The Path To Discovering Gravel Grinding: Part 1

My number plate from the 2006 Dirty Kanza 200

 As gravel grinding in the Modern Era continues into its 3rd decade, I thought it might be interesting to those who weren't a part of those pioneering days of gravel events to read my experiences and thoughts about those times. 

Twenty years ago I signed up for an event in Kansas being put on by two men most folks had never heard of before. Joel Dyke and Jim Cummins were two guys brought together by their mutual love of two-wheeled, off-road fun, and challenging rides. 

Jim came from the moto world and was into mountain biking. Joel was more into whatever cycling hi-jinx he could find, and if he couldn't find it, he created it. Between the two they had forged an interest in a silly gravel road based event in Iowa called Trans Iowa.  

Joel and Jim had been in contact concerning Trans Iowa with Jeff Kerkove. Jeff was the "point man" of Trans Iowa those first few years. Mostly because Jeff was a well-known solo 24hr endurance racer who had a very popular blog at the time. While I was more of an assistant in those days, it meant I wasn't a big part of the communications going back and forth between we Trans Iowa organizers and the organizers of the DK200. I was verbally kept abreast of all of this though since I worked in close proximity to Jeff. Both literally and figuratively!

An image I pulled off an online source on the Flint Hills back in 2006

Joel came up and rode in the first two editions of Trans Iowa and took many ideas back to Kansas for he and Jim to mull over as they were going to put on a similar event in Kansas. They settled on the Flint Hills for this ride which, originally wasn't called "Dirty Kanza", but nearer to their inaugural running of the event, it took on that name. 

It was kind of an unspoken thing back in the very early days of gravel that if you put on an event and another event organizer came to ride in your event, you went and rode in their event as well. It was a sign of solidarity amongst the early gravel event promoters. So, when Jim and Joel announced registration was open for the 2006 Dirty Kanza 200, I signed up.  

While I could have plied questions and received knowledge from the event organizers, due to the circumstances I was in at the time, I did not do this. Being in a gravel event was a completely new idea back in 2006. Everything you were going to do was pulled from other cycling disciplines and when it came to big decisions, like what bicycle to use, it was an unknown to a degree. Mostly because I, and others coming to the first Dirty Kansas, had no idea what the Flint Hills of Kansas was like. 

I was researching online, looking at pictures, reading stories about the grasslands, and getting to know some of the history of the area including the history of earlier peoples who called the Flint Hills home. Especially the history behind the Kanza people.  I actually learned a lot just because I signed up for an event, so it was a good thing besides the cycling bits. 

I eventually decided on riding my then new On One Inbred as a single speed. It would be my first bicycle race in ten years and it would be 200 miles long! (Look....no one said it was a smart decision!) So, you can see why I was a bit concerned and why I was doing a bunch of research. There were chats online in the Endurance Forum of MTBR.com, there were blog posts from fellow cyclists, and I did actually pick Jeff's mind about nutrition and such, since he was a Pro at it.  

It was an exciting time. There were a lot of unknowns, and decisions made were weightier and harder to make back then. In my next post on this, coming up in a week or two, I'll discuss more about what this event meant in terms of the overall nascent gravel scene  

Nominations Open

Posted on the GCHoF's Instagram yesterday

 You'd have thought that yesterday's post and today's were premeditated to coordinate with each other, but that's not at all the case. It is just a happy circumstance that yesterday the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announced that their nomination process would open up November 1st. 

Again, I said much of what I wanted to say about the "why" of this organization's existence. Today I will focus on the "how" of the process of nominating an individual or event/organization for GCHoF inclusion. 

I'm going to specifically take the case of Joel Dyke, the co-founder of the DK200 along with Jim Cummings. By the way, these are two guys I think should be shoe-ins for nomination and induction for 2023. 

As a matter of fact, they should have gotten in this year. But things being what they are, that did not happen. So, following is a true example of why that did not happen, and then I'll show you how it should happen. 

Joel Dyke was nominated this year, but to get inducted, you have to convince a panel of "judges" who are a diverse group of racers, journalists, and bicycle company folks. I know it may come as a complete shock to some of you, but the name "Joel Dyke" doesn't do anything for those who came into the sport in the last ten years, and especially since 2019, which is the date many say that this "gravel thing really took off". (Although, in 2019 they were saying "this thing really took off in 2015, so, yeah.....) 

The result of Joel being a person who has already "faded from memory" or was "lost to history" was that the nomination the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame received, and what they had to go on, was a one word sentence. "Joel was the man", or something to that effect, was what I was told by LeLan Dains, the chairman of the GCHoF. That was not anything that moved the needle for the nomination committee. So, Joel, disappointingly, was not inducted into the first class, as should have been the case. But, the process relies on riders to tell the story, so here is how it maybe should have been written up:

Joel Dyke, (L) as seen at Trans Iowa v2 in April of 2006.

 I nominate Joel Dyke for inclusion into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. Joel was the co-founder of the gravel event which eventually became the Unbound Gravel event, based out of Emporia, Kansas, home of the GCHoF, in 2006. Joel was integral to the early success of the modern day gravel scene. He, along with co-founder of the Emporia based event, Jim Cummings, forged a new identity not only for gravel cycling, but for the city of Emporia Kansas as well. The event that Joel helped create is now known world-wide as North America's premier gravel event. This would not have occurred without Joel's participation and influence.

Furthermore; Joel was already a well known cyclist and regarded as a fine "underground" events promoter within the Kansas City cycling community. His events drew cyclists from all stripes to get off the couch, move, and become a part of a welcoming community of cyclists. Joel's affable, outgoing personality helped draw in people. Armed with this and his experiences with events, Joel helped create the prototypical "grassroots gravel" experience for those early gravel events he and Jim Cummings put on in Emporia. Joel drew in influences from his participation in other early gravel events, like Trans Iowa, to expand on his repertoire of knowledge and tools to help the gravel scene expand and grow not only in Emporia, but all over the Mid-West.  

Joel Dyke is then an important figure for the early gravel cycling scene, and as a pioneer of the sport, he deserves to be included in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. 

So, had THAT been the story the committee got, I have no doubt that they would have nominated Joel. (Not because I wrote that, but you get the idea here...) Of course, anyone who nominates a person for this needs to get their permission to do so, and in this case, since Joel tragically died several years ago, you'd have to ask his widow, I suppose. But there ya go. Write up something like that for Joel, (or anyone else you deem worthy), and send it in after November 1st to the GCHoF. Heck- you can even copy and paste what I wrote, I don't care. 

That's how it happened that Joel wasn't in on the first class of the GCHoF. This is one of the reasons why I wrote yesterday that it is sooooo important for us to get this all written down, recorded, and preserved somewhere so that these fans of the gravel cycling scene can know what the heck actually happened to get them where they are in the future. 

Without the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, you wouldn't know about many of us that were there. It may seem obvious to you now, but in another 20 years? Yeah..... Without that history being documented, those folks born today won't know about me, Joel, or anyone else who got them on gravel racing and riding in 2042 because of what we did "back in the day". Instead people might still be writing ding-dong statements like "this gravel thing has really taken off in the last few years", which even now is clearly not the case.  

So, it is important for you folks out there to participate and let your voices be heard with regard to what is and what is not important to gravel cycling. It doesn't have to be about certain people, but let's be real here- Without the people involved, gravel cycling wouldn't be worth a hoot. So, you will never get away from that bit. 

Nominations Open

Posted on the GCHoF's Instagram yesterday

 You'd have thought that yesterday's post and today's were premeditated to coordinate with each other, but that's not at all the case. It is just a happy circumstance that yesterday the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announced that their nomination process would open up November 1st. 

Again, I said much of what I wanted to say about the "why" of this organization's existence. Today I will focus on the "how" of the process of nominating an individual or event/organization for GCHoF inclusion. 

I'm going to specifically take the case of Joel Dyke, the co-founder of the DK200 along with Jim Cummings. By the way, these are two guys I think should be shoe-ins for nomination and induction for 2023. 

As a matter of fact, they should have gotten in this year. But things being what they are, that did not happen. So, following is a true example of why that did not happen, and then I'll show you how it should happen. 

Joel Dyke was nominated this year, but to get inducted, you have to convince a panel of "judges" who are a diverse group of racers, journalists, and bicycle company folks. I know it may come as a complete shock to some of you, but the name "Joel Dyke" doesn't do anything for those who came into the sport in the last ten years, and especially since 2019, which is the date many say that this "gravel thing really took off". (Although, in 2019 they were saying "this thing really took off in 2015, so, yeah.....) 

The result of Joel being a person who has already "faded from memory" or was "lost to history" was that the nomination the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame received, and what they had to go on, was a one word sentence. "Joel was the man", or something to that effect, was what I was told by LeLan Dains, the chairman of the GCHoF. That was not anything that moved the needle for the nomination committee. So, Joel, disappointingly, was not inducted into the first class, as should have been the case. But, the process relies on riders to tell the story, so here is how it maybe should have been written up:

Joel Dyke, (L) as seen at Trans Iowa v2 in April of 2006.

 I nominate Joel Dyke for inclusion into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. Joel was the co-founder of the gravel event which eventually became the Unbound Gravel event, based out of Emporia, Kansas, home of the GCHoF, in 2006. Joel was integral to the early success of the modern day gravel scene. He, along with co-founder of the Emporia based event, Jim Cummings, forged a new identity not only for gravel cycling, but for the city of Emporia Kansas as well. The event that Joel helped create is now known world-wide as North America's premier gravel event. This would not have occurred without Joel's participation and influence.

Furthermore; Joel was already a well known cyclist and regarded as a fine "underground" events promoter within the Kansas City cycling community. His events drew cyclists from all stripes to get off the couch, move, and become a part of a welcoming community of cyclists. Joel's affable, outgoing personality helped draw in people. Armed with this and his experiences with events, Joel helped create the prototypical "grassroots gravel" experience for those early gravel events he and Jim Cummings put on in Emporia. Joel drew in influences from his participation in other early gravel events, like Trans Iowa, to expand on his repertoire of knowledge and tools to help the gravel scene expand and grow not only in Emporia, but all over the Mid-West.  

Joel Dyke is then an important figure for the early gravel cycling scene, and as a pioneer of the sport, he deserves to be included in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. 

So, had THAT been the story the committee got, I have no doubt that they would have nominated Joel. (Not because I wrote that, but you get the idea here...) Of course, anyone who nominates a person for this needs to get their permission to do so, and in this case, since Joel tragically died several years ago, you'd have to ask his widow, I suppose. But there ya go. Write up something like that for Joel, (or anyone else you deem worthy), and send it in after November 1st to the GCHoF. Heck- you can even copy and paste what I wrote, I don't care. 

That's how it happened that Joel wasn't in on the first class of the GCHoF. This is one of the reasons why I wrote yesterday that it is sooooo important for us to get this all written down, recorded, and preserved somewhere so that these fans of the gravel cycling scene can know what the heck actually happened to get them where they are in the future. 

Without the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, you wouldn't know about many of us that were there. It may seem obvious to you now, but in another 20 years? Yeah..... Without that history being documented, those folks born today won't know about me, Joel, or anyone else who got them on gravel racing and riding in 2042 because of what we did "back in the day". Instead people might still be writing ding-dong statements like "this gravel thing has really taken off in the last few years", which even now is clearly not the case.  

So, it is important for you folks out there to participate and let your voices be heard with regard to what is and what is not important to gravel cycling. It doesn't have to be about certain people, but let's be real here- Without the people involved, gravel cycling wouldn't be worth a hoot. So, you will never get away from that bit. 

The GTDRI Stories: Where Did This Come From? - Part 2

In 2006 I participated in the first DK200 which sparked ideas in my head.

"The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

Once I got involved in Trans Iowa, I had pretty much transferred my riding to off-pavement. By this time I had a 2003 Karate Monkey I had set up single speed with drop bars and this became my de facto 'gravel bike'. Again- there weren't any 'gravel specific' bicycles or components at this point. We were borrowing what worked, and for many of us, the new 29" platform was making the most sense. It had a wheel size based on road bikes, and the momentum and stability of 29"ers was prized in gravel riding. 

It bears repeating here that the fact was that the DK200 guys, Jim Cummings and Joel Dyke, had researched and borrowed ideas and inspiration from Trans Iowa and that also comes into play with gravel ideas I had. I've told about how their event inspired later Trans Iowas, but it also inspired the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. It did this in a couple of ways.

Firstly, when the DK200 was announced, I felt compelled to support it by attending and riding in it. This was because 'gravel cycling' was pretty much the DK200 and Trans Iowa. That was it. Note- There were other events "on gravel" but they typically did not bill themselves as "gravel events", as did the DK200 and T.I. The Colesburg race, which was going on then for an example, was billed as a "tune-up race" for the Chequamegon 40 MTB event. It wasn't until 2022 that they started calling that event the "oldest gravel grinder in the Mid-West". 

I was excited about what was happening with gravel events, and I know others were as well. The over-arching feeling I got back then was that this idea was so much fun - No governing bodies, rules that were minimal and easily understood. The do-it-yourself nature surrounding the entire thing. Pushing yourself beyond what you thought was possible. All of that. Event production, how you rode these events, and all the equipment choices were basically unknowns back in 2005-2006. 

I rode a single speed On One Inbred at the first DK200 (image above) and it wasn't the only single speed MTB 29"er at that event. Cyclo cross bikes were also a big deal back in the day, and you'd see a smattering of those as well. But enough about the equipment.....

The thing was that we all were very supportive of each other and wanted to see this take off. 

My '03 Karate Monkey circa 2006

Secondly, as far as how the DK inspired me, I was enamored of the longer, ultra-distance stuff and bigger rides appealed to me. It was my feeling at the time that longer events were preferable since I recalled how disappointed I had been with XC MTB events that cost a lot of money to enter and lasted maybe an hour- maybe and hour and a half. These longer "gravel grinders" were cost efficient for participants because you got an event which allowed you to ride as long as you wanted, and all day if you could. 

The 200 mile distance seemed a bit over the line for me as far as making things more on the "fun" side, so my thoughts were something a hundred plus, but maybe not more than 150-ish. That might be fun, and then that kind of worked its way into my thoughts for a "Death Ride" that I could do in the Summer on gravel. Since the DK200 was a big loop course, that worked its way into my ideas as well. In fact, the whole event idea for the GTDRI was loosely based around the DK200 profile, just not as long.

But then I got to thinking, "This needs to be a group ride." Not so much an "event", per se', as much as just a 'happening' that you could join in on, if you were so inclined. Plus, I didn't know what I was doing in terms of putting on events in 2006. I was all-new to this, and putting on another event, which I deemed necessary to further gravel grinding, wasn't so much in my wheel house. Besides, that "big-event" feel wasn't my bag anyway. So, I made it a group ride, no-drop, and kept things low-key.

My idea was 'to invite people' to my 'death ride' idea that I had been doing all along. Jeff Kerkove was privy to my spoken thoughts on the matter, since we worked together at the time. He encouraged me to take the idea to the public via a blog. Thus the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational" was born. Jeff actually set the blog up, and that's how the abbreviation came about for it, because a web address with the entire name would have been ridiculous. So "www.gtdri.blogspot.com" it was, and I was off and running toward putting this thing on in 2006. 

 Next: Announcing the idea, and putting it into effect.

The GTDRI Stories: Where Did This Come From? - Part 2

In 2006 I participated in the first DK200 which sparked ideas in my head.

"The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

Once I got involved in Trans Iowa, I had pretty much transferred my riding to off-pavement. By this time I had a 2003 Karate Monkey I had set up single speed with drop bars and this became my de facto 'gravel bike'. Again- there weren't any 'gravel specific' bicycles or components at this point. We were borrowing what worked, and for many of us, the new 29" platform was making the most sense. It had a wheel size based on road bikes, and the momentum and stability of 29"ers was prized in gravel riding. 

It bears repeating here that the fact was that the DK200 guys, Jim Cummings and Joel Dyke, had researched and borrowed ideas and inspiration from Trans Iowa and that also comes into play with gravel ideas I had. I've told about how their event inspired later Trans Iowas, but it also inspired the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. It did this in a couple of ways.

Firstly, when the DK200 was announced, I felt compelled to support it by attending and riding in it. This was because 'gravel cycling' was pretty much the DK200 and Trans Iowa. That was it. Note- There were other events "on gravel" but they typically did not bill themselves as "gravel events", as did the DK200 and T.I. The Colesburg race, which was going on then for an example, was billed as a "tune-up race" for the Chequamegon 40 MTB event. It wasn't until 2022 that they started calling that event the "oldest gravel grinder in the Mid-West". 

I was excited about what was happening with gravel events, and I know others were as well. The over-arching feeling I got back then was that this idea was so much fun - No governing bodies, rules that were minimal and easily understood. The do-it-yourself nature surrounding the entire thing. Pushing yourself beyond what you thought was possible. All of that. Event production, how you rode these events, and all the equipment choices were basically unknowns back in 2005-2006. 

I rode a single speed On One Inbred at the first DK200 (image above) and it wasn't the only single speed MTB 29"er at that event. Cyclo cross bikes were also a big deal back in the day, and you'd see a smattering of those as well. But enough about the equipment.....

The thing was that we all were very supportive of each other and wanted to see this take off. 

My '03 Karate Monkey circa 2006

Secondly, as far as how the DK inspired me, I was enamored of the longer, ultra-distance stuff and bigger rides appealed to me. It was my feeling at the time that longer events were preferable since I recalled how disappointed I had been with XC MTB events that cost a lot of money to enter and lasted maybe an hour- maybe and hour and a half. These longer "gravel grinders" were cost efficient for participants because you got an event which allowed you to ride as long as you wanted, and all day if you could. 

The 200 mile distance seemed a bit over the line for me as far as making things more on the "fun" side, so my thoughts were something a hundred plus, but maybe not more than 150-ish. That might be fun, and then that kind of worked its way into my thoughts for a "Death Ride" that I could do in the Summer on gravel. Since the DK200 was a big loop course, that worked its way into my ideas as well. In fact, the whole event idea for the GTDRI was loosely based around the DK200 profile, just not as long.

But then I got to thinking, "This needs to be a group ride." Not so much an "event", per se', as much as just a 'happening' that you could join in on, if you were so inclined. Plus, I didn't know what I was doing in terms of putting on events in 2006. I was all-new to this, and putting on another event, which I deemed necessary to further gravel grinding, wasn't so much in my wheel house. Besides, that "big-event" feel wasn't my bag anyway. So, I made it a group ride, no-drop, and kept things low-key.

My idea was 'to invite people' to my 'death ride' idea that I had been doing all along. Jeff Kerkove was privy to my spoken thoughts on the matter, since we worked together at the time. He encouraged me to take the idea to the public via a blog. Thus the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational" was born. Jeff actually set the blog up, and that's how the abbreviation came about for it, because a web address with the entire name would have been ridiculous. So "www.gtdri.blogspot.com" it was, and I was off and running toward putting this thing on in 2006. 

 Next: Announcing the idea, and putting it into effect.

Friday News And Views

 Nathan's Miles: Vinton's Glow-In-The-Dark Trail (From Baker Ent. Facebook page)

 The U.S.A's Longest Glow-In-The-Dark Trail:

A bicycle trail that glows in the dark? Yes, and it is located just South of where I live about 38 miles away. The trail, claimed to be the longest of its type in the U.S., has aggregate embedded in it which glows in the dark when exposed to sunlight.

Apparently it only needs 15 minutes of direct sunlight to glow for 15 hours!  This trail should get a lot of attention here in Iowa over the next several years. It has a glowing section of approximately two miles in length, (the trail is three miles overall), and it passes by a couple of Vinton's schools which were attended by a former resident and Vinton city employee, Nathan Hesson, who first dreamed of this trail. He died, unfortunately, before this trail could be realized, and it is dedicated in his memory. Called "Nathan's Miles" trail, the City of Vinton dedicated and opened the trail just this past Tuesday.  

I'll have to scoot down there again someday to check this out. I was last through Vinton on my aborted century ride last Summer but I did not see anything of this new trail at that time. Maybe I can even time it right to go through in the dark and see what this trail can do.

First Annual "UG" To Occur This Weekend:

You know, this event is big, and it is following the coat tails of one of the original gravel grinders of the modern era, the Dirty Kanza 200. (That was its name, whatever your politics/thoughts are on that.) This 'new' event happens for the first time this  next weekend. (Thanks to "RonDog" for catching my mistake!)

Here are my thoughts concerning this. I'm probably the only person that thinks this way, so never mind me, but here we go....

The whole kerfuffle with the DK name and the ouster of its former original co-director, (the other co-director, Joel Dyke, voluntarily left DK around 2011), was driven by social justice issues and with an aim to remake the old event into something which would not resemble much of the heritage of the past DK event- Things which were deemed to be offensive. Okay, that is a valid and understandable action which leaves us with a new name and new race directors, none of which are related to the old DK event with the exception of Kristi Mohn. 

Okay, so now you have an odd situation. The former name and former race director, Jim Cummings, were largely responsible for the event's effects on the community of Emporia, Kansas, which were deemed to be positive. These gains in tourism, economic impact, and let's not forget prestige in the international racing community, were things which the new owner of the event, Life Time Fitness, and the community business folks did not want to have 'go away'. 

How do you separate the one from the other? On the one hand, you have a 'turning of the page', a new event, for all intents and purposes, and on the other, you have people and business entities wanting to hold on to the money, (let's be honest here, that's the bottom line), which has great potential to benefit said entities and concerned people. Things which that old name and the old race director brought to the area. Actually, you can do this. But Unbound Gravel seems to be wanting to walk the fence on it. 

On the one hand, they haven't said that this event is a new beginning and that any and all ties to that past event which shall not be named are now cut. They could do it like this: "That part is over. The Past. We now, for the first time, begin a new event with better ideals and with the same focus on challenge, etc....." But no, we get uncomfortable references to the DK200, and in some situations, it is painfully obvious that there really is no 'cutting of the ties' to the Dirty Kanza 200. Especially when 'the continuance' of certain ideals are being carried over in terms of things the old DK200 did for rider recognition, the references to this being whatever year it is of the event, and so on. 

I just find that all totally unnecessary. Just stop it. Make a full cut from the old and start again with this being 'Year One' and make your own heritage. But no, the uncomfortable truth of the matter is that fear of losing economic impact and prestige makes for words and actions that say one thing but hold the hand behind the back for the cash on the other. 

And that's just my take. Like I said, I may be the only person on Earth that sees things that way, and I am fine with being told I'm crazy and wrong if that's the case, but that's how I see it. 

UPDATE on the Wesley Martin YouTube Channel: I was made aware on Wednesday that the link in my story called "Just Passing Through" about Wesley Martin for his You Tube channel was not working. I fixed it, but here it is again in case you tried and missed last Wednesday. I apologize for the inconvenience. But go check it out, like, and subscribe to his channel. It's a great little look at everything he is seeing on his 3000 mile bicycle trip which will eventually take him and a friend to California. 

Just as a sample, he rode a mystery trail before meeting his traveling companion and it is a hilarious episode. I won't say more, but do go check out his channel. 

WARNING: Self-Plug Coming! If you listen to his Day 15 entry you'll hear Wesley heaping praise on Andy's Bike Shop. I guess he was pretty impressed by us and said as much in that entry. It is nice to hear it, honestly. After years of pretty much no feedback on my work at the old job I was pleased to get some positive commentary and it made me feel pretty good. Also, Andy gave him one of the shop shirts and he was wearing it for the next two days! Pretty cool all in all.

So, Wesley, I doubt you'll ever read this, but if you do- "Thank you!" And also- Here's to a safe, adventurous, memorable trip for you and your traveling companion. I'll be following along on the You Tube channel to see what happens.

The WAR brand is part of the new Ross Bicycles.

Ross Bicycles Returns, Has Gravel Bike, (Of Course!) :

Rumors and bits of news had been coming for a few years in the trade papers that Ross Bicycles was coming back. You may remember the brand for their chromed out early 80's mountain bikes. By the late 80's/early 90's Ross Bicycles seemingly faded away, never to be heard from again.

Well, now they are back and they do (or will) have mountain bikes again. However; as you are all probably well aware by now, Gravel® is what you HAVE to be selling, so Ross Bicycles has a gravel model dubbed the Evader GSR under the W.A.R brand of their company.

Comments: It looks to be a consumer direct brand and the prices are okay looking, nothing spectacular here for an aluminum frame/carbon fork and SRAM Rival bits. The frame looks a LOT like the Viathon from Walmart, what with the big dropped drive side chain stay and lowered seat stay design. The geometry is what I would expect- not very inspiring, to me at least, and so this isn't anything that trips my trigger. It is just interesting that Ross Bicycles is behind this and that the brand is making a comeback.  

Okay, that's a wrap. This is a BIG weekend in the U.S.A. Stay safe, have a great holiday, and roll some wheels somewhere! Thank you for reading!

Friday News And Views

 Nathan's Miles: Vinton's Glow-In-The-Dark Trail (From Baker Ent. Facebook page)

 The U.S.A's Longest Glow-In-The-Dark Trail:

A bicycle trail that glows in the dark? Yes, and it is located just South of where I live about 38 miles away. The trail, claimed to be the longest of its type in the U.S., has aggregate embedded in it which glows in the dark when exposed to sunlight.

Apparently it only needs 15 minutes of direct sunlight to glow for 15 hours!  This trail should get a lot of attention here in Iowa over the next several years. It has a glowing section of approximately two miles in length, (the trail is three miles overall), and it passes by a couple of Vinton's schools which were attended by a former resident and Vinton city employee, Nathan Hesson, who first dreamed of this trail. He died, unfortunately, before this trail could be realized, and it is dedicated in his memory. Called "Nathan's Miles" trail, the City of Vinton dedicated and opened the trail just this past Tuesday.  

I'll have to scoot down there again someday to check this out. I was last through Vinton on my aborted century ride last Summer but I did not see anything of this new trail at that time. Maybe I can even time it right to go through in the dark and see what this trail can do.

First Annual "UG" To Occur This Weekend:

You know, this event is big, and it is following the coat tails of one of the original gravel grinders of the modern era, the Dirty Kanza 200. (That was its name, whatever your politics/thoughts are on that.) This 'new' event happens for the first time this  next weekend. (Thanks to "RonDog" for catching my mistake!)

Here are my thoughts concerning this. I'm probably the only person that thinks this way, so never mind me, but here we go....

The whole kerfuffle with the DK name and the ouster of its former original co-director, (the other co-director, Joel Dyke, voluntarily left DK around 2011), was driven by social justice issues and with an aim to remake the old event into something which would not resemble much of the heritage of the past DK event- Things which were deemed to be offensive. Okay, that is a valid and understandable action which leaves us with a new name and new race directors, none of which are related to the old DK event with the exception of Kristi Mohn. 

Okay, so now you have an odd situation. The former name and former race director, Jim Cummings, were largely responsible for the event's effects on the community of Emporia, Kansas, which were deemed to be positive. These gains in tourism, economic impact, and let's not forget prestige in the international racing community, were things which the new owner of the event, Life Time Fitness, and the community business folks did not want to have 'go away'. 

How do you separate the one from the other? On the one hand, you have a 'turning of the page', a new event, for all intents and purposes, and on the other, you have people and business entities wanting to hold on to the money, (let's be honest here, that's the bottom line), which has great potential to benefit said entities and concerned people. Things which that old name and the old race director brought to the area. Actually, you can do this. But Unbound Gravel seems to be wanting to walk the fence on it. 

On the one hand, they haven't said that this event is a new beginning and that any and all ties to that past event which shall not be named are now cut. They could do it like this: "That part is over. The Past. We now, for the first time, begin a new event with better ideals and with the same focus on challenge, etc....." But no, we get uncomfortable references to the DK200, and in some situations, it is painfully obvious that there really is no 'cutting of the ties' to the Dirty Kanza 200. Especially when 'the continuance' of certain ideals are being carried over in terms of things the old DK200 did for rider recognition, the references to this being whatever year it is of the event, and so on. 

I just find that all totally unnecessary. Just stop it. Make a full cut from the old and start again with this being 'Year One' and make your own heritage. But no, the uncomfortable truth of the matter is that fear of losing economic impact and prestige makes for words and actions that say one thing but hold the hand behind the back for the cash on the other. 

And that's just my take. Like I said, I may be the only person on Earth that sees things that way, and I am fine with being told I'm crazy and wrong if that's the case, but that's how I see it. 

UPDATE on the Wesley Martin YouTube Channel: I was made aware on Wednesday that the link in my story called "Just Passing Through" about Wesley Martin for his You Tube channel was not working. I fixed it, but here it is again in case you tried and missed last Wednesday. I apologize for the inconvenience. But go check it out, like, and subscribe to his channel. It's a great little look at everything he is seeing on his 3000 mile bicycle trip which will eventually take him and a friend to California. 

Just as a sample, he rode a mystery trail before meeting his traveling companion and it is a hilarious episode. I won't say more, but do go check out his channel. 

WARNING: Self-Plug Coming! If you listen to his Day 15 entry you'll hear Wesley heaping praise on Andy's Bike Shop. I guess he was pretty impressed by us and said as much in that entry. It is nice to hear it, honestly. After years of pretty much no feedback on my work at the old job I was pleased to get some positive commentary and it made me feel pretty good. Also, Andy gave him one of the shop shirts and he was wearing it for the next two days! Pretty cool all in all.

So, Wesley, I doubt you'll ever read this, but if you do- "Thank you!" And also- Here's to a safe, adventurous, memorable trip for you and your traveling companion. I'll be following along on the You Tube channel to see what happens.

The WAR brand is part of the new Ross Bicycles.

Ross Bicycles Returns, Has Gravel Bike, (Of Course!) :

Rumors and bits of news had been coming for a few years in the trade papers that Ross Bicycles was coming back. You may remember the brand for their chromed out early 80's mountain bikes. By the late 80's/early 90's Ross Bicycles seemingly faded away, never to be heard from again.

Well, now they are back and they do (or will) have mountain bikes again. However; as you are all probably well aware by now, Gravel® is what you HAVE to be selling, so Ross Bicycles has a gravel model dubbed the Evader GSR under the W.A.R brand of their company.

Comments: It looks to be a consumer direct brand and the prices are okay looking, nothing spectacular here for an aluminum frame/carbon fork and SRAM Rival bits. The frame looks a LOT like the Viathon from Walmart, what with the big dropped drive side chain stay and lowered seat stay design. The geometry is what I would expect- not very inspiring, to me at least, and so this isn't anything that trips my trigger. It is just interesting that Ross Bicycles is behind this and that the brand is making a comeback.  

Okay, that's a wrap. This is a BIG weekend in the U.S.A. Stay safe, have a great holiday, and roll some wheels somewhere! Thank you for reading!

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"".

Minus Ten Review 2009-49

Anybody remember this?

Ten years ago on the blog here I made mention of a communique from the DK200 guys, Joel Dyke and Jim Cummins, concerning their plans for 2010. In fact, it was a "Gravel Grinder News" post. I got a kick out of looking at this, so I will share a bit of the e-mail they sent out back then to past participants. I think some of what you will read here today is now going to seem a lot less like hyperbole and a whole lot more prophetic. Check out the following lines from their e-mail:

"Our Vision... that The Dirty Kanza 200 will become North America's premier annual ultra-endurance gravel road cycling challenge."
You have to hand it to Jim. He eventually made this come true. I think Joel left the event after 2010, for sure after 2011. I cannot recall now. So, it was pretty much Jim's idea here, I think. Also, you will shake your heads at the following concerning roster size: 


"Field Limit: We will expand our field limit this year to 150 participants.Note... Last year's limit of 100 participants was filled in just four days of registration."

One Hundred Fifty. Can you even imagine the Dirty Kanza ever being that small? I think this coming year they are pushing 3000 for a limit between everything they are doing. Which brings me to the following point- The Dirty Kanza back then was only a 200 mile event. 200 or nuthin'! Check the following out: 

 "Classes: Open Men Open Women Single Speed Masters Men (50+)"

Pretty simple, eh? And the entry fee was waaaay below a hundred bucks, but I cannot remember what they charged back then exactly. Plus, they were working on a fancy "dot com" site, but back in those days the DK200 used a Wordpress blog. (Logo above) It's still there if you want to take a look. The quaint simplicity of it all is probably due to Joel Dyke, since it was indicated in the e-mail I am quoting that he was in charge along with his wife, Michelle, of the website end of the event. 

A shot I took from the 2009 DK200 course.

Yep! Things were a bit different back in those days. Much simpler. No lotteries. You knew just about everyone at every event you went to. You would end up by yourself for long stretches of the event. (A more authentic experience of what the Flint Hills normally is, in my opinion) That's how it was before this thing exploded into a world-wide phenomenon. Yes- world-wide. I was contacted last week by a fellow from Brazil who was looking for history on gravel grinding. He is starting a community of riders in Brazil who ride mountain roads and rural byways. It's crazy how far reaching this idea, which we grew here in the Mid-West, has gone. 

Brazil.... Who'd a thunk it?

Minus Ten Review 2009-49

Anybody remember this?

Ten years ago on the blog here I made mention of a communique from the DK200 guys, Joel Dyke and Jim Cummins, concerning their plans for 2010. In fact, it was a "Gravel Grinder News" post. I got a kick out of looking at this, so I will share a bit of the e-mail they sent out back then to past participants. I think some of what you will read here today is now going to seem a lot less like hyperbole and a whole lot more prophetic. Check out the following lines from their e-mail:

"Our Vision... that The Dirty Kanza 200 will become North America's premier annual ultra-endurance gravel road cycling challenge."
You have to hand it to Jim. He eventually made this come true. I think Joel left the event after 2010, for sure after 2011. I cannot recall now. So, it was pretty much Jim's idea here, I think. Also, you will shake your heads at the following concerning roster size: 


"Field Limit: We will expand our field limit this year to 150 participants.Note... Last year's limit of 100 participants was filled in just four days of registration."

One Hundred Fifty. Can you even imagine the Dirty Kanza ever being that small? I think this coming year they are pushing 3000 for a limit between everything they are doing. Which brings me to the following point- The Dirty Kanza back then was only a 200 mile event. 200 or nuthin'! Check the following out: 

 "Classes: Open Men Open Women Single Speed Masters Men (50+)"

Pretty simple, eh? And the entry fee was waaaay below a hundred bucks, but I cannot remember what they charged back then exactly. Plus, they were working on a fancy "dot com" site, but back in those days the DK200 used a Wordpress blog. (Logo above) It's still there if you want to take a look. The quaint simplicity of it all is probably due to Joel Dyke, since it was indicated in the e-mail I am quoting that he was in charge along with his wife, Michelle, of the website end of the event. 

A shot I took from the 2009 DK200 course.

Yep! Things were a bit different back in those days. Much simpler. No lotteries. You knew just about everyone at every event you went to. You would end up by yourself for long stretches of the event. (A more authentic experience of what the Flint Hills normally is, in my opinion) That's how it was before this thing exploded into a world-wide phenomenon. Yes- world-wide. I was contacted last week by a fellow from Brazil who was looking for history on gravel grinding. He is starting a community of riders in Brazil who ride mountain roads and rural byways. It's crazy how far reaching this idea, which we grew here in the Mid-West, has gone. 

Brazil.... Who'd a thunk it?

Minus Ten Review 2009-35

My Pofahl with straight bars. Dang! That looks good too!

Ten years ago this week on the blog I was talking about one of the crazier weekends I had done in my lifetime, and maybe the craziest thing outside of Trans Iowa. Because, well, not much is crazier than putting on a free event and staying up for 40+ hours. This trip I talked about wasn't that nutty. But it was close.

It started out by driving my family out to Omaha Nebraska after work (!) and then getting them settled in at a friends place. Then I took off for Lincoln, Nebraska in the dark, by myself, and hooked up with my brother MG to get some Oakley glasses to review, and then (I cannot remember this part, sadly) I talked with Joel Dyke and Joe Fox. Afterward, I went to the D Street Motel and shacked up with Corey, "Cornbread" Godfrey. The next morning, Matt Wills, Cornbread, and Troy Krause led me on the wildest urban ride through people's yards to the MoPac Trail head where the last Good Life Gravel Adventure started.

I rode that event until I started falling asleep on the bike going down hill at 30mph! I called it in and Corey told me to sit tight, that "someone " would be out to fetch me. It was the winner, Troy Krause!

Then I went back to the D Street where I was taken care of by a gal that was CVO's girlfriend at the time, I think, and then MG and I took a case and a half of Red Bull Cola and went to Gothenburg, Nebraska where the next day we rode at Potter's Pasture. Then we hightailed it back, I drove solo from Lincoln to Omaha, collected my family, and drove back to Waterloo, Iowa.

Crazy! 

Minus Ten Review 2009-35

My Pofahl with straight bars. Dang! That looks good too!

Ten years ago this week on the blog I was talking about one of the crazier weekends I had done in my lifetime, and maybe the craziest thing outside of Trans Iowa. Because, well, not much is crazier than putting on a free event and staying up for 40+ hours. This trip I talked about wasn't that nutty. But it was close.

It started out by driving my family out to Omaha Nebraska after work (!) and then getting them settled in at a friends place. Then I took off for Lincoln, Nebraska in the dark, by myself, and hooked up with my brother MG to get some Oakley glasses to review, and then (I cannot remember this part, sadly) I talked with Joel Dyke and Joe Fox. Afterward, I went to the D Street Motel and shacked up with Corey, "Cornbread" Godfrey. The next morning, Matt Wills, Cornbread, and Troy Krause led me on the wildest urban ride through people's yards to the MoPac Trail head where the last Good Life Gravel Adventure started.

I rode that event until I started falling asleep on the bike going down hill at 30mph! I called it in and Corey told me to sit tight, that "someone " would be out to fetch me. It was the winner, Troy Krause!

Then I went back to the D Street where I was taken care of by a gal that was CVO's girlfriend at the time, I think, and then MG and I took a case and a half of Red Bull Cola and went to Gothenburg, Nebraska where the next day we rode at Potter's Pasture. Then we hightailed it back, I drove solo from Lincoln to Omaha, collected my family, and drove back to Waterloo, Iowa.

Crazy! 

The Dirty Kanza Report: Surprises And Send-Offs

Our host, Joe, prepped his bike on Friday for another go at the DK100

Inside Joe's House, 2:30pm, Friday, June 1st:

Joe is prepping his bike for the following day's attempt at the DK100. MG has already left for the start of the 350 mile DKXL which is to depart from the All Things Gravel Expo area at 4:00pm.

It is interesting to me, as a non-rider, non-promoter at this event to simply observe from a different perspective. Joe is getting more nervous. He's completed the 100 version before, but Joe lives in this area and he knows. Nothing can be taken for granted when you ride in the Flint Hills. Flats, tire shredding flint, heat, wind, maybe even mud, all of which can happen on the same day and take you away from that coveted finish.

Meanwhile, a couple of Joe's teammates from Team Mulready's are to be picked up by Joe and I and we are all going down to the depart of the DKXL. Joe and his teammates are cheering on one of their own who was invited to be one of the 34 riders. That number was chosen to reflect the number of starters in the first DK200 in 2006. Hard to imagine that, but the Dirty Kanza was one of the first gravel grinders, one of the pioneers of the genre'.

Of course, we didn't know what to expect for this. The DKXL was in its inaugural year, this wasn't a heavily promoted part of the weekend since it was small and a test of the event for the DK Promotions team. I assumed there would be a gathering of folks, maybe a hundred if it was a good day. It was that, but it was hot, humid, and the wind was roaring out of the Southwest. Surely folks would be there, but I never thought we would see what we did.

The sea of humanity in the expo area was amazing. People spilled out into the streets along the route for three city blocks as well.

"Oh! Holy Shiiiii.......Wow!", were things exclaimed when we rounded the corner in Joe's truck. We were floored by the press of humanity which was at least a block long at this time before the start. We scrambled out of Joe's truck and at this point, all I was thinking about was getting close enough to perhaps be able to get a shot of MG at the start line. I left my companions behind and started into my "concert mode". Having gone to several rock concerts in the 80's, I knew how to weasel my way through a crowd of people. So it was that I got to the edge of the alleyway and spied a good spot to grab a photo when the riders would go by.

This happened to be at the same spot where a small PA system was and a DK Promotions lady was pumping up the crowd. A veritable wall of photographers and videographers were trying to film the riders who were hemmed in on all sides at this point, like a herd of cattle waiting to be loaded onto a truck. The heat in the alley was stifling, but this was likely due to the press of humans there more than anything else. It was astounding. Later estimates put the crowd that showed up anywhere from 600-800 people. Jim Cummings spied me in the crowd and walked over and said to me, "We never expected anything like this, Mark!"

Jim Cummings pulled me out of the crowd and said some very kind words in tribute to Trans Iowa and myself at the start of the DKXL. Image courtesy of Dori Jansma

As things drew closer to 4:00pm, Jim Cummings took the mic and started in on a dialogue about the influences on Joel Dyke, also a co-founder of the Dirty Kanza, and himself. I was suddenly aware that he was making reference to Trans Iowa. I was hoping to escape notice, but no......Jim went there, and he called me out in the crowd and had me come out next to him for another surprise.

Jim made some heartfelt comments about myself and the Trans Iowa which I will forever appreciate. He didn't have to take the time out to do any of that, but he did, and that means the world to me. What a surprise and what an honor. Then it was back to the business of getting the event started.

MG departs on his way to........we weren't sure!

The send off was electric. The crowd was roaring and the atmosphere was jubilant. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it in the gravel scene. Even the mighty Dirty Kanza 200 start is not as thunderous as this was. What a surprise! I was certainly thrilled to have been there, much less get the recognition there at the start.

Now it was over and the crowd thinned quickly. I was standing there for another hour talking with people. Finally I walked off. I said to myself, "The last man standing, as usual!", and I made my way  back to Joe's place along quiet city streets.

Walking home I had lots of time to contemplate the day

What a crazy turn of events! First there was defeat, concern, and that turned to amazement and joy when MG was able to get going. Then the surprise of the start and the unexpected honor from Jim. Now that this had all passed I was wondering- just how far would MG make it? I'm certain he had no clear idea of what to expect at this point either.

After getting back to the house I hooked up with Joe and we went out for a bite to eat. Joe and I saw a lot of DK cyclists out in their kit, riding about the city. Joe remarked that he thought it was odd that these folks would be spending all day Friday, in some cases, in cycling gear, wasting energy, when the next day they would be spending the better part of a day and night riding again. I offered that perhaps it was just the result of nervous energy. These folks were ready, but waiting was proving to be difficult. Joe nodded his head in agreement.

Back at Joe's place later that evening I found him in his basement, fettling his kit, and fretting over every detail. He looked up at me sheepishly and said, "You know that comment you made about nervous energy? Well, it's real."

The next morning, early, Joe would be joining two thousand plus other riders doing the Dirty Kanza 200, 100, and DKLite rides. It was getting time to turn into bed, and we hadn't heard a peep about MG. No news was good news!  Joe and I were left speechless at the turn of events for MG. But Joe now had to think about himself and we said good night. Before I went in for the evening, I decided to close up MG's sun roof. It didn't look like rain, but Joe said there was a 40% chance of overnight thunderstorms, so just in case........

Next: Starts And Finishes