on many e-bikes because most of them are manufactured in China at present. However; efforts are being made to move production by many companies. Not to the U.S.! Oh no...... But to cheap labor sources like other Southeast Asian nations, India, and Eastern Europe.

My view is that outside of the larger urban areas e-bikes are seen as being too expensive as is. This tariff will now affect those inner-urban centers where these sorts of bicycles are flourishing and pretty much kill e-bike sales in places like the areas I live in. I don't see e-bikes being real hot around the Mid-West anyway. What I do see are do-it-yourself conversions using gas motors and a few electric ones. Scooters with chainsaw motors and the like. Mad Max-like stuff. This tariff will only push that sort of thing further along in these parts.

Okay, Summer is winding down. What are you waiting for?! Get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

Gear Review From The 24Hrs Of Cumming:

Well, not really much of a gear review  as it is a further word on the Black Mountain MCD, or as it has been dubbed, the "Bubblegum Princess", or BgP for short.

Essentially what I am finding is that it feels and rides a whole lot like a Gen I Fargo to me. Long time blog readers here will find that as high praise because they know how much I like that bike. I just fits me, and the ride is very comfortable.

It does handle a bit differently than the OG "Orange Crush" Black Mountain Cycles bike I have. It doesn't feel as short, and it feels as though I am a bit more "in" the bike and "behind" the bars which is what I prefer on a gravel rig. I don't like bicycles that make it feel as though the front wheel is pinned down either by geometry or weight distribution, or both. Those sorts of bikes don't handle looser, deeper stuff well at all. In other words, most gravel I travel.

When I set up this bike I had the benefit of having two other bikes I had spent a lot of gravel time on around here and, of course, the Fargo. Between the three I basically set the BgP up as something in between those bikes. Not as high and stretched as the Fargo, but not as low and compact as the Orange Crush or Tamland.

I said that I may tweak the set up, but honestly, I don't think that is going to happen after riding it this past weekend. The RedShift Sports ShockStop stem is amazing on here and I can highly recommend the Whiskey seat post that I have on here. VERY comfy! The Whiskey carbon bars are great as well. My bad shoulder never gave me any aches or pains from vibrations all weekend.

Sam Auen, host of the Cyclist- Not Biker Podcast

Cyclist- Not Biker Podcast:

This came out last Tuesday, but you should give it a listen. I didn't know how it would be as a podcast, but this conversation between myself and my "Team Pink" partner, Sam Auen came out really good, I thought. I figured that if it makes me laugh out loud, think, and generally feel good, then maybe you would like it too.

We rambled for sure since we had zero planning going into this. You can tell at the beginning and at another point where we really didn't know what to do, but for 95% of it we were pretty much on fire, and the dang thing is two hours long! 

We cover the death of Trans Iowa, some good TI stories, and then we get into the future of gravel, and what will keep it going strong from here. Like I have said elsewhere, there are swear words and you may not want to play this out loud in front of certain folks. Otherwise, enjoy! I had a blast doing it.


Sam has a post-event podcast in the can that we did, listen to that HERE. Again- it's sweary, so NSFW and certain tender ears. This episode is a bit more focused on the event.

 Trade Wars Update:

The tariff on bicycles and related parts, plus raw materials which I wrote about last week is in the news again. It is being reported by the trade publications that the 25% tarrif on e-bikes is going to be implemented.

This will have a detrimental effect on many e-bikes because most of them are manufactured in China at present. However; efforts are being made to move production by many companies. Not to the U.S.! Oh no...... But to cheap labor sources like other Southeast Asian nations, India, and Eastern Europe.

My view is that outside of the larger urban areas e-bikes are seen as being too expensive as is. This tariff will now affect those inner-urban centers where these sorts of bicycles are flourishing and pretty much kill e-bike sales in places like the areas I live in. I don't see e-bikes being real hot around the Mid-West anyway. What I do see are do-it-yourself conversions using gas motors and a few electric ones. Scooters with chainsaw motors and the like. Mad Max-like stuff. This tariff will only push that sort of thing further along in these parts.

Okay, Summer is winding down. What are you waiting for?! Get out and ride!

The 24hrs of Cumming Report Part 4

My bike, right where I parked it Saturday night.

About 10:30pm Sam gave up his quest to ride the third leg. His gal Abby came and scooped him up while I was sleeping on the hardwood floor above the Cumming Bar. Sam said later that when he got back he tried waking me, but I was not moving, and he only checked to see if I was still breathing then he went down to celebrate his birthday.

Yes, at midnight it was Sam's birthday.

At 12:32 am Sunday my Fitbit watch rattled my wrist with a text notification. I cracked open my eyes and tried to read it, and it said, "Wake up we are drinking downstairs."

I was still in sleep mode, but I also knew that this was a special time to spend with Sam. I have never been around for one of his birthdays, so to pass up a chance to celebrate one with him would be rude. I got up, threw on my shoes, and slowly walked down the steep staircase to spend time with my friend.

It was about what you would imagine. Shots fired, beers drank, and some "Vegas" concoction that tasted like peaches. Then it was time to leave the bar and we went outside on the patio where the imbibing and conversations went on into the night. Sam, seemingly, had had enough and did the wise thing and went back upstairs to sleep.

Whatever the reason, I was wired. I don't know why, but I felt like I had drank a quart of coffee. My body was burning through calories and I guess I wan't feeling it like some of the other folks were around me. I fell into a long conversation with Stretch Wilson, the event volunteer I mentioned in an earlier chapter of this report. It was a great time getting to know him. I also chatted up Adam Blake of Gravel City Cyclery at about this time which was fun as well.

My Gent's Race teammate, Bob, at about Sunrise Sunday morning

I was standing around yakking when I felt someone was standing next to me and I turned and looked to see a Warren County Sheriff. Oh! Hello! Turns out he was just checking on the scene and he was very supportive of the event and what we were doing as long as we kept it "safe". Definitely! We were keeping it "safe".

Next thing I know someone said it was 4:30am and I figured I should try to go lay down, but the door to the stairwell had been locked. Hmm..... Okay, back to the patio!

There was no shortage of conversation. It seemed several folks were in this for the long haul, and I really wasn't tired. (Weird!) I spent a bit of time chatting up my Gent's Race teammate, Bob, who was running the music. He had been hooked on that old Chuck Mangione tune, the one we all knew with the flugle horn, and Bob  must have played that 50 times over the course of the weekend. So I asked him if his gadget had any other tunes on it. He said it did, so I started suggesting some different fare, which steered us out of Chuck Mangione ear worm territory, at least for a while!

Then someone woke up and fired up the grill to make some breakfast sandwiches, which were pretty tasty. I had one and then looked at Bob and noted that the sky was getting lighter. It was near dawn Sunday. Dang! I stayed up all night? Then we noted a big shelf cloud and then the wind came up. We battened down the hatches and then a little bit of rain fell. The first drops in a month.

I went upstairs after 6:00am sometime when the doors were unlocked again and slept an hour and a half or so until I heard Sam stirring. We broke camp and packed everything of ours into the Sprinter van, left Cumming behind, and said goodbye to the 24hrs of Cumming.

It wasn't the way I imagined it would go, but parts of it were really fun, and parts of it weren't. I learned that I wasn't recovered from the GTDRI, and earlier this week I was super sore and stiff. It will be an "easy week" this week getting rested up for Gravel Worlds next weekend.

Thanks: To Sam Auen and his gal Abby for putting up with me and having me as a guest in their home. To Steve Cannon for all the efforts in putting on the 24hrs of Cumming-thank you. To Stretch Wilson, the volunteer and anyone else responsible for the event-thank you. Thanks to Adam Blake/Gravel City for sponsoring the event and for the friendship- thanks! Thanks to Bob Moural for being the best teammate and for your hospitality. To the Cumming Tap for hosting- Thank you! To N.Y. Roll for loaning me the light and peanut butter sandwich- Thanks!

I'll post a BgP Black Mountain Cycles rig report later.

The 24hrs of Cumming Report Part 4

My bike, right where I parked it Saturday night.

About 10:30pm Sam gave up his quest to ride the third leg. His gal Abby came and scooped him up while I was sleeping on the hardwood floor above the Cumming Bar. Sam said later that when he got back he tried waking me, but I was not moving, and he only checked to see if I was still breathing then he went down to celebrate his birthday.

Yes, at midnight it was Sam's birthday.

At 12:32 am Sunday my Fitbit watch rattled my wrist with a text notification. I cracked open my eyes and tried to read it, and it said, "Wake up we are drinking downstairs."

I was still in sleep mode, but I also knew that this was a special time to spend with Sam. I have never been around for one of his birthdays, so to pass up a chance to celebrate one with him would be rude. I got up, threw on my shoes, and slowly walked down the steep staircase to spend time with my friend.

It was about what you would imagine. Shots fired, beers drank, and some "Vegas" concoction that tasted like peaches. Then it was time to leave the bar and we went outside on the patio where the imbibing and conversations went on into the night. Sam, seemingly, had had enough and did the wise thing and went back upstairs to sleep.

Whatever the reason, I was wired. I don't know why, but I felt like I had drank a quart of coffee. My body was burning through calories and I guess I wan't feeling it like some of the other folks were around me. I fell into a long conversation with Stretch Wilson, the event volunteer I mentioned in an earlier chapter of this report. It was a great time getting to know him. I also chatted up Adam Blake of Gravel City Cyclery at about this time which was fun as well.

My Gent's Race teammate, Bob, at about Sunrise Sunday morning

I was standing around yakking when I felt someone was standing next to me and I turned and looked to see a Warren County Sheriff. Oh! Hello! Turns out he was just checking on the scene and he was very supportive of the event and what we were doing as long as we kept it "safe". Definitely! We were keeping it "safe".

Next thing I know someone said it was 4:30am and I figured I should try to go lay down, but the door to the stairwell had been locked. Hmm..... Okay, back to the patio!

There was no shortage of conversation. It seemed several folks were in this for the long haul, and I really wasn't tired. (Weird!) I spent a bit of time chatting up my Gent's Race teammate, Bob, who was running the music. He had been hooked on that old Chuck Mangione tune, the one we all knew with the flugle horn, and Bob  must have played that 50 times over the course of the weekend. So I asked him if his gadget had any other tunes on it. He said it did, so I started suggesting some different fare, which steered us out of Chuck Mangione ear worm territory, at least for a while!

Then someone woke up and fired up the grill to make some breakfast sandwiches, which were pretty tasty. I had one and then looked at Bob and noted that the sky was getting lighter. It was near dawn Sunday. Dang! I stayed up all night? Then we noted a big shelf cloud and then the wind came up. We battened down the hatches and then a little bit of rain fell. The first drops in a month.

I went upstairs after 6:00am sometime when the doors were unlocked again and slept an hour and a half or so until I heard Sam stirring. We broke camp and packed everything of ours into the Sprinter van, left Cumming behind, and said goodbye to the 24hrs of Cumming.

It wasn't the way I imagined it would go, but parts of it were really fun, and parts of it weren't. I learned that I wasn't recovered from the GTDRI, and earlier this week I was super sore and stiff. It will be an "easy week" this week getting rested up for Gravel Worlds next weekend.

Thanks: To Sam Auen and his gal Abby for putting up with me and having me as a guest in their home. To Steve Cannon for all the efforts in putting on the 24hrs of Cumming-thank you. To Stretch Wilson, the volunteer and anyone else responsible for the event-thank you. Thanks to Adam Blake/Gravel City for sponsoring the event and for the friendship- thanks! Thanks to Bob Moural for being the best teammate and for your hospitality. To the Cumming Tap for hosting- Thank you! To N.Y. Roll for loaning me the light and peanut butter sandwich- Thanks!

I'll post a BgP Black Mountain Cycles rig report later.