Randomonium

The Ti Standard Rando v2. Image courtesy of Twin Six

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Twin Six Debuts Titanium Standard Rando v2:

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was packed with news and one of the things that came out late enough that it didn't make the "FN&V" was the release of the Standard Rando v2 in titanium. I'll be honest, I knew of this last May when I started talking to Twin Six about getting the steel v2 Rando. They mentioned this was on the horizon and wanted to know if I wanted to wait to get that instead. I decided it was in my best interest not to spend over twice the amount a steel v2 Standard Rando would cost and wait for a bike that might not arrive when Twin Six was thinking it would at that time. Well, I have to say that I am good with my decision. Here's why.....

First off, I wouldn't have had the bike at all until well into 2021. At least completed, and then I'd have to wait for good weather. So, all those miles I put on the Gravel Bus wouldn't have happened on that bike. Now of course, that would not have made a big difference since I have other bikes to take up the slack, so to speak. But there were two other things concerning the Standard Rando Ti which I didn't like when I looked into it on New Year's Day. Had I waited, I would have been a bit disappointed. 

Those two things are maybe not a big deal to you, but I really wouldn't have preferred either of these two things in a titanium bike. One was the curved top tube. Aesthetically it goes against my sensibilities for a 'classic' looking frame, which I consider the steel version of the Standard Rando to be, and what I think is one of its strongest visual cues. Now, I could have gotten over that, maybe, but they went with a 31.6mm diameter seat post. Almost every bike I own runs a 27.2mm post, and they are more compliant as well, no matter the material, compared to a like 31.6mm sized post. Curiously, Twin Six did not use a dropper route on this bike, which would have made the choice of a 31.6mm post a sensible one. Yes- I could get a shim, but...... Well, let's just say that I wasn't too impressed by this offering when I already have the steel one and it does exactly what I need it to do. 

Interested? It'd be a fine bike , I am sure. Here's the webpage.  

Ah....wait.....what? New Year's Day didn't start out too good.

Tech Fail Leads To Upgrade (My Only Real Device Fetish Revealed):

I woke up New Year's Day and did what I always do first thing- Swing my legs out of the bed, pry open my eyes, and slap on my Apple Watch. This has been a routine thing for me for just over a year. I got my watch as a hand-me-down from Mrs. Guitar Ted, as I do with most techie device-like gizmos. See, she was into fitness tracking for a while. I ended up getting her first one, a Fitbit, when she upgraded. It was one of those simple, bracelet styled ones. Then shortly after that I got her 'real watch' styled one when she went full-on and got an Apple Watch, the first gen one. Meanwhile, I tried to make do with the Fitbit watch. I ended up getting the first one warranted when the thing started falling apart. The next one did too, and then I got a new version of their latest Fitbit watch, which seemed a lot more robust. I was really into tracking daily exercise, and I started walking religiously. 

Well, that watch ended up imploding. It was a band failure where it joined the case, and it was not a replaceable band, so it was time to bail on their platform. By this time, Mrs. Guitar Ted had upgraded to another Apple Watch version and her original Gen I watch was just laying around. I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the Fitbit and Apple Watch to see which I liked better. I landed on the Apple Watch and wore it since then, as I say, a little over a year ago now.

So, when I woke up to put it on the first day of 2021, I noticed the face of it, the screen, felt odd. Was it loose? Maybe a little. Then as the morning wore on it felt worse, so I showed it to Mrs. Guitar Ted, and when she looked the whole dang face came loose! Now what? I felt a little twinge of sadness, because, well.........I had a string of days consecutive where I had achieved my goals going back to the weekend the pandemic started. Not that it was a life-or-death thing if my string was broken, but it kind of meant something to me. I have made a lot of health gains since this all started and this string of consecutive goal achievements was a motivator in that. 

So, with a bit of sadness, but a resolve to make-do somehow and continue onward, I took off the watch and tried to come up with a plan to start another streak somehow. Well, then Mrs. Guitar Ted, she's a 'doer'- a problem solver, and she went to work on a plan and well..... The end result was that I got a new Apple Watch and she got my info saved and the streak is alive! 

It's funny that this is a thing I got so attached to because I could give a rip about cycling computers, GPS data, Strava, or whatever the latest indoor cycling craze is. But there is something that grabbed me with these fitness watches and the Apple watch is my jam. So, this is really my only 'device' fetish, if you will. 

A Little Blackborow DS Action:

Over the weekend I had the chance to take advantage of the 5" of snow that fell and I got out on the Blackborow DS again. I love this bike when the conditions are right for it. The thing is, this bike is so capable, it takes a pretty extreme set of conditions to make it 'worthwhile' to me to ride. 

The latest snow drop is on the cusp of where the Blackborow comes on and does what my other fat bikes cannot do. It has enough float and aggressive enough tires that it can plow its own path through 5-8" of fresh snow with no worries. The Blackborow can make a snow machine track rideable due to the bigger footprint where a 4" tire won't cut it. Well, actually a 4" tire does cut through. That's the problem there. 

The trails are decent in the Green Belt, and actually really good in places, so I probably could have done fine with 4" tires there, but where there were places that were still soft I needed the Blackborow. So, I had fun, but unless we get more fresh snow, I probably will go back to riding the Mukluks again, because the need for almost 5" wide tires will go away again. And that's what makes me sad about owning the Blackborow DS.

It's such a great bike that leaving it sit for 10 months out of the year seems like a crime, but unless we have deep snow cover or mud, the Blackborow is simply overkill. I have thought about building up some 27.5 wheels on some fat bike hubs using wide rims that would support 27.5" X 3" tires. Then I could see this being a dinglespeed mountain bike. but that means I'd have to actually go, you know, mountain biking, and well, I didn't get much of any of that in during 2020. My thoughts are that I will be spending a lot more time riding remote gravel and dirt roads than I will be mountain biking, but who knows? Anyway......

Andy Has Another Mouth To Feed:

In some joyful news over the weekend, Andy, of Andy's Bike shop where I work, announced the birth of his second child, a daughter, born to he and his wife Samantha on January 2nd. they named the girl Stella and so the shop is closed for the first two days this week as a result.

Welcome to Stella! Congratulations to Sam and Andy!

That's the Randomonium for this time.

Randomonium

The Ti Standard Rando v2. Image courtesy of Twin Six

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Twin Six Debuts Titanium Standard Rando v2:

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was packed with news and one of the things that came out late enough that it didn't make the "FN&V" was the release of the Standard Rando v2 in titanium. I'll be honest, I knew of this last May when I started talking to Twin Six about getting the steel v2 Rando. They mentioned this was on the horizon and wanted to know if I wanted to wait to get that instead. I decided it was in my best interest not to spend over twice the amount a steel v2 Standard Rando would cost and wait for a bike that might not arrive when Twin Six was thinking it would at that time. Well, I have to say that I am good with my decision. Here's why.....

First off, I wouldn't have had the bike at all until well into 2021. At least completed, and then I'd have to wait for good weather. So, all those miles I put on the Gravel Bus wouldn't have happened on that bike. Now of course, that would not have made a big difference since I have other bikes to take up the slack, so to speak. But there were two other things concerning the Standard Rando Ti which I didn't like when I looked into it on New Year's Day. Had I waited, I would have been a bit disappointed. 

Those two things are maybe not a big deal to you, but I really wouldn't have preferred either of these two things in a titanium bike. One was the curved top tube. Aesthetically it goes against my sensibilities for a 'classic' looking frame, which I consider the steel version of the Standard Rando to be, and what I think is one of its strongest visual cues. Now, I could have gotten over that, maybe, but they went with a 31.6mm diameter seat post. Almost every bike I own runs a 27.2mm post, and they are more compliant as well, no matter the material, compared to a like 31.6mm sized post. Curiously, Twin Six did not use a dropper route on this bike, which would have made the choice of a 31.6mm post a sensible one. Yes- I could get a shim, but...... Well, let's just say that I wasn't too impressed by this offering when I already have the steel one and it does exactly what I need it to do. 

Interested? It'd be a fine bike , I am sure. Here's the webpage.  

Ah....wait.....what? New Year's Day didn't start out too good.

Tech Fail Leads To Upgrade (My Only Real Device Fetish Revealed):

I woke up New Year's Day and did what I always do first thing- Swing my legs out of the bed, pry open my eyes, and slap on my Apple Watch. This has been a routine thing for me for just over a year. I got my watch as a hand-me-down from Mrs. Guitar Ted, as I do with most techie device-like gizmos. See, she was into fitness tracking for a while. I ended up getting her first one, a Fitbit, when she upgraded. It was one of those simple, bracelet styled ones. Then shortly after that I got her 'real watch' styled one when she went full-on and got an Apple Watch, the first gen one. Meanwhile, I tried to make do with the Fitbit watch. I ended up getting the first one warranted when the thing started falling apart. The next one did too, and then I got a new version of their latest Fitbit watch, which seemed a lot more robust. I was really into tracking daily exercise, and I started walking religiously. 

Well, that watch ended up imploding. It was a band failure where it joined the case, and it was not a replaceable band, so it was time to bail on their platform. By this time, Mrs. Guitar Ted had upgraded to another Apple Watch version and her original Gen I watch was just laying around. I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the Fitbit and Apple Watch to see which I liked better. I landed on the Apple Watch and wore it since then, as I say, a little over a year ago now.

So, when I woke up to put it on the first day of 2021, I noticed the face of it, the screen, felt odd. Was it loose? Maybe a little. Then as the morning wore on it felt worse, so I showed it to Mrs. Guitar Ted, and when she looked the whole dang face came loose! Now what? I felt a little twinge of sadness, because, well.........I had a string of days consecutive where I had achieved my goals going back to the weekend the pandemic started. Not that it was a life-or-death thing if my string was broken, but it kind of meant something to me. I have made a lot of health gains since this all started and this string of consecutive goal achievements was a motivator in that. 

So, with a bit of sadness, but a resolve to make-do somehow and continue onward, I took off the watch and tried to come up with a plan to start another streak somehow. Well, then Mrs. Guitar Ted, she's a 'doer'- a problem solver, and she went to work on a plan and well..... The end result was that I got a new Apple Watch and she got my info saved and the streak is alive! 

It's funny that this is a thing I got so attached to because I could give a rip about cycling computers, GPS data, Strava, or whatever the latest indoor cycling craze is. But there is something that grabbed me with these fitness watches and the Apple watch is my jam. So, this is really my only 'device' fetish, if you will. 

A Little Blackborow DS Action:

Over the weekend I had the chance to take advantage of the 5" of snow that fell and I got out on the Blackborow DS again. I love this bike when the conditions are right for it. The thing is, this bike is so capable, it takes a pretty extreme set of conditions to make it 'worthwhile' to me to ride. 

The latest snow drop is on the cusp of where the Blackborow comes on and does what my other fat bikes cannot do. It has enough float and aggressive enough tires that it can plow its own path through 5-8" of fresh snow with no worries. The Blackborow can make a snow machine track rideable due to the bigger footprint where a 4" tire won't cut it. Well, actually a 4" tire does cut through. That's the problem there. 

The trails are decent in the Green Belt, and actually really good in places, so I probably could have done fine with 4" tires there, but where there were places that were still soft I needed the Blackborow. So, I had fun, but unless we get more fresh snow, I probably will go back to riding the Mukluks again, because the need for almost 5" wide tires will go away again. And that's what makes me sad about owning the Blackborow DS.

It's such a great bike that leaving it sit for 10 months out of the year seems like a crime, but unless we have deep snow cover or mud, the Blackborow is simply overkill. I have thought about building up some 27.5 wheels on some fat bike hubs using wide rims that would support 27.5" X 3" tires. Then I could see this being a dinglespeed mountain bike. but that means I'd have to actually go, you know, mountain biking, and well, I didn't get much of any of that in during 2020. My thoughts are that I will be spending a lot more time riding remote gravel and dirt roads than I will be mountain biking, but who knows? Anyway......

Andy Has Another Mouth To Feed:

In some joyful news over the weekend, Andy, of Andy's Bike shop where I work, announced the birth of his second child, a daughter, born to he and his wife Samantha on January 2nd. they named the girl Stella and so the shop is closed for the first two days this week as a result.

Welcome to Stella! Congratulations to Sam and Andy!

That's the Randomonium for this time.

Trans Iowa Stories: Fruitless Searching- Part 2

Back in the game. Image by Jeremy Fry

  "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

The last post described how recon for Trans Iowa v11 started out. This post continues on with the story of the ill-fated recon trip.

After securing our choice of village and the exact location of Checkpoint #1, we were still in pretty high spirits. As we left the small hamlet we discovered probably one of the nastiest Level B Roads leading out of a town anywhere, and just a plain ol' mean road in anyone's estimation. It was akin to driving down a plowed field.  There was a lot of debate right then and there between Jeremy and I about whether or not this would be too much of a gut-punch to the riders. They would barely be out of Checkpoint #1 and they all probably would have to stop to scrape mud off bikes and shoes! After a lengthy discussion, we decided to leave it in with a view to review this choice later. 

Then it was due South, for the most part. We had a super-gnarly Level B not long after leaving the proposed Checkpoint #1 location which had a very odd entry. Essentially, the gravel road leading to it and the Level B were heading in the exact same direction, but as the gravel came up to the dirt, the gravel veered left, because, well.....who in their right mind would go down THAT road? So, unless you were paying attention, and you'd probably have to know this turn was there as well, you would be directed right on by the entry to the dirt road and miss this. Now, it was signed, but it was obscured by trees and brush. Another debate broke out in the truck as to whether or not we needed to flag this corner. Things got fairly heated this time with myself in the camp that this was already marked, and we just needed a cue to indicate to look for the slight turn. Jeremy was adamant that we also needed to have the cue and flag it. In the end we agreed to disagree and we moved on. 

Hills and more hills! The first part of T.I.v11 would be rife with them. 

 

Driving recon for Trans Iowa was always an adventure and something I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

Things settled into a rhythm after that with Jeremy reading off cues and myself driving. We ticked off the miles and made our way South, then eastward into areas I'd never been to before in Iowa. This was classic Trans Iowa recon. Classic times in the truck with Jeremy. Some of my favorite Trans Iowa memories are doing recon with him. I know he misses these times too. 

Then as we approached an area I was wanting to use to direct the event into a good city for resupply chances, we found a stellar road. I had initially chosen this because it was off the grid a bit, meaning it didn't follow the rigid graph-paper-like layout of square miles. This road meandered a bit, and that usually meant you were either on a ridge or in a valley following the contours of the land. An older road or ancient path, no doubt, that made it through to remind us all that things were once different in the land we call Iowa.

This road was really promising until something further down the line didn't work out.

Nearing the resupply city, we found this out on a Level B road. No doubt a popular teenage drinking spot.

Jeremy and I were pretty stoked on all we were seeing. Soon we would draw into a town we were expecting to use as a resupply point. I had pre-planned a route through, but it was a bit convoluted and the escape from the town on the Northeastern side was a bit sketchy. We'd take a look and figure that out, I thought at the time. That is until the approach route took a bad turn.

This was about three miles out, and the road was turning more and more rustic. A Level B that petered out to two track and then ended at a gate. Dammit! Out came the maps. We were scrambling to find a reroute now, as what appeared to be a newly rerouted four lane highway now had limited access across it from gravel roads. This was bad! Really bad. Why? Because of the nature of things being off the grid, which we thought was cool, well, that same feature also limited crossing paths and alternate routes. In other words, this route was entirely unusable. We would have to completely re-do about 30 miles worth of route out in the field. 

Another bit of the course we had to discard here. This Level B led to a water crossing which would be too dangerous for late April.

What was going to be a scenic, rolling course to this particular city ended up becoming a dead flat 13 mile stretch to a couple of dead flat Level B roads and entry to the city via a completely different way than we were anticipating. This was costly in terms of time and it caused us to have to make a return trip or two to get the route fully reconned in the end. But we were still running into issues even after that debacle.

Shortly after the first big reroute we had another issue arise. A really exciting, scenic, and difficult Level B road was eventually nixed due to a low water crossing. Jeremy and I stopped at the grassy area just off the roadway at the creek and considered this feature a bit. The verdict, agreed upon unanimously, was that in late April the cooler temperatures and likelihood of higher water was too much of an obstacle and a danger for us to consider routing through. Then we saw the 4X4 truck come crashing through the low water crossing, slow waaaaaay down, take a sideways glance at us, pull up the road about 30 yards, and then stop. "Uh oh!" This looked bad!

I told Jeremy we'd better get going, and get going now! As I went back the way we came down, the truck driver, who had pulled off just enough to let us pass, came in behind me and followed us out. It was as if we were being escorted. I reminded Jeremy that rural Iowans can be friendly, but if they think anything is untoward, they can be as surly as a junkyard dog. We were outsiders, and we posed a possible threat, so this guy was eyeballing us hard and I knew it. 

I was relieved when we finally got out of the Level B and the truck veered off and we were allowed to continue without the shadow of the unknown following me hard on my bumper. Oh, and we had another reroute! Uggh! It was seeming to us at the time that this route was ill-fated from the get-go. Yet we forged ahead. Things did straighten up a bit after that too, so we were encouraged to continue on, but that stretch was challenging and shook my confidence in route finding, for sure.

Next: We take a side route to look at registration. The processes, the gifts, the post cards, a prank that led to a serious debate about doping athletes and Trans Iowa, and all this together which led to a crazy registration process for T.I.v11. The end of which led to a fundamental change in how Trans Iowa was run.

Trans Iowa Stories: Fruitless Searching- Part 2

Back in the game. Image by Jeremy Fry

  "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

The last post described how recon for Trans Iowa v11 started out. This post continues on with the story of the ill-fated recon trip.

After securing our choice of village and the exact location of Checkpoint #1, we were still in pretty high spirits. As we left the small hamlet we discovered probably one of the nastiest Level B Roads leading out of a town anywhere, and just a plain ol' mean road in anyone's estimation. It was akin to driving down a plowed field.  There was a lot of debate right then and there between Jeremy and I about whether or not this would be too much of a gut-punch to the riders. They would barely be out of Checkpoint #1 and they all probably would have to stop to scrape mud off bikes and shoes! After a lengthy discussion, we decided to leave it in with a view to review this choice later. 

Then it was due South, for the most part. We had a super-gnarly Level B not long after leaving the proposed Checkpoint #1 location which had a very odd entry. Essentially, the gravel road leading to it and the Level B were heading in the exact same direction, but as the gravel came up to the dirt, the gravel veered left, because, well.....who in their right mind would go down THAT road? So, unless you were paying attention, and you'd probably have to know this turn was there as well, you would be directed right on by the entry to the dirt road and miss this. Now, it was signed, but it was obscured by trees and brush. Another debate broke out in the truck as to whether or not we needed to flag this corner. Things got fairly heated this time with myself in the camp that this was already marked, and we just needed a cue to indicate to look for the slight turn. Jeremy was adamant that we also needed to have the cue and flag it. In the end we agreed to disagree and we moved on. 

Hills and more hills! The first part of T.I.v11 would be rife with them. 

 

Driving recon for Trans Iowa was always an adventure and something I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

Things settled into a rhythm after that with Jeremy reading off cues and myself driving. We ticked off the miles and made our way South, then eastward into areas I'd never been to before in Iowa. This was classic Trans Iowa recon. Classic times in the truck with Jeremy. Some of my favorite Trans Iowa memories are doing recon with him. I know he misses these times too. 

Then as we approached an area I was wanting to use to direct the event into a good city for resupply chances, we found a stellar road. I had initially chosen this because it was off the grid a bit, meaning it didn't follow the rigid graph-paper-like layout of square miles. This road meandered a bit, and that usually meant you were either on a ridge or in a valley following the contours of the land. An older road or ancient path, no doubt, that made it through to remind us all that things were once different in the land we call Iowa.

This road was really promising until something further down the line didn't work out.

Nearing the resupply city, we found this out on a Level B road. No doubt a popular teenage drinking spot.

Jeremy and I were pretty stoked on all we were seeing. Soon we would draw into a town we were expecting to use as a resupply point. I had pre-planned a route through, but it was a bit convoluted and the escape from the town on the Northeastern side was a bit sketchy. We'd take a look and figure that out, I thought at the time. That is until the approach route took a bad turn.

This was about three miles out, and the road was turning more and more rustic. A Level B that petered out to two track and then ended at a gate. Dammit! Out came the maps. We were scrambling to find a reroute now, as what appeared to be a newly rerouted four lane highway now had limited access across it from gravel roads. This was bad! Really bad. Why? Because of the nature of things being off the grid, which we thought was cool, well, that same feature also limited crossing paths and alternate routes. In other words, this route was entirely unusable. We would have to completely re-do about 30 miles worth of route out in the field. 

Another bit of the course we had to discard here. This Level B led to a water crossing which would be too dangerous for late April.

What was going to be a scenic, rolling course to this particular city ended up becoming a dead flat 13 mile stretch to a couple of dead flat Level B roads and entry to the city via a completely different way than we were anticipating. This was costly in terms of time and it caused us to have to make a return trip or two to get the route fully reconned in the end. But we were still running into issues even after that debacle.

Shortly after the first big reroute we had another issue arise. A really exciting, scenic, and difficult Level B road was eventually nixed due to a low water crossing. Jeremy and I stopped at the grassy area just off the roadway at the creek and considered this feature a bit. The verdict, agreed upon unanimously, was that in late April the cooler temperatures and likelihood of higher water was too much of an obstacle and a danger for us to consider routing through. Then we saw the 4X4 truck come crashing through the low water crossing, slow waaaaaay down, take a sideways glance at us, pull up the road about 30 yards, and then stop. "Uh oh!" This looked bad!

I told Jeremy we'd better get going, and get going now! As I went back the way we came down, the truck driver, who had pulled off just enough to let us pass, came in behind me and followed us out. It was as if we were being escorted. I reminded Jeremy that rural Iowans can be friendly, but if they think anything is untoward, they can be as surly as a junkyard dog. We were outsiders, and we posed a possible threat, so this guy was eyeballing us hard and I knew it. 

I was relieved when we finally got out of the Level B and the truck veered off and we were allowed to continue without the shadow of the unknown following me hard on my bumper. Oh, and we had another reroute! Uggh! It was seeming to us at the time that this route was ill-fated from the get-go. Yet we forged ahead. Things did straighten up a bit after that too, so we were encouraged to continue on, but that stretch was challenging and shook my confidence in route finding, for sure.

Next: We take a side route to look at registration. The processes, the gifts, the post cards, a prank that led to a serious debate about doping athletes and Trans Iowa, and all this together which led to a crazy registration process for T.I.v11. The end of which led to a fundamental change in how Trans Iowa was run.

Housekeeping

Dramatic skies on the way home from work in late December

Well, now that we've made it over the Holidays and we are into a new year, it's time to get back to some regular postings here at "Guitar Ted Productions". But first......a little updating to get caught up after all the special postings of December...

Speaking of special postings.... I did hit the record for posts in a year with 389! Again- nothing planned- It just sort of happens that way. Although I have admitted it kind of becomes a personal contest at times to see if I am going to measure up to previous years blog totals. But 389! Whew! I gotta figure this out better because I could have taken off the entire month of December and still had more than one post a day for a year! 

Riding has been minimal. I've been out here and there, but mostly within the city limits since the winds and air temperatures have been pretty rough for open country riding. Fat bike rides and the occasional 'urban unpaved adventures' have been all I've been doing. In fact, I haven't really ridden out in the country since getting "The Quest" out of my hair several weeks ago now. I guess you could say it is now my 'off season' and I don't see regular outings into the country happening for a while yet. All weather dependent. We'll see.....

Speaking of the weather, this weather we had coming into Christmas was junk for cycling. No snow for fat biking and way too cold and windy for anything else. That and having Christmas at the end of the week really threw me for a loop. I still am not sure what day it is.....well, actually.... I am sure it is my 21st wedding anniversary. I'd better remember that! Mrs. Guitar Ted would not be too happy if I had forgotten that today was "The Day" back then.

A December 2020 sunset somewhere in Bremer County, Iowa

I did get to spend some extra time with Mrs. Guitar Ted of late. Since work has been so slow, I realized that I could ride along with her when she had to go to work at an affiliate hospital in a small town about 44 miles away. I drove with her and dropped her off and then picked her back up again in the evening. The timing was such that we got to enjoy both a spectacular Sunrise and Sunset. Pretty cool! Our holidays were pretty low-key with basically just a special dinner on Christmas Day and a lot of time spent together as a family unit during this time. 

Then the snow really did come on Tuesday before New Year's Day. And again right afterward we got a bit more. So, now with all of the white stuff it is time to try- at least- to fat bike in this granular stuff. And with that, I'm pretty much caught up on my situation here. 

I've shifted to doing a lot of cleaning/organizing in the Lab. It's a mess after doing everything but cleaning and organizing all year. I've got some plans to take care of my wheels, spares, and somehow do a bit better job with my tools and equipment which over-ran the place after I brought everything home late in 2019 when I stopped working at the old shop. 

The Blackborow DS shows me again why it is the best tool for the job of breaking trail or use in deep snow.

I've also had an idea which relates to the original requests from some of you readers to make some sort of Trans Iowa book available. I have already done a series about my two loaded, self-supported, over the road tours in the 90's. This series is pretty refined and would make for a good 'practice run' on a Trans Iowa publication. So, I may gather that all together, do a few tweaks, and see about getting that published. 

Anyway, so that's all the things that have been either on my mind, or are related to what I have been up to lately besides just hanging out, social distancing, and trying to stay healthy. Hopefully you all are doing well out there and are getting back into a regular groove soon post-Holidays.

Housekeeping

Dramatic skies on the way home from work in late December

Well, now that we've made it over the Holidays and we are into a new year, it's time to get back to some regular postings here at "Guitar Ted Productions". But first......a little updating to get caught up after all the special postings of December...

Speaking of special postings.... I did hit the record for posts in a year with 389! Again- nothing planned- It just sort of happens that way. Although I have admitted it kind of becomes a personal contest at times to see if I am going to measure up to previous years blog totals. But 389! Whew! I gotta figure this out better because I could have taken off the entire month of December and still had more than one post a day for a year! 

Riding has been minimal. I've been out here and there, but mostly within the city limits since the winds and air temperatures have been pretty rough for open country riding. Fat bike rides and the occasional 'urban unpaved adventures' have been all I've been doing. In fact, I haven't really ridden out in the country since getting "The Quest" out of my hair several weeks ago now. I guess you could say it is now my 'off season' and I don't see regular outings into the country happening for a while yet. All weather dependent. We'll see.....

Speaking of the weather, this weather we had coming into Christmas was junk for cycling. No snow for fat biking and way too cold and windy for anything else. That and having Christmas at the end of the week really threw me for a loop. I still am not sure what day it is.....well, actually.... I am sure it is my 21st wedding anniversary. I'd better remember that! Mrs. Guitar Ted would not be too happy if I had forgotten that today was "The Day" back then.

A December 2020 sunset somewhere in Bremer County, Iowa

I did get to spend some extra time with Mrs. Guitar Ted of late. Since work has been so slow, I realized that I could ride along with her when she had to go to work at an affiliate hospital in a small town about 44 miles away. I drove with her and dropped her off and then picked her back up again in the evening. The timing was such that we got to enjoy both a spectacular Sunrise and Sunset. Pretty cool! Our holidays were pretty low-key with basically just a special dinner on Christmas Day and a lot of time spent together as a family unit during this time. 

Then the snow really did come on Tuesday before New Year's Day. And again right afterward we got a bit more. So, now with all of the white stuff it is time to try- at least- to fat bike in this granular stuff. And with that, I'm pretty much caught up on my situation here. 

I've shifted to doing a lot of cleaning/organizing in the Lab. It's a mess after doing everything but cleaning and organizing all year. I've got some plans to take care of my wheels, spares, and somehow do a bit better job with my tools and equipment which over-ran the place after I brought everything home late in 2019 when I stopped working at the old shop. 

The Blackborow DS shows me again why it is the best tool for the job of breaking trail or use in deep snow.

I've also had an idea which relates to the original requests from some of you readers to make some sort of Trans Iowa book available. I have already done a series about my two loaded, self-supported, over the road tours in the 90's. This series is pretty refined and would make for a good 'practice run' on a Trans Iowa publication. So, I may gather that all together, do a few tweaks, and see about getting that published. 

Anyway, so that's all the things that have been either on my mind, or are related to what I have been up to lately besides just hanging out, social distancing, and trying to stay healthy. Hopefully you all are doing well out there and are getting back into a regular groove soon post-Holidays.

Friday News And Views

Not a fail- as much as I thought originally. (Arrow points to a drainage)

Drainage Detected:

A while back I made some sharp criticism of the bike path reconstruction as it relates to the eastern end of the University Avenue Project. Well, on a ride on December 27th, I discovered what may be a drain for runoff on the Southern end of the tunnel which is carrying the bike trail underneath University Avenue. 

If this is what I think it is, at least the South side of the trail should remain fairly passable. However; I have yet to see anything like this on the North side, which traditionally is really bad anyway, and this new construction looks to make things worse. If this doesn't get drained it would be a major oversight as that end of the trail at the butt-end of Falls Avenue has been under water since the project began. Even throughout the drought. So, they really have no excuse.

Hopefully there will be some sort of drainage put in on the North side, and I will keep on looking as this construction progresses toward its end. That won't likely pick up again until Spring, so until then, I don't expect any progress on this front. 

Interestingly, they did open up the new four lane to traffic again, so the road is humming with cars and trucks once more. Mrs. Guitar Ted and I checked it out and the new roundabout at Fletcher and University is going to really throw folks for a loop. (pardon the pun) I still don't understand why people get so freaked out about these things, but bringing up the subject of roundabouts is like stirring up a hornet's nest here in regard to these new road features. 

Will this be a necessary document to enter races in 2021?

How Will We Know in 2021? 

When do you know it's okay to ride in an event this year? Obviously, this all hinges on who gets vaccinated and if that level of folks that decide to get vaccinated quashes the spread of COVID-19. But how do you determine when the level of spread is low enough to allow for folks to gather? When is it okay, if it ever will be again, to allow outside of an area people to mingle with residents of another area? And how will that affect the elderly and those 'at highest risk' folks? 

Will we need to have 'vaccination confirmations' to gain entry to events, or gatherings? Or do we just assume it will all work and run off headlong towards the way things used to be without a whit given to lessons learned in 2019? These are all valid questions going into 2021.

It is one thing to say, "This too shall pass." I agree that it will, but when? Where is that line that we cross? Is there a line? Should we even care? These are big questions to ask as we get on with going back to events and participating in bicycle rides 'en masse'. Obviously, a way to guarantee that someone has been vaccinated goes a long way towards assuring those who are running events that they are doing so responsibly, but how do you assure that? 

I've got a lot of questions, and no good answers as we get on into this new year. I'm sure answers will come to light at some point, but as of now, I do not see anyone asking these questions. I think they are rather important to consider.

I've heard about a 'slow boat from China', but this is ridiculous.

Not To Beat A Dead Horse, But....

Just making sure that I document that in 2021 bike availability, parts availability, and prices are all changing from what we're used to. 

I've made the point about shipping times, but prices for shipping have - in some cases- quadrupled. Guess who THAT will be passed down to? If you are thinking, "Why, that's me! The Consumer!", you'd be correct. Doubly so if demand stays consistent with 2020 levels, which was unprecedented. 

Again- don't expect to waltz right in to a shop and pick up a fresh 11 speed chain, lube, a spare tube, or a new set of tires. The shop you use may not have exactly what you want. Best to call ahead. Also,be prepared to pay a lot more! Shops don't have spare reserve inventories that they paid for just sitting around, so don't expect any deals either.  It's going to get ugly in that respect, I am afraid. In fact, buying what you can get now, and stockpiling it might make sense, since prices haven't really been jacked up yet, but if you wait? Lord have mercy! Don't say I didn't warn ya! 

Here's a great, concise warning from a MTB brand that should give you some sense of what I am trying to convey here. Also, a web/brick and mortar store owner laments the lack of available inventory HERE. Interestingly, the dealer lament is pretty revealing as he shows actual dealer portal screens for two major brands so you can understand what bike shops are up against. The consumer reactions he refers to are rather revealing as well. Good reference point going into 2021. 

Comments: My take on 2021 availability for bikes and parts is this- Expect mid to late season 2020 stock levels to persist all throughout the 2021 season. Repair parts will be sparse to non-existent. I say this because 2021 model production is either (a) being held up by lack of available parts from vendors like SRAM, Shimano, etc and (b) production has already shifted to 2022 models. 

It is quite likely that 2021 will be, or already has been, written off and all bets are being placed on 2022 as being when the industry gets back on track. This may seem improbable to those of you that do not understand the bicycle industry. However; as parts procurement has been disrupted, and seeing as how all designs and specs for 2021 were signed off on long before last year, it makes sense that production figures for 2021 would actually either be the same as 2019/20 or even less since parts may not show up at factories in enough quantities to produce 2021 models. This would mean those parts would then go on what will end up becoming 2022 models. 

Either these 2022 models will be carry-over 2021 models that weren't fully produced or they will simply just paint frames in new liveries to match 2022 spec. The bike industry works in a 'three to five year plan' time space with the 'ideas' phase being one year, prototypes being the next one to two year phase, then actual production planning takes place. After this, models get spec parts lined up and then everything moves to production. By this time you are into "Year Four" from the very beginnings of the model year line conceptions at the long end and by "Year Five" you have product hitting dealer floors. So, with this in mind, some 2022 bikes were conceived of back in 2017. (!!) Given this, maybe a 'quick adjustment' may be given to what demand might actually be by 2024, and you can see that 'just pumping out more bikes' for 2021 isn't just a crazy idea, it is a factual impossibility due to the way the industry works. The earliest I could see any real increases in bike inventory happening in traditional bike channels is maybe by 2022, and brands are going to hedge their bets and I am thinking that they are thinking the boom won't hold up for that long.

An example of the new Singular Peregrine

Singular Cycles Re-Introduces The Peregrine Model: 

Singular Cycles, run by Sam Alison from the U.K., has been on the down-low for several years. His company has been known for making some really fantastic, classic looking frames. Both MG and I have owned different Singular models throughout the years. (I still have a Buzzard MTB frame in the Lab) I used to own a Gryphon, which was designed at the same time as the Fargo and in many ways 'out-Fargo-ed' that bike. (I think MG still has his?) Anyway, the Peregrine was the lugged drop bar bike that Singular made which was a classic design and well loved by many. Unfortunately, I heard that some Peregrines broke, and eventually it was withdrawn from the line up. Then Singular faded from view and well, that was that. 

But now Singular has revitalized itself and brought back the Peregrine model. It has, of course, been redesigned and updated to modern specs with through axles, a slight increase in tire clearances, and now will have a sweet, bi-plane fork. (!!) I love bi-plane fork crowns. The geometry is 71° front/74°rear with 445mm chain stays and a 75mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty interesting in that it claims to be able to handle a road crank double and still clear 29" X 2.1" tires or 650B X 2.2" tires. 

Pre-orders are open now for mid-Summer delivery. See the website here. 

Okay, that's it for this week! Happy New Year to all you G-Ted Productions readers!

Friday News And Views

Not a fail- as much as I thought originally. (Arrow points to a drainage)

Drainage Detected:

A while back I made some sharp criticism of the bike path reconstruction as it relates to the eastern end of the University Avenue Project. Well, on a ride on December 27th, I discovered what may be a drain for runoff on the Southern end of the tunnel which is carrying the bike trail underneath University Avenue. 

If this is what I think it is, at least the South side of the trail should remain fairly passable. However; I have yet to see anything like this on the North side, which traditionally is really bad anyway, and this new construction looks to make things worse. If this doesn't get drained it would be a major oversight as that end of the trail at the butt-end of Falls Avenue has been under water since the project began. Even throughout the drought. So, they really have no excuse.

Hopefully there will be some sort of drainage put in on the North side, and I will keep on looking as this construction progresses toward its end. That won't likely pick up again until Spring, so until then, I don't expect any progress on this front. 

Interestingly, they did open up the new four lane to traffic again, so the road is humming with cars and trucks once more. Mrs. Guitar Ted and I checked it out and the new roundabout at Fletcher and University is going to really throw folks for a loop. (pardon the pun) I still don't understand why people get so freaked out about these things, but bringing up the subject of roundabouts is like stirring up a hornet's nest here in regard to these new road features. 

Will this be a necessary document to enter races in 2021?

How Will We Know in 2021? 

When do you know it's okay to ride in an event this year? Obviously, this all hinges on who gets vaccinated and if that level of folks that decide to get vaccinated quashes the spread of COVID-19. But how do you determine when the level of spread is low enough to allow for folks to gather? When is it okay, if it ever will be again, to allow outside of an area people to mingle with residents of another area? And how will that affect the elderly and those 'at highest risk' folks? 

Will we need to have 'vaccination confirmations' to gain entry to events, or gatherings? Or do we just assume it will all work and run off headlong towards the way things used to be without a whit given to lessons learned in 2019? These are all valid questions going into 2021.

It is one thing to say, "This too shall pass." I agree that it will, but when? Where is that line that we cross? Is there a line? Should we even care? These are big questions to ask as we get on with going back to events and participating in bicycle rides 'en masse'. Obviously, a way to guarantee that someone has been vaccinated goes a long way towards assuring those who are running events that they are doing so responsibly, but how do you assure that? 

I've got a lot of questions, and no good answers as we get on into this new year. I'm sure answers will come to light at some point, but as of now, I do not see anyone asking these questions. I think they are rather important to consider.

I've heard about a 'slow boat from China', but this is ridiculous.

Not To Beat A Dead Horse, But....

Just making sure that I document that in 2021 bike availability, parts availability, and prices are all changing from what we're used to. 

I've made the point about shipping times, but prices for shipping have - in some cases- quadrupled. Guess who THAT will be passed down to? If you are thinking, "Why, that's me! The Consumer!", you'd be correct. Doubly so if demand stays consistent with 2020 levels, which was unprecedented. 

Again- don't expect to waltz right in to a shop and pick up a fresh 11 speed chain, lube, a spare tube, or a new set of tires. The shop you use may not have exactly what you want. Best to call ahead. Also,be prepared to pay a lot more! Shops don't have spare reserve inventories that they paid for just sitting around, so don't expect any deals either.  It's going to get ugly in that respect, I am afraid. In fact, buying what you can get now, and stockpiling it might make sense, since prices haven't really been jacked up yet, but if you wait? Lord have mercy! Don't say I didn't warn ya! 

Here's a great, concise warning from a MTB brand that should give you some sense of what I am trying to convey here. Also, a web/brick and mortar store owner laments the lack of available inventory HERE. Interestingly, the dealer lament is pretty revealing as he shows actual dealer portal screens for two major brands so you can understand what bike shops are up against. The consumer reactions he refers to are rather revealing as well. Good reference point going into 2021. 

Comments: My take on 2021 availability for bikes and parts is this- Expect mid to late season 2020 stock levels to persist all throughout the 2021 season. Repair parts will be sparse to non-existent. I say this because 2021 model production is either (a) being held up by lack of available parts from vendors like SRAM, Shimano, etc and (b) production has already shifted to 2022 models. 

It is quite likely that 2021 will be, or already has been, written off and all bets are being placed on 2022 as being when the industry gets back on track. This may seem improbable to those of you that do not understand the bicycle industry. However; as parts procurement has been disrupted, and seeing as how all designs and specs for 2021 were signed off on long before last year, it makes sense that production figures for 2021 would actually either be the same as 2019/20 or even less since parts may not show up at factories in enough quantities to produce 2021 models. This would mean those parts would then go on what will end up becoming 2022 models. 

Either these 2022 models will be carry-over 2021 models that weren't fully produced or they will simply just paint frames in new liveries to match 2022 spec. The bike industry works in a 'three to five year plan' time space with the 'ideas' phase being one year, prototypes being the next one to two year phase, then actual production planning takes place. After this, models get spec parts lined up and then everything moves to production. By this time you are into "Year Four" from the very beginnings of the model year line conceptions at the long end and by "Year Five" you have product hitting dealer floors. So, with this in mind, some 2022 bikes were conceived of back in 2017. (!!) Given this, maybe a 'quick adjustment' may be given to what demand might actually be by 2024, and you can see that 'just pumping out more bikes' for 2021 isn't just a crazy idea, it is a factual impossibility due to the way the industry works. The earliest I could see any real increases in bike inventory happening in traditional bike channels is maybe by 2022, and brands are going to hedge their bets and I am thinking that they are thinking the boom won't hold up for that long.

An example of the new Singular Peregrine

Singular Cycles Re-Introduces The Peregrine Model: 

Singular Cycles, run by Sam Alison from the U.K., has been on the down-low for several years. His company has been known for making some really fantastic, classic looking frames. Both MG and I have owned different Singular models throughout the years. (I still have a Buzzard MTB frame in the Lab) I used to own a Gryphon, which was designed at the same time as the Fargo and in many ways 'out-Fargo-ed' that bike. (I think MG still has his?) Anyway, the Peregrine was the lugged drop bar bike that Singular made which was a classic design and well loved by many. Unfortunately, I heard that some Peregrines broke, and eventually it was withdrawn from the line up. Then Singular faded from view and well, that was that. 

But now Singular has revitalized itself and brought back the Peregrine model. It has, of course, been redesigned and updated to modern specs with through axles, a slight increase in tire clearances, and now will have a sweet, bi-plane fork. (!!) I love bi-plane fork crowns. The geometry is 71° front/74°rear with 445mm chain stays and a 75mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty interesting in that it claims to be able to handle a road crank double and still clear 29" X 2.1" tires or 650B X 2.2" tires. 

Pre-orders are open now for mid-Summer delivery. See the website here. 

Okay, that's it for this week! Happy New Year to all you G-Ted Productions readers!

The State Of The Gravel Scene; 2021

 I have been posting a "State Of The Gravel Scene" post or series since 2018. That page can be accessed HERE. You can go back and see what I got right and what I got wrong. Obviously, in March of 2020 everything changed. The pandemic isn't over yet, and while we have vaccines being distributed, we still are a long way out from 'going back to normal' in the pre-2020 sense, if EVER we go back to that.

Seeing as how most things I posted last January were short-circuited by the pandemic in March, I posted a mid-year missive HERE. I recommend going back and reading that to get a feel for how everyone was thinking mid-year compared to now. I think you will agree that some things have been (conveniently?) forgotten while other things have been pushed ahead. This figures heavily into my missive for 2021......

When things are thrown into upheaval we have a chance to make changes, or we very hopefully would like to think we will be better for the struggles, right? 2020 was a struggle in many, many ways. As I look toward 2021, I see a few things which are- seemingly- being forgotten which- if I am reading the room correctly- are going to be looked back and seen as BIG missed chances. 

The first thing that I see going on has an over-arching effect upon the entire gravel scene. It is, frankly, the thing that is currently bringing down the gravel scene slowly but surely. It is the culture and ethos which is professional road racing as it has existed for decades. This isn't an 'anti-roadie' screed, but I am sure it will be passed off that way. But let's face facts: In terms of bringing in vast amounts of new faces, people who would never have been involved in competition, challenge, and adventure on two wheels, the 'Gravel Scene', such as it was from about 2005-2015 was the biggest success story in cycling. Think about it: What form of cycling grew leaps and bounds while road racing, criterium racing, and off-road mountain biking suffered flat, or drastically reduced rider fields year over year? What form of cycling was celebrated by the 'average cyclist' as being inclusive, fun, and laid back? You know the answer is 'gravel cycling'. There is no denying that fact.

So, it is fair to say then that the road racing scene, and to a lesser extant, the mountain bike scene, has been an utter failure at bringing in new cyclists and creating growth in cycling. Gravel cycling has been a smashing success in contrast. Not to mention the significant economic impact on the cycling industry and in terms of towns and villages seeing boosts in tourism, which gravel cycling has brought to those places. However; what are we seeing within the more talked about parts of the gravel scene in media? It's all about racing. It's all about "more former Pro road racers finding a home in gravel". It is about BIG prize purses and MORE images of fast, white male cyclists going hell bent for leather in a tight pack. Essentially, road racing adapted to gravel courses, and guess where that will lead us? Right back where we were before with the same issues USAC has now and with the same crap-attitudes about racing and racers. In other words, that is a direct path to failure. 

I like road racing. Always have. But it is an activity that is only good if a very elite level of athlete is participating, and guess what? That is an exclusionary path to no good end for the mainstream cycling public. Can everyone play basketball? Sure, but what if basketball across the nation were a highly regulated activity with an aim to 'funnel elite athletes to Pro teams' and even your garden variety backyard game could not happen unless it were organized under that umbrella? (You could argue that basketball, baseball, and other sports already are like this) Well, isn't that what USAC is all about? Isn't that the Pro road racing culture which is often elevated in cycling media and on social media platforms? Isn't that what many event promoters are trying to emulate with big finish line productions, podiums, or when they allude to road racing classics in name and deed, or when they offer 'big payouts"? 

Why would any gravel promotions team want to go down that path when, as we all know, it is an exclusionary path that eventually leads to failure when it comes to participation numbers? Again- why did gravel events flourish when road racing and mountain biking did not? Think about that. What I am seeing going on with a lot of the 'big-time' events is not what I was seeing when gravel events were happening from 2005 -2015, and you do realize that many of those events were high attendance events, right? 

Since 2015-ish, an element has crept in and has been growing which smacks of something like failure to my way of thinking. It is not what the scene was about, nor why folks were attracted to it. Cycling media in the traditional sense is partly to blame here. So are companies trying to cash in on 'gravel' since that is where people want to spend money. That's fine, but when marketing pushes extreme design, road racing fashion, and mountain biking's extremism, then something has gone off the rails. When 'inclusion' is depicted as one body type, one skin color, and done in a certain way, there is a problem. Remember, the gravel scene grew leaps and bounds without all of that. It became a force despite the endemic cycling media and despite most of the cycling industry. 

I set out a challenge in my June 2020 post linked above and it was a reflection of what I was seeing coming out of the social unrest of late Spring and early Summer. Think about this as you sign up for events in 2021. Is the promoter making overtures to parts of society typically overlooked by cycling events? What efforts are being made to enhance relations with the average resident in the communities these events are being held in? Does this event look more like a Pro road event, or is it low key, inclusive, and fun? (Yes, you can 'race' and still have FUN) 

In 2021, we will see how people vote with their dollars. I'm thinking we will see a ravenous consumption of events in response to what happened in 2020. I'm thinking there will be little discretion in regard to the things I am bringing up here amongst some riders and that a few more event promoters will be falsely led to believe that bending the gravel scene even more toward the romanticized version of road racing will be okay.  But maybe I'll be proven wrong. That'd be okay with me. 

But there will be many events, event promoters, and riders in those events which won't be at all concerned about the "professional road racing trappings", whether or not USAC is involved, or if their event has a number of Pro road racers and former Pro racers in the field. (But, it'd be okay if there were, no biggie) Nope, these events will welcome all no matter how fast or slow they are. It won't matter if they have the latest gravel tech or an old beater Schwinn Collegiate modified to do gravel. There will be fun and smiles and someone might 'win' but really, everyone will be winners. 

That's what made the gravel scene what it is. 

The State Of The Gravel Scene; 2021

 I have been posting a "State Of The Gravel Scene" post or series since 2018. That page can be accessed HERE. You can go back and see what I got right and what I got wrong. Obviously, in March of 2020 everything changed. The pandemic isn't over yet, and while we have vaccines being distributed, we still are a long way out from 'going back to normal' in the pre-2020 sense, if EVER we go back to that.

Seeing as how most things I posted last January were short-circuited by the pandemic in March, I posted a mid-year missive HERE. I recommend going back and reading that to get a feel for how everyone was thinking mid-year compared to now. I think you will agree that some things have been (conveniently?) forgotten while other things have been pushed ahead. This figures heavily into my missive for 2021......

When things are thrown into upheaval we have a chance to make changes, or we very hopefully would like to think we will be better for the struggles, right? 2020 was a struggle in many, many ways. As I look toward 2021, I see a few things which are- seemingly- being forgotten which- if I am reading the room correctly- are going to be looked back and seen as BIG missed chances. 

The first thing that I see going on has an over-arching effect upon the entire gravel scene. It is, frankly, the thing that is currently bringing down the gravel scene slowly but surely. It is the culture and ethos which is professional road racing as it has existed for decades. This isn't an 'anti-roadie' screed, but I am sure it will be passed off that way. But let's face facts: In terms of bringing in vast amounts of new faces, people who would never have been involved in competition, challenge, and adventure on two wheels, the 'Gravel Scene', such as it was from about 2005-2015 was the biggest success story in cycling. Think about it: What form of cycling grew leaps and bounds while road racing, criterium racing, and off-road mountain biking suffered flat, or drastically reduced rider fields year over year? What form of cycling was celebrated by the 'average cyclist' as being inclusive, fun, and laid back? You know the answer is 'gravel cycling'. There is no denying that fact.

So, it is fair to say then that the road racing scene, and to a lesser extant, the mountain bike scene, has been an utter failure at bringing in new cyclists and creating growth in cycling. Gravel cycling has been a smashing success in contrast. Not to mention the significant economic impact on the cycling industry and in terms of towns and villages seeing boosts in tourism, which gravel cycling has brought to those places. However; what are we seeing within the more talked about parts of the gravel scene in media? It's all about racing. It's all about "more former Pro road racers finding a home in gravel". It is about BIG prize purses and MORE images of fast, white male cyclists going hell bent for leather in a tight pack. Essentially, road racing adapted to gravel courses, and guess where that will lead us? Right back where we were before with the same issues USAC has now and with the same crap-attitudes about racing and racers. In other words, that is a direct path to failure. 

I like road racing. Always have. But it is an activity that is only good if a very elite level of athlete is participating, and guess what? That is an exclusionary path to no good end for the mainstream cycling public. Can everyone play basketball? Sure, but what if basketball across the nation were a highly regulated activity with an aim to 'funnel elite athletes to Pro teams' and even your garden variety backyard game could not happen unless it were organized under that umbrella? (You could argue that basketball, baseball, and other sports already are like this) Well, isn't that what USAC is all about? Isn't that the Pro road racing culture which is often elevated in cycling media and on social media platforms? Isn't that what many event promoters are trying to emulate with big finish line productions, podiums, or when they allude to road racing classics in name and deed, or when they offer 'big payouts"? 

Why would any gravel promotions team want to go down that path when, as we all know, it is an exclusionary path that eventually leads to failure when it comes to participation numbers? Again- why did gravel events flourish when road racing and mountain biking did not? Think about that. What I am seeing going on with a lot of the 'big-time' events is not what I was seeing when gravel events were happening from 2005 -2015, and you do realize that many of those events were high attendance events, right? 

Since 2015-ish, an element has crept in and has been growing which smacks of something like failure to my way of thinking. It is not what the scene was about, nor why folks were attracted to it. Cycling media in the traditional sense is partly to blame here. So are companies trying to cash in on 'gravel' since that is where people want to spend money. That's fine, but when marketing pushes extreme design, road racing fashion, and mountain biking's extremism, then something has gone off the rails. When 'inclusion' is depicted as one body type, one skin color, and done in a certain way, there is a problem. Remember, the gravel scene grew leaps and bounds without all of that. It became a force despite the endemic cycling media and despite most of the cycling industry. 

I set out a challenge in my June 2020 post linked above and it was a reflection of what I was seeing coming out of the social unrest of late Spring and early Summer. Think about this as you sign up for events in 2021. Is the promoter making overtures to parts of society typically overlooked by cycling events? What efforts are being made to enhance relations with the average resident in the communities these events are being held in? Does this event look more like a Pro road event, or is it low key, inclusive, and fun? (Yes, you can 'race' and still have FUN) 

In 2021, we will see how people vote with their dollars. I'm thinking we will see a ravenous consumption of events in response to what happened in 2020. I'm thinking there will be little discretion in regard to the things I am bringing up here amongst some riders and that a few more event promoters will be falsely led to believe that bending the gravel scene even more toward the romanticized version of road racing will be okay.  But maybe I'll be proven wrong. That'd be okay with me. 

But there will be many events, event promoters, and riders in those events which won't be at all concerned about the "professional road racing trappings", whether or not USAC is involved, or if their event has a number of Pro road racers and former Pro racers in the field. (But, it'd be okay if there were, no biggie) Nope, these events will welcome all no matter how fast or slow they are. It won't matter if they have the latest gravel tech or an old beater Schwinn Collegiate modified to do gravel. There will be fun and smiles and someone might 'win' but really, everyone will be winners. 

That's what made the gravel scene what it is.