We have watched Home Alone a couple times. My 3yr old thinks it's pretty funny. It's a lot better than I remembered.
Hard to believe that Christmas is already here! I thought time flew by before kids. Once you have them, it seems like it's dragging along day to day, but then you wake up, and your kid is already in preschool and another year is gone. Yep. Gone.
Speaking of filthy animals....
Gravel Grinders
They are becoming very popular lately with the cycling crowd. I'll give you the basics.
Off highway bicycle races. Only the most hardcore riders will actually be "racing" them. Most distances are 100+mi, and can be on anything from well traveled gravel roads to paths that are "labeled" as a road on a map. The same stuff that I prefer to ride motorcycles on!
I have only done one of these rides, and it was a small one. The Flint Hills Death Ride. I think it ended up being about 83mi. I rode it with my cousin Jason, and uncle Greg. This was when I was in the best shape of my life. Not cycling specific, but still. We took 9.5hrs to complete it, with 7.5hrs of moving time. Several flats slowed us down, especially one that I remember taking at least 20min to get sorted. I don't recall why, but I do remember leaning on a pasture gate, baking in the sun, and starting to feel like crap. The one thing I learned from that ride, was NEW TIRES, NEW TUBES, KNOW HOW TO FIX THEM. I personally only had one flat, and had it patched and rolling inside of 5min. This came from the ample practice of changing road bike flats during all of the training rides I was doing for triathlons. Jason and Greg combined and at least 3 flats. Two of those came during the most hilly and rocky sections, not far past the half way point. No shade. Slow and failed repairs. It was demoralizing.
Her are my tips for the only portion of a gravel grinder that I feel I have a right to give.
You can spend hours trying to figure out what tires to use. Tubular or Clincher (that would be tubeless or tube and tire, respectively). Lightweight skinny tires, or bigger, heavier, more tread.
I would go with the strongest tire you can, while not going too wide. Make sure you go out and get some good long rides in on the same rubber that you'll be using at the event. Get a feel for it, and see if it is reliable. It'll be the best money and training time you'll do.
Most of the serious riders are on cyclocross bikes. I don't have one (yet?). I rode my 2007 Gary Fisher Cobia at the Death Ride. I'll probably stay on it for them in the near future too. So, I was running two different tires, that seemed to work really well. Bontrager Jones XR 29x1.8 front, and WTB mutano raptor 700x44c on the rear. One flat on the rear, due to a tiny metal shard that probably would have flatted most any tire, except one with sealant. Good grip from the pair. Rolled pretty fast. Overall, I was pleased with them. I would like to go just a touch more narrow, in the 1.5inch (40mm) range. I'm also hoping to get a rigid fork to replace the heavy Rock Shox Tora that is on the Cobia.
The one other thing, besides flats, that had me well under preforming, was my pack. When reading the description of the Death Ride, they made it sound like they give you some directions on a piece of paper, and if you come back alive, great! Armed with this "knowledge", I decided to be prepared for the worst. I had two full water bottles on the bike,. Two tubes, 3 CO2 cartriges, a multi-tool, tire levers and a few emergency snacks in the seat bag. I wore my Camelbak Mule, filled with 80oz of water, and then topped it off with Nuun tabs, more snacks and extra stuff. It was probably 15lbs strapped on my back. I also mounted my Garmin GPS60Cx to the handlebars.
DUMB!
Turns out, we got the well laid out direction the night before. I plugged it all in the GPS, and that was really nice. Although nice, I probably wouldn't bother again. Everyone else was just using the guide sheets with mileage. There were aid stations about every 15mi. I could have completely ditched my camelbak. Two bottles of water and some gu or shot blocks would've been plenty. Instead of taking all the tubes and stuff, I would just take patches and CO2.
Why all the reflection on an event that I did once, nearly 5yrs ago?
Jason, and Greg, have decided that it was just too much fun to not try again. We aren't doing the Death Ride, but there are two in Nebraska that sound "fun".
Odin's Revenge (June 28th)
Gravel Worlds (August 22nd)
I'm happy to never ride the Flint Hills of KS for anything more than 20mi ever again. The rocky roads down there can get really rough. NOT FUN! The Nebraska gravel is much better. It can be deep in spots, where they lay fresh gravel. Overall though, it's the nice smooth pea gravel that rolls pretty fast. The hills can be tough, with one after the other for mile after mile (it's not all I-80 folks!). The wind can also be a killer. I'm pretty sure that Prairie Madness can set in quickly if the wind is really blowing.
Odin's will be up first. I think we will most likely do just the first half. The full is 180mi! It is held in Gothenburg, NE. Only few hrs from home, and an easy I-80 drive.
Gravel Worlds is right in my backyard, circling Lincoln, NE. I don't think they offer anything but the full distance. I also think it's totally unsupported. This actually is somewhat appealing. There are several small towns that it rolls past, and you can self support by stopping at gas stations. That's also the thing on this ride, you have to stop at said gas stations, and buy lottery tickets. Turn them in at the end as proof.
I'm planning on riding the Gravel Worlds route from last year on my motorcycle as soon as the winter weather breaks, to get an idea of what it'll take. I know it's not going to be easy, AT ALL. I'll keep things updated on here.
Crap, and I thought I was going to get away with just a couple sprint tri's this summer.... LOL!!!!
-Kurt
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