Friday News And Views

<===Image from Team Leopard Trek's Facebook page.

Hey- Maybe he's just that good.... The latest supposed "controversy" surrounding Fabian Cancellara, the current World Time Trial champ, is that he was using some "super-greased ball bearings" in his bikes last season. A report in La Derniere Heure newspaper suggested that a technology called "Gold Race" was used which is claimed to give its user gains of up to 2.5 seconds per kilometer.

Either that or Fabian is just that good at time trials. I mean, last year they were claiming Fabian was using an electric assist in his bottom bracket. What's next? A magic miniature nuclear generator hub? Sheesh! Can't a guy just dominate and be left alone anymore?

Road racing. I tell ya..........

Mini-update on the gravel road stage race deal: Okay, I have to say that I am just amazed at the responses I have gotten surrounding this idea for a three day gravel stage race thing. I have been getting comments here on the blog, e-mails, and offers of help and even a preliminary sponsorship idea.

So, this idea will get further attention for sure. I have some people whose advice and thoughts I want to receive and consider before pushing ahead any further, so please be patient with me and know this is being thought about and planned for by some passionate folks. When I have some more solid news, I will be back to share.

Trans Iowa V7: I will have the usual update on the blog for tomorrow, but additionally, I will be posting a separate "Course Conditions Report" this weekend, so stay tuned for the latest gravel roads report on the T.I.V7 course soon.....

The Snow Dog Update: Well, it had been since mid-February that I had any communication with The Phil Wood & Co. regarding the Mukluk's rear wheel. I sent the wheel back in on February 23rd, and then.......

I decided to shoot them an e-mail Wednesday to see if they even had the wheel or not. Yesterday I received a short e-mail stating that they indeed had my wheel and that they were waiting on free hubs, which they were out of, and the earliest they expected to have those was next week. Then the communique' stated that they would let me know when it was ready.

That was it.

So.........the saga continues. 

Have a great weekend folks. It's springtime! Ride yer bikes and have some fun!

Friday News And Views

<===Image from Team Leopard Trek's Facebook page.

Hey- Maybe he's just that good.... The latest supposed "controversy" surrounding Fabian Cancellara, the current World Time Trial champ, is that he was using some "super-greased ball bearings" in his bikes last season. A report in La Derniere Heure newspaper suggested that a technology called "Gold Race" was used which is claimed to give its user gains of up to 2.5 seconds per kilometer.

Either that or Fabian is just that good at time trials. I mean, last year they were claiming Fabian was using an electric assist in his bottom bracket. What's next? A magic miniature nuclear generator hub? Sheesh! Can't a guy just dominate and be left alone anymore?

Road racing. I tell ya..........

Mini-update on the gravel road stage race deal: Okay, I have to say that I am just amazed at the responses I have gotten surrounding this idea for a three day gravel stage race thing. I have been getting comments here on the blog, e-mails, and offers of help and even a preliminary sponsorship idea.

So, this idea will get further attention for sure. I have some people whose advice and thoughts I want to receive and consider before pushing ahead any further, so please be patient with me and know this is being thought about and planned for by some passionate folks. When I have some more solid news, I will be back to share.

Trans Iowa V7: I will have the usual update on the blog for tomorrow, but additionally, I will be posting a separate "Course Conditions Report" this weekend, so stay tuned for the latest gravel roads report on the T.I.V7 course soon.....

The Snow Dog Update: Well, it had been since mid-February that I had any communication with The Phil Wood & Co. regarding the Mukluk's rear wheel. I sent the wheel back in on February 23rd, and then.......

I decided to shoot them an e-mail Wednesday to see if they even had the wheel or not. Yesterday I received a short e-mail stating that they indeed had my wheel and that they were waiting on free hubs, which they were out of, and the earliest they expected to have those was next week. Then the communique' stated that they would let me know when it was ready.

That was it.

So.........the saga continues. 

Have a great weekend folks. It's springtime! Ride yer bikes and have some fun!

Okay, So I Had This Idea For A Gravel Road Race....Part III

UPDATE: I am still working on things "behind the scenes" in regards to the stage race idea for a gravel grinder. There have been a few developments, and to keep things on the front burner here, I wanted to let everyone know where this thing stands as of now.

You can check into the last update I posted here for those that need to"catch up" to where I am at so far.

All right then, here is the latest "fine tuning". I have decided that this event shouldn't be tied to a state, since it can then get sort of pigeon-holed as an event "belonging" to those who live there and I already have Trans Iowa going on here. I don't think we need another "big" gravel event solely based within these borders. I didn't like the idea of being limited that way. So, I have spoken with a couple of folks that are willing to take this into a multi-state based direction while still retaining the "clover-leaf routes" out of a centralized area to keep logistics easy for those thinking of doing this deal.

Unfortunately, that means that the acronym I came up with- TIGERR- is now not going to be used. As of now, this event is un-named. That's okay. That can be ironed out later. Secondly, it means we're looking at something based out of Southwestern Iowa, Northeastern Kansas, Southeastern Nebraska, and Northwestern Missouri. Whether we get into any, or all of these states has yet to be determined. Might only get three in there, but the idea is to cross some borders right now.

Okay, so the region where we will be working out of has been sketched out. Now, the format will be something along the lines of the following, keeping in mind that it should be easy to get there to do this, and not push folks against the wall, leaving no time to get home for work on Monday.

So, I figured that a noon-time start to the thing on Friday would work out best. That day would necessarily be a shorter route. Then Saturday, the big, long, arduous loop would take place. Sunday would start out early and a reasonably short route would be set up to end the weekend. Hopefully leaving time on Sunday to allow for folks to get home.

Total mileage would be determined by the organizers depending upon the difficulty of each days loop. I would guess that 250-300 plus miles could be a target for the three days, but that's a shot in the dark. Don't hold me to that. Right now everything is on the table as far as details go, so look for lots of changes as this gets figured out.

Finally, I want to make a few points very clear.

#1: This won't happen in 2011: I thought about it for awhile, and conferred with a couple of trusted minds on this. I want there to be a reasonable amount of time to "thinker through" this thing. I want input from lots of folks and some special people are already being pulled in to tap their thoughts and ideas on this event. There will be more folks contacted too. This won't be "Guitar Ted's idea". I don't want it to become that.

#2: There Will Be A "Ride" In 2011: At some point there will be a "fact finding" ride, which basically will be a recon of some route ideas and a way to get a handle on how things will actually work out on this deal. I like thinking from a bicycle, and this can be thought of as a "rolling meeting" of sorts. I will announce when this will occur, but it should be roughly about the same time frame as the event will take place, so probably July. All interested parties will be welcomed on this. More on this later.

#3: Guitar Ted Will Not Run This One: I have enough to do, and I don't want this to become "my deal". I think it is a great idea, and I will help, but I do not want to run it all. There already has been some volunteering for the directorship of this event, and eventually, a couple of folks may end up taking this under their wing. I don't know. I just know I won't be running the deal myself, and I want to have a minimal level of involvement eventually.

So, there you go. The next update will be awhile in coming, perhaps in a couple of months, post Trans Iowa.

Okay, So I Had This Idea For A Gravel Road Race....Part III

UPDATE: I am still working on things "behind the scenes" in regards to the stage race idea for a gravel grinder. There have been a few developments, and to keep things on the front burner here, I wanted to let everyone know where this thing stands as of now.

You can check into the last update I posted here for those that need to"catch up" to where I am at so far.

All right then, here is the latest "fine tuning". I have decided that this event shouldn't be tied to a state, since it can then get sort of pigeon-holed as an event "belonging" to those who live there and I already have Trans Iowa going on here. I don't think we need another "big" gravel event solely based within these borders. I didn't like the idea of being limited that way. So, I have spoken with a couple of folks that are willing to take this into a multi-state based direction while still retaining the "clover-leaf routes" out of a centralized area to keep logistics easy for those thinking of doing this deal.

Unfortunately, that means that the acronym I came up with- TIGERR- is now not going to be used. As of now, this event is un-named. That's okay. That can be ironed out later. Secondly, it means we're looking at something based out of Southwestern Iowa, Northeastern Kansas, Southeastern Nebraska, and Northwestern Missouri. Whether we get into any, or all of these states has yet to be determined. Might only get three in there, but the idea is to cross some borders right now.

Okay, so the region where we will be working out of has been sketched out. Now, the format will be something along the lines of the following, keeping in mind that it should be easy to get there to do this, and not push folks against the wall, leaving no time to get home for work on Monday.

So, I figured that a noon-time start to the thing on Friday would work out best. That day would necessarily be a shorter route. Then Saturday, the big, long, arduous loop would take place. Sunday would start out early and a reasonably short route would be set up to end the weekend. Hopefully leaving time on Sunday to allow for folks to get home.

Total mileage would be determined by the organizers depending upon the difficulty of each days loop. I would guess that 250-300 plus miles could be a target for the three days, but that's a shot in the dark. Don't hold me to that. Right now everything is on the table as far as details go, so look for lots of changes as this gets figured out.

Finally, I want to make a few points very clear.

#1: This won't happen in 2011: I thought about it for awhile, and conferred with a couple of trusted minds on this. I want there to be a reasonable amount of time to "thinker through" this thing. I want input from lots of folks and some special people are already being pulled in to tap their thoughts and ideas on this event. There will be more folks contacted too. This won't be "Guitar Ted's idea". I don't want it to become that.

#2: There Will Be A "Ride" In 2011: At some point there will be a "fact finding" ride, which basically will be a recon of some route ideas and a way to get a handle on how things will actually work out on this deal. I like thinking from a bicycle, and this can be thought of as a "rolling meeting" of sorts. I will announce when this will occur, but it should be roughly about the same time frame as the event will take place, so probably July. All interested parties will be welcomed on this. More on this later.

#3: Guitar Ted Will Not Run This One: I have enough to do, and I don't want this to become "my deal". I think it is a great idea, and I will help, but I do not want to run it all. There already has been some volunteering for the directorship of this event, and eventually, a couple of folks may end up taking this under their wing. I don't know. I just know I won't be running the deal myself, and I want to have a minimal level of involvement eventually.

So, there you go. The next update will be awhile in coming, perhaps in a couple of months, post Trans Iowa.

The Answer To "That" Question

<===Right where I want to be....

I have been spending a lot of time the last couple of days thinking about gravel roads and riding bicycles on them. I am toying with this tour/stage race idea, thinking about the Renegade Gentleman's Race, and planning Trans Iowa V7 with my co-director, David Pals.

But why ride on gravel in the first place?

That's a very good question. Most folks assume it would be the worst place of all to pedal a bicycle. Dust, dirt, and rocks skittering underneath your tires do not make a pretty picture in most folks minds.

But where else would you ever see stuff like the images shown at the left? Where else can you find places you'll never see on a paved road in the city, or in the countryside on pavement, for that matter. Where else can you ride and not see another car, truck, or motorcycle for miles, maybe even for your entire ride?

Sure, it is harder to ride on gravel than pavement, but gravel travel is far more rewarding. At least for me, and there is no doubt that it is a stress reliever. That makes it all worth-while right there. But as fun and as relaxing as gravel road bicycle riding is, there may be some other reasons I am drawn to being out there in the country.

You see, both my parents were raised on farms that happened to be right next door to each other. (Well, as "next door" as you get in the Iowa countryside!) Almost all my relatives were farmers as well. So, I spent a big chunk of my childhood on farms and out in the fields.

All of that was linked by the gravel roads. I was raised on the sound of crushed rock on bias ply tires at 50 miles an hour. Plumes of dust. Seeing the headlights on the graded rock at night. Walking for miles on gravel with my cousin. Running the gravel of my grandparents driveway through my fingers as a child. Gravel roads figured into a big part of my best childhood memories. I suppose that could be a reason I enjoy being on them to this day.

But there is more to it now. I will always want to ride over that next hill, or down that unknown road, just to see where it goes. The joy of discovering new vistas and new things is still a big joy for me. Maybe I am an oddball, but that is one of my favorite things about riding out there.

Then there are all the friends I have spent hours and hours with on gravel roads riding bicycles. The conversations, the quiet times under the stars spent just looking around, sharing a sip of whiskey. Whether I am alone or with friends, I can always count on having a good ride when I am on the gravel.

Of course, there is the racing too. I am not all that fast, or good at racing, but it sure is fun being around the crowd that does do it well, and are fast. These folks are inspiring, easy to get along with, and never, ever snobbish. Good times whether you are slow or fast, and everyone seems to be bonded somehow by the experience.

I never felt that when I raced XC events back in the day. There was no real community, or camaraderie amongst the racers. There was a lot of posturing, posing, and looking down upon others though. Thankfully, I find nothing of the sort at gravel races.

Don't get me wrong though, I love riding single track, I love mountains, and I really miss riding in the desert. It is great to tool around town on my long-bike hauling a load. My fixed gear rat-ride is a blast too. I like bicycles, and riding all over, anywhere is fun. Gravel isn't the only thing, nor should it be.

But I have to admit, I'd be pretty broken hearted if I was told I couldn't ride the gravel roads anymore. I need that countryside experience. Maybe I'd have to move to the mountains then.

Well, it hasn't come to that yet, thankfully, so I'll be getting some good ol' crushed rock road riding in soon. I'll be real happy about that too, although you may not understand that. It's all good.

Have a great weekend! Ride your bikes. Have an adventure. Take some pictures!

The Answer To "That" Question

<===Right where I want to be....

I have been spending a lot of time the last couple of days thinking about gravel roads and riding bicycles on them. I am toying with this tour/stage race idea, thinking about the Renegade Gentleman's Race, and planning Trans Iowa V7 with my co-director, David Pals.

But why ride on gravel in the first place?

That's a very good question. Most folks assume it would be the worst place of all to pedal a bicycle. Dust, dirt, and rocks skittering underneath your tires do not make a pretty picture in most folks minds.

But where else would you ever see stuff like the images shown at the left? Where else can you find places you'll never see on a paved road in the city, or in the countryside on pavement, for that matter. Where else can you ride and not see another car, truck, or motorcycle for miles, maybe even for your entire ride?

Sure, it is harder to ride on gravel than pavement, but gravel travel is far more rewarding. At least for me, and there is no doubt that it is a stress reliever. That makes it all worth-while right there. But as fun and as relaxing as gravel road bicycle riding is, there may be some other reasons I am drawn to being out there in the country.

You see, both my parents were raised on farms that happened to be right next door to each other. (Well, as "next door" as you get in the Iowa countryside!) Almost all my relatives were farmers as well. So, I spent a big chunk of my childhood on farms and out in the fields.

All of that was linked by the gravel roads. I was raised on the sound of crushed rock on bias ply tires at 50 miles an hour. Plumes of dust. Seeing the headlights on the graded rock at night. Walking for miles on gravel with my cousin. Running the gravel of my grandparents driveway through my fingers as a child. Gravel roads figured into a big part of my best childhood memories. I suppose that could be a reason I enjoy being on them to this day.

But there is more to it now. I will always want to ride over that next hill, or down that unknown road, just to see where it goes. The joy of discovering new vistas and new things is still a big joy for me. Maybe I am an oddball, but that is one of my favorite things about riding out there.

Then there are all the friends I have spent hours and hours with on gravel roads riding bicycles. The conversations, the quiet times under the stars spent just looking around, sharing a sip of whiskey. Whether I am alone or with friends, I can always count on having a good ride when I am on the gravel.

Of course, there is the racing too. I am not all that fast, or good at racing, but it sure is fun being around the crowd that does do it well, and are fast. These folks are inspiring, easy to get along with, and never, ever snobbish. Good times whether you are slow or fast, and everyone seems to be bonded somehow by the experience.

I never felt that when I raced XC events back in the day. There was no real community, or camaraderie amongst the racers. There was a lot of posturing, posing, and looking down upon others though. Thankfully, I find nothing of the sort at gravel races.

Don't get me wrong though, I love riding single track, I love mountains, and I really miss riding in the desert. It is great to tool around town on my long-bike hauling a load. My fixed gear rat-ride is a blast too. I like bicycles, and riding all over, anywhere is fun. Gravel isn't the only thing, nor should it be.

But I have to admit, I'd be pretty broken hearted if I was told I couldn't ride the gravel roads anymore. I need that countryside experience. Maybe I'd have to move to the mountains then.

Well, it hasn't come to that yet, thankfully, so I'll be getting some good ol' crushed rock road riding in soon. I'll be real happy about that too, although you may not understand that. It's all good.

Have a great weekend! Ride your bikes. Have an adventure. Take some pictures!

Okay, So I Had This Idea For A Gravel Road Race....

I know, I know......It isn't like I don't already have too much going on already, but.....

I was at work yesterday, and my mind was wandering, as it is wont to do while I am doing a menial task, and I thought about what it might look like if there was a stage race on Iowa gravel roads. You know, like the road and mountain bike stage races mixed together with the "under-ground event, free race" ethos thrown into the mix.

I even came up with a slick name for the whole deal. Check this out: "Tour of Iowa Gravel Endurance Road Race". Yes folks, that spells "TIGERR". Charlie Sheen would be proud, (not that this matters, but....).

Okay, so what is an idea without some substance to it.

Right...........

So, I thought about that. I could do the easy thing, and just dial up my Gravel-brai route that I came up with last year. The route is all there, all the way across the state, for seven days. Stage race, right? All the towns have accommodations, and cues would be easy-peasy. However; that is waaaaay too obvious, and also- very challenging logistically for anyone considering doing such a stage race event. Besides, the route isn't all that great, and I can do better. Way better.

Soooooo......here's where my head is on this right now. To make the thing do-able for a lot of folks, an entire week of gravel riding, as awesome as that sounds, is probably too much awesomeness all at once. (But- If I am wrong, please let me know that.) I thought that it might actually work out better as a three day stage race, at least to start out with. This does several things.

One, it makes the event a "bite-sized" deal that looks attractive from a time-off-work standpoint, because, let's be honest, taking a week plus travel time off to ride gravel is probably not a thing many could do, or even would want to do.

Secondly, the logistics get a lot easier to deal with on a three day stage event versus a week plus one. I could dial in three different stages out of the same hub, for instance, thus cutting down on multiple over-night stops and the resultant details in lodging/camping. Costs for riders comes down as a result, as well. This could also put the event in one spot with lots of great roads to explore, as opposed to having to cover some not-so-interesting places in between cool spots.

Finally, I was thinking this might be good to take place in July, because that's when everyone is thinking, "Tour", ya know?

So, what does the gravel aficionado say? Let me hear your ideas on this in the comments.

Okay, So I Had This Idea For A Gravel Road Race....

I know, I know......It isn't like I don't already have too much going on already, but.....

I was at work yesterday, and my mind was wandering, as it is wont to do while I am doing a menial task, and I thought about what it might look like if there was a stage race on Iowa gravel roads. You know, like the road and mountain bike stage races mixed together with the "under-ground event, free race" ethos thrown into the mix.

I even came up with a slick name for the whole deal. Check this out: "Tour of Iowa Gravel Endurance Road Race". Yes folks, that spells "TIGERR". Charlie Sheen would be proud, (not that this matters, but....).

Okay, so what is an idea without some substance to it.

Right...........

So, I thought about that. I could do the easy thing, and just dial up my Gravel-brai route that I came up with last year. The route is all there, all the way across the state, for seven days. Stage race, right? All the towns have accommodations, and cues would be easy-peasy. However; that is waaaaay too obvious, and also- very challenging logistically for anyone considering doing such a stage race event. Besides, the route isn't all that great, and I can do better. Way better.

Soooooo......here's where my head is on this right now. To make the thing do-able for a lot of folks, an entire week of gravel riding, as awesome as that sounds, is probably too much awesomeness all at once. (But- If I am wrong, please let me know that.) I thought that it might actually work out better as a three day stage race, at least to start out with. This does several things.

One, it makes the event a "bite-sized" deal that looks attractive from a time-off-work standpoint, because, let's be honest, taking a week plus travel time off to ride gravel is probably not a thing many could do, or even would want to do.

Secondly, the logistics get a lot easier to deal with on a three day stage event versus a week plus one. I could dial in three different stages out of the same hub, for instance, thus cutting down on multiple over-night stops and the resultant details in lodging/camping. Costs for riders comes down as a result, as well. This could also put the event in one spot with lots of great roads to explore, as opposed to having to cover some not-so-interesting places in between cool spots.

Finally, I was thinking this might be good to take place in July, because that's when everyone is thinking, "Tour", ya know?

So, what does the gravel aficionado say? Let me hear your ideas on this in the comments.