With the thoughts of Trans Iowa V5 running through my, ( and a lot of others) head lately, I have been perhaps a bit more attuned to what is going on elsewhere that is similar. I have always been a bit amazed at the interest in such events.
There is talk of several such events in places like North Carolina, Georgia, and even perhaps a route devised by Trans Iowa mastermind "J-kove" in Colorado. Multi-day, stage race type events are also being talked about in places like Colorado and California. There is a new stage race taking place in Mexico, and the list goes on.
Of course, big loops, grand time trial/tour events, and gravel road epics are still as popular as ever. (Within a certain niche group, that is) There just seems to be a bubbling up of interest for competitive/adventure/endurance type events all across the nation. I think that some of the things I have touched upon are part of this phenomenon. The desire to challenge oneself and compete against others, (not necessarily both at the same time) on a scale once thought unimaginable seems to be becoming a reality for more and more people. They are taking that desire and (at least thinking about) turning it into action in the form of events.
This is going to start to become evident in the equipment used to do these epic events. I know that some companies are going to bring bikes geared to this sort of stuff to market very soon. I suspect others will follow. Accessory makers and component makers will be, or already are taking notice. What might become of that is yet to be seen. I suspect a lot of product development will be driven with these sorts of events in mind, at the very least.
Whatever happens, it is fun to be a small, tiny part of it here with Trans Iowa. Of course, d.p. and I are doing this because we think it is fun. That others are going this route with events, or considering it just tells me that we aren't the only nutcases out there. I guess that is somewhat comforting! (Or maybe we should all be worried. Very worried!)
Showing posts with label epic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label epic. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Trans This- Stage Race That
With the thoughts of Trans Iowa V5 running through my, ( and a lot of others) head lately, I have been perhaps a bit more attuned to what is going on elsewhere that is similar. I have always been a bit amazed at the interest in such events.
There is talk of several such events in places like North Carolina, Georgia, and even perhaps a route devised by Trans Iowa mastermind "J-kove" in Colorado. Multi-day, stage race type events are also being talked about in places like Colorado and California. There is a new stage race taking place in Mexico, and the list goes on.
Of course, big loops, grand time trial/tour events, and gravel road epics are still as popular as ever. (Within a certain niche group, that is) There just seems to be a bubbling up of interest for competitive/adventure/endurance type events all across the nation. I think that some of the things I have touched upon are part of this phenomenon. The desire to challenge oneself and compete against others, (not necessarily both at the same time) on a scale once thought unimaginable seems to be becoming a reality for more and more people. They are taking that desire and (at least thinking about) turning it into action in the form of events.
This is going to start to become evident in the equipment used to do these epic events. I know that some companies are going to bring bikes geared to this sort of stuff to market very soon. I suspect others will follow. Accessory makers and component makers will be, or already are taking notice. What might become of that is yet to be seen. I suspect a lot of product development will be driven with these sorts of events in mind, at the very least.
Whatever happens, it is fun to be a small, tiny part of it here with Trans Iowa. Of course, d.p. and I are doing this because we think it is fun. That others are going this route with events, or considering it just tells me that we aren't the only nutcases out there. I guess that is somewhat comforting! (Or maybe we should all be worried. Very worried!)
There is talk of several such events in places like North Carolina, Georgia, and even perhaps a route devised by Trans Iowa mastermind "J-kove" in Colorado. Multi-day, stage race type events are also being talked about in places like Colorado and California. There is a new stage race taking place in Mexico, and the list goes on.
Of course, big loops, grand time trial/tour events, and gravel road epics are still as popular as ever. (Within a certain niche group, that is) There just seems to be a bubbling up of interest for competitive/adventure/endurance type events all across the nation. I think that some of the things I have touched upon are part of this phenomenon. The desire to challenge oneself and compete against others, (not necessarily both at the same time) on a scale once thought unimaginable seems to be becoming a reality for more and more people. They are taking that desire and (at least thinking about) turning it into action in the form of events.
This is going to start to become evident in the equipment used to do these epic events. I know that some companies are going to bring bikes geared to this sort of stuff to market very soon. I suspect others will follow. Accessory makers and component makers will be, or already are taking notice. What might become of that is yet to be seen. I suspect a lot of product development will be driven with these sorts of events in mind, at the very least.
Whatever happens, it is fun to be a small, tiny part of it here with Trans Iowa. Of course, d.p. and I are doing this because we think it is fun. That others are going this route with events, or considering it just tells me that we aren't the only nutcases out there. I guess that is somewhat comforting! (Or maybe we should all be worried. Very worried!)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Bedtime Stories
With the passing of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo and my post event, behind the scenes work. I haven't had much time lately to get around to doing much more than work at the shop and get the important tasks of the week taken care of. That hasn't stopped me from doing one nightly activity though.
That activity would be my catching up on the Great Divide Race. This is really epic stuff. The event, which has been going on for two weeks now, is a backroads race down from the Canadian border to the Mexican border along the Great Divide route as set up by Adventure Cycling. The rules are pretty simple. Time trial the route as a self sufficient cyclist. (Well, there is a little more to it, but that's pretty close to the mark)
This year there were more people lining up for this event at the start than in the previous four years combined. They all are required to call in every day to a specific number which records there message which is then transcribed by Tom Purvis and posted to the site linked above. It helps you see the agony, drama, and hard work involved in this trek across the U.S. Pretty interesting stuff, especially in light of the morass that road cycling has fallen into.
The Tour de France used to be my thing to check out, but not anymore. This Great Divide Race has supplanted it. Why? Well, it's more in keeping with the spirit of challenge and overcoming than the Tour is. It's not over hyped, or hyped at all, really. It's still a grassroots, underground, for the spirit of it all event. The tour? Gutted of any of that. Empty and devoid of anything "true and good", if one can say that about cycling. Maybe I'm a romantic luddite, a reto-grouch, and just not seeing what others find in the Tour. Whatever. All I know is that these Great Divide racers have captured my fancy and I love a good cycling tale before bedtime.
So, I'll keep reading!
If you are so inclined, catch up on the story so far and get ready for the first finishers sometime this weekend. It's going to be awesome! I think it'll inspire you to go out on your own long epic ride this weekend. Do it! I'll be riding somewhere too.
That activity would be my catching up on the Great Divide Race. This is really epic stuff. The event, which has been going on for two weeks now, is a backroads race down from the Canadian border to the Mexican border along the Great Divide route as set up by Adventure Cycling. The rules are pretty simple. Time trial the route as a self sufficient cyclist. (Well, there is a little more to it, but that's pretty close to the mark)
This year there were more people lining up for this event at the start than in the previous four years combined. They all are required to call in every day to a specific number which records there message which is then transcribed by Tom Purvis and posted to the site linked above. It helps you see the agony, drama, and hard work involved in this trek across the U.S. Pretty interesting stuff, especially in light of the morass that road cycling has fallen into.
The Tour de France used to be my thing to check out, but not anymore. This Great Divide Race has supplanted it. Why? Well, it's more in keeping with the spirit of challenge and overcoming than the Tour is. It's not over hyped, or hyped at all, really. It's still a grassroots, underground, for the spirit of it all event. The tour? Gutted of any of that. Empty and devoid of anything "true and good", if one can say that about cycling. Maybe I'm a romantic luddite, a reto-grouch, and just not seeing what others find in the Tour. Whatever. All I know is that these Great Divide racers have captured my fancy and I love a good cycling tale before bedtime.
So, I'll keep reading!
If you are so inclined, catch up on the story so far and get ready for the first finishers sometime this weekend. It's going to be awesome! I think it'll inspire you to go out on your own long epic ride this weekend. Do it! I'll be riding somewhere too.
Bedtime Stories
With the passing of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo and my post event, behind the scenes work. I haven't had much time lately to get around to doing much more than work at the shop and get the important tasks of the week taken care of. That hasn't stopped me from doing one nightly activity though.
That activity would be my catching up on the Great Divide Race. This is really epic stuff. The event, which has been going on for two weeks now, is a backroads race down from the Canadian border to the Mexican border along the Great Divide route as set up by Adventure Cycling. The rules are pretty simple. Time trial the route as a self sufficient cyclist. (Well, there is a little more to it, but that's pretty close to the mark)
This year there were more people lining up for this event at the start than in the previous four years combined. They all are required to call in every day to a specific number which records there message which is then transcribed by Tom Purvis and posted to the site linked above. It helps you see the agony, drama, and hard work involved in this trek across the U.S. Pretty interesting stuff, especially in light of the morass that road cycling has fallen into.
The Tour de France used to be my thing to check out, but not anymore. This Great Divide Race has supplanted it. Why? Well, it's more in keeping with the spirit of challenge and overcoming than the Tour is. It's not over hyped, or hyped at all, really. It's still a grassroots, underground, for the spirit of it all event. The tour? Gutted of any of that. Empty and devoid of anything "true and good", if one can say that about cycling. Maybe I'm a romantic luddite, a reto-grouch, and just not seeing what others find in the Tour. Whatever. All I know is that these Great Divide racers have captured my fancy and I love a good cycling tale before bedtime.
So, I'll keep reading!
If you are so inclined, catch up on the story so far and get ready for the first finishers sometime this weekend. It's going to be awesome! I think it'll inspire you to go out on your own long epic ride this weekend. Do it! I'll be riding somewhere too.
That activity would be my catching up on the Great Divide Race. This is really epic stuff. The event, which has been going on for two weeks now, is a backroads race down from the Canadian border to the Mexican border along the Great Divide route as set up by Adventure Cycling. The rules are pretty simple. Time trial the route as a self sufficient cyclist. (Well, there is a little more to it, but that's pretty close to the mark)
This year there were more people lining up for this event at the start than in the previous four years combined. They all are required to call in every day to a specific number which records there message which is then transcribed by Tom Purvis and posted to the site linked above. It helps you see the agony, drama, and hard work involved in this trek across the U.S. Pretty interesting stuff, especially in light of the morass that road cycling has fallen into.
The Tour de France used to be my thing to check out, but not anymore. This Great Divide Race has supplanted it. Why? Well, it's more in keeping with the spirit of challenge and overcoming than the Tour is. It's not over hyped, or hyped at all, really. It's still a grassroots, underground, for the spirit of it all event. The tour? Gutted of any of that. Empty and devoid of anything "true and good", if one can say that about cycling. Maybe I'm a romantic luddite, a reto-grouch, and just not seeing what others find in the Tour. Whatever. All I know is that these Great Divide racers have captured my fancy and I love a good cycling tale before bedtime.
So, I'll keep reading!
If you are so inclined, catch up on the story so far and get ready for the first finishers sometime this weekend. It's going to be awesome! I think it'll inspire you to go out on your own long epic ride this weekend. Do it! I'll be riding somewhere too.
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