A Look At Events For 2026

Well, it seems every year I have written up a post concerning what I am going to be planning for in terms of events for the year. A few things have changed since last year and I have a couple of things I want to accomplish before next Winter on the bike. 

Keep in mind this is a list of plans. Many times our plans do not work out. I am no exception to the rule. So, while I may have a strong desire to do the events I am about to list, it doesn't mean it will happen. 

Okay, with the disclaimer out there saying I am not 100% in charge of the future, here we go with what I have on my plate for 2026 in terms of gravel events. 

Leading up to April my goal is to just put in some decent, three to four hour rides weekly. This should get me into riding shape. I do not plan on doing any events, but I may crack off a longer ride if the weather and timing lines up. We will see. My main focus will be just getting out there. 

The "big" deal this year will hopefully be this Legends Of Gravel ride in April down in the Flint Hills of Kansas. 

Once again, in case you haven't heard of this, here is a link to a post about this ride.  

I will also add again the fact that I am not in charge of the organizing nor do I have any influence on how this ride is set up. I was asked to come, (along with certain others) so the ride is named what it is named because of this. 

Link to registration:  https://www.bikereg.com/legends-of-gravel

Once I get beyond this point in the year I have to bring focus to what the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective is doing. May and June are the busiest months there, and extracurricular events are at their height during this point in the season for the organization. Due to these things, I am not considering any events during those times, especially since I am taking off time in April from my job there already. 

This means things like a planned bike packing trip around West Central Nebraska I was invited to are not in the cards for me. It was a nice thing to have included me in the invitation, but I just cannot leave people hanging who are depending upon my participation. Further,ore, being on a limited income, I cannot afford the time off either.  

At some point in July or August I will be doing another ride in honor of my son, Jacob Stevenson. This will get announced when I see a time window for the ride maybe in June. I want to do around a metric to maybe a full century ride on a course somewhat local to Waterloo. 

Details will be fine tuned as the Spring and Summer go along, but this is an important ride for me and I will make GT's Ride For Jacob happen. Worst case scenario is I do it alone on a weekday when I am off work, because typically Saturdays I have to work. But this is all yet to be determined. 

Then the only other thing I am committing to is the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge in November. Other than this idea, I probably will end up doing something with N.Y. Roll at some point during the year, but we haven't had any discussions on an idea, and it remains to be seen if we do or if we do not do a ride like the Tree In The Road Ride we did last year. 

Besides those ideas, I just want to focus on getting outside, riding as much as I can, and having fun. I don't need for, want to do, or have much interest in attending the "big organized rides" like Unbound, Gravel Worlds, or Mid South again. I'd rather ride for an adventure, and in other places, than do those things over and over again. 

And that's about it. So, nothing hugely exciting here, but if I get to ride all of what I have outlined here it will be a big year of riding for me. I do not expect it all to happen though, except for the ones I have stated I really want to do, (really only a few), and if this is all I get in, well that'd be great too. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 

Image courtesy of Shimano North America

GRX717 Di2 Introduced As Shimano's Budget Gravel Group:

On December 16th, news came out regarding a new level of GRX gravel components from Shimano. This new GRX717 level is electronic, 12 speed, 1X only, and is priced to compete with  SRAM's more entry level offerings. 

The new 717 is wireless, just like its more expensive sibling. In fact, it is practically a mash-up of current 105/Deore wireless 12 speed components with GRX branding. The 717 rear derailleur features the same WideLink design, ability to reset after a blow to the cage, and the same low-profile design as Deore MTB Di2.  

Levers are essentially 105 design, lacking the grippier hoods of the top-tier GRX Di2 12 speed. It bears mentioning the hoods are textured a little bit though. 

Crank set options include a 40T and 42T option. The rear cassette is meant to be a 10-51T range 12 speed MicroSpline compatible cassette. It should be noted also that all 12 speed wireless Di2 is interchangeable. So....say you want flat bar GRX, you just add flat bar Di2 Deore shifters and you are there. Other possibilities are available as long as you stick to the Shimano 12 speed wireless Di2 ecosystem. 

Comments: Prediction - Shimano sees more spec with this offering. They had ceded this segment of the market to SRAM by not having a more budget friendly option for electronic 12 speed shifting. Now that this is out there, Shimano only is missing a top-tier, super light Di2 gravel racing group. 

Special Statement Concerning The Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge:

I was made aware of a VTBRC report which may have been sent and was received in the spam folder of my email instead of the regular email folder. Now I am aware this is a possibility, and now I have to wonder if other reports went to the same folder. The thing is, I never look at what is in the folder, I simply delete the whole thing every day. 

So, from comments left on the blog it seems at least one report met this fate and perhaps others have as well. I apologize for this! I was not thinking such a thing would become a problem, but there it is. 

So, in the future I will be more careful when deleting the spam file during times I expect reports on rides like the VTBRC. I sincerely hope those of you who sent in reports will forgive me of this oversight and I would be 100% good with publishing those reports if you let me know you'd like to do this. 

This little machine saved my bacon

Fixed Gear Build:

The Standard Rando v2 is being converted into a fixed gear bike and things have been progressing slowly with this build all December long. 

I ran into a situation which had me in a bit of a pickle. I was building the front wheel when I discovered one spoke was not accepting a nipple. This after I had everything laced up and ready to tension. 

To make matters worse, it was the only silver spoke I had which would fit this application, and I did not have access to a bike shop, as this happened at an odd time. 

So, I grabbed my Hozan Spoke Screwing Machine, an extra long silver spoke, and got to work. I first cut the spoke down to the proper length. Then I mounted the Spoke Screwing machine in my vise. A few minutes later and I had a replacement spoke ready to install. Problem solved!  

These little machines can be a life saver. While one could thread spokes for an entire wheel build with this little guy, I wouldn't recommend it. This is best suited for spoke replacements running up to a handful of spokes in number. More than a half dozen and you'll get real tired, real fast of the tediousness of the process. You have to be patient with this machine! 

These are still available, so if you think you'd like one, you should be able to find one easily enough. By the way, I'll have a lot more on this build coming up here on the blog soon.  

L.O.G. Ride  Logo Updated:

I received an email a while back here from Jesse Petersen, a reader of these digital pages and a graphic designer, by the looks of it. He took my caveman drawing of the L.O.G. Ride logo, "cleaned it up a bit", and sent it my way so it can be used by the promoters of the ride. 

(That is right, I'm not in charge of this ride. I just came up with an idea for a logo)

If you want to know more about the Legends Of Gravel Ride, seek the page out on Facebook for all the news. And thank you Jesse for an awesome "clean up" job on my artwork! 

I did get confirmation that the registration should be up by now, or any day now. The Legends of Gravel will have two levels you can sign up for. One: Anyone wanting to stay at the Lodge, and Two: Those staying elsewhere, but wanting to join the ride. Sorry, this is all I know at this time, but you can check out BikeReg and search "Legends of Gravel" to learn more, or go to the Facebook group page for this event.  

Adventure Cycling Debuts Golden Gravel Trail Route:

The Adventure Cycling organization is about to celebrate its 50th year. To do this they decided to draw up a mostly gravel road route from Oregon to the Mississippi River on Missouri's border. The route will total 3,700 miles and will be released to the public in March of this year on their Ride With GPS  account. 

Route diagram courtesy of Adventure Cycling

The route is described on the Adventure Cycling blog page (HERE) as being somewhat similar to the Great Divide Route (Tour Divide), and riders should expect similar experiences. 

Adventure Cycling reminds riders who want to ride this route that it is not going to be 100% perfect and will likely need tweaking in its infancy. 

Comments: Obviously this is what Adventure Cycling is all about, but also it is noteworthy they chose a mostly (reportedly 70% gravel) gravel route. NOT a paved route. Also notable is their West-East routing versus what the Great Plains Gravel Route does, which is to meander North-South. Also, The Spinistry is developing a route which will traverse the entire nation East to West on mostly unpaved roads, (See the next story for more). So, the Adventure Cycling folks are not the only group doing things like this. 

It stands to reason a route like this would be done, as gravel is more safely traversed these days due to distracted drivers on paved roads. But then again - You need to know even in the remotest places you could still get smoked by an inattentive driver. Just ask Jay Petervary. 

So, when will the race be announced? (Only half kidding)

TUBA Trail: The Longest Off-Pavement Route Being Developed:

In other long route news of the unpaved sort, N.Y. Roll and I were able to pin down the industrious Kevin Lee of the Spinistry for a chat. Our conversation centered around the newest off-pavement route for bike packing and touring, the TUBA Trail. 

Kevin and The Spinistry are no strangers to long off-pavement routes. They have developed the RAT 1000, a route across Texas and have been maintaining it for several years already. In fact, the RAT 1000 route idea is the genesis for the idea for the TUBA Trail. 

I won't dive into too much of the detail on this new trail route, but you can check out the conversation we had with Kevin by listening to the latest Guitar Ted Podcast HERE. (Spotify home page link, but you can find the show on most major podcast platforms.) 

I enjoyed hearing about how Kevin pays attention to details which I related to having routed Trans Iowa over the years I did that. I also appreciated Kevin's mentioning the costs involved in doing route finding, a thing most riders tend not to appreciate.  

I also wanted to thank Kevin again for his time and for sharing the news of the TUBA Trail, which is set to be completed sometime this year.  

Image courtesy of Singular Cycles

The 32" Watch: One More For The Album:

Singular Cycles posted this image on their socials and asked for names for this new model with 32" wheels. Most Singular models are named for avians, so the bulk of the suggestions were of this nature. 

Comments: This is a good look at what this model may look like in production. If I had to guess, this appears to be titanium. I hope Sam Alison is thinking about a steel version because a titanium version would be quite pricey. Nice, but expensive for sure. 

I've no idea for a name for this, but I'm sure it will be appropriately named. One thing you can always count on from Singular Cycles, and that is they have always done things with class. From aesthetics to the names for their models, it is hard to find fault with anything the company has done. Not that Singular is perfect, mind you. Far from it. I will only say other "big wheeled" purveyors do not have the same level of attention to detail when it comes to how their products are presented and perceived in the marketplace. It doesn't hurt any to have bicycles which handle and ride nicely also, and Singular has a reputation for this as well. 

So, I expect nothing less than a really well sorted and classy looking 32"er from Singular. My proclivities run more toward trying a 32 inch wheel out in a drop bar format. Maybe Sam could name it the  "Hræsvelgr". I think that would be appropriate. 

Give me that and a reissued Luxy Bar. I might have to get rid of a bike to bring one like this in.  

Thanks for reading! Get out and put in your first ride of 2026, if you have not already!

Friday News And Views (Monster Year-End Edition)

Image from Innova Super Gravel webpage.

 Call It "Gravel™" And It Will Sell:

What happens when you take an XC racing chassis, slap a drop bar on it, and call it a "gravel bike"? Well, apparently you sell bicycles. That is what it looks like judging from a few bicycle brands out there now who are trying to figure out how to "innovate" the gravel bike into something the marketing departments hope you will see as a "must have bike". 

The recently released Trek Checkout, and a few other bicycles like this Innova Super Gravel (shown here) seem to have a very striking resemblance to 29"er XC racing bikes from five to ten years ago. 

I wrote up a comparison of the Trek Checkout with an old Gary Fisher XC Trail bike back at the end of September. If you missed the comparison, it may be enlightening to go back and read the article as it will shed some light on what it is that is going on here with these supposed "category defining" gravel bikes. 

I think this is happening due to a few things. One - Road bikes are encroaching on territory formerly covered by the gravel category. Many road bikes can now fit 35mm road tires, which were "gravel tire" widths in the 2010's. Some road bikes in the "road endurance/all-road" category fit even wider tires. No one wants to call these "gravel bikes", even though for a lot of people out there, this is all they would ever need to ride any road they come across. 

Two - "Gravel" is not everywhere. Many places have back roads, pavement, or dirt roads, but many "paths" cross over to single track/MTB type riding. Wider tires, more aggressive trail geometry, and suspension fit this terrain better. The marketing for the Innova Super Gravel shows it on rocky paths and more MTB/XC type terrain. Actual crushed rock roads (gravel) are no where to be seen.  Perhaps this reflects what seems more enticing to ride and this new style of 'Gravel Bike", which is really just XC MTB with drop bars, is what will motivate folks to pop the credit card number in for a charge. 

Three: "Adventure" was removed from XC MTB bikes when racing-focused products took over and gravity oriented machines became the guise entry level MTB bikes took on, if only in form. Part of this swing toward drop bar MTB is labeled as "adventure biking" because MTB has abandoned this adventure off-road category for years. Bike packing was, and is, a partial beneficiary to this as well. However; the lighter, more svelte "gravel bike" with a suspended front end seems to be filling this void where once the mainstay of MTB was residing. News about the 2026 Focus Atlas adventure bike brings to mind the original Fargo, a bicycle who's tagline was "Adventure by Bike" and which created this drop-bar, MTB based adventure category nearly 20 years ago now. 

All these things are being drenched in "gravel" because this is the magic word which conveys a sense of thrill, adventure, and does not carry the pretenses of road cycling or MTB racing/mountain riding. Even though much of what is being put out there as "new", "category defining" and "adventure" is derivative and old news. 

For more on this, see my take on another bike in this vein below....... 

Guitar Ted Podcast To Take Winter Break:

N.Y. Roll and I recorded the final episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast for this season recently. We will be taking our annual Holiday break and recharging the batteries for another season of the show being planned now. 

2025 was a year of growth, according to our end-of-year stats we received recently from a couple of our podcast platforms. We thank you for listening - if you did - over the past year. I have a review of the year on the podcast which will post the last week of this month, so do look for that. 

Season 4 (!!) will start in January with......well, I don't know just yet! We will come up with something, I am sure. We have received a few great suggestions for the podcast and future episodes, and if you would like to voice your opinions on the direction of the show, please do by leaving a comment here or by email @g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Image by A. Andonopoulos

Fixing The Bus

What is my friend Ari holding in his hand here? Well.....it is what I am going to "fix the Bus with." 

Yep! The old Twin Six Standard Rando, or what I called "The Gravel Bus", due to its yellow and black paint scheme, is going to become my new fixed gear bicycle. 

Since I stripped the bike down and used its parts to build up my new Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4, I thought I was just going to sell this frame and fork off. However; I ended up contemplating how I could make a fatter tire fixed gear bicycle. Something akin to the Shogun, but with beefier tires which I could ride on gravel with. This led me to the Paul WORD Fixed Disc Hub and the possibility of converting the Gravel Bus to direct drive.  

Oh....and in case you are not familiar: Fixed gear means you have a cog on a hub which is locked together. You cannot coast. Every inch the wheel travels the cranks are spinning. It is how all bicycles once were in the late 19th Century. Track bikes are still this way. Just thought I'd throw this out there in case you were new to the concept. 

By the way, single speed free wheel bikes are NOT like fixed gear bikes.They are completely different animals. If you have never ridden fixed gear, you should try it out. It really is amazing and you'd get why it is so different straight away. I love riding this way, and so this new build will be getting used quite a bit,, I think. Stay tuned for more on this bike soon. 

Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Recap:

All the reports are in and published. This year we had ten reports and all from the USA. Most everyone had an issue with the big storm which rolled into the country just in time to affect rides for the challenge.

However; I was encouraged greatly because despite the fact many of the challenge takers did not log the mileage to reach a century, either metric or standard, they reported anyway and shared their rides here. I think this is perhaps even more inspiring, since these folks went out in the face of adversity to ride anyway. 

Feedback from the riders was positive and it looks as though many want to participate in this again next year. Whether you reported or not, if you took inspiration from this challenge and rode, ran, swam, or walked outdoors after Thanksgiving, I appreciate this very much. This is the entire motivation for me - To get folks outdoors and trying to stretch themselves a bit physically instead of sitting around, being sucked into the marketing machine, or whatever. Thanks everyone! We'll plan on doing this again next year then!

 

Image courtesy of Knolly Bikes

Knolly Bikes Releases Updated Cache "Gravel" Bike:

The new Cache drop bar bike in titanium is now available from Knolly Bikes, a predominantly mountain cycling oriented company.  

Their geometry isn't anything crazy with a 70.5° head tube angle, 75mm of bottom bracket drop, and 422mm chain stays. But with many companies going wider on tires, you might expect an increase in maximum tire size over the outgoing Cache, and you'd be correct. Now with clearance for a 29" X 2.3" front and a 29" x 2.1" rear tire (1X and 2X), and suspension fork compatibility, ("gravel travel" suspension only), 

Comments: Okay, I don't really care about big tires or not on gravel rides, you can decide on this idea for yourself. However; at the point where companies are going now with 29"er tires, I have to make a demarcation. 

For myself, and going forward, any "gravel bike" with suspension correction and wider than 2.1" rear tire clearance is technically a mountain bike with drop bars. I mean, call a spade a spade.  Personally, I would rather say a bike like the Cache is a "bad Fargo take", or a poor Cutthroat in the case of carbon frames, but this maybe just me being grumpy today. 

Legends Of Gravel (L.O.G. Ride) Update:

I have a few more details to share concerning the April 17th-18th Legends Of Gravel Ride event. Once again - I am not in charge of this ride. So, if you've got beef with anything concerning the ride, I am not the person to bother with those complaints. Just so we are clear.... 

I am being feted at this event, for further clarity, and I was asked to share this information here, since many of you readers of Guitar Ted Productions just might be interested in this subject. 

Finally, the information I was asked to share: An event site is now live and will be updated with specifics on how you can participate in this event if you want to do so. The site is on Facebook, full disclosure, and I know some of you don't travel in the 'metasphere', which is understandable. Have a friend keep tabs on things then. Don't ask me! 

Here is the link. 

Comments: There is a plan for a group lodging opportunity which would cost $100.00/night to stay which includes meals. The ride itself, if that is all you need, is going to be $50.00/person. This is to help defray costs and gets you an event t-shirt. I know, I thought the ride was free at the onset, but I was wrong, and again - I am not one of the organizers. Any event details, costs, or times are subject to change by the organizers. Be aware! 

I think there is a groundswell of interest in this thing, so if you are at all interested it probably would behoove you to pay attention to that Facebook event page. My part in this is to get there and show up ready to ride a couple of days. That is all I am going to do. So, from this point onward I may mention this event in passing, but do not expect timely updates from me. 

From Singular Cycles' social media

The 32 Watch: Singular Cycles Proto

Recently Singular Cycles posted an Instagram story/reel which showed the bike to the left here with the comment: "It's surprisingly normal looking." Reading into it, I assumed this meant "surprisingly normal" because it was a 32"er. I "liked" the post and Sam Alison replied back in a pm confirming my suspicions. I will stop right there. 

Comments: Sooooo...... One would assume this might just be an actual thing, coming from Singular, who are not in the position to just randomly see if something is going to work or not. It would be reasonable to assume this is in an effort to confirm suspicions the idea is marketable.  

I have to thank my brother, MG, for capturing this image. You know, Insta stories go dark after 24hrs. So, here is the evidence which was provided, but only for a short period of time, preserved now for your consideration. What do you think? Would you be interested in something like this? (I have no horse in this race, by the way.)

I think it bears watching. I would be a lot more interested in a drop bar, gravel crusher, but that is just me. I'd want to see wider spaced hubs than 29"ers have. Thinking out loud, I'd want 150mm front and rear spaced. I would think with the longer chain stays this wouldn't be an issue with cranks and it would build a way stronger wheel. The front matching would allow front to rear wheel swaps. You might want this if a cassette failed, or a derailleur failed, and your front, (actually a rear standard) set up with a single speed cog could swap in as a bail-out. Weird? Maybe, but why not? The stronger wheels would be worth the effort with such a big diameter rim. 

And I don't give a rip about telescopic front suspension forks, so there!  

Programming Note: There are two Friday's left in the year. Usually industry news tails off for the holidays, so unless there are compelling reasons to report news or opinions I will likely post end-of-year articles on the following December Fridays. The FN&V will return the first week of January, 2026. 

Have an awesome weekend! Get out and ride those bicycles! 

Two Things

VTBR Update: 

I've been anxiously checking the long term forecast for Thanksgiving weekend about every day. I know.....it's not a very good thing to do. Forecasting this far out is always an exercise in futility. However; things should start to come into focus from here on out and my plans will as well.

Plans for my attempt at this year's VTBR, that is. My hope is I would get to bang out a metric century in one go and be done with it. However; I cannot be assured of anything at this point. 

We will have our own observance of Thanksgiving here at Guitar Ted Headquarters, of course. Perhaps on Friday due to my daughter's work schedule. I think Thursday looks like my most "open" day for the attempt. Here's hoping the weather is somewhat decent. 

If.....and it is a big 'if' now...I get to ride on Thanksgiving Day, my plan is to ride the "Ride for Jacob" route again. Maybe this time I'll get those roads I missed in! The route is a metric, plus some, so it would be perfect for the VTBR. 

Of course, I;ll need to choose a bicycle for this. Again, IF a big, one day ride is in the cards, I may go with the Fargo, Gryphon Mk4, or my Black Mountain Cycles MCD. But I am supposed to use a "forlorn" bike in the stable. This would point toward the Raleigh Tamland 2 or the Pofahl Signature single speed. Meh! 

First world problems.... 

GT giving his acceptance speech at the GCHoF in 2022.

A Project Begins:

In June of 2022 I was inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. What I did not talk about back then was a bit of an interview I gave for a special project headed up by a couple of guys who have connections to both gravel events and independent film work. They are putting together a documentary film, and I have been asked to help out. 

Without giving too much away, I can say this is about gravel cycling and there is a lot of work for me to do on the project which I have already begun to do. Wading through all the material gathered so far is quite a monumental task, but I have a plan.  

I hope to get through everything and then give my feedback soon. Once my feedback has been given, I'm not sure where my part in this project will end. Perhaps this will be all I contribute, or....? Hard to say. All I know is the goal is to get the finished product out next year. So I better get crackin'! 

Planning For The VTBC Ride

The Veteran's Day Ride was a great training ride for the VTBC.

In less than two weeks I will be challenging myself to do at least a metric century ride. Maybe I'll have to spread it over three days, maybe not, but I am well into preparing myself to get it done again this year. 

If you are not understanding what I am talking about here, this is all about the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge (VTBC) ride  It isn't too late to consider joining us, so if you are interested, see THIS LINK for all the details. Essentially this is an excuse to use your bicycle at this time of the year when most cycling events have shut down for the season. 

The recent Veteran's Day Ride I did with N.Y. Roll was a great opening up on preparations for this challenge. We were out in "not very ideal conditions", I would say. Conditions which might just reflect what it will be like for the VTBC. It was quite windy, with consistent winds in the 20mph range with higher gusts. It was cold, with a starting temperature in the mid-30's and rising into the 40's as we went along. Thankfully it was mostly Sunny, but this is rare in November. So, I'm not banking on this to happen again. 

Last year I did the VTBC over four days on my fat bike due to the cold temperatures.

Last year was brutal here. It was very windy, and VERY cold. I ended up riding every day, on Thanksgiving through the following Sunday, to get a metric century in. I did this all within the confines of the local soft trails and bike paths, so it was definitely a big challenge to get all the miles in! 

My bicycle choice was pretty much forced upon me by the weather last year. This year I haven't seen enough evidence to make a definitive choice. I could easily end up on the Ti Muk 2 again, or a gravel bike! Some weather prognosticators are calling for a big storm to hit around Thanksgiving. So, no decisions on the bike just yet. 

I am getting out now though and pedaling as much as I can before Thanksgiving. It is difficult to prepare for a situation which remains fluid. Late November here can be tranquil, or very stormy. It can be warm, or very windy and cold, like last year. You just cannot predict it easily. Nothing like say, June, where you know you most likely can ride barring lightning being present or for some other severe weather which is pretty easy to predict ahead of time. (Relative to Winter forecasting)

So, I have ideas, but making any solid choices will have to wait for about a week.  

Announcing The 2025 Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge

 

What It Is:

Since 2021 I have held a "Virtual Turkey Burn" challenge. A challenge to you readers to ride your bicycle(s). You readers have all responded nicely each time I have asked you to do this. Last year I had another good response and so I figured I may as well offer the chance to join in this virtual group ride once again this year. 

The original post from 2021 has all the details, which will spell out the idea and time-stamp for this challenge. (Dates changed to reflect 2025) The challenge starts in three weeks from today! So you've got plenty of time to get ready. Now for the details from that 2021 post....

 Virtual: (In terms of meeting) A virtual meeting is when people around the world, regardless of their location, use video, audio, and text to link up online. Virtual meetings allow people to share information and data in real-time without being physically located together.

Turkey Burn: (relating to cycling) The day after or weekend after Thanksgiving when cyclists ride long distances to "burn" off their Thanksgiving feast. A way to kick off the Winter cycling training season. Also a means for getting outdoors when it is cold. 

The routes can be paved, unpaved, on or off road. You choose!

________________________________________________________________________

I propose a "Virtual Turkey Burn Century". Here are the parameters for participation:

1. Pick a bike. (Or multiple bicycles!) The more 'forlorn, forgotten, and neglected' of your choices, all the better. But also- Run what ya brung. If you want to use your favorite, most used bike- go for it. 
2. Ride a "century". Metric or full-on hundy, (63K or 100m) I don't care. Pavement, single track, gravel, back alleys, whatever. You decide. 
3. Take a picture. Take several if you want to. Digital works best for this.
4. Send me your pic(s) and a few words with a name I can credit to. (IMPORTANT!)
5. Do this challenge between Thursday, November 27th to Sunday November 30th. (Thanksgiving 'weekend' in the USA) You can do a century over several days even- if you want to. Whatever.
   
6. Send in your pics and words to g.ted.productions@gmail.com by Tuesday December 2nd. I will put up the "Virtual Turkey Burn Reports" starting on Monday December 8th, (and possibly after- Depending upon the number of submissions)  showing off everyone's submissions. (That is, if there are any daring enough to actually do this deal.)

You can join in the fun or just come back to see if anyone actually did something and read about it here. I am committed to the idea, so there will be one report, at the least. What do you get as a participant? Just a fun activity and possibly an infamous reputation from having your images and words posted on Guitar Ted Productions. Sorry, but if you participate, that's the only reward folks! This ain't no fancy-pants organization here. If you get laughed at by your peers for having your stuff show up here, well then, I am sorry, but I warned ya! 

Okay, that's the plan. Now..... GO! 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

More Details For The 2025 Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge:

Last year was a banner year for the VTBC. I received ten reports from all across the nation and internationally. It took the better part of a week to post all the reports I received. I have no idea how many I will get in this year, but if I get a very high number, I will have to do something a little differently here to get them all posted up for you to enjoy.  However, be assured I will post all reports I receive. 

 Keep in mind that anyone wanting to participate doesn't have to submit an entry here concerning your ride, but if you choose to, it adds to the fun for the readers here. Those who choose to send in a report, please include an image or two and a name for image credits by December 2nd via email as indicated above.  

My motivation in offering the VTBC is to motivate YOU to RIDE. Especially since here in the Northern Hemisphere many believe it is too cold to ride and it is "not cycling season". Rubbish! We can and should ride all year around. 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments or email me at the address above.  

Planning Out The Rest Of The Year

With Fall here now I am thinking about the rest of 2025 and what I would like to accomplish before Winter shuts down riding to plowing through snow on my fat bikes. 

Obviously, this past Summer is a perfect example of why you can lay down plans and never see them come to fruition due to circumstances beyond your control. I certainly have had this experience over the past month and a half. 

So, risking possibilities of having all this nixed and never happening, I have the following ideas for how I'd like to see my riding go for the next few months. 

Obviously, I want to put in a lot of time on my new Peregrine Mk4. I already have a couple of tweaks in mind to accomplish concerning fit for the bike. This will mean a couple of component changes are in the mix. I know I need a different seat post with a hair more set back. I also want to swap out saddles. The current WTB SL8 was already attached to the seat post when I grabbed it out of the parts bin, so it was a choice made out of convenience. I now remember why it was not one of my favorites! 

I also have to put in miles on those Schwalbe G-One Overland tires for my review. So, gravel rides are on the menu here. I think since I have use of a vehicle again I can perhaps haul the bike to start points I would not have been able to do before this and since last October. This presents more options, and honestly, a bit more excitement from my perspective. 

You are probably going to get tires of seeing this bike. Well......hopefully you will!

Later on into Fall I want to try to do another metric century, or attempt a full century, but getting an entire day to myself is not easy now. This is merely a hope. I need to get in a solid base of consistent two to three hour rides before this can really be a reality anyway. 

Then I will also be doing the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge again this year around our Thanksgiving weekend holiday. I hope Winter doesn't come earlier than this! It should be the last big mileage weekend for the season for me. I also enjoy the stories which come in for the blog related to this. In case you are not familiar with the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge, hit THIS LINK and it will take you to a post I wrote concerning the challenge so you can understand what it is. Maybe you will want to join in?  (There will be an "official" announcement coming for this in November.)

In the past I have not offered any reward other than having your story and images reproduced on the blog. This time I may do something like have some stickers made and have anyone who wants to participate send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope to send some stickers out for doing the challenge. I'll have to come up with a design for this. 

So, I know this is a bit unfocused and lacks any hard and fast dates, and whatnot, but I'm playing things by ear here and with what has happened to me over the past several weeks has made me a bit reticent to say "this will happen" or what have you. 

Events

My riding plans are about as shoddy and reliable as this. Image courtesy of Rob Evans.

I know.... I have a checkered record when it comes to making riding plans. so, take the following with a grain of salt and don't be surprised if none of it happens. Although, I'm pretty sure something will happen. It's just that a lot of these things are outside of my control, so I cannot say with a high degree of certainty that any one of the following is a "sure thing" for my ride calendar. 

Secondly, since the announcement of the 2025 class of GCHoF inductees was going to influence my plans this year, I had to wait until Monday to start putting some wheels in motion. I mentioned this first event at the end of last year here. but now I can speak a bit more clearly on what might be happening. 

It is a tentative plan to hold another Victory Ride, much like the event held last year which you can read about HERE. This time the location will be somewhere in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

From the 2024 Victory Ride

The date is to be determined, but right now I am thinking that a trip to the Flint Hills in Spring sounds a heck of a lot more comfortable than one in Summer. So, with the information I have now, this looks like an event that will happen sometime from late April to maybe mid-May. 

Again, I am not organizing this, but when I find out more, I will post it here. Some of this may be determined according to when I can find transportation to said Flint Hills. (Remember - I don't have a vehicle anymore) I may have to rent a car. I don't know at this point. Stay tuned..... 

Since the news of Jason Boucher's Fargo series, I have text-chatted with Jason and he floated an idea for a Fargo Reunion Ride. This has not happened for several years and the last one was pretty notable for several reasons! I wrote about that HERE , HERE, and HERE. 

November, 2016. The last Fargo Adventure Ride.

The last Fargo Adventure Ride was in 2016  in November. I was signed up to ride in the inaugural Spotted Horse gravel race, but I nixed that idea when this popped up as a choice in late October that year. While I never ended up doing a Spotted Horse, and I do have a twinge of regret regarding that fact, I am super happy I made the choice to do the Fargo Adventure Ride instead. 

So, being the nutcase about the Gen I Fargo that I am, and being that every adventure on this bike I have has been a memorable one, I will definitely do everything in my power to attend another Fargo themed ride whenever that might be. 

I cannot stress enough that this is an idea, and that I am not the organizer. IF it happens I am going. But as of now, it is a big IF, and it could conflict with the Victory Ride or any of a hundred things, so ya know..... Just stick that idea under your hat for the time being. It is merely a possibility. 

From the 2023 Guitar Ted Death Ride.

Last year I didn't get a really long ride in at all. And.....it may not happen this year either. But I am going to try, and if I do get something in, it will be this year's Guitar Ted Death Ride for 2025. 

I used to invite people to join me on this, and I'm not saying that will never happen again. I did also say I retired from event production and promotions though, so doing the Invitational part kind of goes against that declaration. 

Look.....I'm just trying to be a man of my word. If I "un-retire" you'll all be the first ones to know here. So, the Guitar Ted Death Ride is a solo gig for now. 

I probably will look for any open window to do this and if things align properly, (a day with no responsibilities, the right weather, fitness looks okay), then it will happen at the time it happens. I was stymied for much of last year so I designated the Victory Ride as my 2024 "Death Ride". Cheap and easy choice, I know, but that was how the year shook out. 

Then there are three more riding events for 2025 I have loosely penciled in to try to get done before Winter 2025/26. In no particular order:

N.Y. Roll/Guitar Ted "Fun Ride":

N.Y. Roll and I have bounced around an idea for a group ride somewhere in Iowa this Summer. Could be a ride to "The Tree In The Road". Could be something around here. It also may not happen. We'll see....

The Virtual Turkey Burn Ride: 

Of all my ideas, this and the Victory Ride have the best chances of actually happening. Hopefully the weather is not as frigid as it was for the 2024 version here! The high amount of world-wide feedback I got for this idea makes it a no-brainer to do again. Plus, I suppose it is about as close to an event production as a retired event promoter can get to without actually promoting an event. 

Or something.......

The Redemption Tour:

A two-day bikepacking trip on gravel that will have a lot of personal meaning for myself. That is if I can make this happen. This has been on my radar for three years already, with everything all ready to go, and it still has not happened. I have to make time for this....

So, there you have it. Some super-vague, definitely maybe, probably vaporware events that may or may not happen for me in 2025. Stick around for the excuses, stay tuned for any surprise happenings!

Virtual Turkey Burn Reaction 2024

Thanksgiving Day 2024

 Well, this year's Turkey Burn has come to a close with ten reports, including my own, which has been the most out of any year I've run the challenge. (I had to edit that total thrice after writing this post the first time to reflect late additions!) And this is just for those who actually made the mileage, reported it, and sent it all in to me. It does not count for those who tried, failed, or did the challenge and kept it to themselves. (Somebody out there did this without sending in a report, I just know it)

And yes - The Turkey Burn Ride Challenge is not an event with a huge amount of people nor does this register on the radar of social media or by any metrics that "big time" media would consider. But that was not the point of the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge at all. 

To be perfectly honest, the VTBC is more about getting myself out there to do some riding. Secondly, seeing as how I need that proverbial "kick in the pants", I figured perhaps someone else might be like myself as well. Maybe a challenge to take on would get them riding when maybe they would not consider doing that due to weather, time, or other mitigating circumstances. 

Judging from the reports, I think this was the case for some of the folks. Tom, Muddy Matt, Mike, Scott, Warren, Shiggy, and Ari come to mind, all who were battling weather, poor roads, or time crunches to get the challenge in. I know for myself it was weather related. This near-zero wind chill stuff is for the birds, but I managed to overcome my distaste for riding in such weather. Hey, I guess we all were pretty much in the same boat, come to think of it!

I also got the sense that some of you do this challenge as a way to show your appreciation for the blog and what I do. If that is near the mark, I am truly humbled and honored by this. Thank you!! 

I also wanted to say that I ran the reports as I received them. I also ran a couple as stand-alone posts for that particular day due to their length and imagery content. Other reports were combined as they were brief and had few images. If anyone that submitted reports is offended by my editorial decisions, just let me know and I can explain myself further.

From the first Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge in 2021

This ride has a bit of a history now. The first one was in 2021, and I received four reports! I was not able to participate in 2022 due to a severe head cold, but I ran the challenge anyway and a few folks chimed in with reports, and one came in from overseas, which was nice. In 2023 I received a few as well, but this year's response was by far the best. The weather was the worst here since I started the Challenge which has had typically warmer than usual days to get the miles in. I guess we are back to a more typical pattern for Winter this time around.

The overall results are positive. Some folks were motivated which equals a win in my estimation. Yes, it created content for the blog, but let's be real folks - I am not wanting for content in late November or early December. That is not the reason I put out the VTBRC at all. 

Thanks again to all who participated in any way, whether or not we know it. Thanks for reading the reports, if you did, and I hope that you enjoyed them. But more importantly, I hope that these reports have motivated you to choose to ride a bicycle and keep the car parked one more time. 

Cheers until next year.....

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you celebrate the day, I hope that you have a wonderful time remembering all the things you have been blessed by in 2024. If you do not celebrate the day where you live, I hope you take some time out today to be thankful for all the things you have been blessed by this year as well. 

On another note, today is the day that the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge starts. It ends on Sunday, so if you are partaking in this endeavor, I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable ride, or rides.

Friday News And Views

Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge Update:

Well, this time next week it will be on! The Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge will be happening all over the place. I'm excited to see where reports will be coming from, but I have had some off-line confirmations and comments elsewhere that lead me to believe that this could be the biggest turnout to date!

Riders living in Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington, (the state) and even Spain have indicated to me that they will be taking part in this challenge. 

Wow! Even if these rides don't happen I am really honored and humbled that people are taking this seriously. And I'm sure these folks are 100% in for the challenge, I'm just saying that the mere thought that folks are excited about this is very meaningful to me. Thank you all! 

I'm watching the weather very carefully and trying to get my best shot in. I know weather can be tricky here in the Mid-West this time of the year, and darkness is a thing to contend with as well. So, we will see how it all falls out in a week and some days. 

Meanwhile, if all these folks and some surprise additions come in, I will have to take stock and jam in a lot of reports in a schedule jam-packed with stuff I have to get through for the end-of-year here. It'll be ......interesting! 

Gravel Worlds News:

Gravel Worlds announced last week that they are bringing back the 1000 Women of Gravel initiative where the Gravel Worlds team will try to raise up 1000 female participants across all categories of the event including the new Gravel Triathlon and Duathlon events, both of which are USA Cycling national championship events. 

Gravel Worlds also announced HED Cycling as their official wheel partner for the event as well. Finally, the organization claimed their original web address, "gravelworlds.com" again, which they had lost for several years. 

A Gentle Reminder: 

You've probably noticed that the "end-of-year" posts have kicked in already, but in case you haven't, I just wanted to take a quick minute to remind you all that this past week is pretty much what the rest of the year will look like here. 

I will be reviewing people, bikes, and my experiences throughout 2024. This will be in addition to the 20th anniversary of the blog reviews that are happening about weekly now also. 

Fridays will still be like this, and I will interject news and ride reports where they need to be as they happen. So, if this isn't your cup of tea, I will be back on a "regular schedule" in January. If you are up for the end-of-year stuff, hang on! I've got plenty to cover in the next several weeks! 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

DT Swiss, Shutter Precision Collaborate On New Dynamo Gravel Wheelset:

News popped up on Wednesday of this week regarding a new DT Swiss offering in conjunction with dynamo hub producer, Shutter Precision. 

The new DT Swiss hub has Shuuter Precision's internals to provide light on demand for any gravel/adventure rider. The hub will be offered on its own as well as a part of two different 350 hub based gravel wheel sets with aluminum rims. 

According to this report I read, the hubs and wheels are beginning to be available now, although for some areas of the world it may take until the end of this year for hubs and wheels to show up in consumer's hands. 

Comments: This should be a great deal, especially the pre-built 1600 and 1800 level wheel sets, for gravel riders. The only downside is that you will need to configure a wiring route suitable for your bike, install it, and buy a head lamp suitable for the dynamo hub. It is initially an expensive proposition, and it is tempting to think a self-contained LED based torch is easier. However; I have both systems and I never fail to be satisfied with my dynamo set up due to its ease of use and care-free nature regarding the need to maintain battery power, as you will have to do with a self-contained LED set up. 

However; you are tethered to THAT one wheel and bike set up. So, if you have multiple bikes you want to use, a self-contained LED set-up will be more efficient and less expensive overall. Plus if that hub goes down, you are without a bike and a light system. While Shutter Precision lights enjoy a reasonably good reputation, my research turned up some issues regarding these hubs and Winter riding in specific. Now DT Swiss' version uses straight-up Shutter Precision guts, but the hub shell and bearings are perhaps a better quality than the original. Hard to say at this point. 

New Episode Dropped!

N.Y. Roll and I had shiggy back on again to talk about tubeless tire stuff. You can check out the new episode HERE. 

We get into some - perhaps long forgotten - tubeless history. Then we talk about tires a bit, rim design, air pressures, and how we mount tires. There are a lot of tips and tricks shared here. 

Then we get into sealants and which work, which do not work, and I even give out MG's Secret Tubeless Formula so you can make your own sauce if you want to. 

Next up we may do a recap of Cold Weather Riding Tips with some updates to that. If you have any questions about the tubeless episode which we did not touch upon, or new questions about cold weather riding, let me know. 

I'm thinking we may squeeze in two more episodes before our Winter break. The last episode will be a recap of 2024 and the gravel scene, most likely. I expect our last episodes to drop in the beginning of December. That will close out Season #2 and we plan on Season #3 to start sometime in mid to late January. 

As always, thanks for reading and get out there and ride those bicycles!

Announcing The 2024 Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge: Rules And More

From last year's VTBC

 Virtual: (In terms of meeting) A virtual meeting is when people around the world, regardless of their location, use video, audio, and text to link up online. Virtual meetings allow people to share information and data in real-time without being physically located together.

Turkey Burn: (relating to cycling) The day after or weekend after Thanksgiving when cyclists ride long distances to "burn" off their Thanksgiving feast. A way to kick off the Winter cycling training season. Also a means for getting outdoors when it is cold. 

For the last three years I have held a "Virtual Turkey Burn" challenge to you readers and you have all responded nicely each time I have asked you to do this. Last year I had another good response and so I figured I may as well offer the chance to join in this virtual group ride once again this year. 

Following is the original post from 2021 which will spell out the idea and time-stamp for this challenge. (Dates changed to reflect 2024) The challenge starts in two weeks from today! So you've got plenty of time to get ready.

_____________________________________

The idea is that perhaps I could call for a 'virtual' ride to be done on your bike which you have maybe left out of your plans more than you might like over the past, oh I don't know.....year? Last few years? Whatever. You don't necessarily even have to do this on a 'forlorn, forgotten bike'. It could be your favorite one. No matter. Here's the deal......

I propose a "Virtual Turkey Burn Century". Here are the parameters for participation:

1. Pick a bike. As stated, the more 'forlorn, forgotten, and neglected' of your choices, all the better. But also- Run what ya brung. If you want to use your favorite, most used bike- go for it. 
2. Ride a "century". Metric or full-on hundy, I don't care. Pavement, single track, gravel, back alleys, whatever. You decide. 
3. Take a picture. Take several if you want to. Digital works best for this.
4. Send me your pic(s) and a few words with a name I can credit to. 
5. Do this challenge between Thursday, November 28th to Sunday December 1st. (Thanksgiving 'weekend' in the USA) You can do a century over several days even- if you want to. Whatever.
   
6. Send in your pics and words to g.ted.productions@gmail.com by Tuesday December 3rd. I will put up a "Virtual Turkey Burn Report" Monday December 9th, (or after- Depending upon the number of submissions)  showing off everyone's submissions. (That is, if there are any daring enough to actually do this deal.)

From the first VTBC in 2021

You can join in the fun or just come back to see if anyone actually did something and read about it here. I am committed to the idea, so there will be one report, at the least. What do you get as a participant? Just a fun activity and possibly an infamous reputation from having your images and words posted on Guitar Ted Productions. Sorry, but if you participate, that's the only reward folks! This ain't no fancy-pants organization here. If you get laughed at by your peers for having your stuff show up here, well then, I am sorry, but I warned ya! 

Okay, that's the plan. Now..... GO! 

_______________________________________

 

Keep in mind that anyone wanting to participate doesn't have to submit an entry here concerning your ride, but if you choose to, it adds to the fun for the readers here. Those who choose to send in a report, please include an image or two and a name for image credits by December 3rd via email as indicated above.