A Dry Spell, You Say?

 This has been a crazy August so far. Ever since we have put the Ride For Jacob behind us it has either been so hot it was not a good decision to ride out in the country, or it was raining. 

I was talking with N.Y. Roll the other day and we were trying to think if there was a dry day last week. We couldn't come up with anything. Sunday it did not rain, Saturday it also did not rain, but it was so humid everything stayed wet. And well......it was misty. Does that count?

So now we are coming out of this rainy pattern, finally, although it rained again this morning here briefly. The thing is, I just need it to quit, especially on days I have open to ride. I've got a lot of things I'm behind on, and Fall is coming quickly.  

Here's hoping the weather has been better wherever you live. I know, things could be far worse. Excessive rain is one thing, hurricanes and record shattering flooding is quite another. So, I know..... I'm doing well and I'm grateful, it is just hard on a person who lives to ride to not to be able to do so. Weather issues? This will pass. 

Some folks are facing far greater issues. Shout out to my brother MG. I'm praying for ya, Brother. And I know there are others facing big hurdles to riding as well. 

Keep moving forward.

Choose Your Own Adventure: State Based Gravel Route Finders

Image courtesy of  Wisconsin Gravel.org

There is a somewhat popular saying which is used when someone wants to impart the listener can "do whatever they want". It is "Choose your own adventure". The recipient of this phrase is then thought to be someone who is going to go do something in their own free will, be that wise or unwise. Whatever the case may be. 

Nowadays, with so many gravel events flooding the calendar, and with entry fees, travel, and lodging getting more expensive, it seems to me that many riders are beginning to look for alternatives which fit their needs and lifestyles in a better way. I've noted the rise in participation in weekly gravel group rides. These hyper-local events with there ease of entry and friendly natures seem to have taken on a life of their own. 

Perhaps the "next big thing"in gravel riding is somewhat similar to the gravel group rides, but adds in an element of adventure, discovery, and fun. It is the state based gravel data bases where one can go to find predetermined routes. The first I was aware of in this vein was Gravel Kansas.

Gravel Kansas was set up in 2023 and at that time I was a big fan of this unique take on curated gravel routes. Later on, Pennsylvania got in on the act, and we learned about this on the Guitar Ted Podcast from Dave Pryor. The site https://ridepagravel.co/ leads you to their Route Finder. This opens up their Ride With GPS site where routes can be accessed. It's a bit different take on a similar idea to Gravel Kansas. 

Image courtesy of Ride PA Gravel

Now a third state data base is being developed for the state of Wisconsin and their gravel roads. Called Wisconsin Gravel, the site divides the state into regions where the rider can navigate to find out what each region has to offer and what routes are there. As of this writing, the site is still being filled out, so there is not a lot to glean from the promised 1,000 miles of routes for the unpaved rider to choose from. 

Comments: Obviously, these sorts of portals are only as good as the content placed on them. Without fleshing out the sites, it is hard to recommend something like this without caveats. Hopefully things progress along with these sites to make them worthwhile to point folks to. Gravel Kansas being the oldest of these sorts of sites, has 80+ routes on offer. That seems pretty good but obvious holes exist yet. For example, there are no routes for the Northeast part of the state as of this writing. 

The Pennsylvania route site seems like a fine idea because they leverage Ride With GPS as a data base and the routes are easily downloaded into a rider's GPS unit. (Unless you lose yours, like I have recently!)

The future could be pretty interesting if more states get onboard with ideas based around a user friendly "route library" based on a state or region of a state. I could see tourism departments getting involved in different states. Obviously, it would behoove states like Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, arguably the cradle, along with Kansas, of the Modern Era of gravel riding, to get onboard with this idea. 

It may be a trend we see increasing in popularity due to the way some feel doing events is getting stale. I could totally see this making gravel riding even more popular in the future.  

Ride Right: A PSA

Image courtesy of the Tama County Sheriff Department

 A long time ago the Pirate Cycling League used to harp on riders participating in their Gravel Worlds events to "Ride Right". This meant more than the obvious. I was reminded of this maxim the other day when I saw a post by the Tama County Sheriff's Department showing a head-on collision between two vehicles on a gravel road. 

The vehicles were coming from opposite directions up a hill and when they crested, with both vehicles in the road's center, the head-on crash was the result. Both drivers are okay, by the way, according to reports. 

Why does this matter to gravel cyclists? 

Because, the old farmer's rule of "Drive Right" up hills was meant to help prevent crashes like this, and gravel riders would do well to also heed this advice. 

Maybe the old ways are not being passed down any longer, but I was taught to set my car on the edge of the road, as far right as possible, when cresting hills on gravel roads. Rural people, (at least they used to) expect this rule to be followed for the safety of all road users. Clearly, according to the story from the Tama County Sheriffs, this wasn't the case with the operators of these two vehicles. Perhaps even if one of the drivers was on the far right, the accident may have been avoided. 

However that goes, one thing is a solid takeaway here - You never know when you are going to meet a vehicle on gravel. I remember several examples of not even hearing a car before it was suddenly just "there" at the top of a hill. Riders cresting hills on gravel in the middle of the road or on the left side are taking a huge risk with possible consequences of death or serious injury.  

Don't be that gravel rider! Ride Right! 

Two Things

Five years worth of sealant pulled from a 26" x 4" tire.

 Sprucing Up The Ti Mik 2:

This job I had to do had been hanging over my head now for a couple of years. I kept putting it off because it is not a fun job. Last year I just shrugged, put more sealant in, and said to myself, "I'll get around to it next year for sure." 

Actually, I knew I was long overdue to peel off the tires, clean out the sealant, replace valve stems, re-tape the rims, and reinstall everything with new sealant.  

Like I said, it is a big job, and with my having to replace the oil in my Rohloff Speed Hub as well as doing the tires, this became a major deal. Fortunately pulling off the rear wheel was made easier since the cables to run the Rohloff are attached to a metal box which when the shifter is put on "7" allows me to unscrew a thumbscrew, remove the box where the cables enter, and keep the hub indexed. The front has its own difficulties because it is a dynamo hub and I have wires to disconnect via spade connectors. 

Well, as you can see here, the sealant was dried up and came out in almost one pull. I had the rear tire cleaned out in well under 15 minutes. Not as bad as I was expecting it to be! The tape job, installing a brand new valve  stem, and re-installation of the rear  tire went pretty smoothly. I was a bit surprised the Cake Eater tire went on so well after being on the bike for so long. 

Replacing the oil in a Rohloff hub is pretty easy if you've done it once, and by my count, this is the fifth time I've done it. Gotta keep this hub running smoothly and well for many more years! As for the connectors on my dynamo hub, I'd sure like to get some of those fancy co-axial connectors, but I haven't done this as of yet. It would be easier to get the front wheel off, but then again, I do not take this wheel off very often. So, maybe it is a "why bother" situation. 

Image seen on Facebook

In The "Nothing Is New" File:

I follow several bicycle related accounts on Facebook, (it isn't all garbage if you can stay disciplined), and once in a while you end up learning something. In this case, it is an adaptation for a specific niche in cycling which has found its way into gravel events over the years. 

As you can see, this Bianchi cross bike is fitted with a factory installed pair of bosses which were meant to have this sling attached to them. This allowed the rider to portage the bicycle through ravines, across streams, and up or down steeps, back when cyclo-cross was not run on manicured courses with artificial barriers. 

I also noted the geometry of this bike, which is quite a bit unlike today's cyclo cross bikes, is something which looks good for gravel. And why wouldn't it be? Early cross bikes essentially were converted road bikes. The geometry was still fairly slack in the times before the mid-20th Century, and was exactly what would work with a gravel rider.  

But what about "aero" and frame storage and wireless, blah, blah, blah? Well, maybe we don't really need all that stuff. 

Something to think about. 

Don't Shoot The Messenger.

From Lance Armstrong's "X" account.

Long time readers know my thoughts about the term "gravel" as it applies to cycling and what the idea that "gravel" embodies is something limited by the name and something that just doesn't quite hit for many people around the world. 

That's why when I saw a social media post by Lance Armstrong recently that I was encouraged and saw the brilliance of his take on how this whole gravel thing should be seen by all of us. Namely as a way to explore more terrain on a reasonably lightweight, fast bike. 

Now, you may grouse and dismiss this take because of where it comes from, but you would be unwise to do so. This summarizes exactly what I and others were aiming to do with an idea for a bike we were trying to describe by a different name back in the late 2000's. 

As the youth say, "I've got receipts", and they are on this blog if you care to find them. I don't feel the need to push all that up again, but I did think that what Lance Armstrong said, and how he said it here, was more on the mark than not. 

In fact, it is very appealing to me because of the way he carves away the racing aspects of "gravel" and focuses on the real, core reasons for this type of riding. Many cyclists and cycling journalists would do well to understand that part. That's my take.

Damage Control

 My recent review on Shelter Tape got me to thinking about "damage control" and what parts on my gravel bikes are really the parts that are getting biffed and nicked up. 

Is it really the frame, specifically the down tube, or is it really something else? I think I know the answer, at least for me, at any rate. Upon reflection, I think I may have made a bit of a mistake with my recent Shelter Tape installation. 

You see, in my experience, the worst damage has been to my crank arm ends. Specifically the side that faces forward on the down stroke. The front wheel tends to kick up loose gravel, and for whatever reason, I find that crank arm ends take the brunt of the rocks that do get thrown up by the wheel. 

Not the down tube. Not the bottom bracket shell. Nope. It is almost always the crank arm ends, and I find that sort of amazing. Think about it. How often are those crank arm ends in a position to get hit? Once every crank revolution per side, right? I mean, the down tube and bottom bracket shell are always there. But in my experience, those frame bits almost never get biffed. 

The end of my GRX crank .

The GRX limited crank arm

I have one carbon crank arm set on the new King Fabrications Honeman Flyer. That crank set was on the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 for a while, and it is by far, the most damaged crank arm set. The aluminum ones fare better, but still get defaced and scratched. 

Crank arm armor. (Image courtesy of Jenson USA)

You can actually buy crank arm "armor", which usually describes end protectors you slip over the ends of your crank arms and are held by friction, like a grip on a handlebar, and are captured by your pedal spindle.  

I find that most gravel riders don't use these. At least, I don't see this often. If you are a gravel rider and use something like this, let me know in the comments. 

I think I may have to invest in a few sets of these things. It is obviously too late for my SRAM carbon cranks, but for some of my other bikes it might prove to be a useful addition to the bike for future protection. 

I did use something like these crank arm armor ends on the cranks of my first Standard Rando. Those were from Zefal, and apparently those are still available too. Many of these can be had in different colors as well, which could be of interest if you want a pop of color on your crank arm ends. 

The trouble is that most, if not all of these crank arm protectors are for mountain bikes. I'd like to see something made specific to GRX, or SRAM Rival, like I have. That would be good for gravel riders to have that choice. Come to think of it, maybe that is why I don't see gravel riders using crank arm end protectors.

A Reckoning

 Over the weekend there was tragic news coming out of a few gravel events. The things you never want to hear about, experience, see, or read about happened and with those events comes many emotions and thoughts. 

Details; The most publicized of these events happened at the Raputitsa Dirt event in Vermont where a 54 year old man lost his life in a crash with a pick-up truck. Another death was reported to me concerning an event in Kansas, which I have been unable to confirm officially, so I won't say more about that. Another incident that was described to me by N.Y. Roll occurred in an event in Northeast Iowa with an accident where an unconscious rider was seen on a rural road being looked over by two other racers. All of this brings to mind a lot of emotion and concern with me personally due to my experiences with gravel events and with Trans Iowa in particular, since I was the guy in charge of things regarding that event. 

So, I have some thoughts and opinions based upon my past experiences which I am going to share. These are my opinions only  and they may not reflect the opinions of many others in the gravel community, but I feel it is time for a reckoning in gravel events. 

I want to be respectful of those who are affected by this past weekend's tragedies. That said, we need to look hard in the mirror as riders and promoters and speak out some things that have been assumed, or forgotten. 

First of all, while gravel racing and riding is beautiful and worthy of doing, things can and will go wrong leading to personal injury and even death. While that sounds rather clinical and obvious, we have to ask ourselves, "Do we really understand and accept this fact?" 

I'm not assigning blame to anyone or any organization here, just stating a fact that, by necessity, should be examined carefully up front, not just for gravel racing, but in each of our lives. This should be the number one thing you've considered before riding in anyone;s event and your loved ones should know it as well. 

And then when something does go wrong, it is okay to talk about it with respect and love being foremost in our commentary. Let's be honest, with the spiraling popularity of gravel events, accidents, crashes, and injuries leading to death will happen. It isn't a "when". So, acknowledging the worst is being honest. When I see participants gleefully enjoying the after-event party on social media after a tragic event occurred, it seems like a disjointed thing when I know that "they" don't know something tragic happened, and is that fair to the participants? I cannot answer that question, but it needs to be examined. I think if we are going to celebrate the good stuff and hide the "bad" it feels wrong. Again, I remind you all, these are my opinions. 

Moving on- Can we make our events better?  Can we educate riders in skills and tactics to make large groups of cyclists racing together a safer thing to do? I feel like "gravel camps" are doing this, but they, by their very nature, can be exclusionary due to admission prices to come to them and participate. Shouldn't this sort of information be freely given to all for the benefit of the community? Can we disseminate specific information to participants in a more effective way? 

A lot of these newer riders to gravel could maybe benefit from knowledge and skills attained through experience that veteran riders of crushed rock roads possess. Becoming a mentor to these new riders is a worthy pursuit. Could we foster better community to see this happen, or is competition hindering us? 

Like I say, there are a lot of questions and we probably have a lot more of them we could, and should be considering. Those are my thoughts on these things.

A Reckoning

 Over the weekend there was tragic news coming out of a few gravel events. The things you never want to hear about, experience, see, or read about happened and with those events comes many emotions and thoughts. 

Details; The most publicized of these events happened at the Raputitsa Dirt event in Vermont where a 54 year old man lost his life in a crash with a pick-up truck. Another death was reported to me concerning an event in Kansas, which I have been unable to confirm officially, so I won't say more about that. Another incident that was described to me by N.Y. Roll occurred in an event in Northeast Iowa with an accident where an unconscious rider was seen on a rural road being looked over by two other racers. All of this brings to mind a lot of emotion and concern with me personally due to my experiences with gravel events and with Trans Iowa in particular, since I was the guy in charge of things regarding that event. 

So, I have some thoughts and opinions based upon my past experiences which I am going to share. These are my opinions only  and they may not reflect the opinions of many others in the gravel community, but I feel it is time for a reckoning in gravel events. 

I want to be respectful of those who are affected by this past weekend's tragedies. That said, we need to look hard in the mirror as riders and promoters and speak out some things that have been assumed, or forgotten. 

First of all, while gravel racing and riding is beautiful and worthy of doing, things can and will go wrong leading to personal injury and even death. While that sounds rather clinical and obvious, we have to ask ourselves, "Do we really understand and accept this fact?" 

I'm not assigning blame to anyone or any organization here, just stating a fact that, by necessity, should be examined carefully up front, not just for gravel racing, but in each of our lives. This should be the number one thing you've considered before riding in anyone;s event and your loved ones should know it as well. 

And then when something does go wrong, it is okay to talk about it with respect and love being foremost in our commentary. Let's be honest, with the spiraling popularity of gravel events, accidents, crashes, and injuries leading to death will happen. It isn't a "when". So, acknowledging the worst is being honest. When I see participants gleefully enjoying the after-event party on social media after a tragic event occurred, it seems like a disjointed thing when I know that "they" don't know something tragic happened, and is that fair to the participants? I cannot answer that question, but it needs to be examined. I think if we are going to celebrate the good stuff and hide the "bad" it feels wrong. Again, I remind you all, these are my opinions. 

Moving on- Can we make our events better?  Can we educate riders in skills and tactics to make large groups of cyclists racing together a safer thing to do? I feel like "gravel camps" are doing this, but they, by their very nature, can be exclusionary due to admission prices to come to them and participate. Shouldn't this sort of information be freely given to all for the benefit of the community? Can we disseminate specific information to participants in a more effective way? 

A lot of these newer riders to gravel could maybe benefit from knowledge and skills attained through experience that veteran riders of crushed rock roads possess. Becoming a mentor to these new riders is a worthy pursuit. Could we foster better community to see this happen, or is competition hindering us? 

Like I say, there are a lot of questions and we probably have a lot more of them we could, and should be considering. Those are my thoughts on these things.

Country Views: Looped

Escape Route: MLK Bike Path

Late April weather can be all over the place, but this year April has been shying away from the warmer side of things. We had a dose of Winter over the weekend and Monday I was too busy to get out, so Tuesday had to be the next chance which fit into a nice, Sunny window of weather. 

I was kind of happy that it was on the cool side though, because I just got my Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary wind jacket. So, at least the weather stayed cool enough long enough into April that I had a chance to use it. 

This ride would head Northeast as that was the direction that the wind was coming from. While the weatherpeople were saying the wind would be a mere breeze, it was in fact a pretty stiff wind. The flags were standing straight out, and that made the going a bit tougher. But wind isn't an unknown around here, so I was fine riding into it. Besides, the tailwind back home would be nice!

A county maintainer made much of my ride a bit more, shall we say, "interesting"?

I rode out straight into the teeth of the wind on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard which just so happens to run at a diagonal out of town to the Northeast. That gets you out to the industrial area where Tyson's meat packing plant dominates the landscape. There are semi-tractor trailer rigs all over out there. A side benefit of this is that the county made the road shoulders as wide as a lane of traffic to accommodate these rigs as they often pile up out along the road waiting to get in to load and unload cargo. A gravel bike then can navigate this easily and not be in the roadway where traffic can be speeding by at 60mph at times. 

This brings me to Newell and a right turn to the East to get me outta that craziness and out into the country. On this ride I immediately came across a county maintainer who had scraped a big pile of gravel, dirt, and grass in a long pile right down the center of the gravel road. 

Nice doggie! This one stayed in the yard, at least.

This John Deere was pulling a huge disc rig, although with all the dust you cannot really see it.

The maintainer had been down both sides of the roadway and due to that, Newell was covered in a loose layer of dust and gravel. Good thing then that I rode the pink MCD with those 700 X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tires on it. Those things just made the road ride like it was perfectly normal. 

Some fields are really green with this cover crop, which I believe is rye grass.

But most fields were either brown or being worked up for planting. That's Pilot Grove Road in the distance.

The navigational plan was to head to Poyner Creek bridge, have a rest for a minute, then come back to Pilot Grove Road, head North, and then back West on Big Rock Road. In my head, the distance from Newell to Big Rock was two miles. In reality, it is three miles. 

The dust was kicked up pretty badly by the UPS truck up the road here.

Looking back at Pilot Grove Road. This is where I made a wrong turn.

So, I ended up turning on East Donald Street instead and I thought I was on Airline Highway. If I had been on Airline I was going to go a mile West, turn on what would have been Ordway Road, went one more mile North, and then left on Big Rock. Instead, I ended up in Dewar, Iowa!

I knew I was off-track when things weren't looking familiar, like this barn.

Going back the way I came out!

Once I saw Dewar, I knew that all ways out of town ahead were pavement. So, I opted for the left turn, which would take me right back to Newell and gravel back into town again. So, that worked out and I got a nice two hour ride in from the house. 

Not the loop I had in mind, but it was nice to see East Donald Street's gravel section again after two years. I may have to add that into the regular rotation of routes I do from now on.

Country Views: Looped

Escape Route: MLK Bike Path

Late April weather can be all over the place, but this year April has been shying away from the warmer side of things. We had a dose of Winter over the weekend and Monday I was too busy to get out, so Tuesday had to be the next chance which fit into a nice, Sunny window of weather. 

I was kind of happy that it was on the cool side though, because I just got my Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary wind jacket. So, at least the weather stayed cool enough long enough into April that I had a chance to use it. 

This ride would head Northeast as that was the direction that the wind was coming from. While the weatherpeople were saying the wind would be a mere breeze, it was in fact a pretty stiff wind. The flags were standing straight out, and that made the going a bit tougher. But wind isn't an unknown around here, so I was fine riding into it. Besides, the tailwind back home would be nice!

A county maintainer made much of my ride a bit more, shall we say, "interesting"?

I rode out straight into the teeth of the wind on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard which just so happens to run at a diagonal out of town to the Northeast. That gets you out to the industrial area where Tyson's meat packing plant dominates the landscape. There are semi-tractor trailer rigs all over out there. A side benefit of this is that the county made the road shoulders as wide as a lane of traffic to accommodate these rigs as they often pile up out along the road waiting to get in to load and unload cargo. A gravel bike then can navigate this easily and not be in the roadway where traffic can be speeding by at 60mph at times. 

This brings me to Newell and a right turn to the East to get me outta that craziness and out into the country. On this ride I immediately came across a county maintainer who had scraped a big pile of gravel, dirt, and grass in a long pile right down the center of the gravel road. 

Nice doggie! This one stayed in the yard, at least.

This John Deere was pulling a huge disc rig, although with all the dust you cannot really see it.

The maintainer had been down both sides of the roadway and due to that, Newell was covered in a loose layer of dust and gravel. Good thing then that I rode the pink MCD with those 700 X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tires on it. Those things just made the road ride like it was perfectly normal. 

Some fields are really green with this cover crop, which I believe is rye grass.

But most fields were either brown or being worked up for planting. That's Pilot Grove Road in the distance.

The navigational plan was to head to Poyner Creek bridge, have a rest for a minute, then come back to Pilot Grove Road, head North, and then back West on Big Rock Road. In my head, the distance from Newell to Big Rock was two miles. In reality, it is three miles. 

The dust was kicked up pretty badly by the UPS truck up the road here.

Looking back at Pilot Grove Road. This is where I made a wrong turn.

So, I ended up turning on East Donald Street instead and I thought I was on Airline Highway. If I had been on Airline I was going to go a mile West, turn on what would have been Ordway Road, went one more mile North, and then left on Big Rock. Instead, I ended up in Dewar, Iowa!

I knew I was off-track when things weren't looking familiar, like this barn.

Going back the way I came out!

Once I saw Dewar, I knew that all ways out of town ahead were pavement. So, I opted for the left turn, which would take me right back to Newell and gravel back into town again. So, that worked out and I got a nice two hour ride in from the house. 

Not the loop I had in mind, but it was nice to see East Donald Street's gravel section again after two years. I may have to add that into the regular rotation of routes I do from now on.

"Managed" Finishes: Good Or Bad?

The Gorge Gravel Grinder has three distances

Over the past week a few media outlets in the realm of cycling have been promoting a story about a new "managed finish" (my words) element to an event in the Oregon Gravel series called the Gorge Gravel Grinder. 

Essentially how it works in a nutshell is that people who sign up for this will get a lead rider who is to set a predetermined pace and there will be a follow-up rider who will help to keep said paced group together. 

This is being done to, "help participants stay on track to reach a specific finish time, help take the nerves out of gravel riding and racing by offering an inviting and inclusive, beginner-friendly supportive riding environment while promoting the camaraderie that makes the gravel community so spectacular", according to an article from Cyclingweekly.com. 

They call these "pace groups" and they market them as "freight trains of fun". Other objectives of this initiative are to "... ensure participants complete the course and meet their goals", and to raise the level of female participation to 50% of field limits.  

Comments: First off, I was a bit puzzled by the author of the linked article when the so-called "pace groups" were suggested to be analogous to gravel riding/racing because, "The experience of gravel racing is often likened to running a marathon."

I've been around gravel riding and racing for many years and I have never heard this before. If anyone reading this can give me some context for this quote, I am all ears and eyes here. Maybe I am out of touch....

Riders in a group from T.I.v10

Secondly, the idea of "pace groups" in gravel racing is not new at all, despite what the article, the event, or anyone else seems to think.  It's just that previous to this event's announcement, those "pace groups" were allowed to form organically. There never has been any need to make "pace groups" a managed part of an event because event organizers did not make rules against this, and in fact, many early gravel races and rides actually encouraged such behavior. 

Also, having been in these groups inside events before, and having observed how they have worked in Trans Iowa over the course of 14 years, I think I can speak to a few points concerning this effort by Gorge Gravel Grinder.

First of all, let me say that I have no real problem with the idea of "pace groups", but trying to manufacture and manage such things is a bit of a problem, in my opinion. I have done "managed pace groups" while doing several "no-drop" events over the years, and so I think I can speak to this with some authority.

And that's a great point here. That being that, whatever you want to call this which is to occur at Gorge Gravel Grinder, it is essentially a "no-drop" ride within the event. Or, maybe several no-drop rides, depending on how they break things up. No-drop rides are not at all uncommon, and they do exactly what the organizers are after- They help ensure riders meet goals and finish rides. So, really, that's all this is. 

The problem is that if their groups get too big, they are going to need more leaders and more sweepers for each "pace", or speed of group. And I would imagine Gorge Gravel Grinder has a time stamp, (they mention "specific finish times") so you need to herd all these cats within a certain time frame. What is "too big" in terms of a group? Well, for best results? I'd say 20 riders, or less, for a leader and a sweeper. Especially if you are rolling within a larger group. 

But I have even more questions about this idea. How does a time limit affect riders? (Gotta pick up the pace if there are too many stops?) Can groups stop or is that not allowed? What if one or two have mechanicals? Does the rest of the group stop? Do you lose your sweeper if that happens? What about a rider that is having a bad day? Or a rider becomes too slow for the group because they over-estimated their ability to hold the specified pace?  Do you shed riders and leave them to fend for themselves? (Doubtful, given the stated goals here for the Gorge Gravel Grinder)

A "pace group" ride I used to put on called "The Geezer Ride'.

Here's a "for instance" from a "pace group" ride I used to put on called the "Geezer Ride". It was for those who did not want to race, who wanted a "no-drop", no rider left behind experience, and at a casual pace. I ensured people would finish, and at whatever cost that came at, that's what was going to happen.

At one particular Geezer Ride we had a rider that was inexperienced, a "virgin" gravel rider, and was not a finely tuned athlete. In fact, this rider was already telling me to go ahead and leave them behind at the ride's start because they did not expect to be able to keep up. But I was committed to seeing this person finish. And I was successful in managing this for that rider and all the others there that day. 

But we were sloooow! We stopped. A lot! So, because a Geezer Ride had no time stamp, no "finish" to make in a certain time, I could leave that part to chance. But when you have event volunteers, infrastructure to tear down after an event, and after-event things like social activities or podium ceremonies, can you allow a managed group to have that sort of luxury? 

To my way of thinking, you have to game plan for things like slow riders, over-zealous riders, mechanicals, and making time cuts for end-of-event reasons. You cannot expect volunteers to just hang because a managed pace group is slower than they thought they would be, unless.....

Unless you are willing to allow for failure. In my mind, in an event like Gorge Gravel Grinder, the element of failure should be a part of that event. Failure to finish should never be seen in a negative light, and actually, it can be the best thing that ever could have happened for some riders. At the worst, it should be a lesson for a rider to learn from. But, if the goal is to "make sure everyone finishes", then you lose a valuable asset that gravel grinding, and well, life, has in store for us. That being the chance to learn, to grow, and to have clarity from failures that you otherwise wouldn't have gained. 

And that is an essential element of gravel grinding. Without failure, you lose a big part of what makes gravel riding and racing what it was, and has become. That said, I think there is a part to play for no-drop rides as well. It just shouldn't be considered a part of, or analogous to doing, any racing event or challenge. Failure should be an option, and it shouldn't be feared, or held against anybody. That's being "inclusive".

"Managed" Finishes: Good Or Bad?

The Gorge Gravel Grinder has three distances

Over the past week a few media outlets in the realm of cycling have been promoting a story about a new "managed finish" (my words) element to an event in the Oregon Gravel series called the Gorge Gravel Grinder. 

Essentially how it works in a nutshell is that people who sign up for this will get a lead rider who is to set a predetermined pace and there will be a follow-up rider who will help to keep said paced group together. 

This is being done to, "help participants stay on track to reach a specific finish time, help take the nerves out of gravel riding and racing by offering an inviting and inclusive, beginner-friendly supportive riding environment while promoting the camaraderie that makes the gravel community so spectacular", according to an article from Cyclingweekly.com. 

They call these "pace groups" and they market them as "freight trains of fun". Other objectives of this initiative are to "... ensure participants complete the course and meet their goals", and to raise the level of female participation to 50% of field limits.  

Comments: First off, I was a bit puzzled by the author of the linked article when the so-called "pace groups" were suggested to be analogous to gravel riding/racing because, "The experience of gravel racing is often likened to running a marathon."

I've been around gravel riding and racing for many years and I have never heard this before. If anyone reading this can give me some context for this quote, I am all ears and eyes here. Maybe I am out of touch....

Riders in a group from T.I.v10

Secondly, the idea of "pace groups" in gravel racing is not new at all, despite what the article, the event, or anyone else seems to think.  It's just that previous to this event's announcement, those "pace groups" were allowed to form organically. There never has been any need to make "pace groups" a managed part of an event because event organizers did not make rules against this, and in fact, many early gravel races and rides actually encouraged such behavior. 

Also, having been in these groups inside events before, and having observed how they have worked in Trans Iowa over the course of 14 years, I think I can speak to a few points concerning this effort by Gorge Gravel Grinder.

First of all, let me say that I have no real problem with the idea of "pace groups", but trying to manufacture and manage such things is a bit of a problem, in my opinion. I have done "managed pace groups" while doing several "no-drop" events over the years, and so I think I can speak to this with some authority.

And that's a great point here. That being that, whatever you want to call this which is to occur at Gorge Gravel Grinder, it is essentially a "no-drop" ride within the event. Or, maybe several no-drop rides, depending on how they break things up. No-drop rides are not at all uncommon, and they do exactly what the organizers are after- They help ensure riders meet goals and finish rides. So, really, that's all this is. 

The problem is that if their groups get too big, they are going to need more leaders and more sweepers for each "pace", or speed of group. And I would imagine Gorge Gravel Grinder has a time stamp, (they mention "specific finish times") so you need to herd all these cats within a certain time frame. What is "too big" in terms of a group? Well, for best results? I'd say 20 riders, or less, for a leader and a sweeper. Especially if you are rolling within a larger group. 

But I have even more questions about this idea. How does a time limit affect riders? (Gotta pick up the pace if there are too many stops?) Can groups stop or is that not allowed? What if one or two have mechanicals? Does the rest of the group stop? Do you lose your sweeper if that happens? What about a rider that is having a bad day? Or a rider becomes too slow for the group because they over-estimated their ability to hold the specified pace?  Do you shed riders and leave them to fend for themselves? (Doubtful, given the stated goals here for the Gorge Gravel Grinder)

A "pace group" ride I used to put on called "The Geezer Ride'.

Here's a "for instance" from a "pace group" ride I used to put on called the "Geezer Ride". It was for those who did not want to race, who wanted a "no-drop", no rider left behind experience, and at a casual pace. I ensured people would finish, and at whatever cost that came at, that's what was going to happen.

At one particular Geezer Ride we had a rider that was inexperienced, a "virgin" gravel rider, and was not a finely tuned athlete. In fact, this rider was already telling me to go ahead and leave them behind at the ride's start because they did not expect to be able to keep up. But I was committed to seeing this person finish. And I was successful in managing this for that rider and all the others there that day. 

But we were sloooow! We stopped. A lot! So, because a Geezer Ride had no time stamp, no "finish" to make in a certain time, I could leave that part to chance. But when you have event volunteers, infrastructure to tear down after an event, and after-event things like social activities or podium ceremonies, can you allow a managed group to have that sort of luxury? 

To my way of thinking, you have to game plan for things like slow riders, over-zealous riders, mechanicals, and making time cuts for end-of-event reasons. You cannot expect volunteers to just hang because a managed pace group is slower than they thought they would be, unless.....

Unless you are willing to allow for failure. In my mind, in an event like Gorge Gravel Grinder, the element of failure should be a part of that event. Failure to finish should never be seen in a negative light, and actually, it can be the best thing that ever could have happened for some riders. At the worst, it should be a lesson for a rider to learn from. But, if the goal is to "make sure everyone finishes", then you lose a valuable asset that gravel grinding, and well, life, has in store for us. That being the chance to learn, to grow, and to have clarity from failures that you otherwise wouldn't have gained. 

And that is an essential element of gravel grinding. Without failure, you lose a big part of what makes gravel riding and racing what it was, and has become. That said, I think there is a part to play for no-drop rides as well. It just shouldn't be considered a part of, or analogous to doing, any racing event or challenge. Failure should be an option, and it shouldn't be feared, or held against anybody. That's being "inclusive".

Ride Plans Taking Shape

Some riding plans are emerging out of the fog for 2023

I've been thinking about riding gravel roads again, and this year I want my riding to be about consistency. No huge plans and no grabbing big miles without having a consistent base of rides to build off of. With that all in mind, here are my thoughts going into the year.

Renegade Gents Race: I've been assured that I still have my place on my team and that a lodging plan is available. (Thank you Capn' Steve!) So, that event, which falls on April 1st this year, will be my first "official ride" date for 2023. 

Leading in to that date I want to have put in several consistent rides and off-bike work-out type training efforts to be ready to do this event. Since the Gents Race is about 70 miles or less, I think if I can have a base of several 3-4 hour rides by April 1st I'd feel pretty good about that. Maybe 3-4 of those and several shorter rides as well. That means I have to get going here pretty quick.

Off-bike efforts will include some special stretching and moving exercises I've got planned for myself. Nothing huge, but again - I just want consistency. 

The route for the "Tour of Black Hawk County" might form the basis of another big ride in May

ToBHC/GTDRI? Then I have had a request from a local rider named Josh to ride with me on a big ride sometime this year. This fits in with my desire to bag a century ride at least once this year. Josh and I spoke about the idea this past weekend and I suggested that perhaps the Tour of Black Hawk County route might be a good one to make use of for this ride. 

If I so chose, I need to reroute a bit of the Western edge of the loop. The stupid county had part of the border between Grundy and Black Hawk County paved! Bah! So, to avoid about six to seven miles of madness, I will have to make a big revision to the route. 

And IF I do that, my plan is to run the loop in reverse, so the big miles without resupply are on the front end, and the shorter distances between stops can help get us to the finish in better condition than what I experienced when I did the loop in 2021. 

Double IF: Let's say I find a date in May that you think would work for you to join us. Well......okay then. I am going to allow anyone that can come to join in. It's not necessarily a "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", but it pretty much would be. Interested? Drop me a line...... If I get enough interest I may make this "officially official". Or something.....

From the Single Speed Century in 2020

Single Speed Century: So..... Let's say "IF" I get this far into the year and all goes well. Okay, then I am thinking I need to stick in a single speed century ride. I have a couple routes to choose from including this gnarly edition I did back in 2020 with Jeremy Fry which about did me in. I'm thinking this is a Summertime ride and that I would do this whenever it seemed right during June, July, or August.

This may be the bike and set-up, or.....it may not!

The Closure Tour: Sharp readers here might remember this idea I had for a late Summer "over-nighter" tour that I was prepping for. It didn't happen due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have not let this idea go. I feel this needs to happen and for pretty personal reasons which go beyond a bicycle ride. Thus the name of the ride. 

I've got everything I need to do this, I have the bicycles, the route is done, and anytime I have a window to do this, I feel as though I need to just go and get it done. This is high on the list of goals for 2023. I hope that it all works out.

Fat Bike Century: I've done this before, like seven years ago! I have threatened to get back out and do another for years and especially so now that I own the Ti Muk 2. 

As far as a route goes, I have two other completely different routes in mind which I would not use for the other ride ideas here. One would pretty much reprise the 2016 Fat Bike Century while the other one would be an expansion on my Turkey Burn Ride of 2021. 

I like the idea of the latter, but either would tickle my long ride bones and I would have fun either way. The latter idea of the two would require some more route planning and stuff since it is a route that doesn't exist in the mileage I would need, but it wouldn't be any big deal these days to pull something together. Not with the resources at hand today. 

Which reminds me..... Putting together a gravel route in 2005 was a LOT harder! But I digress....

Anywho! These are all huge, gigantic, BIG if's and will not happen unless I start doing the things today to get ready. So, that is the immediate plan. I will show up every day to do the stuff and we'll talk again come the end of March and see where I am at pre-Gent's madness. 

Stay tuned....

Ride Plans Taking Shape

Some riding plans are emerging out of the fog for 2023

I've been thinking about riding gravel roads again, and this year I want my riding to be about consistency. No huge plans and no grabbing big miles without having a consistent base of rides to build off of. With that all in mind, here are my thoughts going into the year.

Renegade Gents Race: I've been assured that I still have my place on my team and that a lodging plan is available. (Thank you Capn' Steve!) So, that event, which falls on April 1st this year, will be my first "official ride" date for 2023. 

Leading in to that date I want to have put in several consistent rides and off-bike work-out type training efforts to be ready to do this event. Since the Gents Race is about 70 miles or less, I think if I can have a base of several 3-4 hour rides by April 1st I'd feel pretty good about that. Maybe 3-4 of those and several shorter rides as well. That means I have to get going here pretty quick.

Off-bike efforts will include some special stretching and moving exercises I've got planned for myself. Nothing huge, but again - I just want consistency. 

The route for the "Tour of Black Hawk County" might form the basis of another big ride in May

ToBHC/GTDRI? Then I have had a request from a local rider named Josh to ride with me on a big ride sometime this year. This fits in with my desire to bag a century ride at least once this year. Josh and I spoke about the idea this past weekend and I suggested that perhaps the Tour of Black Hawk County route might be a good one to make use of for this ride. 

If I so chose, I need to reroute a bit of the Western edge of the loop. The stupid county had part of the border between Grundy and Black Hawk County paved! Bah! So, to avoid about six to seven miles of madness, I will have to make a big revision to the route. 

And IF I do that, my plan is to run the loop in reverse, so the big miles without resupply are on the front end, and the shorter distances between stops can help get us to the finish in better condition than what I experienced when I did the loop in 2021. 

Double IF: Let's say I find a date in May that you think would work for you to join us. Well......okay then. I am going to allow anyone that can come to join in. It's not necessarily a "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", but it pretty much would be. Interested? Drop me a line...... If I get enough interest I may make this "officially official". Or something.....

From the Single Speed Century in 2020

Single Speed Century: So..... Let's say "IF" I get this far into the year and all goes well. Okay, then I am thinking I need to stick in a single speed century ride. I have a couple routes to choose from including this gnarly edition I did back in 2020 with Jeremy Fry which about did me in. I'm thinking this is a Summertime ride and that I would do this whenever it seemed right during June, July, or August.

This may be the bike and set-up, or.....it may not!

The Closure Tour: Sharp readers here might remember this idea I had for a late Summer "over-nighter" tour that I was prepping for. It didn't happen due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have not let this idea go. I feel this needs to happen and for pretty personal reasons which go beyond a bicycle ride. Thus the name of the ride. 

I've got everything I need to do this, I have the bicycles, the route is done, and anytime I have a window to do this, I feel as though I need to just go and get it done. This is high on the list of goals for 2023. I hope that it all works out.

Fat Bike Century: I've done this before, like seven years ago! I have threatened to get back out and do another for years and especially so now that I own the Ti Muk 2. 

As far as a route goes, I have two other completely different routes in mind which I would not use for the other ride ideas here. One would pretty much reprise the 2016 Fat Bike Century while the other one would be an expansion on my Turkey Burn Ride of 2021. 

I like the idea of the latter, but either would tickle my long ride bones and I would have fun either way. The latter idea of the two would require some more route planning and stuff since it is a route that doesn't exist in the mileage I would need, but it wouldn't be any big deal these days to pull something together. Not with the resources at hand today. 

Which reminds me..... Putting together a gravel route in 2005 was a LOT harder! But I digress....

Anywho! These are all huge, gigantic, BIG if's and will not happen unless I start doing the things today to get ready. So, that is the immediate plan. I will show up every day to do the stuff and we'll talk again come the end of March and see where I am at pre-Gent's madness. 

Stay tuned....