The 2020 Grumpy Grind Adventure Ride is officially cancelled.  The reasons why are obvious.  It's simply the responsible and respectful thing to do. As I perceive the mandated shelter rules now being instated in our states and local communities, I feel lucky to know that activities such as cycling are something I can still do.  Mind you I will be riding solo, but that isn't a huge stretch for me, being that I'm one of my favorite people to ride with.  I say that with a sense of humor, but also with a slight bit of truth.  One of my favorite parts of any gravel event is when the larger packs split up and when smaller packs form. And then as a rider of a single speed bike, it is inevitable that I get caught riding solo for long stretches.  I enjoy these variances of my riding company, or lack of.  It's all part of the experience. 

I hope you and your families are staying positive during these strange times.  Stay safe, be thoughtful, and know we are all in this together.

It was almost 60 degrees in Sterling today, the warmest it's been since Christmas, and it was a beautiful day for a ride.  I actually left the house early while it was still in the 30's so I could hit some gravel roads before they might become sloppy later on.  I was shocked by how nice and compact the majority of the roads were.  My memories of early gravel rides being so sloppy last spring left me hesitant to even ride gravel yet, but today it was definitely worth my while.  The south winds were pretty stiff, but that just goes with the territory of warmer air coming our way in late winter.

For people who wonder why I didn't decide to post my event earlier, like maybe 4 months earlier, I'll just say that I really didn't know if I would host one again.  This was partially due to last years ride only being attended by 3 riders (due to crazy bad weather), and also due to a very hectic spring schedule with my kids being involved in weekend sports.  So I apologize to those who I couldn't give a straight answer to and kind of strung out with a non-answer. 

One of the main things that got me excited about this years ride is the new start/finish venue at Blue Goose Run.  It's a pretty cool location in the country that once had a restaurant, a corn maze, and a gift shop.  Now it only hosts special events, like weddings and special occasion parties.  The owners for some reason found the gravel adventure ride concept interesting and have been extremely accommodating.  The facility is certainly off the beaten path (as the Grumpy Grind has been before), but it's well worth the drive.  They have even been so kind as to allow riders to camp out the night before on the property for no extra charge.  It's great to know there are people in the world who just "get it" and don't necessarily expect something extra for being kind.  So far Blue Goose has been a perfect match for this event.  And the name Blue Goose sounds cool too!