C.O.G. 100 Postponed to 2021

The decision was pretty much inevitable, but we waited through the weekend to clarify our minds and to make sure we were doing the right thing. This is a post to give you all our reasoning for doing what we did and for what we will be doing now, how we got where we are, and what our plans are for the future of the C.O.G.100. I also will touch upon the ramifications of our decision, and what our suggestions are for those of you who may have been planning on taking part in this gravel cycling event.

Obviously over the last week to ten days the news concerning the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus had been escalating in an almost hour-by-hour fashion. Late into last week it became evident that we were going to have to make a hard decision. In that time period we did reach out to the City of Grinnell to ascertain if the government there had any plans to advise groups like ours regarding the COVID-19 crisis. Their answer was that they saw "business as usual", which didn't jive with what the responses were that we saw coming from other sporting events and some governmental agencies.

So we waited to assess the situation further. We did make an announcement that we were considering the postponement of the event, or even outright cancellation of the event. In the meantime, N.Y. Roll looked into the ramifications of what a cancellation might do to us in terms of the insurance for this event, which was no small part of the money collected from entry fees. We received an answer that there may be a way to salvage our investment, but regardless, we were going to make a decision based upon what was right for people.

More and more that became clear that we needed to defer the event to 2021. But we weren't exactly clear on how to express that other than in the most blunt of terms. Thankfully we received two very thoughtful emails from would-be participants in the C.O.G.100. These e-mails were instrumental in helping us to where we are today, even though we may lose money, or riders, it is the correct thing to do in these times.

Thanks to Adrianne Taren and Mark Johnson we have come up with an idea.  Since "social distancing" is being advised, we are asking all of you who were intending to be at the C.O.G. 100 to indulge us, and yourselves, by participating in a single speed gravel ride March 28th. Solo or with a friend(s) as you feel led. It can be as long or as short as you like. Of course, we think you should ride 100 miles, but 20 is fine as well. If you feel so led, we would appreciate everyone using the hashtag #cog100 and posting your images to the social media platform of your choice. Maybe in this way we can still share a bit of solidarity in these difficult times. We will share these messages and images here on our platforms afterward.

What We Are Doing: The C.O.G.100 for 2020 is being deferred to an undetermined date in 2021. (Probably late March, but we haven't decided yet) IF YOU ARE ON THE ROSTER- Your entry will be deferred to the new date. WE CAN NOT OFFER REFUNDS. There will be no transfers accepted. This is the best we can offer considering the insurance issues and that we had already invested in hats for all the riders coming to the event, plus the replacement of two Championship jerseys. Depending upon responses we get from currently paid entrants we may modify our plans in the future, but this is currently our policy. If you intend on not coming, or if you have questions or concerns, please email me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com.

T-shirts: We will be trying to send out t-shirts soon, but we do not have addresses for many of you that were to pick them up at the venue . Please contact us with an address if this applies to you. 

Obviously there is a lot of time between now and 2021 and LOTS of things can change in that time. Just consider the massive changes that have happened within the time of the last two weeks as an example. So, we cannot say with any certainty that any of our plans will be effected or that they will be possible. I am committed to keeping the information as current as possible for the event. So please stay tuned to the C.O.G. 100 site for updates throughout the rest of 2020.

As an added aside, we noted Sunday that the USAC and UCI (administrators of  Pro and amateur cycling) are pulling permits for events through April 5th and are encouraging no group rides and that other promoters fall in line with their suggestions. Please note that we decided to do what we have done independently and before this development from USAC/UCI. That said, it's a smart thing to consider.

Stay safe and stay positive. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

C.O.G. 100 Postponed to 2021

The decision was pretty much inevitable, but we waited through the weekend to clarify our minds and to make sure we were doing the right thing. This is a post to give you all our reasoning for doing what we did and for what we will be doing now, how we got where we are, and what our plans are for the future of the C.O.G.100. I also will touch upon the ramifications of our decision, and what our suggestions are for those of you who may have been planning on taking part in this gravel cycling event.

Obviously over the last week to ten days the news concerning the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus had been escalating in an almost hour-by-hour fashion. Late into last week it became evident that we were going to have to make a hard decision. In that time period we did reach out to the City of Grinnell to ascertain if the government there had any plans to advise groups like ours regarding the COVID-19 crisis. Their answer was that they saw "business as usual", which didn't jive with what the responses were that we saw coming from other sporting events and some governmental agencies.

So we waited to assess the situation further. We did make an announcement that we were considering the postponement of the event, or even outright cancellation of the event. In the meantime, N.Y. Roll looked into the ramifications of what a cancellation might do to us in terms of the insurance for this event, which was no small part of the money collected from entry fees. We received an answer that there may be a way to salvage our investment, but regardless, we were going to make a decision based upon what was right for people.

More and more that became clear that we needed to defer the event to 2021. But we weren't exactly clear on how to express that other than in the most blunt of terms. Thankfully we received two very thoughtful emails from would-be participants in the C.O.G.100. These e-mails were instrumental in helping us to where we are today, even though we may lose money, or riders, it is the correct thing to do in these times.

Thanks to Adrianne Taren and Mark Johnson we have come up with an idea.  Since "social distancing" is being advised, we are asking all of you who were intending to be at the C.O.G. 100 to indulge us, and yourselves, by participating in a single speed gravel ride March 28th. Solo or with a friend(s) as you feel led. It can be as long or as short as you like. Of course, we think you should ride 100 miles, but 20 is fine as well. If you feel so led, we would appreciate everyone using the hashtag #cog100 and posting your images to the social media platform of your choice. Maybe in this way we can still share a bit of solidarity in these difficult times. We will share these messages and images here on our platforms afterward.

What We Are Doing: The C.O.G.100 for 2020 is being deferred to an undetermined date in 2021. (Probably late March, but we haven't decided yet) IF YOU ARE ON THE ROSTER- Your entry will be deferred to the new date. WE CAN NOT OFFER REFUNDS. There will be no transfers accepted. This is the best we can offer considering the insurance issues and that we had already invested in hats for all the riders coming to the event, plus the replacement of two Championship jerseys. Depending upon responses we get from currently paid entrants we may modify our plans in the future, but this is currently our policy. If you intend on not coming, or if you have questions or concerns, please email me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com.

T-shirts: We will be trying to send out t-shirts soon, but we do not have addresses for many of you that were to pick them up at the venue . Please contact us with an address if this applies to you. 

Obviously there is a lot of time between now and 2021 and LOTS of things can change in that time. Just consider the massive changes that have happened within the time of the last two weeks as an example. So, we cannot say with any certainty that any of our plans will be effected or that they will be possible. I am committed to keeping the information as current as possible for the event. So please stay tuned to the C.O.G. 100 site for updates throughout the rest of 2020.

As an added aside, we noted Sunday that the USAC and UCI (administrators of  Pro and amateur cycling) are pulling permits for events through April 5th and are encouraging no group rides and that other promoters fall in line with their suggestions. Please note that we decided to do what we have done independently and before this development from USAC/UCI. That said, it's a smart thing to consider.

Stay safe and stay positive. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

C.O.G. 100 (Not Final) Recon Report

Lots of glum looking skies and dun colored landscapes during recon.

I was going to do a final recon of the C.O.G.100 course over the weekend, but the weather was too nice, and Monday it was supposed to rain. So, I figured, "Why waste a perfectly good riding day on recon when it is supposed to be ugly Monday?" In some ways, I wish I had been all wrong about this. I was right, unfortunately, and boy! Did it ever get ugly!

Rain started in before the Sun got up Monday and it stayed raining all day long. The clouds were low and with the brown vegetation everywhere, it was really quite the depressing scene out in the country.

I headed out around 8:00am and went South toward Grinnell, but I never went to the city proper, choosing instead to contact the course outside of town and then head on toward the "lollipop" section which will bring riders into the convenience store opportunity and back out again. The way I have it figured the course will overlap at one point for about a mile and a half, but it shouldn't be difficult to figure out for riders. By the way, you won't be able to short-cut the course because we will have observers at a point on the lollipop watching you. If you don't go by, you will be DQ'ed. Pretty simple. That way we will know everyone did the prescribed course.

So, anyway, I got around the lollipop part okay, but it was messy! The frost is starting to get drawn up out of the ground now and the rain was starting to make a mire out of the roads but not quite bad enough to impede my progress. It was still sketchy out there though. With about three inches of unfrozen clay on top of a harder surface of frozen, or semi-frozen road, there were times I felt out of control in the truck going 25mph.

Here you can see how the truck was pushing the gravel down into the melted road surface, but I wasn't sinking in.

The county hasn't been idle, by the way. There was a lot of evidence of fresh gravel on the roads, probably laid down over a week ago, by my estimation. Some few patches were fresher than that. With the frost coming up, it will give the roads time to recover from Winter before the end of March and I am betting on lots of fresh gravel by the time the event rolls around.

Due to a bridge reconstruction, this long climb will not be part of the C.O.G.100 after all. 

Of course, by now you've all realized that things did not go totally as planned. We had news of a bridge repair which necessitated a reroute, and that was done weeks ago here without any sight of the course down there. Well, upon laying eyes on it, what was listed as unpaved has been paved. Again ANOTHER reason that event directors and ride promoters ALWAYS should go look at the courses they come up with to verify them. So, I diddled around looking for a quick way around it but I ran into even more pavement. Why do we keep paving things here in Iowa? We can't take care of what we've got paved already. Anyway......

So, instead of wasting a bunch of time trying to figure out a route in worsening road conditions with no map, I decided to come back to G-Ted HQ and redraw the back third of the event. We will have to recon that soon, and then.......maybe......we can wrap this nonsense up and print up some cue sheets!

This steep up will be on course, so prepare your legs and choose an appropriate cog. 

I'll be getting to work here and finalizing things soon. Stay tuned! It's getting to crunch time and opportunities to wrap this up are dwindling. You'll see more on this sooner than later.

C.O.G. 100 (Not Final) Recon Report

Lots of glum looking skies and dun colored landscapes during recon.

I was going to do a final recon of the C.O.G.100 course over the weekend, but the weather was too nice, and Monday it was supposed to rain. So, I figured, "Why waste a perfectly good riding day on recon when it is supposed to be ugly Monday?" In some ways, I wish I had been all wrong about this. I was right, unfortunately, and boy! Did it ever get ugly!

Rain started in before the Sun got up Monday and it stayed raining all day long. The clouds were low and with the brown vegetation everywhere, it was really quite the depressing scene out in the country.

I headed out around 8:00am and went South toward Grinnell, but I never went to the city proper, choosing instead to contact the course outside of town and then head on toward the "lollipop" section which will bring riders into the convenience store opportunity and back out again. The way I have it figured the course will overlap at one point for about a mile and a half, but it shouldn't be difficult to figure out for riders. By the way, you won't be able to short-cut the course because we will have observers at a point on the lollipop watching you. If you don't go by, you will be DQ'ed. Pretty simple. That way we will know everyone did the prescribed course.

So, anyway, I got around the lollipop part okay, but it was messy! The frost is starting to get drawn up out of the ground now and the rain was starting to make a mire out of the roads but not quite bad enough to impede my progress. It was still sketchy out there though. With about three inches of unfrozen clay on top of a harder surface of frozen, or semi-frozen road, there were times I felt out of control in the truck going 25mph.

Here you can see how the truck was pushing the gravel down into the melted road surface, but I wasn't sinking in.

The county hasn't been idle, by the way. There was a lot of evidence of fresh gravel on the roads, probably laid down over a week ago, by my estimation. Some few patches were fresher than that. With the frost coming up, it will give the roads time to recover from Winter before the end of March and I am betting on lots of fresh gravel by the time the event rolls around.

Due to a bridge reconstruction, this long climb will not be part of the C.O.G.100 after all. 

Of course, by now you've all realized that things did not go totally as planned. We had news of a bridge repair which necessitated a reroute, and that was done weeks ago here without any sight of the course down there. Well, upon laying eyes on it, what was listed as unpaved has been paved. Again ANOTHER reason that event directors and ride promoters ALWAYS should go look at the courses they come up with to verify them. So, I diddled around looking for a quick way around it but I ran into even more pavement. Why do we keep paving things here in Iowa? We can't take care of what we've got paved already. Anyway......

So, instead of wasting a bunch of time trying to figure out a route in worsening road conditions with no map, I decided to come back to G-Ted HQ and redraw the back third of the event. We will have to recon that soon, and then.......maybe......we can wrap this nonsense up and print up some cue sheets!

This steep up will be on course, so prepare your legs and choose an appropriate cog. 

I'll be getting to work here and finalizing things soon. Stay tuned! It's getting to crunch time and opportunities to wrap this up are dwindling. You'll see more on this sooner than later.

A Bit Of A C.O.G.100 Update.

Super limited availability.

With less than three weeks to go here, we have got to be gettin' to gettin' our ducks in a row here at C.O.G.100 central. Things are coming into sharp focus here and we have a few things to pass on to you who are interested or are coming to ride this deal.

First up- We have the hats! (See yesterday's post!) But along with that, we have a super limited amount of extra patches which were embroidered for the hats. These will be offered at the Peace Tree get together the evening before the C.O.G. 100. These will be offered at $5.00/each and will only be available at the venue. Once they are gone, they are gone. We don't have enough to offer through the blog here, so if you want one, get a hold of someone riding in the C.O.G. and have them try to get one. First come, first served. No reserved sales. They are that rare. 

Shirts are in! We have about five or so of you that are not coming to the event that ordered shirts, so we will be sending those out soon. The rest of you will get yours at the event. We will have them at Peace Tree on Friday and at the start at Ahrens Park. If you forget yours, or if you don't come, you'll either need to pay us a bit more to ship them to you, or forfeit your shirt. But we will cross that bridge if we need to. I'm just lettin' y'all know that if you don't make it or are forgetful it will cost you something. Just don't be either of those things and we'll all be happier.

Numbers are in! I wanted to customize them, but it is looking like I probably will not, since my new job is demanding more of my time here. But that's a minor disappointment. I don't think anyone will mind.

Recon for confirmation of the route was to happen Friday, but work intervened, so it looks like Monday now will be that day. Once the course is cleared we will get the cues printed. We will need to bag those, get some pipe cleaners to attach number plates, and well.....we'll be ready. Ready as we'll ever be.

More soon......

A Bit Of A C.O.G.100 Update.

Super limited availability.

With less than three weeks to go here, we have got to be gettin' to gettin' our ducks in a row here at C.O.G.100 central. Things are coming into sharp focus here and we have a few things to pass on to you who are interested or are coming to ride this deal.

First up- We have the hats! (See yesterday's post!) But along with that, we have a super limited amount of extra patches which were embroidered for the hats. These will be offered at the Peace Tree get together the evening before the C.O.G. 100. These will be offered at $5.00/each and will only be available at the venue. Once they are gone, they are gone. We don't have enough to offer through the blog here, so if you want one, get a hold of someone riding in the C.O.G. and have them try to get one. First come, first served. No reserved sales. They are that rare. 

Shirts are in! We have about five or so of you that are not coming to the event that ordered shirts, so we will be sending those out soon. The rest of you will get yours at the event. We will have them at Peace Tree on Friday and at the start at Ahrens Park. If you forget yours, or if you don't come, you'll either need to pay us a bit more to ship them to you, or forfeit your shirt. But we will cross that bridge if we need to. I'm just lettin' y'all know that if you don't make it or are forgetful it will cost you something. Just don't be either of those things and we'll all be happier.

Numbers are in! I wanted to customize them, but it is looking like I probably will not, since my new job is demanding more of my time here. But that's a minor disappointment. I don't think anyone will mind.

Recon for confirmation of the route was to happen Friday, but work intervened, so it looks like Monday now will be that day. Once the course is cleared we will get the cues printed. We will need to bag those, get some pipe cleaners to attach number plates, and well.....we'll be ready. Ready as we'll ever be.

More soon......

Updates On G-Ted Productions Rides

New GTDRI header

I thought I'd take the opportunity to update you all on a couple of rides I help produce here and the details surrounding them. First up will be some chit-chat about the C.O.G.100 coming up at the end of next month (already!)

N.Y.Roll and I have finalized t-shirts sales and will be sending off the order to Bike Rags now. That's it for sales of the C.O.G 100 shirts, but we will have a very small, limited size availability on the "Real American Gravel" shirts at Peace Tree the evening before the event.

Next up, we have ordered race numbers, and they will be the same ol' boring ones you know and are used to from me. I may customize them depending upon when I get my hands on them. The order is in, so if I get these in the next week or so, the possibilities that I will do "something" is higher. Stay tuned on that.......

Of course, Spring is on the doorstep and that means N.Y. Roll and I will be finalizing the route choice. As stated before, we have a couple of spots we are concerned with, and so if those check out, we will be then sending along our master files for the cues to our printer and getting that squared away. The cues will be the same format and size as last year. If you are familiar with cues from the last few Trans Iowa events, they will be similar to that.

We have secured permission to use the parking lot at the North end of Ahrens Park off Penrose Street in the far Northeast corner of Grinnell. This will serve as our launch point for the event, and will be near the actual finish line, which has a bike path leading over to the parking lot for rider's convenience. We will be giving further details at our Pre-race Meeting which will occur just before the event. NOTE: We are hoping riders will also enjoy some fellowship afterward at Peace Tree Tap Room in downtown Grinnell after the event. Plus, there are several great restaurants in the area within walking distance of Peace Tree.

So.... Barring any weirdness we should be good to go. The hats, shirts, race plates, and cue sheets are all yet to be delivered as finished products, but I expect no problems there. Stay tuned for finer details in a week or two as the event draws nearer.

Now, as for the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, I have a new header! (Wooo!) It was a complete mistake, and I modified it in a photo manipulation program a bit, but it follows with many of my other renderings for this event. Vague, out of focus, and "hot and on fire" looking. Basically, this is a rendition of what your mind and body will feel like during the ride. (HA!) Seriously though, it likely will be very hot and humid that time of year.

Other than the new header, I got nuttin'. I will only reiterate that I will be doing recon missions along my proposed route as soon as I can get out there. I'm kind of excited about exploring a new-to-me area. I'll be posting about my adventures in recon as they happen, so that should be some fun.

I shouldn't say I don't have anything new to share, because I do have some thoughts on the route and the "feel" for this year's GTDRI. In the past, I used to have a stopping point on the route, typically a place where we could eat at around the noon hour. We'd kick back, relax, and then knock out the rest of the route. That's been missing the last several years due to the remote nature of "hunting Level B Roads" which kept us out in the Styx and not going through any real towns. This is what bit us last year and why, when only about 20 miles out from the finish, the entire group sat around a convenience store in Brooklyn for a long while recuperating from 80 miles of heat, rain, and hills.

We will be going through several smaller villages and towns this year. I will be hoping to find that spot where we can kick back and relax a bit, but N.Y. Roll has been dousing my enthusiasm for this to happen saying all my choices for the route go through towns with nothing in them. I think he has a dim view of what is reality out there. We'll see who is right this Spring when I get out and do my recon.

Finally, a bit of an update on the t-shirt idea I broached here last Friday. Several of you readers were kind enough to respond and I have your responses tabulated. I'm going to let this roll for about another week with some reminders here and there, but initial numbers are not encouraging for the t-shirt........yet. We will see. I think that there is a good chance I'll do stickers though. So, plan on that at the least.

That should wrap up things for now on events and other stuff going on around here. Thanks!

Updates On G-Ted Productions Rides

New GTDRI header

I thought I'd take the opportunity to update you all on a couple of rides I help produce here and the details surrounding them. First up will be some chit-chat about the C.O.G.100 coming up at the end of next month (already!)

N.Y.Roll and I have finalized t-shirts sales and will be sending off the order to Bike Rags now. That's it for sales of the C.O.G 100 shirts, but we will have a very small, limited size availability on the "Real American Gravel" shirts at Peace Tree the evening before the event.

Next up, we have ordered race numbers, and they will be the same ol' boring ones you know and are used to from me. I may customize them depending upon when I get my hands on them. The order is in, so if I get these in the next week or so, the possibilities that I will do "something" is higher. Stay tuned on that.......

Of course, Spring is on the doorstep and that means N.Y. Roll and I will be finalizing the route choice. As stated before, we have a couple of spots we are concerned with, and so if those check out, we will be then sending along our master files for the cues to our printer and getting that squared away. The cues will be the same format and size as last year. If you are familiar with cues from the last few Trans Iowa events, they will be similar to that.

We have secured permission to use the parking lot at the North end of Ahrens Park off Penrose Street in the far Northeast corner of Grinnell. This will serve as our launch point for the event, and will be near the actual finish line, which has a bike path leading over to the parking lot for rider's convenience. We will be giving further details at our Pre-race Meeting which will occur just before the event. NOTE: We are hoping riders will also enjoy some fellowship afterward at Peace Tree Tap Room in downtown Grinnell after the event. Plus, there are several great restaurants in the area within walking distance of Peace Tree.

So.... Barring any weirdness we should be good to go. The hats, shirts, race plates, and cue sheets are all yet to be delivered as finished products, but I expect no problems there. Stay tuned for finer details in a week or two as the event draws nearer.

Now, as for the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, I have a new header! (Wooo!) It was a complete mistake, and I modified it in a photo manipulation program a bit, but it follows with many of my other renderings for this event. Vague, out of focus, and "hot and on fire" looking. Basically, this is a rendition of what your mind and body will feel like during the ride. (HA!) Seriously though, it likely will be very hot and humid that time of year.

Other than the new header, I got nuttin'. I will only reiterate that I will be doing recon missions along my proposed route as soon as I can get out there. I'm kind of excited about exploring a new-to-me area. I'll be posting about my adventures in recon as they happen, so that should be some fun.

I shouldn't say I don't have anything new to share, because I do have some thoughts on the route and the "feel" for this year's GTDRI. In the past, I used to have a stopping point on the route, typically a place where we could eat at around the noon hour. We'd kick back, relax, and then knock out the rest of the route. That's been missing the last several years due to the remote nature of "hunting Level B Roads" which kept us out in the Styx and not going through any real towns. This is what bit us last year and why, when only about 20 miles out from the finish, the entire group sat around a convenience store in Brooklyn for a long while recuperating from 80 miles of heat, rain, and hills.

We will be going through several smaller villages and towns this year. I will be hoping to find that spot where we can kick back and relax a bit, but N.Y. Roll has been dousing my enthusiasm for this to happen saying all my choices for the route go through towns with nothing in them. I think he has a dim view of what is reality out there. We'll see who is right this Spring when I get out and do my recon.

Finally, a bit of an update on the t-shirt idea I broached here last Friday. Several of you readers were kind enough to respond and I have your responses tabulated. I'm going to let this roll for about another week with some reminders here and there, but initial numbers are not encouraging for the t-shirt........yet. We will see. I think that there is a good chance I'll do stickers though. So, plan on that at the least.

That should wrap up things for now on events and other stuff going on around here. Thanks!

Friday News And Views

59 Trips Around The Sun:

Well, I made it. Another year was marked yesterday. I make a silly deal out of my birthday every year, because, really, it's just another day, but we do "mark time", don't we? So, yeah..... Very blessed to be here and to have had the life I've had so far. I'm very much looking forward to what is to come, despite the assurances of sorrow and heart-ache being alive will bring.

I say this many times here, but at the risk of sounding cliche'....

Thank you so much for reading the blog. It means a lot to me, and this has become a big part of my life, obviously. What started out as a silly stab at writing, on the insistence of Jeff Kerkove back in 2005, has become a daily routine for me that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I guess I'd better enjoy it for all the time I put into it!

But anyway, thank you. Thank you all who sent greetings and well wishes on Facebook and text yesterday. I read each and every one and appreciated them all. Too kind, you all are. Too kind!

This years C.O.G.100 hat.

 C.O.G.100 News:

First of all, we sold out entries! Thanks to all who entered this year's event. We had initially set 75 as the limit, sold that out, added ten more, and sold those as well. N.Y.Roll and I appreciate the commitment to our event.

So, with that done we sent in the orders for the hats. Due to a weird requirement where getting 100 patches for the hats cost less than getting 90, we will have a very limited number of patches available. How we are going to deal with the ten or so extras we haven't decided on yet. If you really gotta have one, let me know and what that's worth to you. Maybe we can make it happen.

Secondly, the t-shirt offer stands till February 29th, (it's a leap year, ya know), so take a look HERE and order from that page. We will push go on the order March 1st and then that's it. No more will be made ever again.

Remember, all the artwork is by yours truly and is completely original. Very unique, and so you won't be seeing this on every street corner. The proceeds help to pay for the shirts and that's about it. We are probably going to break even this year, if we're lucky, as last year we ended up doing that as well after expenses were accounted for. So, we're not making a living, or even beer money on this deal. Just so you know.....

A Tweet from "Elizabeth @eGrindcore", a Nebraska native, on Wednesday.

 Media Hop On The Gravel Bandwagon: 

What was it with this week and media concerning gravel riding and racing? Must have been the "gravel summits" I mentioned in my post on Tuesday. Anyway, suddenly all the endemic cycling publications are falling all over themselves to get out some sort of "whatever will gravel do once it grows up" posts.

"Cyclingtips" had one by Neil Shirley, and so did "Velo News" in an article about power and the winner of Gravel Worlds last year. There were others as well. I got a laugh when I read the Tweet I have posted here. Yeah....."seven years behind the times" is about right.

Anyway, "Welcome late-comers".  We're not so goofy, or stupid as you once thought, eh? I'll say it again though, these endemic outlets haven't changed their tune, really. They still are trying to bend the narrative toward "professional level competitive racing". It's all wrong. They just do not understand how exclusive and "old" that narrative is. Times have changed, but the old media dogs that cut their teeth on the Pro racing scene haven't changed their colors, or learned new tricks, as they ought to have by now. It's a shame, really.

Even the Pro roadies they quote keep saying they like gravel events because of the relaxed, laid back, all-inclusive, fun nature of it, then in the next sentence you read something about doping controls and who will come "out of the gravel scene" to contest some Old World road event. It's tone deaf as all get out. But I also know some of these writers get it. They've done gravel events, so the disconnect is even more baffling.

Then I see the UCI is considering a true Pro level World Championships with doping controls, rules, and regulations. There is only one way that gets off the ground and that is with the same teams, athletes, and infrastructure they have now. Everyone that is outside Pro level racing is outside of it for a reason. Again- I don't see it working, at least not in the U.S.A., and that's where the action is on gravel anyway.

That's it for this week. Get out and ride if ya can!

Friday News And Views

59 Trips Around The Sun:

Well, I made it. Another year was marked yesterday. I make a silly deal out of my birthday every year, because, really, it's just another day, but we do "mark time", don't we? So, yeah..... Very blessed to be here and to have had the life I've had so far. I'm very much looking forward to what is to come, despite the assurances of sorrow and heart-ache being alive will bring.

I say this many times here, but at the risk of sounding cliche'....

Thank you so much for reading the blog. It means a lot to me, and this has become a big part of my life, obviously. What started out as a silly stab at writing, on the insistence of Jeff Kerkove back in 2005, has become a daily routine for me that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I guess I'd better enjoy it for all the time I put into it!

But anyway, thank you. Thank you all who sent greetings and well wishes on Facebook and text yesterday. I read each and every one and appreciated them all. Too kind, you all are. Too kind!

This years C.O.G.100 hat.

 C.O.G.100 News:

First of all, we sold out entries! Thanks to all who entered this year's event. We had initially set 75 as the limit, sold that out, added ten more, and sold those as well. N.Y.Roll and I appreciate the commitment to our event.

So, with that done we sent in the orders for the hats. Due to a weird requirement where getting 100 patches for the hats cost less than getting 90, we will have a very limited number of patches available. How we are going to deal with the ten or so extras we haven't decided on yet. If you really gotta have one, let me know and what that's worth to you. Maybe we can make it happen.

Secondly, the t-shirt offer stands till February 29th, (it's a leap year, ya know), so take a look HERE and order from that page. We will push go on the order March 1st and then that's it. No more will be made ever again.

Remember, all the artwork is by yours truly and is completely original. Very unique, and so you won't be seeing this on every street corner. The proceeds help to pay for the shirts and that's about it. We are probably going to break even this year, if we're lucky, as last year we ended up doing that as well after expenses were accounted for. So, we're not making a living, or even beer money on this deal. Just so you know.....

A Tweet from "Elizabeth @eGrindcore", a Nebraska native, on Wednesday.

 Media Hop On The Gravel Bandwagon: 

What was it with this week and media concerning gravel riding and racing? Must have been the "gravel summits" I mentioned in my post on Tuesday. Anyway, suddenly all the endemic cycling publications are falling all over themselves to get out some sort of "whatever will gravel do once it grows up" posts.

"Cyclingtips" had one by Neil Shirley, and so did "Velo News" in an article about power and the winner of Gravel Worlds last year. There were others as well. I got a laugh when I read the Tweet I have posted here. Yeah....."seven years behind the times" is about right.

Anyway, "Welcome late-comers".  We're not so goofy, or stupid as you once thought, eh? I'll say it again though, these endemic outlets haven't changed their tune, really. They still are trying to bend the narrative toward "professional level competitive racing". It's all wrong. They just do not understand how exclusive and "old" that narrative is. Times have changed, but the old media dogs that cut their teeth on the Pro racing scene haven't changed their colors, or learned new tricks, as they ought to have by now. It's a shame, really.

Even the Pro roadies they quote keep saying they like gravel events because of the relaxed, laid back, all-inclusive, fun nature of it, then in the next sentence you read something about doping controls and who will come "out of the gravel scene" to contest some Old World road event. It's tone deaf as all get out. But I also know some of these writers get it. They've done gravel events, so the disconnect is even more baffling.

Then I see the UCI is considering a true Pro level World Championships with doping controls, rules, and regulations. There is only one way that gets off the ground and that is with the same teams, athletes, and infrastructure they have now. Everyone that is outside Pro level racing is outside of it for a reason. Again- I don't see it working, at least not in the U.S.A., and that's where the action is on gravel anyway.

That's it for this week. Get out and ride if ya can!

C.O.G.100 Update: Gear For The C.O.G.

Every entrant that shows up March 20th gets a hat.

C.O.G.100 Update:

We at the C.O.G.100 are pleased to announce our latest gear for the 2020 running of the event. Once again we are working with Bike Rags, an Iowa based company, to do the hats, t-shirts, and the winners Championship Single Speed of Gravel jerseys.

This year we are going to be giving every entrant to the C.O.G. 100 (Registration is open HERE Only a few spots left!), a hat with the Guitar Ted designed artwork on it. The hats will be red, white, and blue and the patch will say "C.O.G. 100 Real American Gravel" on it.

These hats will not be offered for sale outside of the registrants for the event. This keeps the hats special and we wanted to do this for those who commit to riding single speed and that come to do this event. That said, we do have a couple of t-shirts which I am excited about which ARE for sale outside of the event. These are also designed by me and are screen printed on Bike Rags excellent t-shirts. I have one of there t-shirts and it s one of my favorites in the drawer. Anyway, these will be a limited time offer and I'll detail how you can get one for yourself here in a minute.

But first, you are probably going to want to see them, right? Yeah.... I thought so. The event t-shirt will be Olive Drab green in keeping with our veterans theme this year and will have a black logo like the hat has on the patch. The other option is my "Real. American. Gravel" slogan in red, white, and blue on a black (natch) t-shirt.

Okay, so just how can you get your mitts on one of these? Well, you can order your own t-shirt via the registration page for the C.O.G.100 without registering for the event. No obligation to ride in the C.O.G.100 if you don't want to. Just click here and scroll down a bit to see the shirts and follow the prompts to order.

Just as an aside, I am hoping to have some more stuff made available in the future with the "Real American Gravel logo via the e-commerce site for RidingGravel.com at some point. So, this black t-shirt may just be the beginning. Stay tuned on that front....

C.O.G.100 Update: Gear For The C.O.G.

Every entrant that shows up March 20th gets a hat.

C.O.G.100 Update:

We at the C.O.G.100 are pleased to announce our latest gear for the 2020 running of the event. Once again we are working with Bike Rags, an Iowa based company, to do the hats, t-shirts, and the winners Championship Single Speed of Gravel jerseys.

This year we are going to be giving every entrant to the C.O.G. 100 (Registration is open HERE Only a few spots left!), a hat with the Guitar Ted designed artwork on it. The hats will be red, white, and blue and the patch will say "C.O.G. 100 Real American Gravel" on it.

These hats will not be offered for sale outside of the registrants for the event. This keeps the hats special and we wanted to do this for those who commit to riding single speed and that come to do this event. That said, we do have a couple of t-shirts which I am excited about which ARE for sale outside of the event. These are also designed by me and are screen printed on Bike Rags excellent t-shirts. I have one of there t-shirts and it s one of my favorites in the drawer. Anyway, these will be a limited time offer and I'll detail how you can get one for yourself here in a minute.

But first, you are probably going to want to see them, right? Yeah.... I thought so. The event t-shirt will be Olive Drab green in keeping with our veterans theme this year and will have a black logo like the hat has on the patch. The other option is my "Real. American. Gravel" slogan in red, white, and blue on a black (natch) t-shirt.

Okay, so just how can you get your mitts on one of these? Well, you can order your own t-shirt via the registration page for the C.O.G.100 without registering for the event. No obligation to ride in the C.O.G.100 if you don't want to. Just click here and scroll down a bit to see the shirts and follow the prompts to order.

Just as an aside, I am hoping to have some more stuff made available in the future with the "Real American Gravel logo via the e-commerce site for RidingGravel.com at some point. So, this black t-shirt may just be the beginning. Stay tuned on that front....

Friday News And Views

C.O.G. 100 Registration Still Open:

The field for the second annual C.O.G. 100 has been filling up nicely. We still have spots available though, so head on over to the C.O.G. 100 registration page and sign on. We are still looking for you women out there to get on board with this deal too, so keep in mind, that field is small to non-existent and you could be the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Champion. We have hats being designed and everyone signing up gets one. Plus, we have two different t-shirt designs on offer and those are optional. We plan on opening up the t-shirt offer to the general public also, so keep on the lookout for that coming soon.

Otherwise we have a bit of time before we have to get out again to look at the roads once more and assess whether or not we need to execute any re-routes. I know we had a couple of spots we were worried about, so those will be getting our attention first. We have to also clear our start/finish area with the proper authorities. Details like number plates have to be taken care of and organizing volunteers as well. Much to do yet, but I foresee it all coming together well in the end.

The whole "search for a gravel bike" led me to this- The BMC "Orange Crush"

 Time For A Concept Bike Revisited:

Almost ten years ago, in late 2010, I had a series of posts on the site dubbed "Time For A Concept Bike!", and I know it went along to about six or seven parts. In the end of it all, I was supposed to be having a new, custom made rig done in steel.

I had posted my thoughts on the blog with the result being a huge blowing up of discussion and debate about some of my thoughts. Not least of which were that "all I needed was a cyclo cross bike" and the surrounding "geometry differences in millimeters doesn't matter" which came along with all of that. Of course, that is nonsensical thinking, and we all accept that a cyclo cross bike is not a gravel bike these days. Ten years ago, well....it was quite a sticking point. Mostly because there were no gravel bikes. No one had ever ridden what I was talking about, or if they had, they weren't commenting on the blog. People dismissed the idea out of hand.

Well, this mythical gravel rig, hand made as it was going to be, never materialized. I became a bit tight in the funding department, and so I put out a search for a stop-gap bike to "make do" with until such a time arrived that money was less an issue and I could go forward with the project. One thing I was against for this bike was a disc brake. (Which eliminated the Vaya) I narrowed my search down to two cyclo cross inspired rigs, (again- there were no gravel bikes in those days.), but they were cyclo cross in name only. Well, one was actually called a "Monster Cross" bike, and you know now which bike I ended up with.The old orange Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross from 2011.

It is a great bike, but not exactly what I had in mind. So, this "stop-gap" bike was really only meant to be around for a little while. Then 2012 came along and the whole deal with Raleigh and the Tamland started up. I waited to see what that would result in, and in 2014, I got my Tamland. Well, that was "good enough" and by this time the whole "concept bike" thing had faded into a distant memory.

So, I came across those old posts researching stuff on the blog last month. I thought it might be fun to revisit what it was that I had in mind, compare it to some of the more radical "gravel rigs" of 2020, and then, maybe, I will see about actually doing this for real. I'll also see whether I was wrong, or whether I was right, about my guesses from 2010 in terms of what would make a good gravel rig. Stay tuned for that new series coming next week.

The Airbourne Hob Goblin 29"er FS bike.

 Airborne Is Still Doing It:

Let's see, I think the first time I ever heard about Airborne they were doing titanium direct to consumer bikes named after famous WWII bombers and fighter planes. That would have been in the early 2000's. Then there was a problem with the company, resulting in a buyout by the Huffy Corporation. I actually reviewed an Airborne Goblin 29"er about ten or so years ago now.

Looking up the history, I see that Huffy sold the company to the the son of the founder of the DK BMX bike brand, (which Huffy also owned at the time), and he and his team are bringing back Airborne for another go-round selling consumer direct. Yes, consumer direct bike brands have been around a loooong time. 

It's funny when you think about it. Back 20 years ago, a consumer direct brand like Airborne was looked at with very suspicious eyes by most consumers. It was assumed, (and many a time rightly so), that spec and quality wasn't up to snuff. Mainstream brands sneered at these "sub-quality", "pretenders", and paid no attention to the ground swelling of consumer interest in these brands. Much to their detriment, even today, I would suggest.

Consumer direct brands were always assumed to operate in the marketplace as the "cheapest, race to the bottom" back-marker of the industry, but they were striking a nerve, and not just because the prices were so attractive. If you recall, many of these brands did not sell on technical, jargon-infested marketing ploys. They never used pro racers or that sort of "high-brow", ultra-fit athlete look. They sold on the every-man having fun at a price that wasn't bad. They cut the "BS" and went for what makes bikes fun in the first place, you know......fun? Not this "type 2" so-called "fun", or whatever "real racers" and the wannabees come up with for their definition of fun. But the sort of, "get this cheap and get out and have fun already" message which resonates with consumers. They could care less about "APB", "Mini-Link", or whatever length the chain stays are. It was about freaking fun! Pop the rig outta the box, go ride, get rad fun. Cut the song and dance. Ya know?

But the direct to consumer brands didn't make good decisions on components, geometry, and yes, the length of chain stays, so many folks got turned away by their end user experiences. Had companies been more conscious of that, then I feel direct to consumer would have gained a much bigger foothold than they have. They still could, if they upped their consumer satisfaction and serviced them at LBS's.

Yes, I feel that the future will be a blend of the stalled out consumer direct model and the old, stale LBS one. A model where the best of both things will finally create a new model where consumers don't have to navigate "The Culture of Bro" (or the latest "PC-du jour" mash-up) and will get a decently priced bike with "boots on the ground" service that consumer direct never had. Will that be Airbourne, or some other brand? I doubt the "Four Behemoths" of the industry we have now will figure it out. Time will tell......

That's all for this week. have a great weekend, and as always, thank you for reading here!

Friday News And Views

C.O.G. 100 Registration Still Open:

The field for the second annual C.O.G. 100 has been filling up nicely. We still have spots available though, so head on over to the C.O.G. 100 registration page and sign on. We are still looking for you women out there to get on board with this deal too, so keep in mind, that field is small to non-existent and you could be the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Champion. We have hats being designed and everyone signing up gets one. Plus, we have two different t-shirt designs on offer and those are optional. We plan on opening up the t-shirt offer to the general public also, so keep on the lookout for that coming soon.

Otherwise we have a bit of time before we have to get out again to look at the roads once more and assess whether or not we need to execute any re-routes. I know we had a couple of spots we were worried about, so those will be getting our attention first. We have to also clear our start/finish area with the proper authorities. Details like number plates have to be taken care of and organizing volunteers as well. Much to do yet, but I foresee it all coming together well in the end.

The whole "search for a gravel bike" led me to this- The BMC "Orange Crush"

 Time For A Concept Bike Revisited:

Almost ten years ago, in late 2010, I had a series of posts on the site dubbed "Time For A Concept Bike!", and I know it went along to about six or seven parts. In the end of it all, I was supposed to be having a new, custom made rig done in steel.

I had posted my thoughts on the blog with the result being a huge blowing up of discussion and debate about some of my thoughts. Not least of which were that "all I needed was a cyclo cross bike" and the surrounding "geometry differences in millimeters doesn't matter" which came along with all of that. Of course, that is nonsensical thinking, and we all accept that a cyclo cross bike is not a gravel bike these days. Ten years ago, well....it was quite a sticking point. Mostly because there were no gravel bikes. No one had ever ridden what I was talking about, or if they had, they weren't commenting on the blog. People dismissed the idea out of hand.

Well, this mythical gravel rig, hand made as it was going to be, never materialized. I became a bit tight in the funding department, and so I put out a search for a stop-gap bike to "make do" with until such a time arrived that money was less an issue and I could go forward with the project. One thing I was against for this bike was a disc brake. (Which eliminated the Vaya) I narrowed my search down to two cyclo cross inspired rigs, (again- there were no gravel bikes in those days.), but they were cyclo cross in name only. Well, one was actually called a "Monster Cross" bike, and you know now which bike I ended up with.The old orange Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross from 2011.

It is a great bike, but not exactly what I had in mind. So, this "stop-gap" bike was really only meant to be around for a little while. Then 2012 came along and the whole deal with Raleigh and the Tamland started up. I waited to see what that would result in, and in 2014, I got my Tamland. Well, that was "good enough" and by this time the whole "concept bike" thing had faded into a distant memory.

So, I came across those old posts researching stuff on the blog last month. I thought it might be fun to revisit what it was that I had in mind, compare it to some of the more radical "gravel rigs" of 2020, and then, maybe, I will see about actually doing this for real. I'll also see whether I was wrong, or whether I was right, about my guesses from 2010 in terms of what would make a good gravel rig. Stay tuned for that new series coming next week.

The Airbourne Hob Goblin 29"er FS bike.

 Airborne Is Still Doing It:

Let's see, I think the first time I ever heard about Airborne they were doing titanium direct to consumer bikes named after famous WWII bombers and fighter planes. That would have been in the early 2000's. Then there was a problem with the company, resulting in a buyout by the Huffy Corporation. I actually reviewed an Airborne Goblin 29"er about ten or so years ago now.

Looking up the history, I see that Huffy sold the company to the the son of the founder of the DK BMX bike brand, (which Huffy also owned at the time), and he and his team are bringing back Airborne for another go-round selling consumer direct. Yes, consumer direct bike brands have been around a loooong time. 

It's funny when you think about it. Back 20 years ago, a consumer direct brand like Airborne was looked at with very suspicious eyes by most consumers. It was assumed, (and many a time rightly so), that spec and quality wasn't up to snuff. Mainstream brands sneered at these "sub-quality", "pretenders", and paid no attention to the ground swelling of consumer interest in these brands. Much to their detriment, even today, I would suggest.

Consumer direct brands were always assumed to operate in the marketplace as the "cheapest, race to the bottom" back-marker of the industry, but they were striking a nerve, and not just because the prices were so attractive. If you recall, many of these brands did not sell on technical, jargon-infested marketing ploys. They never used pro racers or that sort of "high-brow", ultra-fit athlete look. They sold on the every-man having fun at a price that wasn't bad. They cut the "BS" and went for what makes bikes fun in the first place, you know......fun? Not this "type 2" so-called "fun", or whatever "real racers" and the wannabees come up with for their definition of fun. But the sort of, "get this cheap and get out and have fun already" message which resonates with consumers. They could care less about "APB", "Mini-Link", or whatever length the chain stays are. It was about freaking fun! Pop the rig outta the box, go ride, get rad fun. Cut the song and dance. Ya know?

But the direct to consumer brands didn't make good decisions on components, geometry, and yes, the length of chain stays, so many folks got turned away by their end user experiences. Had companies been more conscious of that, then I feel direct to consumer would have gained a much bigger foothold than they have. They still could, if they upped their consumer satisfaction and serviced them at LBS's.

Yes, I feel that the future will be a blend of the stalled out consumer direct model and the old, stale LBS one. A model where the best of both things will finally create a new model where consumers don't have to navigate "The Culture of Bro" (or the latest "PC-du jour" mash-up) and will get a decently priced bike with "boots on the ground" service that consumer direct never had. Will that be Airbourne, or some other brand? I doubt the "Four Behemoths" of the industry we have now will figure it out. Time will tell......

That's all for this week. have a great weekend, and as always, thank you for reading here!

C.O.G. 100 registration Announcement

C.O.G. 100 Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championships: March 28th, Grinnell, Iowa. Registration opens on January 2nd, at 8:00am! 

C.O.G.100 site link

Please read the event details on the site and make sure that you understand and agree with them. If you register and complain after the fact, we are not going to put up with it. So, make sure you are onboard with ALL the rules, suggestions, and registration details BEFORE you register. 

We'll say it again- This Is A Single Speed ONLY Event. Yes.......really. This means you will have to either (a) convert your bike to fit the rules or (b) borrow a single speed, or (c) buy a single speed bike to get into the event and participate in it. We will have inspections to determine if your bike is within guidelines, so don't show up with your levers zip-tied thinking we'll just turn our heads the other way. That isn't going to happen. 

We are going to have hats as part of your entry fee, and we are going to offer an optional t-shirt in two designs. First will be the livery for the event seen here. (Maybe not the camo part.....we'll see) The other will be a simpler shirt that will say "Real. American. Gravel." Both designs will be $20.00 and you can buy one, two, or none. It's completely optional on the shirts. We decided to not offer a jersey, like we did last year. So, no jerseys. 

Preemptive Strike: So, maybe some of you are thinking, "Well, well! I thought you were all about breaking down barriers and being inclusive. So what's the deal with single speed only then?" This is a fair question. I'll go back to my original musings on this type of event, "Why not?" No one, that I was aware of, was doing anything like this. There are a rather large number of single speed fanatics in the ranks of gravel riding. I figured, hey! Let's offer a focus on those riders. 

Secondly, a single speed gravel bike is easy to come up with. It cost little to nothing to "dirt bag" up a single speed rig. If you don't know how, consult your local LBS with some knowledge in SS MTB. They will know. And speaking of mtb bikes, an SS 29"er would be a banger C.O.G.100 rig. Anyway, it is about the opposite of most of these "Big Time Gravel" events where unless you are sporting a $7K carbon rocket with carbon hoops and electronic shifting then you're off the back. Making the event single speed only kind of backs that "arms race" thing up a bit. Actually, it is more inclusive, come to think of it. 

Anyway, if you want to come but you just cannot get around the single speed hurdle, (meaning you can't come up with one to ride, not that it is "harder", or that you cannot ride it) , then get a hold of me. N.Y. Roll and I will make it happen. So.....you may not like the bike, but that won't be a hurdle. 

Questions? Hit me up NOW! 

C.O.G. 100 registration Announcement

C.O.G. 100 Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championships: March 28th, Grinnell, Iowa. Registration opens on January 2nd, at 8:00am! 

C.O.G.100 site link

Please read the event details on the site and make sure that you understand and agree with them. If you register and complain after the fact, we are not going to put up with it. So, make sure you are onboard with ALL the rules, suggestions, and registration details BEFORE you register. 

We'll say it again- This Is A Single Speed ONLY Event. Yes.......really. This means you will have to either (a) convert your bike to fit the rules or (b) borrow a single speed, or (c) buy a single speed bike to get into the event and participate in it. We will have inspections to determine if your bike is within guidelines, so don't show up with your levers zip-tied thinking we'll just turn our heads the other way. That isn't going to happen. 

We are going to have hats as part of your entry fee, and we are going to offer an optional t-shirt in two designs. First will be the livery for the event seen here. (Maybe not the camo part.....we'll see) The other will be a simpler shirt that will say "Real. American. Gravel." Both designs will be $20.00 and you can buy one, two, or none. It's completely optional on the shirts. We decided to not offer a jersey, like we did last year. So, no jerseys. 

Preemptive Strike: So, maybe some of you are thinking, "Well, well! I thought you were all about breaking down barriers and being inclusive. So what's the deal with single speed only then?" This is a fair question. I'll go back to my original musings on this type of event, "Why not?" No one, that I was aware of, was doing anything like this. There are a rather large number of single speed fanatics in the ranks of gravel riding. I figured, hey! Let's offer a focus on those riders. 

Secondly, a single speed gravel bike is easy to come up with. It cost little to nothing to "dirt bag" up a single speed rig. If you don't know how, consult your local LBS with some knowledge in SS MTB. They will know. And speaking of mtb bikes, an SS 29"er would be a banger C.O.G.100 rig. Anyway, it is about the opposite of most of these "Big Time Gravel" events where unless you are sporting a $7K carbon rocket with carbon hoops and electronic shifting then you're off the back. Making the event single speed only kind of backs that "arms race" thing up a bit. Actually, it is more inclusive, come to think of it. 

Anyway, if you want to come but you just cannot get around the single speed hurdle, (meaning you can't come up with one to ride, not that it is "harder", or that you cannot ride it) , then get a hold of me. N.Y. Roll and I will make it happen. So.....you may not like the bike, but that won't be a hurdle. 

Questions? Hit me up NOW!