Gravel Grinder News: Land Run 100 Becomes "Mid-South"

The logo for the renamed Land Run 100, now known as "Mid-South"

Special Edition of Gravel Grinder News: Breaking Story- The Land Run 100 Becomes "Mid-South"

History is an ironic thing. You can read into it what you like, but history has an ever-changing perspective, and a great example of this is the re-naming of one of gravel grinding's classics. This was just announced today and came as a bit of a shock, but upon further reflection, it makes sense in today's world.

The Land Run - the historical, late 19th Century event - used to be portrayed as one of the U.S's final achievements in its "Manifest Destiny" philosophy. It's a very complex and difficult bit of our past to understand, and it affected millions of people, both native and immigrant alike.  Against this backdrop, it was criticism of the naming of the Oklahoma gravel event as the "Land Run 100" which ended up causing some reflection and ultimately the scrubbing of this event's name from the records.

So, moving forward the event will be known by the curious name of "Mid-South". The former name is being swept away, and you can read about why that is here and here. The event has a completely new website as well which can be seen here.

Comments: Interestingly, this new name is quite a change from before. In my opinion, it is such a neutral name that it has hardly any excitement or inspiration to it, unlike the former name, however misguided and hurtful to some folks that may have been. The logo reflects this as well. It has no "identity" to it, (at least that is obvious) but it may not matter in the end.

People were flocking to enter the "Land Run" before, with its former, now understood to be questionable, name choice, and they will likely go to the "Mid-South" event despite its uninspiring facade. This is because whatever they want to call the event, what makes the thing a "big deal" is the enthusiasm of Bobby Wintle and his crew, their style, and the myth of the legendary challenge of the red mud roads. Name notwithstanding, apparently.

Regardless of how anyone feels about the changes, this reflects how "gravel is growing up" and points to a more inclusive and less offensive face for a very popular event on the calendar. That's the real point here, and it probably was a very difficult situation for Mr. Wintle and crew to navigate through. My hats off to Mr. Wintle and crew for moving forward with this new name and I think it speaks to his and his crew's character highly.

Gravel Grinder News: Land Run 100 Becomes "Mid-South"

The logo for the renamed Land Run 100, now known as "Mid-South"

Special Edition of Gravel Grinder News: Breaking Story- The Land Run 100 Becomes "Mid-South"

History is an ironic thing. You can read into it what you like, but history has an ever-changing perspective, and a great example of this is the re-naming of one of gravel grinding's classics. This was just announced today and came as a bit of a shock, but upon further reflection, it makes sense in today's world.

The Land Run - the historical, late 19th Century event - used to be portrayed as one of the U.S's final achievements in its "Manifest Destiny" philosophy. It's a very complex and difficult bit of our past to understand, and it affected millions of people, both native and immigrant alike.  Against this backdrop, it was criticism of the naming of the Oklahoma gravel event as the "Land Run 100" which ended up causing some reflection and ultimately the scrubbing of this event's name from the records.

So, moving forward the event will be known by the curious name of "Mid-South". The former name is being swept away, and you can read about why that is here and here. The event has a completely new website as well which can be seen here.

Comments: Interestingly, this new name is quite a change from before. In my opinion, it is such a neutral name that it has hardly any excitement or inspiration to it, unlike the former name, however misguided and hurtful to some folks that may have been. The logo reflects this as well. It has no "identity" to it, (at least that is obvious) but it may not matter in the end.

People were flocking to enter the "Land Run" before, with its former, now understood to be questionable, name choice, and they will likely go to the "Mid-South" event despite its uninspiring facade. This is because whatever they want to call the event, what makes the thing a "big deal" is the enthusiasm of Bobby Wintle and his crew, their style, and the myth of the legendary challenge of the red mud roads. Name notwithstanding, apparently.

Regardless of how anyone feels about the changes, this reflects how "gravel is growing up" and points to a more inclusive and less offensive face for a very popular event on the calendar. That's the real point here, and it probably was a very difficult situation for Mr. Wintle and crew to navigate through. My hats off to Mr. Wintle and crew for moving forward with this new name and I think it speaks to his and his crew's character highly.

Hubba

Paul WORD hub- Now with Boost

Its no secret that I like hubs, spokes, and rims for bicycles. I enjoy building my own wheels and I like riding them when I do build them up. There is just something really amazing about taking a bunch of wires, brass nuts, a hub with nice bearings, and a nice rim and making all of that in to a wheel.

So Paul Component Engineering just released news about a new version of their WORD hub. This is a hub that claims to be the very first production single speed mountain bike hub. If it wasn't, then it is close to being that. I know it has been around a long time. I bought a set of the first version of the Disc WORD for mt Karate Monkey back in 2003. Those hubs are still around although I need to re-lace them to new rims.

While I don't have a Boost spaced, single speed device around, it may happen someday. Who knows? It's good to know that a hub option exists that will work for a dedicated single speed set up. And even in polished silver! That's even sweeter.

While I am on the subject of Boost spacing, I've heard a rumor that it is coming to road bikes. Gravel road bikes, actually. It seems that a "certain component manufacturer" that doesn't have a great front derailleur design and is pushing 1X wants to introduce this so they can get you to buy a 1 X12 system for your next gravel bike. This is not all that surprising, and it will be touted as a solution for the gravel people who race in the earlier Spring events with mud and what not. But here's the thing......

DK200 2015- The infamous 3 mile mud march. Image by A Andonopoulous

Front derailleurs are not the problem. It is the rear derailleurs that stop folks from finishing these muddy, wet gravel events. The Land Run 100, the 2015 version of the DK200, Trans Iowa, and various other events have seen their fare share of rear derailleur carnage due to mud and bad conditions. Maybe a clutch style rear derailleur will be more mud resilient, but then again, maybe not.

At least it will be easier to set up a damaged bike single speed with a narrow-wide chain ring......possibly....maybe.

But why Boost? Well, it seems that many manufacturers are looking to stuff 2.1" 29"er tires into these "adventure/gravel" bikes. But you might say that many mountain bikes are using the "old" dimensions and are doing fine. You would be correct. So, again- why? Well, we are going to hear all the "stiffer, stronger. lighter" arguments, of course, but that isn't really why either. Think about it- If you already have tooling for Boost 1X12 why develop it in any other format than Boost? So, you are going to see a split in gravel/adventure. More "Cutthroat-ish" bikes with Boost and the more narrow Q factor bikes we have now with compatibility with road components. Then again- I could be all wrong about that.

In the meantime, I'm thinking those Boost WORD hubs and a nice, simple steel gravel rig, set up single speed would be the ticket. Hubba-hubba!

Hubba

Paul WORD hub- Now with Boost

Its no secret that I like hubs, spokes, and rims for bicycles. I enjoy building my own wheels and I like riding them when I do build them up. There is just something really amazing about taking a bunch of wires, brass nuts, a hub with nice bearings, and a nice rim and making all of that in to a wheel.

So Paul Component Engineering just released news about a new version of their WORD hub. This is a hub that claims to be the very first production single speed mountain bike hub. If it wasn't, then it is close to being that. I know it has been around a long time. I bought a set of the first version of the Disc WORD for mt Karate Monkey back in 2003. Those hubs are still around although I need to re-lace them to new rims.

While I don't have a Boost spaced, single speed device around, it may happen someday. Who knows? It's good to know that a hub option exists that will work for a dedicated single speed set up. And even in polished silver! That's even sweeter.

While I am on the subject of Boost spacing, I've heard a rumor that it is coming to road bikes. Gravel road bikes, actually. It seems that a "certain component manufacturer" that doesn't have a great front derailleur design and is pushing 1X wants to introduce this so they can get you to buy a 1 X12 system for your next gravel bike. This is not all that surprising, and it will be touted as a solution for the gravel people who race in the earlier Spring events with mud and what not. But here's the thing......

DK200 2015- The infamous 3 mile mud march. Image by A Andonopoulous

Front derailleurs are not the problem. It is the rear derailleurs that stop folks from finishing these muddy, wet gravel events. The Land Run 100, the 2015 version of the DK200, Trans Iowa, and various other events have seen their fare share of rear derailleur carnage due to mud and bad conditions. Maybe a clutch style rear derailleur will be more mud resilient, but then again, maybe not.

At least it will be easier to set up a damaged bike single speed with a narrow-wide chain ring......possibly....maybe.

But why Boost? Well, it seems that many manufacturers are looking to stuff 2.1" 29"er tires into these "adventure/gravel" bikes. But you might say that many mountain bikes are using the "old" dimensions and are doing fine. You would be correct. So, again- why? Well, we are going to hear all the "stiffer, stronger. lighter" arguments, of course, but that isn't really why either. Think about it- If you already have tooling for Boost 1X12 why develop it in any other format than Boost? So, you are going to see a split in gravel/adventure. More "Cutthroat-ish" bikes with Boost and the more narrow Q factor bikes we have now with compatibility with road components. Then again- I could be all wrong about that.

In the meantime, I'm thinking those Boost WORD hubs and a nice, simple steel gravel rig, set up single speed would be the ticket. Hubba-hubba!

Friday News And Views

TRANS IOWA v13 T-Shirt Design:

This is what it will look like. Artist approved!

Last Sunday I sent out an e-mail to all of the T.I.v13 entrants which gave a bunch of pertinent info and asked each rider for a t-shirt size. Well, here you can see an example of why I was asking that. This rendering is the design for the proposed t-shirt.

So, a little background here. Back in the earlier daze of Trans Iowa's history, I would get post card entries for the event from a guy named Gary Cale. He always had these awesome cards with a certain style that was unmistakable. One year, for T.I.v4's entry, he sent in a version of a design he had rendered that was reminiscent of the design for T.I.v13's shirt, seen here. He has done some other really cool cards to get into Trans Iowa as well which are all some of my all-time favorites.

Anyway, I asked Gary if we could use his artwork for a Trans Iowa v13 shirt and he agreed that we could. So, here is the result. We had to take some liberties with the colorization, font, and wording to make it work for this year's t-shirt, but the basic idea remains. Trans Iowa is a "good kick in the junk". I think it looks great and this is the idea I was hoping would work out.

I have gotten all but about 27 people still on the roster to respond to my e-mail sent out almost a week ago now. If you haven't responded, do so, or you will not be getting one of these t-shirts at the Pre-Race Meat-Up for Trans Iowa v13.

In other T.I.v13 news, I will be out doing some recon again this weekend and the hope is that I can wrap up the investigations into the options at hand. Once the course is finalized I can then begin to draft the cue sheets and get a time for the cutoff to Checkpoint #2 soon.

Co-Motion Klatch model to be displayed at NAHBS

Get Ready To Get Sick Of "Gravel Bikes":

Ya know, about six years ago or so I was thinking the only way I was going to get a bicycle designed to do what I wanted it to do in fine detail was going to be by getting a custom made frame and fork. Well, now it isn't it an irony that seven years later we are about to be pummeled by "gravel bike" designs?

 The NAHBS custom bike show will be rife with such bikes, and just wait until next month at Sea Otter. You won't believe the deluge of "gravel this-gravel that" you are going to hear about.

Now you might think I'd be really happy about all of that. Well, you'd be mistaken. See, just about 3/4's of what is labelled as "gravel specific design" is anything but that. It is almost all warmed over cyclo cross offerings. There isn't anything at all different about a lot of these frames and forks which are really repainted and renamed bits from 5 years ago when everyone thought the US was going to go ga-ga for cyclo cross.

The thing is that unsuspecting folk will buy this repainted/renamed cyclo-cross stuff and think they have something specifically designed for gravel riding which will be better than a plain old cyclo cross bike. Sorry. You will have been duped.

Sure, there are some bikes which really do have different geometry, (lower bottom brackets than 70mm drop, slacker than 72.5° head tube angles, fork offsets of greater than 45mm), and really do have a fork and frame which were designed to absorb the "paint shaker" effects that gravel roads impart on riders hands and bums. But most won't, and they will fit right in with cyclo cross geometry and riding characteristics.

Maybe you don't care about any of that, but if that is the case, I would be surprised that you are reading this at all. Anyway.... Just be aware that "gravel" is the new "enduro". And it will be run right into the ground.

Just Like Trans Iowa, only in Oklahoma for the Land Run 100

Land Run 100 This Weekend:

This weekend kicks off the big run of gravel events which lasts throughout the Spring. The first big event is the Land Run 100 in Stillwater Oklahoma.

I've been a bit amused by the chatter pre-event about what folks expect to experience there due to the weather that is forecast to be rather like what one might expect at a certain Iowa based event. Stillwater is much further South than Iowa, and generally has very comfortable temperatures by this time in the year. However; despite having a forecast high of 80°F yesterday, the event will see a high of maybe 48°F and stiff Northerly winds mixed in with periods of rain. I don't doubt that this will feel a lot less like "Land Run" and a lot more like "Trans Iowa".

In fact, the social media person in charge of Panaracer/Stan's NoTubes p/b Bicycle X-Change Team's feed said that the forecast conditions for Land Run were very "Trans Iowa-like". I think that is the first time I've seen a reference to Trans Iowa weather conditions outside of personal/private conversations. It is apparent that Trans Iowa has a reputation amongst gravel riders and this statement seems to prove that. At any rate, those Land Run people are in for 1/3rd or less of what Trans Iowa dishes out on occasion and it will be interesting to see how that goes down this weekend.

 Finally: Perhaps the ultimate irony is that all of today's subjects are having to do with gravel riding, and I am saying you will get sick of all of the gravel stuff being shoved down our eyeballs soon enough. Well, long time readers know I have been talking about gravel stuff since forever. It isn't a fad for me. It isn't a potential source of income or revenue that will lift last year's sagging sales results back to the flat line. (Because I don't sell "gravel bikes") I don't have a "horse in the race" in that manner. I just really like riding bicycles and doing that out in the country, which just so happens to have a lot of gravel roads. I like the people who also like doing that with me or without me.

People say, "What's the big deal? It's just riding bikes on gravel.", and they are right, but they are wrong. It is a big deal to ride a bicycle, and especially for me. It is just riding bicycles on gravel, but that is my passion in life, so yeah..... It may not float your boat, and that's cool. There are more than a few ways to enjoy riding bicycles. Go do it your way.

And with that said, you should go do just that- Ride your bicycles this weekend. Peace!

Friday News And Views

TRANS IOWA v13 T-Shirt Design:

This is what it will look like. Artist approved!

Last Sunday I sent out an e-mail to all of the T.I.v13 entrants which gave a bunch of pertinent info and asked each rider for a t-shirt size. Well, here you can see an example of why I was asking that. This rendering is the design for the proposed t-shirt.

So, a little background here. Back in the earlier daze of Trans Iowa's history, I would get post card entries for the event from a guy named Gary Cale. He always had these awesome cards with a certain style that was unmistakable. One year, for T.I.v4's entry, he sent in a version of a design he had rendered that was reminiscent of the design for T.I.v13's shirt, seen here. He has done some other really cool cards to get into Trans Iowa as well which are all some of my all-time favorites.

Anyway, I asked Gary if we could use his artwork for a Trans Iowa v13 shirt and he agreed that we could. So, here is the result. We had to take some liberties with the colorization, font, and wording to make it work for this year's t-shirt, but the basic idea remains. Trans Iowa is a "good kick in the junk". I think it looks great and this is the idea I was hoping would work out.

I have gotten all but about 27 people still on the roster to respond to my e-mail sent out almost a week ago now. If you haven't responded, do so, or you will not be getting one of these t-shirts at the Pre-Race Meat-Up for Trans Iowa v13.

In other T.I.v13 news, I will be out doing some recon again this weekend and the hope is that I can wrap up the investigations into the options at hand. Once the course is finalized I can then begin to draft the cue sheets and get a time for the cutoff to Checkpoint #2 soon.

Co-Motion Klatch model to be displayed at NAHBS

Get Ready To Get Sick Of "Gravel Bikes":

Ya know, about six years ago or so I was thinking the only way I was going to get a bicycle designed to do what I wanted it to do in fine detail was going to be by getting a custom made frame and fork. Well, now it isn't it an irony that seven years later we are about to be pummeled by "gravel bike" designs?

 The NAHBS custom bike show will be rife with such bikes, and just wait until next month at Sea Otter. You won't believe the deluge of "gravel this-gravel that" you are going to hear about.

Now you might think I'd be really happy about all of that. Well, you'd be mistaken. See, just about 3/4's of what is labelled as "gravel specific design" is anything but that. It is almost all warmed over cyclo cross offerings. There isn't anything at all different about a lot of these frames and forks which are really repainted and renamed bits from 5 years ago when everyone thought the US was going to go ga-ga for cyclo cross.

The thing is that unsuspecting folk will buy this repainted/renamed cyclo-cross stuff and think they have something specifically designed for gravel riding which will be better than a plain old cyclo cross bike. Sorry. You will have been duped.

Sure, there are some bikes which really do have different geometry, (lower bottom brackets than 70mm drop, slacker than 72.5° head tube angles, fork offsets of greater than 45mm), and really do have a fork and frame which were designed to absorb the "paint shaker" effects that gravel roads impart on riders hands and bums. But most won't, and they will fit right in with cyclo cross geometry and riding characteristics.

Maybe you don't care about any of that, but if that is the case, I would be surprised that you are reading this at all. Anyway.... Just be aware that "gravel" is the new "enduro". And it will be run right into the ground.

Just Like Trans Iowa, only in Oklahoma for the Land Run 100

Land Run 100 This Weekend:

This weekend kicks off the big run of gravel events which lasts throughout the Spring. The first big event is the Land Run 100 in Stillwater Oklahoma.

I've been a bit amused by the chatter pre-event about what folks expect to experience there due to the weather that is forecast to be rather like what one might expect at a certain Iowa based event. Stillwater is much further South than Iowa, and generally has very comfortable temperatures by this time in the year. However; despite having a forecast high of 80°F yesterday, the event will see a high of maybe 48°F and stiff Northerly winds mixed in with periods of rain. I don't doubt that this will feel a lot less like "Land Run" and a lot more like "Trans Iowa".

In fact, the social media person in charge of Panaracer/Stan's NoTubes p/b Bicycle X-Change Team's feed said that the forecast conditions for Land Run were very "Trans Iowa-like". I think that is the first time I've seen a reference to Trans Iowa weather conditions outside of personal/private conversations. It is apparent that Trans Iowa has a reputation amongst gravel riders and this statement seems to prove that. At any rate, those Land Run people are in for 1/3rd or less of what Trans Iowa dishes out on occasion and it will be interesting to see how that goes down this weekend.

 Finally: Perhaps the ultimate irony is that all of today's subjects are having to do with gravel riding, and I am saying you will get sick of all of the gravel stuff being shoved down our eyeballs soon enough. Well, long time readers know I have been talking about gravel stuff since forever. It isn't a fad for me. It isn't a potential source of income or revenue that will lift last year's sagging sales results back to the flat line. (Because I don't sell "gravel bikes") I don't have a "horse in the race" in that manner. I just really like riding bicycles and doing that out in the country, which just so happens to have a lot of gravel roads. I like the people who also like doing that with me or without me.

People say, "What's the big deal? It's just riding bikes on gravel.", and they are right, but they are wrong. It is a big deal to ride a bicycle, and especially for me. It is just riding bicycles on gravel, but that is my passion in life, so yeah..... It may not float your boat, and that's cool. There are more than a few ways to enjoy riding bicycles. Go do it your way.

And with that said, you should go do just that- Ride your bicycles this weekend. Peace!

Sooner Or Later?

Riding into the future or off to the sunset?

I remember several years ago that I had a Facebook message-fest with a rider that had the opinion that the "gravel scene" was going to change fundamentally due to the influx of "competitive road racers" who would bring in a different feel to gravel events. There would be no more of the "gentleman's" rules and there may even come a time when "real rules" and governing bodies would wiggle into the gravel road racing scene.

I also see stories in mainstream cycling media stating that the downturn in the American road racing scene is a big issue that needs to be addressed. One of the several ways suggested to bolster that ailing racing scene is to tap into the burgeoning gravel road racing scene. It is no secret that USAC has already taken a hard look at this and is already trying to woo promoters over to their ways and means of doing things.

As I sit and contemplate these things on a chilly late November evening, I am happy to say that the predictions of the inevitable fall of the gravel racing scene into a similar morass that the road racing scene seems to find itself in has not materialized. I am happy to see that the tentacles of governing bodes and sanctioning have not reached into the heart of the gravel racing scene and ripped its heart out.  I am sure that there are those that feel it is a "sooner rather than later" situation. That at some point, yes, even gravel racing will be found to be as rotten for many as other forms of racing seem to be. Maybe for a few it already is there.

A "family reunion" at Gravel Worlds registration at Cycle Works in Lincoln, NE.

I guess I have held back from writing about this for a while, mostly because I feel a bit too close to gravel racing and riding. Of course I am biased. Why wouldn't I be? But then I am reminded that I have been around the rise of this scene since the beginning of it all and I have paid particular attention to it all along. Some folks call me names that infer that I am some sort of "father" to this deal. I don't say that about myself, and maybe I downplay it, but according to some folks I have a say in this. So here are my thoughts.......

In my humble opinion, there isn't any reason to believe that the gravel racing and riding scene will end up getting to the point that road racing finds itself in now. How can I say this? Well, there were signs, and still are signs, that gravel road racing, at any rate, is an experience that many promoters understand intimately. Because of that they offer that same experience to others. That resonates with riders and since this is the case, we see things like the Land Run 100 selling out 1000 spots to its 2017 event in two hours and twenty minutes. We see things like the Dirty Kanza 200 selling out in hours as well, with 2000 riders total. The demand to have the chance to be part of the "family" and have a social and physical experience, the likes of which is not offered by any other form of cycling, is still on the rise. Obviously it is. That much is fact.

The people involved are what makes it work like it does. (Image courtesy of C. Parsons)

This is why other forms of cycling may be seeing declining numbers. This may explain why road racing seems to be having a tough go. It is maybe why articles about USAC are being published that are stating losses in revenue. I see the gravel road rides and gravel road races being a very different experience than other forms of organized cycling events.

 People come to these gravel based cycling events and they know they will be accepted. They know that there isn't a hierarchy based upon classes, points, categories, or what have you. People understand that you can show up on a Schwinn Collegiate converted to single speed and get the same amount of respect and acceptance as a guy on the latest Open Cycles UP rig. People understand that if you need help out on the course, someone, or five, will offer you assistance. In the gravel scene, there basically is only one rule. That is, "Don't be a dick", to put it bluntly. It seems to have been a widely accepted, respected, and followed rule, as far as I can tell.

There is also a social element to the gravel road racing scene that may be as big a part for many as the riding itself. At the gravel race, you simply do not just show up and ride. You come early to mingle and stay late to swap stories over adult beverages. Many events foster this by offering pre-race events, days ahead of the riding in some cases, and often post race gatherings. Some will offer the rider both. The chance to interact with fellow riders, (I wouldn't go so far as to say "competitors", because that isn't the case), will forge new friendships and reunite old friends in a way that I haven't seen in other competitive cycling events.

 I think it also must be mentioned that gravel races or rides don't require special, hard to create, hard to get to venues. Most places have roads where the surfaces are unpaved and the traffic counts are super low. That has made the creation of routes and rides easy to do. Trying to set up a road race, criterium, or even to find a good venue for mountain bike events is much more difficult to do, in my opinion. 

As long as promoters and riders still "get it", gravel racing and riding will be around a long time.

So, while road racing seems to be in decline here, and governing bodies scramble to find ways to rejuvenate their reason for being, the gravel scene is thriving. I think if the pundits in the media and those in the industry of structured cycling governance were to be completely honest with themselves they would easily agree that the rise in gravel road riding and racing was, in part, a reaction to what they stand for by common riders. The folks that are looking to escape a multitude of rules, structure that seems arbitrary, and escaping from paying fees that seem to not bring the riders any real value, are attracted to the gravel scene. There they find no license fees, no arbitrary categories, and the rules are basic and easily understood. There is a challenge to this type of cycling that is new, exciting, and pushes riders to discover new things about themselves, others, and their world. Places to hold these events are easily obtained and easy to get to.  There is the chance to ride all day with like minded folks, enjoy camaraderie, and make new friends over a beer afterward, or beforehand. I just don't think that traditional modes of cycling offer such things.

There may come a day when the whole deal fades away, gets "ruined" by something or another, or is superseded by something else we haven't discovered yet on two wheels. But until that day comes, I don't think we need to worry too much about this form of cycling getting sullied by things like too many sanctions or what have you. As long as the promoters and the riders "get it", this scene will keep kicking up dust for years to come.

Sooner Or Later?

Riding into the future or off to the sunset?

I remember several years ago that I had a Facebook message-fest with a rider that had the opinion that the "gravel scene" was going to change fundamentally due to the influx of "competitive road racers" who would bring in a different feel to gravel events. There would be no more of the "gentleman's" rules and there may even come a time when "real rules" and governing bodies would wiggle into the gravel road racing scene.

I also see stories in mainstream cycling media stating that the downturn in the American road racing scene is a big issue that needs to be addressed. One of the several ways suggested to bolster that ailing racing scene is to tap into the burgeoning gravel road racing scene. It is no secret that USAC has already taken a hard look at this and is already trying to woo promoters over to their ways and means of doing things.

As I sit and contemplate these things on a chilly late November evening, I am happy to say that the predictions of the inevitable fall of the gravel racing scene into a similar morass that the road racing scene seems to find itself in has not materialized. I am happy to see that the tentacles of governing bodes and sanctioning have not reached into the heart of the gravel racing scene and ripped its heart out.  I am sure that there are those that feel it is a "sooner rather than later" situation. That at some point, yes, even gravel racing will be found to be as rotten for many as other forms of racing seem to be. Maybe for a few it already is there.

A "family reunion" at Gravel Worlds registration at Cycle Works in Lincoln, NE.

I guess I have held back from writing about this for a while, mostly because I feel a bit too close to gravel racing and riding. Of course I am biased. Why wouldn't I be? But then I am reminded that I have been around the rise of this scene since the beginning of it all and I have paid particular attention to it all along. Some folks call me names that infer that I am some sort of "father" to this deal. I don't say that about myself, and maybe I downplay it, but according to some folks I have a say in this. So here are my thoughts.......

In my humble opinion, there isn't any reason to believe that the gravel racing and riding scene will end up getting to the point that road racing finds itself in now. How can I say this? Well, there were signs, and still are signs, that gravel road racing, at any rate, is an experience that many promoters understand intimately. Because of that they offer that same experience to others. That resonates with riders and since this is the case, we see things like the Land Run 100 selling out 1000 spots to its 2017 event in two hours and twenty minutes. We see things like the Dirty Kanza 200 selling out in hours as well, with 2000 riders total. The demand to have the chance to be part of the "family" and have a social and physical experience, the likes of which is not offered by any other form of cycling, is still on the rise. Obviously it is. That much is fact.

The people involved are what makes it work like it does. (Image courtesy of C. Parsons)

This is why other forms of cycling may be seeing declining numbers. This may explain why road racing seems to be having a tough go. It is maybe why articles about USAC are being published that are stating losses in revenue. I see the gravel road rides and gravel road races being a very different experience than other forms of organized cycling events.

 People come to these gravel based cycling events and they know they will be accepted. They know that there isn't a hierarchy based upon classes, points, categories, or what have you. People understand that you can show up on a Schwinn Collegiate converted to single speed and get the same amount of respect and acceptance as a guy on the latest Open Cycles UP rig. People understand that if you need help out on the course, someone, or five, will offer you assistance. In the gravel scene, there basically is only one rule. That is, "Don't be a dick", to put it bluntly. It seems to have been a widely accepted, respected, and followed rule, as far as I can tell.

There is also a social element to the gravel road racing scene that may be as big a part for many as the riding itself. At the gravel race, you simply do not just show up and ride. You come early to mingle and stay late to swap stories over adult beverages. Many events foster this by offering pre-race events, days ahead of the riding in some cases, and often post race gatherings. Some will offer the rider both. The chance to interact with fellow riders, (I wouldn't go so far as to say "competitors", because that isn't the case), will forge new friendships and reunite old friends in a way that I haven't seen in other competitive cycling events.

 I think it also must be mentioned that gravel races or rides don't require special, hard to create, hard to get to venues. Most places have roads where the surfaces are unpaved and the traffic counts are super low. That has made the creation of routes and rides easy to do. Trying to set up a road race, criterium, or even to find a good venue for mountain bike events is much more difficult to do, in my opinion. 

As long as promoters and riders still "get it", gravel racing and riding will be around a long time.

So, while road racing seems to be in decline here, and governing bodies scramble to find ways to rejuvenate their reason for being, the gravel scene is thriving. I think if the pundits in the media and those in the industry of structured cycling governance were to be completely honest with themselves they would easily agree that the rise in gravel road riding and racing was, in part, a reaction to what they stand for by common riders. The folks that are looking to escape a multitude of rules, structure that seems arbitrary, and escaping from paying fees that seem to not bring the riders any real value, are attracted to the gravel scene. There they find no license fees, no arbitrary categories, and the rules are basic and easily understood. There is a challenge to this type of cycling that is new, exciting, and pushes riders to discover new things about themselves, others, and their world. Places to hold these events are easily obtained and easy to get to.  There is the chance to ride all day with like minded folks, enjoy camaraderie, and make new friends over a beer afterward, or beforehand. I just don't think that traditional modes of cycling offer such things.

There may come a day when the whole deal fades away, gets "ruined" by something or another, or is superseded by something else we haven't discovered yet on two wheels. But until that day comes, I don't think we need to worry too much about this form of cycling getting sullied by things like too many sanctions or what have you. As long as the promoters and the riders "get it", this scene will keep kicking up dust for years to come.

Weather Affected Alternative Activities

Wednesday- My day off to do "other stuff", which I was hoping would be a metric ride on gravel for my Cuo-O-Dirt series, but the weather was predicted to be craptastic, and I wasn't about to deal with high winds, rain, and temperatures in the low 30's. I've seen what that is like back last April at T.I.v11. So, since I seem to have a distinct dislike of hypothermia, I decided to tackle some T.I.v12 business. Emails needed to be sent out, and there was a bit of a surprise in terms of sponsorship which came up.

The "herding of cats" as it applied to getting responses back on meal orders for the Pre-Race Meat-Up were avoided this year, since the Grinnell Steakhouse said to me that it wasn't necessary on their end for me to gather that intel anymore. No worries! I was glad to avoid that bothersome task. Now all I had to do was make sure people actually got the e-mail I sent, and that was mostly done with no issues. I had a few pingbacks, but all were covered within a few hours time.

Prototype cue sheet holders from BarYak.com

Then about mid-day I got a ping on Facebook from BarYak.com that was telling me I could expect a couple of their brand spankin' newly designed and prototype cue sheet holders as prizing for Trans Iowa. Wow! These aren't even available quite yet, and we're getting them to add to the prizing for T.I.v11.

The really interesting thing is that BarYak is a company started out by a Trans Iowa vet, so things like the cue sheet holder were actually inspired by events like Trans Iowa. That's pretty cool to know. Check out the BarYak story here.

Then I posted a great Land Run 100 recap by Uncle Dudley, a guy from Kansas who also puts on the event Gravel Ride For Masie's Pride. So, editing that and publishing it took up a chunk of the day. Then I got to get down to the G-Ted Labs to do some fiddlin' with the Karate Monkey. I finally found something that will look good and not cost a ton that will slow me down when I need to. More on that soon.

So, a busy day of not riding bikes. We'll see about that big gravel ride on Saturday, hopefully.

Weather Affected Alternative Activities

Wednesday- My day off to do "other stuff", which I was hoping would be a metric ride on gravel for my Cuo-O-Dirt series, but the weather was predicted to be craptastic, and I wasn't about to deal with high winds, rain, and temperatures in the low 30's. I've seen what that is like back last April at T.I.v11. So, since I seem to have a distinct dislike of hypothermia, I decided to tackle some T.I.v12 business. Emails needed to be sent out, and there was a bit of a surprise in terms of sponsorship which came up.

The "herding of cats" as it applied to getting responses back on meal orders for the Pre-Race Meat-Up were avoided this year, since the Grinnell Steakhouse said to me that it wasn't necessary on their end for me to gather that intel anymore. No worries! I was glad to avoid that bothersome task. Now all I had to do was make sure people actually got the e-mail I sent, and that was mostly done with no issues. I had a few pingbacks, but all were covered within a few hours time.

Prototype cue sheet holders from BarYak.com

Then about mid-day I got a ping on Facebook from BarYak.com that was telling me I could expect a couple of their brand spankin' newly designed and prototype cue sheet holders as prizing for Trans Iowa. Wow! These aren't even available quite yet, and we're getting them to add to the prizing for T.I.v11.

The really interesting thing is that BarYak is a company started out by a Trans Iowa vet, so things like the cue sheet holder were actually inspired by events like Trans Iowa. That's pretty cool to know. Check out the BarYak story here.

Then I posted a great Land Run 100 recap by Uncle Dudley, a guy from Kansas who also puts on the event Gravel Ride For Masie's Pride. So, editing that and publishing it took up a chunk of the day. Then I got to get down to the G-Ted Labs to do some fiddlin' with the Karate Monkey. I finally found something that will look good and not cost a ton that will slow me down when I need to. More on that soon.

So, a busy day of not riding bikes. We'll see about that big gravel ride on Saturday, hopefully.

Unapologetic

The start of things to come. T.I.V1, 2005 (Image by Dave Kerkove)

There are stories about riding back roads and....dare I say the word...gravel roads, popping up a lot these days. I just read this great piece relating an experience in California recently. The "Hopper Series" has been around for 17 years or so, (according to what I can read here), which is awesome. Those "all-roaders" are out there all over the place, and have been for years in their small enclaves. Take Paris Ancaster, as an example, which has happened in Canada every year for 22 years running. There really isn't anything new here about the adventurous side of cycling, on whatever kind of bicycle you want to talk about here.

However; there was something that happened back ten years ago or so that was like these older events, but was different too. There was that adventure thing, for sure, that was really part of it, but there was another thing. I feel it was happening at a time when many at a grassroots level were starting to fall away from the hope that they had wrapped up in watching racing at the Pro levels. There had already been a great deal of doping scandals by 2005, and the doubts about a certain Texan were on the rise as well. There was a tiredness with short lap racing, no matter how long the events took to complete, and the fees for doing those things were outrageous.

Something about this and the way it is done tripped a trigger. Image by Waly Kilburg

I don't know why, for certain, but when Jeff Kerkove and I announced Trans Iowa in late 2004, something happened out there, and a lot of folks followed that "something". We called it "gravel grinding" because that was the term that was given to us for it, ironically by road cyclists, the very same sort who today disparage anything attached to gravel grinders or the equipment used for it. Well, maybe not so much by the cyclists themselves, but certainly by the pundits, the "writers of note", who never miss the chance to diss gravel road riding whenever this subject comes up.

Hey, that's fine, ya know, because if something ruffles some feathers, or causes the established media and industry wonks to disparage it, well, there must be something to it that is real. Otherwise, why would they bother to mention it at all? Maybe they just need to rouse the rabble to accumulate more hits to satisfy the advertisers. "Whatevs", as one writer would say........

Yeah, that's what many say. In the face of literally thousands of riders that take to the start line of events like Barry-Roubaix, the Dirty Kanza 200, and the Almanzo 100, all events that draw riders from all corners of the nation, and even internationally. That's what the pundits say in the face of people attending over 200 unique events every year held on gravel roads and dirt roads across North America. But ya know..........whatevs, right? 

That's okay though, 'cause it isn't like we are looking for validation from anyone to #unlearnpavement, have some fun on dirt roads, or gravel grind. There will be those that thumb their noses at us, but I say "Come on in, the water's fine!" We're just riding bicycles in a way that is fun, challenging, and adventurous. We call it gravel grinding, and dirt road riding, and "all-road", but we are not going to apologize for the names and we aren't going away.

Unapologetic

The start of things to come. T.I.V1, 2005 (Image by Dave Kerkove)

There are stories about riding back roads and....dare I say the word...gravel roads, popping up a lot these days. I just read this great piece relating an experience in California recently. The "Hopper Series" has been around for 17 years or so, (according to what I can read here), which is awesome. Those "all-roaders" are out there all over the place, and have been for years in their small enclaves. Take Paris Ancaster, as an example, which has happened in Canada every year for 22 years running. There really isn't anything new here about the adventurous side of cycling, on whatever kind of bicycle you want to talk about here.

However; there was something that happened back ten years ago or so that was like these older events, but was different too. There was that adventure thing, for sure, that was really part of it, but there was another thing. I feel it was happening at a time when many at a grassroots level were starting to fall away from the hope that they had wrapped up in watching racing at the Pro levels. There had already been a great deal of doping scandals by 2005, and the doubts about a certain Texan were on the rise as well. There was a tiredness with short lap racing, no matter how long the events took to complete, and the fees for doing those things were outrageous.

Something about this and the way it is done tripped a trigger. Image by Waly Kilburg

I don't know why, for certain, but when Jeff Kerkove and I announced Trans Iowa in late 2004, something happened out there, and a lot of folks followed that "something". We called it "gravel grinding" because that was the term that was given to us for it, ironically by road cyclists, the very same sort who today disparage anything attached to gravel grinders or the equipment used for it. Well, maybe not so much by the cyclists themselves, but certainly by the pundits, the "writers of note", who never miss the chance to diss gravel road riding whenever this subject comes up.

Hey, that's fine, ya know, because if something ruffles some feathers, or causes the established media and industry wonks to disparage it, well, there must be something to it that is real. Otherwise, why would they bother to mention it at all? Maybe they just need to rouse the rabble to accumulate more hits to satisfy the advertisers. "Whatevs", as one writer would say........

Yeah, that's what many say. In the face of literally thousands of riders that take to the start line of events like Barry-Roubaix, the Dirty Kanza 200, and the Almanzo 100, all events that draw riders from all corners of the nation, and even internationally. That's what the pundits say in the face of people attending over 200 unique events every year held on gravel roads and dirt roads across North America. But ya know..........whatevs, right? 

That's okay though, 'cause it isn't like we are looking for validation from anyone to #unlearnpavement, have some fun on dirt roads, or gravel grind. There will be those that thumb their noses at us, but I say "Come on in, the water's fine!" We're just riding bicycles in a way that is fun, challenging, and adventurous. We call it gravel grinding, and dirt road riding, and "all-road", but we are not going to apologize for the names and we aren't going away.