Gravel Worlds In The USA?

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

A while back I mentioned that the UCI finally announced a gravel series and that there would be a "Gravel World Championships" in 2022. The scuttlebutt back then was that there would be three US based events and that they were already established events- not new venues. 

Since then there has been a 'radio silence' from USAC and the UCI which has left many Pro and Semi-Pro athletes in the hang since they have to solidify their schedules now. In fact, many would-be 'Gravel World Champions' are already saying that the train has left the station for 2022 and that if the UCI gets a series going, they won't be participating until 2023 at the soonest. 

Also, recently a speculation piece story published on "VeloNews", (owned by the Outside  media group), seems to point at a strong possibility of a US based "Gravel Worlds" to be held in September or October. Meanwhile, Texas based gravel promotions company the Spinistry, posted on their Facebook page concerning this story and said that the situation "...has cluster written all over it.".

Interestingly the Spinistry thread reveals that the organization, which has put on events like the Red River Riot and the Midnight Massacre since the late 2000's, was approached in 2019 by either USAC or the UCI and offered a spot on a gravel series calendar. The only stipulation, claimed Spinistry, was that they had to come up with the 'licensing cash' estimated to be around $20,000.00 for an event. Otherwise, said the author of the Spinistry response, they were left to do things as they saw fit. The Spinistry did not take up the offer then. 

It's an interesting situation with the supposed three US based events. The news that came out late last year was that these events were in the 1000-1500 rider realm, which would make a 20G licensing fee seem pretty steep in terms of entry fees to cover that. But I am not sure about the business aspects of the proposed collaboration. What I am pretty sure of though is that the UCI is trying to stake out a claim to being the "legitimate" choice in gravel riding/racing here. 

Thinking about the US gravel scene, and what I am seeing said by Pro riders, the "unsanctioned" nature of gravel events is - at once a blessing - and I believe, if the UCI has their way, they will paint it out as a curse. The UCI is well aware of the event in Nebraska called "Gravel Worlds" and that this event has become immensely popular and represents the individualistic and free nature of gravel in the US. It is an independent event, not tied to a huge corporate entity, as Unbound is. It has its roots going way back in the scene, and what better way to discredit that event than to challenge the name on that event's home soil? Having the "UCI Gravel World Championships" inaugural event on US shores? It would stamp authority and legitimacy of the UCI over gravel worldwide. 

And I believe that is why the UCI and USAC are trying desperately to host a Gravel World Championships this year on US shores somewhere. Word is something will be announced in the coming weeks. We'll see...... 

But think about it: If there are qualifying events, and there would be, the UCI would hope to suck in all the big names in gravel to their neon lights of prestige, money, and resulting endorsements, and they know that Pro riders trying to make a living off gravel riding will be attracted to that like moths. Then the media will fall down to their will and cover nothing but UCI/USAC approved events, and everything will be "like the old days again" except the racing surface. The industry will then do the same ol' song and dance as they did in the "Lance Era" and push out bikes meant for the upper half a percent of riders. 

When the Spinistry speaks of there being a "cluster" in regards to this World Championships", this is what I think of. The UCI, building its claim to fame off the backs of promoters, and by extension, the lower tiered riders. Hopefully folks like the Spinistry and other independent event promoters will not fall to the wiles of old school racing think.

Gravel Worlds In The USA?

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

A while back I mentioned that the UCI finally announced a gravel series and that there would be a "Gravel World Championships" in 2022. The scuttlebutt back then was that there would be three US based events and that they were already established events- not new venues. 

Since then there has been a 'radio silence' from USAC and the UCI which has left many Pro and Semi-Pro athletes in the hang since they have to solidify their schedules now. In fact, many would-be 'Gravel World Champions' are already saying that the train has left the station for 2022 and that if the UCI gets a series going, they won't be participating until 2023 at the soonest. 

Also, recently a speculation piece story published on "VeloNews", (owned by the Outside  media group), seems to point at a strong possibility of a US based "Gravel Worlds" to be held in September or October. Meanwhile, Texas based gravel promotions company the Spinistry, posted on their Facebook page concerning this story and said that the situation "...has cluster written all over it.".

Interestingly the Spinistry thread reveals that the organization, which has put on events like the Red River Riot and the Midnight Massacre since the late 2000's, was approached in 2019 by either USAC or the UCI and offered a spot on a gravel series calendar. The only stipulation, claimed Spinistry, was that they had to come up with the 'licensing cash' estimated to be around $20,000.00 for an event. Otherwise, said the author of the Spinistry response, they were left to do things as they saw fit. The Spinistry did not take up the offer then. 

It's an interesting situation with the supposed three US based events. The news that came out late last year was that these events were in the 1000-1500 rider realm, which would make a 20G licensing fee seem pretty steep in terms of entry fees to cover that. But I am not sure about the business aspects of the proposed collaboration. What I am pretty sure of though is that the UCI is trying to stake out a claim to being the "legitimate" choice in gravel riding/racing here. 

Thinking about the US gravel scene, and what I am seeing said by Pro riders, the "unsanctioned" nature of gravel events is - at once a blessing - and I believe, if the UCI has their way, they will paint it out as a curse. The UCI is well aware of the event in Nebraska called "Gravel Worlds" and that this event has become immensely popular and represents the individualistic and free nature of gravel in the US. It is an independent event, not tied to a huge corporate entity, as Unbound is. It has its roots going way back in the scene, and what better way to discredit that event than to challenge the name on that event's home soil? Having the "UCI Gravel World Championships" inaugural event on US shores? It would stamp authority and legitimacy of the UCI over gravel worldwide. 

And I believe that is why the UCI and USAC are trying desperately to host a Gravel World Championships this year on US shores somewhere. Word is something will be announced in the coming weeks. We'll see...... 

But think about it: If there are qualifying events, and there would be, the UCI would hope to suck in all the big names in gravel to their neon lights of prestige, money, and resulting endorsements, and they know that Pro riders trying to make a living off gravel riding will be attracted to that like moths. Then the media will fall down to their will and cover nothing but UCI/USAC approved events, and everything will be "like the old days again" except the racing surface. The industry will then do the same ol' song and dance as they did in the "Lance Era" and push out bikes meant for the upper half a percent of riders. 

When the Spinistry speaks of there being a "cluster" in regards to this World Championships", this is what I think of. The UCI, building its claim to fame off the backs of promoters, and by extension, the lower tiered riders. Hopefully folks like the Spinistry and other independent event promoters will not fall to the wiles of old school racing think.

Trans Iowa Stories: The Myth Of The Triple Crown

Dan Hughes shortly after winning T.I.v13 Image by Michael Roe

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Once the gravel scene got rolling, and I would say this would have been around 2007 or so, there was an idea batted around. This idea had to do with promoting the Mid-West as the "center of gravel racing". It was, most likely, a way toward a path which has manifested itself in another way, and I think it is easy to see now that time has passed us by. But back in these days, I am not sure anyone really had the vision that maybe only one or two others did at the time.

This is the story of the mythical "Triple Crown of Gravel".

Trans Iowa inspired the Dirty Kanza 200. That's not a claim that is up for debate. It's been said many times by Jim Cummins, the co-founder of the DK200, and it was also acknowledged by the late Joel Dyke, the other co-founder of that Kansas event. So there was a certain kinship that developed early between us and our events.  At some point early on in both events timeline, Jim had brought up the thought of coming up with a "triple crown" with me, but at the time he was thinking along these lines, he didn't have a particular third event in mind. What other "like minded event" could it be? There were two- the T.I. and the DK.  I recall that Jim thought it might be desirable to have that third event be in Nebraska, a natural choice because of geography and the interest in gravel riding at the time in Nebraska.

There was a possibility of the third event becoming the one which Nebraskan Skip Cronin helped put on. It was a very challenging, mostly dirt road and remote event that ended up being a one-off and never happened again. Then, in 2008, the Pirate Cycling League put on the first "Good Life Gravel Adventure". It was a 150 mile challenge and in its first year it drew a handful of riders, but the 2009 version saw much greater interest. The PCL started talking about a "gravel worlds" back in those days, and that sort of grand thinking was something that perked up the ears of Jim Cummins who then poked around with the triple crown idea again. What the PCL was doing was right up the pipeline of where the DK200 was going, and the PCL took some cues from both T.I. and the DK. I am sure that the 2009 announcement of the AGRS (Almanzo Gravel Road Series) "Race For The Cup" in Minnesota was another influencer upon this renewed talk of a "triple crown". There were a few emails going around between myself, the PCL, and Jim Cummings back then discussing how a triple crown might work.

I recall that I found several difficulties with the idea. How would a points system be set up so that riders could accumulate points from one event to another fairly and in a way that was easy to understand? How would the differing events come to terms with the difference in opinions regarding rules? Would there be a separate "governing body"? Would there be entry fees? Prizing?

There were far too many obstacles to getting there, in my mind. Add in the fact that I would have had to make some fundamental changes to Trans Iowa, which, frankly were not going to happen due to my loyalty to Jeff Kerkove's original ideas, and as far as I was concerned it was a no-go.

So, maybe you can blame me for the death of the "triple crown" idea. But I do recall that the PCL wasn't super jazzed on the idea either. That said, it is fun to look back and think "what if"? Had a true "Triple Crown of Gravel" series been set up, where would that be now? I'm betting things would be a heck of a lot different these days.

The whole idea died then, or so I thought, until April of 2017 when Dan Hughes crossed the line first at Trans Iowa v13. Afterward, in Dan's race report, he mentioned something about being the only "Triple Crown" winner. See, he had won Dirty Kanza, Gravel Worlds, and at that time, Trans Iowa. Dan, being fairly close to Jim Cummins back in the day, may have found out about the Triple Crown idea from him. Especially when you think about Dan winning the very first DK. It maybe would have been discussed back then, in 2006. But however Dan came to his knowledge of such a myth, it was just that, a myth. There never was a "Triple Crown of Gravel", but if anyone could lay claim to such a thing, it would be Dan.

Next week; I talk about how Trans Iowa was influential early on, but soon became the outlier in the young gravel scene in "How This Event Became "The Trans Iowa"".

Trans Iowa Stories: The Myth Of The Triple Crown

Dan Hughes shortly after winning T.I.v13 Image by Michael Roe

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Once the gravel scene got rolling, and I would say this would have been around 2007 or so, there was an idea batted around. This idea had to do with promoting the Mid-West as the "center of gravel racing". It was, most likely, a way toward a path which has manifested itself in another way, and I think it is easy to see now that time has passed us by. But back in these days, I am not sure anyone really had the vision that maybe only one or two others did at the time.

This is the story of the mythical "Triple Crown of Gravel".

Trans Iowa inspired the Dirty Kanza 200. That's not a claim that is up for debate. It's been said many times by Jim Cummins, the co-founder of the DK200, and it was also acknowledged by the late Joel Dyke, the other co-founder of that Kansas event. So there was a certain kinship that developed early between us and our events.  At some point early on in both events timeline, Jim had brought up the thought of coming up with a "triple crown" with me, but at the time he was thinking along these lines, he didn't have a particular third event in mind. What other "like minded event" could it be? There were two- the T.I. and the DK.  I recall that Jim thought it might be desirable to have that third event be in Nebraska, a natural choice because of geography and the interest in gravel riding at the time in Nebraska.

There was a possibility of the third event becoming the one which Nebraskan Skip Cronin helped put on. It was a very challenging, mostly dirt road and remote event that ended up being a one-off and never happened again. Then, in 2008, the Pirate Cycling League put on the first "Good Life Gravel Adventure". It was a 150 mile challenge and in its first year it drew a handful of riders, but the 2009 version saw much greater interest. The PCL started talking about a "gravel worlds" back in those days, and that sort of grand thinking was something that perked up the ears of Jim Cummins who then poked around with the triple crown idea again. What the PCL was doing was right up the pipeline of where the DK200 was going, and the PCL took some cues from both T.I. and the DK. I am sure that the 2009 announcement of the AGRS (Almanzo Gravel Road Series) "Race For The Cup" in Minnesota was another influencer upon this renewed talk of a "triple crown". There were a few emails going around between myself, the PCL, and Jim Cummings back then discussing how a triple crown might work.

I recall that I found several difficulties with the idea. How would a points system be set up so that riders could accumulate points from one event to another fairly and in a way that was easy to understand? How would the differing events come to terms with the difference in opinions regarding rules? Would there be a separate "governing body"? Would there be entry fees? Prizing?

There were far too many obstacles to getting there, in my mind. Add in the fact that I would have had to make some fundamental changes to Trans Iowa, which, frankly were not going to happen due to my loyalty to Jeff Kerkove's original ideas, and as far as I was concerned it was a no-go.

So, maybe you can blame me for the death of the "triple crown" idea. But I do recall that the PCL wasn't super jazzed on the idea either. That said, it is fun to look back and think "what if"? Had a true "Triple Crown of Gravel" series been set up, where would that be now? I'm betting things would be a heck of a lot different these days.

The whole idea died then, or so I thought, until April of 2017 when Dan Hughes crossed the line first at Trans Iowa v13. Afterward, in Dan's race report, he mentioned something about being the only "Triple Crown" winner. See, he had won Dirty Kanza, Gravel Worlds, and at that time, Trans Iowa. Dan, being fairly close to Jim Cummins back in the day, may have found out about the Triple Crown idea from him. Especially when you think about Dan winning the very first DK. It maybe would have been discussed back then, in 2006. But however Dan came to his knowledge of such a myth, it was just that, a myth. There never was a "Triple Crown of Gravel", but if anyone could lay claim to such a thing, it would be Dan.

Next week; I talk about how Trans Iowa was influential early on, but soon became the outlier in the young gravel scene in "How This Event Became "The Trans Iowa"".

Friday News And Views

Today is going to be a "Gravel Grinder News" Friday. Everything will be about new gravel events. Let's dig in, shall we?

A new event based out of Grinnell, Iowa

Prairie Burn 100:

When Trans Iowa was retired, I began hearing from Jon Duke, (you may remember Jon as the photographer for T.I.v13 and v14), about a new, as yet to be named, gravel event based out of Grinnell. This event has been a long time in the making and is just now getting introduced.

The Prairie Burn 100 will be a different event in that it is, in their words, "...not a race". Here's what their website has to say about it:

"This event is about having a good time, making connections and promoting all the good that comes from cycling. Proceeds from the event will go to Imagine Grinnell, a non-profit organization that makes the world a better place, or at least cities named Grinnell."

What's more is that afterward there will be live music, drinks, and food in the park for all the riders and for the Imagine Grinnell festival goers that will be there as well. June 8th, 2019 will be the date. Registration opens December 1st. This sounds like a great time and if you aren't sure about 100 miles, they have shorter distances on tap as well. A perfect event for beginner gravel riders, seasoned veterans of gravel looking for a good time, or for any cyclist that likes fun. The scenery is spectacular in and around Grinnell as well. 

The C.O.G 100 Has A Site!:

Like I said, this ain't gonna be no Facebook page event, so the info for the C.O.G. 100 in March of 2019 is only going to be found here.

The C.O.G 100 (Creatures Of Gravel 100, by the way) will have a mostly hilly, mostly gravel course around Grinnell, Iowa. The course design is being worked up now and should get re-conned in November. Registration will be on-line and we will announce that coming up soon. We've already decided on a field limit of 75, and hopefully we'll fill that out.

I say "hopefully" because this is a single speed bicycle event only. Yes......only single speed bicycles. This does not include disabled geared bikes. We are being very specific in that you can only have one chain ring and one rear cog. Keeps it simple for us and no one can accuse anyone of shifting, because, well.........they won't have any cogs to shift to. So, realizing this will limit the appeal, ability, and both together, of some folks to enjoin in the festivities, I have to think getting 75 single speeders together might be a big ask. We're good with that.

This will be a first year event and I'm not saying it will always be on this date, always be in this place, or will ever be done again. My motivation is that I wanted to provide a venue for a single speed only event. The idea has me excited, so we'll see how that goes and who knows after that.

Gravel Worlds 2019- August 17:

Okay, definitely not a new event! But it is a new date for 2019. This makes the cut today because.....well, Gravel Worlds! Need I say more? Maybe I do if you've never been there.

You long time readers have read it all before though. I've been coming back regularly for.......what? Four years in a row? Yeah, I think that's right. And I did the first GW, plus the Good Life Gravel Adventure before that. I think I have done at least one other Gravel Worlds in there as well. Anyway, I have attempted this event more than any other.

Let that sink in.......

I can go to a lot of events, but Gravel Worlds figures heavily into my plans because of the venue, the people behind it, the camaraderie with fellow riders, and the challenge of the course. Don't forget the volunteers and oasis folks. I cannot really say it is "one thing" because Gravel Worlds is a sum of all its parts. Take any one thing out of the mix and the event would suffer because of that one thing missing. It needs to have all it has, and no other event does what Gravel Worlds does.

That's a wrap for today. I hope you all have a great weekend and that you get some riding in.


 

Friday News And Views

Today is going to be a "Gravel Grinder News" Friday. Everything will be about new gravel events. Let's dig in, shall we?

A new event based out of Grinnell, Iowa

Prairie Burn 100:

When Trans Iowa was retired, I began hearing from Jon Duke, (you may remember Jon as the photographer for T.I.v13 and v14), about a new, as yet to be named, gravel event based out of Grinnell. This event has been a long time in the making and is just now getting introduced.

The Prairie Burn 100 will be a different event in that it is, in their words, "...not a race". Here's what their website has to say about it:

"This event is about having a good time, making connections and promoting all the good that comes from cycling. Proceeds from the event will go to Imagine Grinnell, a non-profit organization that makes the world a better place, or at least cities named Grinnell."

What's more is that afterward there will be live music, drinks, and food in the park for all the riders and for the Imagine Grinnell festival goers that will be there as well. June 8th, 2019 will be the date. Registration opens December 1st. This sounds like a great time and if you aren't sure about 100 miles, they have shorter distances on tap as well. A perfect event for beginner gravel riders, seasoned veterans of gravel looking for a good time, or for any cyclist that likes fun. The scenery is spectacular in and around Grinnell as well. 

The C.O.G 100 Has A Site!:

Like I said, this ain't gonna be no Facebook page event, so the info for the C.O.G. 100 in March of 2019 is only going to be found here.

The C.O.G 100 (Creatures Of Gravel 100, by the way) will have a mostly hilly, mostly gravel course around Grinnell, Iowa. The course design is being worked up now and should get re-conned in November. Registration will be on-line and we will announce that coming up soon. We've already decided on a field limit of 75, and hopefully we'll fill that out.

I say "hopefully" because this is a single speed bicycle event only. Yes......only single speed bicycles. This does not include disabled geared bikes. We are being very specific in that you can only have one chain ring and one rear cog. Keeps it simple for us and no one can accuse anyone of shifting, because, well.........they won't have any cogs to shift to. So, realizing this will limit the appeal, ability, and both together, of some folks to enjoin in the festivities, I have to think getting 75 single speeders together might be a big ask. We're good with that.

This will be a first year event and I'm not saying it will always be on this date, always be in this place, or will ever be done again. My motivation is that I wanted to provide a venue for a single speed only event. The idea has me excited, so we'll see how that goes and who knows after that.

Gravel Worlds 2019- August 17:

Okay, definitely not a new event! But it is a new date for 2019. This makes the cut today because.....well, Gravel Worlds! Need I say more? Maybe I do if you've never been there.

You long time readers have read it all before though. I've been coming back regularly for.......what? Four years in a row? Yeah, I think that's right. And I did the first GW, plus the Good Life Gravel Adventure before that. I think I have done at least one other Gravel Worlds in there as well. Anyway, I have attempted this event more than any other.

Let that sink in.......

I can go to a lot of events, but Gravel Worlds figures heavily into my plans because of the venue, the people behind it, the camaraderie with fellow riders, and the challenge of the course. Don't forget the volunteers and oasis folks. I cannot really say it is "one thing" because Gravel Worlds is a sum of all its parts. Take any one thing out of the mix and the event would suffer because of that one thing missing. It needs to have all it has, and no other event does what Gravel Worlds does.

That's a wrap for today. I hope you all have a great weekend and that you get some riding in.


 

Looking Ahead At 2018

Heading toward my 14th complete year of blogging in 2018.

Well, another stellar year of posting ends today for this blog. I am amazed that anyone still cares enough to actually read this blog at all, but you do. To all of you, a hearty "thank you!" and may you all have a Happy and Joyous New Year!

As for me, I have plans! (Insert evil laugh) Many of you will be surprised by at least one of the plans I have in store. Some of you will be nodding in agreement and understanding. Some of you won't give a rip. Some will deride me and say derogatory things. Nothing new about any of that!

Things concerning the blog will stay stable as long as I am around to punch keyboards out here. So, don't expect any big changes there. The blog should live on. That's my intention for now, at any rate.

Personally I am taking a different approach to my events. In the past I had a mix of competitive and "fun" riding. This coming year I am going to cut back on the competitive bits. I will be doing the Renegade Gent's race, but for all intents and purposes that is a fun ride. So, I am not counting that event as competition. There may be an excursion in Minnesota I will be on. That isn't set in stone just yet. Trans Iowa will take up the rest of my Spring's efforts along with just riding around here for fun.

June will be left completely wide open. There was some talk about riding three days in Odin's territory, but that is not solid as of now. It could happen though. Then the GTDRI will happen again probably the last weekend in July. Somewhere in the Spring I may still do a Geezer Ride. That will happen as part of a local, "get folks out on gravel" thing.

Summer won't have any other scheduled riding other than the Gravel Worlds, which is one I won't miss. Then that's it. Nothing else competitive at all is on my radar. Everything else I am leaving wide open to interpretation. I may want to go ride in Jackson County, Iowa, as an example, or along the Mississippi River somewhere, or out in the Loess Hills. I probably will go to the Northfield area, Des Moines area, and maybe some other places where I have friends to ride next year.

So yeah, the Renegade Gent's Race, GTDRI, and Gravel Worlds. That's all I am planning on for sure. The rest will be filled in with riding for fun, with friends, hopefully, and in some different places. I hope to get my 100 mile rides in on my single speed, gravel bikes, and maybe even a fat bike century too.

I look forward to this coming year. Less stress, less "big deals", and more fun with friends. That's my outlook right now.

Goodbye 2017......

Looking Ahead At 2018

Heading toward my 14th complete year of blogging in 2018.

Well, another stellar year of posting ends today for this blog. I am amazed that anyone still cares enough to actually read this blog at all, but you do. To all of you, a hearty "thank you!" and may you all have a Happy and Joyous New Year!

As for me, I have plans! (Insert evil laugh) Many of you will be surprised by at least one of the plans I have in store. Some of you will be nodding in agreement and understanding. Some of you won't give a rip. Some will deride me and say derogatory things. Nothing new about any of that!

Things concerning the blog will stay stable as long as I am around to punch keyboards out here. So, don't expect any big changes there. The blog should live on. That's my intention for now, at any rate.

Personally I am taking a different approach to my events. In the past I had a mix of competitive and "fun" riding. This coming year I am going to cut back on the competitive bits. I will be doing the Renegade Gent's race, but for all intents and purposes that is a fun ride. So, I am not counting that event as competition. There may be an excursion in Minnesota I will be on. That isn't set in stone just yet. Trans Iowa will take up the rest of my Spring's efforts along with just riding around here for fun.

June will be left completely wide open. There was some talk about riding three days in Odin's territory, but that is not solid as of now. It could happen though. Then the GTDRI will happen again probably the last weekend in July. Somewhere in the Spring I may still do a Geezer Ride. That will happen as part of a local, "get folks out on gravel" thing.

Summer won't have any other scheduled riding other than the Gravel Worlds, which is one I won't miss. Then that's it. Nothing else competitive at all is on my radar. Everything else I am leaving wide open to interpretation. I may want to go ride in Jackson County, Iowa, as an example, or along the Mississippi River somewhere, or out in the Loess Hills. I probably will go to the Northfield area, Des Moines area, and maybe some other places where I have friends to ride next year.

So yeah, the Renegade Gent's Race, GTDRI, and Gravel Worlds. That's all I am planning on for sure. The rest will be filled in with riding for fun, with friends, hopefully, and in some different places. I hope to get my 100 mile rides in on my single speed, gravel bikes, and maybe even a fat bike century too.

I look forward to this coming year. Less stress, less "big deals", and more fun with friends. That's my outlook right now.

Goodbye 2017......

A Pirate Sets Sail

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey giving last minute instructions at the first Gravel Worlds

When I think of certain parts of my life there are those iconic people that were a big part of things for me. People that always rise to the forefront of my mind. Sometimes there may even be a group of people. In the context of the gravel scene, I feel that one of those groups of people are the "Pirate Cycling League".

The folks that make up this group are many, and I am sure that I don't know all of them. That said, the PCL guys were a really big influence on me and Trans Iowa. I know for a fact that the early support of riders like Matt Wills, Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, Matt Gersib, and others was a big facet of the early success story for Trans Iowa. They took the story of TI back to Lincoln with them and they became "super fans" of the event. I will not easily forget the van full of Pirates from the truncated TIv4 finish line in Edgewood, Iowa.

This support and goodwill affected me directly when in 2009 I attended and raced in the last "Good Life Gravel Adventure" out of Lincoln. I stayed at the infamous "D Street Motel", a huge, rambling old Victorian era home near the Nebraska State capitol building that had been the college home for many of the PCL members in the past. One of the most notorious of these was a guy that went by the initials, "CVO".

I hadn't met Christopher Van Ooyen (CVO) when I first went to the D Street, but I had heard of him. If you were going in with the gravel cycling crowd in Lincoln, you were sure to find out who he was. Back in the early 00's, there was no Facebook, so everyone blogged. Well there was a Lincoln Blog about the local cycling scene which was pretty much dominated by CVO. I read it and followed the story of CVO as he led various group rides, raced, and then passed from a broken relationship into a time of living in Mexico. By the time I came to my second gravel adventure in Lincoln, the inaugural Gravel Worlds, CVO had returned and was living again at the D Street house.

  In Memory of Christopher Van Ooyen - 09/28/1972-10/10/2017

That's where I met him. We retired to the upper story of the house where we spent the evening before Gravel Worlds chatting and hanging out with other PCL members. The day of the first Gravel Worlds, CVO was a volunteer and I recall him writing my racer number on my calf in black marker. Just like a triathlete or runner might have, but this was a gravel race. Weird. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of that again in gravel racing.

Then, later on in to the first Gravel Worlds event, CVO was seen by many out rambling around in a beat-to-shit white GM car of some sort with two coolers of drinks. One Monster Energy, the other Bud heavy's. Here's a bit of a snippet from my race report:

"It was as I was stopped alongside the road, (where I had sat on a cockle burr bush by accident and was pulling the thorny devils outta my "nether regions"), that CVO appeared out of the haze like an angel. He didn't see me until he was right by me, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and backed up the car to see how I was doing."

CVO got me two Buds and a Monster. Then he did something I'll never forget.......

"As I stood and swilled the beers and energy drinks, CVO grabbed his clubs and some rogue balls and began to profess his love of golfing to me as he took a few swings at the "gravel fareway". Unwittingly, (or maybe not), he invented gravel road golfing in front of my very eyes. This CVO cat is brilliant!"

Craig Schmidt holding up the first Gravel Worlds jersey design at Yia-Yia's in downtown Lincoln

 He was brilliant, that CVO character. He made me feel good about my miserable finish as I climbed into his beat up car that day. He hauled me back to Lincoln, chatted me up like I was always one of the gang. Honestly, CVO was one of the reasons that Gravel Worlds has been cemented into the gravel cycling culture as one of those events that is at once "real", grassroots, and fun, but has that same cutting edge competitiveness that the pointy end of the peloton craves. CVO and his PCL cohorts really set the bar high back then, and to the Pirates credit, it still remains high.

The seas have been stormy of late around Lincoln and the Pirates have been particularly hit hard. First it was Randy Gibson, who was hit by a driver under the influence of alcohol and was killed. Now CVO has succumbed to a rare disease that took his life Tuesday morning. That's just devastating right there.

The Facebook pages I follow are rife with stories about CVO, his creativity, his kindness, and his influence upon cyclists. It is obvious that CVO influenced and touched so many lives. Even the life of a crazy old blogger/cyclist from Waterloo, Iowa. I mentioned in the beginning of the post that there are certain iconic people that I will never forget. Even though I only knew CVO a minuscule amount, his impact was huge. He definitely will always be a bright spot in my life as I think back to Lincoln, the PCL, and Gravel Worlds.

Sail on, my friend! May you find calm seas and clear skies.

A Pirate Sets Sail

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey giving last minute instructions at the first Gravel Worlds

When I think of certain parts of my life there are those iconic people that were a big part of things for me. People that always rise to the forefront of my mind. Sometimes there may even be a group of people. In the context of the gravel scene, I feel that one of those groups of people are the "Pirate Cycling League".

The folks that make up this group are many, and I am sure that I don't know all of them. That said, the PCL guys were a really big influence on me and Trans Iowa. I know for a fact that the early support of riders like Matt Wills, Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, Matt Gersib, and others was a big facet of the early success story for Trans Iowa. They took the story of TI back to Lincoln with them and they became "super fans" of the event. I will not easily forget the van full of Pirates from the truncated TIv4 finish line in Edgewood, Iowa.

This support and goodwill affected me directly when in 2009 I attended and raced in the last "Good Life Gravel Adventure" out of Lincoln. I stayed at the infamous "D Street Motel", a huge, rambling old Victorian era home near the Nebraska State capitol building that had been the college home for many of the PCL members in the past. One of the most notorious of these was a guy that went by the initials, "CVO".

I hadn't met Christopher Van Ooyen (CVO) when I first went to the D Street, but I had heard of him. If you were going in with the gravel cycling crowd in Lincoln, you were sure to find out who he was. Back in the early 00's, there was no Facebook, so everyone blogged. Well there was a Lincoln Blog about the local cycling scene which was pretty much dominated by CVO. I read it and followed the story of CVO as he led various group rides, raced, and then passed from a broken relationship into a time of living in Mexico. By the time I came to my second gravel adventure in Lincoln, the inaugural Gravel Worlds, CVO had returned and was living again at the D Street house.

  In Memory of Christopher Van Ooyen - 09/28/1972-10/10/2017

That's where I met him. We retired to the upper story of the house where we spent the evening before Gravel Worlds chatting and hanging out with other PCL members. The day of the first Gravel Worlds, CVO was a volunteer and I recall him writing my racer number on my calf in black marker. Just like a triathlete or runner might have, but this was a gravel race. Weird. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of that again in gravel racing.

Then, later on in to the first Gravel Worlds event, CVO was seen by many out rambling around in a beat-to-shit white GM car of some sort with two coolers of drinks. One Monster Energy, the other Bud heavy's. Here's a bit of a snippet from my race report:

"It was as I was stopped alongside the road, (where I had sat on a cockle burr bush by accident and was pulling the thorny devils outta my "nether regions"), that CVO appeared out of the haze like an angel. He didn't see me until he was right by me, slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt, and backed up the car to see how I was doing."

CVO got me two Buds and a Monster. Then he did something I'll never forget.......

"As I stood and swilled the beers and energy drinks, CVO grabbed his clubs and some rogue balls and began to profess his love of golfing to me as he took a few swings at the "gravel fareway". Unwittingly, (or maybe not), he invented gravel road golfing in front of my very eyes. This CVO cat is brilliant!"

Craig Schmidt holding up the first Gravel Worlds jersey design at Yia-Yia's in downtown Lincoln

 He was brilliant, that CVO character. He made me feel good about my miserable finish as I climbed into his beat up car that day. He hauled me back to Lincoln, chatted me up like I was always one of the gang. Honestly, CVO was one of the reasons that Gravel Worlds has been cemented into the gravel cycling culture as one of those events that is at once "real", grassroots, and fun, but has that same cutting edge competitiveness that the pointy end of the peloton craves. CVO and his PCL cohorts really set the bar high back then, and to the Pirates credit, it still remains high.

The seas have been stormy of late around Lincoln and the Pirates have been particularly hit hard. First it was Randy Gibson, who was hit by a driver under the influence of alcohol and was killed. Now CVO has succumbed to a rare disease that took his life Tuesday morning. That's just devastating right there.

The Facebook pages I follow are rife with stories about CVO, his creativity, his kindness, and his influence upon cyclists. It is obvious that CVO influenced and touched so many lives. Even the life of a crazy old blogger/cyclist from Waterloo, Iowa. I mentioned in the beginning of the post that there are certain iconic people that I will never forget. Even though I only knew CVO a minuscule amount, his impact was huge. He definitely will always be a bright spot in my life as I think back to Lincoln, the PCL, and Gravel Worlds.

Sail on, my friend! May you find calm seas and clear skies.

Ride For Randy

Special Announcement: Cyclists are a vulnerable user group and with drivers being more inattentive and impaired than ever before, we sometimes have tragedies occur like that of the death of Wade Franck, which hit the Iowa cycling community hard in 2015. 

Unfortunately my friends in the Lincoln, Nebraska cycling community are going through similar emotions after the tragic death of Randy Gibson, an accomplished, well known, and well liked cyclist from Lincoln, Nebraska. Besides being a cyclist many may not know that Randy was also heavily involved in Gravel Worlds and was responsible for the artwork used for this year's edition of the event, as well as helping to produce the event itself.

A memorial ride in Randy Gibson's honor will happen on October the 1st in Lincoln, Nebraska. I encourage anyone that can to attend in support of Randy Gibson's family, friends, and in support of the Lincoln cycling community and cyclists everywhere.

Following is a press release for the event:

Cyclists Organize Ride to Celebrate Life of Randy Gibson

Lincoln’s Hub Café to host the ride and remembrance October 1 at 10:00 a.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. (September 27, 2017) – Friends and family of Randy Gibson are planning a ride to celebrate the life of the Lincoln cyclist killed Saturday, Sept. 23, by a suspected drunk driver. The ride will take place Sunday, Oct. 1, from the Hub Café, 250 N. 21st St in Lincoln.

According to Gibson’s friend and ride co-host, Corey Godfrey, the ride will give friends and family an opportunity to reminisce and share stories.

“Let’s get together and remember Randy by doing one of the things he loved most – ride bicycles. We will meet at the Hub Café and roll out at 10:00 a.m. The plan is to ride around Lincoln and end up back at the Hub Café around noon for lunch,” Godfrey said.

Godfrey said the route would primarily utilize Lincoln bike paths, with a total distance of just under fifteen miles. 

Following lunch, the group will gather at the Jayne Snyder Trail Center, adjacent to the Hub Café, for a brief memorial, and to share stories and write well wishes to Gibson’s family. Participants are encouraged to bring along pictures, videos and other memories of Gibson to share with the group.

The Hub Café kitchen will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Learn more about the ride and memorial at the Ride for Randy event page.

Ride For Randy

Special Announcement: Cyclists are a vulnerable user group and with drivers being more inattentive and impaired than ever before, we sometimes have tragedies occur like that of the death of Wade Franck, which hit the Iowa cycling community hard in 2015. 

Unfortunately my friends in the Lincoln, Nebraska cycling community are going through similar emotions after the tragic death of Randy Gibson, an accomplished, well known, and well liked cyclist from Lincoln, Nebraska. Besides being a cyclist many may not know that Randy was also heavily involved in Gravel Worlds and was responsible for the artwork used for this year's edition of the event, as well as helping to produce the event itself.

A memorial ride in Randy Gibson's honor will happen on October the 1st in Lincoln, Nebraska. I encourage anyone that can to attend in support of Randy Gibson's family, friends, and in support of the Lincoln cycling community and cyclists everywhere.

Following is a press release for the event:

Cyclists Organize Ride to Celebrate Life of Randy Gibson

Lincoln’s Hub Café to host the ride and remembrance October 1 at 10:00 a.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. (September 27, 2017) – Friends and family of Randy Gibson are planning a ride to celebrate the life of the Lincoln cyclist killed Saturday, Sept. 23, by a suspected drunk driver. The ride will take place Sunday, Oct. 1, from the Hub Café, 250 N. 21st St in Lincoln.

According to Gibson’s friend and ride co-host, Corey Godfrey, the ride will give friends and family an opportunity to reminisce and share stories.

“Let’s get together and remember Randy by doing one of the things he loved most – ride bicycles. We will meet at the Hub Café and roll out at 10:00 a.m. The plan is to ride around Lincoln and end up back at the Hub Café around noon for lunch,” Godfrey said.

Godfrey said the route would primarily utilize Lincoln bike paths, with a total distance of just under fifteen miles. 

Following lunch, the group will gather at the Jayne Snyder Trail Center, adjacent to the Hub Café, for a brief memorial, and to share stories and write well wishes to Gibson’s family. Participants are encouraged to bring along pictures, videos and other memories of Gibson to share with the group.

The Hub Café kitchen will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Learn more about the ride and memorial at the Ride for Randy event page.

Minus Ten Review -36

"Team Stoopid" won!

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about the Labor Day weekend win I had with "Team Stoopid". It was a four man, single speed, rigid fork riding team. I had quite the spectacular "dismount" during this event. One of my better crashes, actually.

There was a left hander, a pretty sharp one, that came after a quick downhill. If you over-cooked the turn, there was a precipitous drop of probably 20-25 feet. Well, I over-cooked the turn and found myself in mid-air with the prospects of a nasty drop and certain injury. I managed to hook a small tree with my right arm and I spun, pole dancer style, all the way to the bottom hooked to the tree by the crook of my arm only. It left a nasty rash, but I landed safely on the ground on my two feet.

That was probably the highlight of my miserably slow two laps. I was woefully over-geared for that steep of a course, but live and learn! The opportunity to experience a 24Hr race weekend, even though we only did 12 hours, was really cool. It remains my only experience with that sort of off road racing.

The other thing that was cool was that I got to spend a weekend with three others that I haven't had the opportunity to spend anytime with ever since. It was an odd arrangement and the timing of the team coming together was maybe a cosmic oddity. I don't know, but I won't soon forget that experience or the time spent with those men.

Me heading out for a lap for "Team Stoopid".

In other news from a decade ago this week, I was talking about the mythical "Gravel Triple Crown". This is interesting now from the standpoint of this past spring's Trans Iowa winner, Dan Hughes, claiming the "Triple Crown" in his blog report for the event. To get some perspective on this, I am going to refer to my writing about the "Triple Crown" idea here:

"Word is perculating (sic) that it (the Triple Crown's third event) might be in Nebraska. We'll see, but this is an idea that hatched not long after Jeff and I came out with Trans Iowa V1. We'll see if there is enough enthusiasm to carry the day."

So, as can be seen, a "Triple Crown" of gravel idea was being discussed "shortly after" T.I.v1 was announced. This was likely in 2005 or so when, as I recall, it was Jim Cummins of the DK200 who bandied the idea about and was asking Jeff and I what we thought about doing such a thing. As I recall, we weren't too hot on the idea of getting involved in a "series", which is how we were interpreting the idea. We were still finding our way, as far as how this gravel road racing idea would pan out, and we wanted freedom to tweak on our event as we saw fit. A series, or any link to a Triple Crown, would mean some sort of guidelines and rules to make it cohesive and we didn't think it was going to be a possibility without severely compromising our visions.

So, here a couple of years later the idea was brought up again as the Lincoln guys were developing their idea for the "Good Life Gravel Adventure" which became "Gravel Worlds" a few years later. The idea never came to any "official" agreement between the DK200, Trans Iowa, and Gravel Worlds folks, so it remained a curious idea at best. As far as I ever knew, it never even reached a point beyond some cursory discussions among the promoters.

Dan Hughes probably heard about this from talk in the early days of the DK200, I don't know, but that is completely plausible. However he came across the idea, it was never anything serious and the idea never got off the ground. Now I see folks on social media urging Allison Tetrick, who has won Gravel Worlds and the Dirty Kanza 200 Women's titles, to come to T.I. to try for the women's mythical triple crown. But be assured that even if she does sign up, and by chance happens to win the Women's category, it will be only an idea that resides with some of the riders. Definitely not an official crown.

Minus Ten Review -36

"Team Stoopid" won!

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about the Labor Day weekend win I had with "Team Stoopid". It was a four man, single speed, rigid fork riding team. I had quite the spectacular "dismount" during this event. One of my better crashes, actually.

There was a left hander, a pretty sharp one, that came after a quick downhill. If you over-cooked the turn, there was a precipitous drop of probably 20-25 feet. Well, I over-cooked the turn and found myself in mid-air with the prospects of a nasty drop and certain injury. I managed to hook a small tree with my right arm and I spun, pole dancer style, all the way to the bottom hooked to the tree by the crook of my arm only. It left a nasty rash, but I landed safely on the ground on my two feet.

That was probably the highlight of my miserably slow two laps. I was woefully over-geared for that steep of a course, but live and learn! The opportunity to experience a 24Hr race weekend, even though we only did 12 hours, was really cool. It remains my only experience with that sort of off road racing.

The other thing that was cool was that I got to spend a weekend with three others that I haven't had the opportunity to spend anytime with ever since. It was an odd arrangement and the timing of the team coming together was maybe a cosmic oddity. I don't know, but I won't soon forget that experience or the time spent with those men.

Me heading out for a lap for "Team Stoopid".

In other news from a decade ago this week, I was talking about the mythical "Gravel Triple Crown". This is interesting now from the standpoint of this past spring's Trans Iowa winner, Dan Hughes, claiming the "Triple Crown" in his blog report for the event. To get some perspective on this, I am going to refer to my writing about the "Triple Crown" idea here:

"Word is perculating (sic) that it (the Triple Crown's third event) might be in Nebraska. We'll see, but this is an idea that hatched not long after Jeff and I came out with Trans Iowa V1. We'll see if there is enough enthusiasm to carry the day."

So, as can be seen, a "Triple Crown" of gravel idea was being discussed "shortly after" T.I.v1 was announced. This was likely in 2005 or so when, as I recall, it was Jim Cummins of the DK200 who bandied the idea about and was asking Jeff and I what we thought about doing such a thing. As I recall, we weren't too hot on the idea of getting involved in a "series", which is how we were interpreting the idea. We were still finding our way, as far as how this gravel road racing idea would pan out, and we wanted freedom to tweak on our event as we saw fit. A series, or any link to a Triple Crown, would mean some sort of guidelines and rules to make it cohesive and we didn't think it was going to be a possibility without severely compromising our visions.

So, here a couple of years later the idea was brought up again as the Lincoln guys were developing their idea for the "Good Life Gravel Adventure" which became "Gravel Worlds" a few years later. The idea never came to any "official" agreement between the DK200, Trans Iowa, and Gravel Worlds folks, so it remained a curious idea at best. As far as I ever knew, it never even reached a point beyond some cursory discussions among the promoters.

Dan Hughes probably heard about this from talk in the early days of the DK200, I don't know, but that is completely plausible. However he came across the idea, it was never anything serious and the idea never got off the ground. Now I see folks on social media urging Allison Tetrick, who has won Gravel Worlds and the Dirty Kanza 200 Women's titles, to come to T.I. to try for the women's mythical triple crown. But be assured that even if she does sign up, and by chance happens to win the Women's category, it will be only an idea that resides with some of the riders. Definitely not an official crown.

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. 

Dusty Shakedown

Smoke on the horizon? No- That's just a car up ahead in that dust cloud!

Gravel Worlds is coming up this weekend and I am focusing my attention on this event now. I made some changes to the Tamland that I wanted to get out and test, just to make sure I liked the set up and to make any small adjustments if necessary.

The day was perfect for riding. There was a North breeze, but it wasn't bad. I decided to ride up Burton Avenue and it was really, really dusty! We sure could use some rain around here! UPDATE: Wish granted! It is raining pretty good here this morning!

I was kind of hoping it would be really humid, as Gravel Worlds tends to have that sort of weather. Unfortunately, as I said, the weather was perfect. Low, low humidity instead of the typical "dog days" we get in August. I could feel the sweat evaporating off my body and it actually chilled me. I'm sure that Gravel Worlds will not be so dry and comfortable. Oh well......

The set up is a suspended one- BodyFloat seat post, Redshift Sports ShockStop stem, and I am using a Ritchey Venturemax handle bar. The tires are the very nice riding WTB Resolutes. All combined to make the test ride a comfortable one. I did end up tweaking the position of the handle bars a bit. Otherwise, it all should be great for Gravel Worlds 150 mile course. Now all I have to do is clean up the rig and check over the drive train.

It was so dusty Saturday that my tires looked white at times.

So now I wait and see what the weather will bring. I see that right now the weather for Lincoln is to be mid-80's with Sun and it is supposed to be humid. Mid 80's? That would be a gift, in my estimation. I believe that is about the same forecast as last year. Of course, most of the middle part of the course will be in to a head wind. Why wouldn't it be? Well, maybe I'll be wrong about that part. That would be good, actually.

The course gets sent out Wednesday. I have to figure out if it will download in to my Lezyne, and of course, I will print out cue sheets. I will be leaving for Lincoln on Friday morning with my friend Tony, so I have a lot to do before then. Buy nutrition, dial in the fine details on the rig, and get packed up and ready to go.

Oh! A side note on Saturday: There is a new dog on Burton about a 1/4 mile South of the church on the corner of Burton and Gresham Roads. The house is on the East side of the road. I hadn't ever had any trouble with a dog here until Saturday when a herding type of dog came out and expertly cut me off and I had to stop. A big old Lab came trundling out behind, so I had both these dogs to contend with. I had them talked off the ledge when suddenly they went berserk, and that was because the owner came out. A tall, middle aged woman who was very apologetic. She said the herding dog was new, and that it hadn't been trained yet.

And the ironic thing is that the dog is named Tony, just like my gravel riding companion who is going to Gravel Worlds with me. Ha!

So, anyway, if you are a local, and if you ride up North on Burton Avenue, you may get a welcome from Tony. Now you know.......

Dusty Shakedown

Smoke on the horizon? No- That's just a car up ahead in that dust cloud!

Gravel Worlds is coming up this weekend and I am focusing my attention on this event now. I made some changes to the Tamland that I wanted to get out and test, just to make sure I liked the set up and to make any small adjustments if necessary.

The day was perfect for riding. There was a North breeze, but it wasn't bad. I decided to ride up Burton Avenue and it was really, really dusty! We sure could use some rain around here! UPDATE: Wish granted! It is raining pretty good here this morning!

I was kind of hoping it would be really humid, as Gravel Worlds tends to have that sort of weather. Unfortunately, as I said, the weather was perfect. Low, low humidity instead of the typical "dog days" we get in August. I could feel the sweat evaporating off my body and it actually chilled me. I'm sure that Gravel Worlds will not be so dry and comfortable. Oh well......

The set up is a suspended one- BodyFloat seat post, Redshift Sports ShockStop stem, and I am using a Ritchey Venturemax handle bar. The tires are the very nice riding WTB Resolutes. All combined to make the test ride a comfortable one. I did end up tweaking the position of the handle bars a bit. Otherwise, it all should be great for Gravel Worlds 150 mile course. Now all I have to do is clean up the rig and check over the drive train.

It was so dusty Saturday that my tires looked white at times.

So now I wait and see what the weather will bring. I see that right now the weather for Lincoln is to be mid-80's with Sun and it is supposed to be humid. Mid 80's? That would be a gift, in my estimation. I believe that is about the same forecast as last year. Of course, most of the middle part of the course will be in to a head wind. Why wouldn't it be? Well, maybe I'll be wrong about that part. That would be good, actually.

The course gets sent out Wednesday. I have to figure out if it will download in to my Lezyne, and of course, I will print out cue sheets. I will be leaving for Lincoln on Friday morning with my friend Tony, so I have a lot to do before then. Buy nutrition, dial in the fine details on the rig, and get packed up and ready to go.

Oh! A side note on Saturday: There is a new dog on Burton about a 1/4 mile South of the church on the corner of Burton and Gresham Roads. The house is on the East side of the road. I hadn't ever had any trouble with a dog here until Saturday when a herding type of dog came out and expertly cut me off and I had to stop. A big old Lab came trundling out behind, so I had both these dogs to contend with. I had them talked off the ledge when suddenly they went berserk, and that was because the owner came out. A tall, middle aged woman who was very apologetic. She said the herding dog was new, and that it hadn't been trained yet.

And the ironic thing is that the dog is named Tony, just like my gravel riding companion who is going to Gravel Worlds with me. Ha!

So, anyway, if you are a local, and if you ride up North on Burton Avenue, you may get a welcome from Tony. Now you know.......