Getting old sucks, might as well have a nice bike
The Rough Road 100 was supposed to be my first gravel race, way, way back in 2020. For some reason, that didn’t happen, and with things still looking pretty crap last spring, IIRC they punted on even trying. Now that the COVID situation is mostly under control for those who understand how science works, I’ve been only too happy to get some events in. So at least for now, this will be…
Back to the gravel roads of eastern Iowa for my last gravel race of my 2021 season. It was massive fun, and a great way to test some of the things I’ve been trying to learn about racing.…
I’ve been holding off registering for the 2021 Turkey Burner for a few reasons. The most important was weather; racing 65 miles in a snow storm didn’t sound appealing… Fortunately, it will only be cold and windy, so one concern down. The second was that they didn’t publish a route until earlier today, and it felt weird to signup for a mystery race. Two down. The last one is that I didn’t…
Miserable, awesome, epic race in the peanut butter mud of Western Michigan. Better expectations, and the application of lessons learned in the last race, led to a much improved outcome.…
I was hoping to get a few more gravel races in this year, but the challenge around work and family is an always looming presence. Got the go-ahead for this 50 miler out by Grand Rapids MI earlier this week. Hopefully, I can apply some of the lessons learned last Saturday :). Race Description: Lowell is a classic old world style gravel road race. You’ll race along the banks of the Flat…
Coming off of the fondo successes earlier this summer, I thought I was prepared for my first race. Oh, was I wrong… Naive tactics and bad luck led to a disappointing result.…
I do a lot of long rides, both in miles, and when I get the chance, elevation. Nothing I have done prepared me for the pain that is the 2021 Horrible Hilly Hundreds 200k. Intro: 0:25 Ride Recap: 2:36 Numbers: 9:02 Right/Wrong: 12:17…
I originally signed up for the HHH last year, and when it was canceled I deferred my registration for this year. Unfortunately, their signup was early in the year, you know, back when COVID vaccine availability was still a nebulous thing, so I ignored it… Well, karma intervened; I won’t be punting on what will certainly rank among the most challenging things I’ve done… Wish me luck, and if you’re at the…
The 2021 Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW) is the most epic thing I’ve ever done. This video attempts to break down the ride as it happened for me, discuss what I learned from doing something at this scale, and the observations afterwards. Dave Blodgett’s Donation Page Welcome: 00:22 Getting Dropped: 6:38 Recovery: 8:56 “Winning” RAW: 10:55 What I learned: 12:28 Observations: 15:43 …
If you follow me on Strava, you’d probably seen that I’ve been putting in some long rides recently. The reason for that, or well the main reason for that, I also like long rides, is that I’m planning to do the one-day Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW) at the end of the month. Fortunately, I won’t have to do it solo because there are at least three other riders crazy enough to attempt…