The spring is a busy time of year for me.  The two things that take up the bulk of my time are coaching my kids soccer team, and preparing for and organizing the Grumpy Grind.  Oh yeah, and I try and sneak in some training rides for another round of TransIowa (coming up next week!).  All of these things are important to me, but rarely do they ever balance themselves out too well.  My focus the last couple of weeks was on putting the final touches together for the Grumpy Grind 6.
     Sunday's Grumpy Grind 6 proved to be a great day for riding. 90 riders started the event, and 82 of them finished.  Those numbers both are pretty good for my event.  Some of those riders were hearty gravel riders, like Kae Takeshita, a gravel worlds champion rider.  And Bryce Mead, a local rider and former pro who burned up the coarse averaging over 19mph for the duration of 86 miles.  Whoa!  There were also plenty of first time riders who conquered the course and finished with exhausted grins on their faces.  

   I don't want to get overly mushy, but I really want to thank all of those who rode the event, all of those who volunteered their time in helping, and all of you who donated to help fund what turned out to be another great Grumpy Grind.  I am always humbled by the willingness of my volunteers (mostly friends) who pitch in on the day of the event each year.  And I'm grateful so many riders choose to come.  Driving to Milledgeville to do this event is basically choosing to drive to the middle of nowhere with faith and hope that something good will come of it.
    The Grumpy Grind isn't the biggest gravel event on the map by any stretch, and never will be, but I think I put together a challenging ride with amenities that make for a positive experience.  That being said, not everything about the day was perfect.  There were some missed turns by some, a few mechanicals, a strong head wind from time to time, and even a rumor about a "fight" among a group of riders who disputed which way to go. But those are all part of the adventure. 
     Next year the farm at which we have started at the last five years will be turned into a Dairy Barn once again.  So the venue will have to change.  This in turn means the date will likely change too, but we'll see.  I don't have the answers to when and where the next Grumpy Grind will be, but I do plan on it happening.  I hope all who rode and are reading this search the events page next year to see what the next Grumpy Grind has in store.  I'll do my best to make it an adventure worth showing up for.

     On one final note.  I did not take many pictures, but a friend of mine stopped by in the afternoon and took some photos.  I think he missed the lead pack of riders, but there are plenty of pictures of riders coming in over the last twenty miles.  Click on the link to check out some nicely taken Grumpy Grind 2018 Photos. 

     We woke up to another morning of snow here in Sterling.  My mom sent me a text that explained the weather by saying "happy 96th day of January."  Right now my iphone is telling me it's 55 degrees outside.  The weather is completely confused with what it's supposed to be doing right now.  But the good news is it looks like it's going to be a pretty nice day for a ride on Sunday.  It should be sunny and around 60 degrees if the forecast holds true.  So make sure you bring plenty of liquids and sun screen, our bodies might go into shock with anything that looks remotely like spring.

     I'm putting together all my last minute touches on the ride during the next two days, so this will likely be my last post prior to the event.  If you have a specific question for me, either contact me on the contact page or post a comment and I'll get back to you asap.

     The biggest thing you need to remember for this ride is that "This ride is a completely self-supported ride.  Please come prepared."  Please don't have friend following you and taking up space on the  road that could make the roads unsafe for other riders.  If you know you won't finish, call your pit crew for a ride, or have them meet you at the checkpoint at Wishful Acres Brewery.​

Here are few last thoughts for those who are coming to ride.

-If you are camping out the night before please park along the field on the east side of the property so you don't have to repark your car in the morning.  If you choose to sleep in the barn for some reason, please know I will be there around 6:30 Sunday morning and I might wake you up while setting some things up for the day.  Just letting you know.

-Cue cards will come in a plastic baggie.  The cues are not printed in waterproof ink, so don't get them wet.  Trust your cue cards and not necessarily the person in front of you.

-There will be some unmarked corners.  Those corners will be marked with a pink flag on a stake that alerts you that you should be turning the direction indicated on your cue sheet.  There will be a couple of turns that will actually have an arrow because they are a bit confusing.  Just use common sense with these markers, I promise it won't be confusing at all. 

-Please ride safe.  The roads will be quiet on a Sunday morning, but please still obey road signs.  Perhaps the biggest thing I need to remind riders of is to always "Ride Right" when cresting a hill.  A head on collision with a car is the last thing you want to happen at an event like this (or any time).

-Please make sure you sign in inside the barn to let us know you are there.  Everyone needs to sign an event waiver, and after doing so you will receive your cue cards.

-And lastly, I continue to get postcards telling me what size shirt the person wears.  If you read the registration page, it says specifically that your postcard had to be received by March 31st to get a t-shirt.  I did not order extra shirts, so please don't expect one if you registered after that date.  There may be some extra if some of those people are no-shows, but that is the only way you will be getting one.  Sorry.  

That's all I have.  I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

     Tis the ides of April and we are one week away from the 6th riding of the Grumpy Grind.  It's right around now when I get emails with often repeated questions, so I'll answer a few of them to the masses.  I apologize in advance if my answers are a little blunt, but that is the easiest way to respond to some questions.

*Question: Can I get the route ahead of time to download into my GPS.
 Answer:  No.  Cue cards will be provided to all riders who sign in the morning of the ride.  That's just how this event works.

*Question: Can I still sign up the morning of the ride even though I didn't send in a postcard?
 Answer: Absolutely!  I won't turn anyone away.  The purpose of pre-registering with a postcard is so I can plan ahead with swag and other provisions.  But the more the merrier!  Let's ride!

*Question: Will the food guy accept credit cards?
 Answer: No.  Bring cash.  It authentic and good Mexican food!

*Question: Are there showers available after the ride?
 Answer:  No.  Sorry, this is a farm in the middle of nowhere, not the YMCA.

​*Question: What does a cue card look like?
 Answer: Cue cards are very simple.  Refer to the image below. 

R or L- means turn "Right" or turn "Left".
QL or QR: means "Quick Left" or "Quick Right.  Usually this means a turn is around a tenth of a mile after the previous turn.
ST: means "Stay straight" on the road you are on.  Normally this isn't a necessary cue, but points where there may be some point of confusion it will be noted.
CR or CL:  means "Curve Right" or "Curve Left".  This is usually noted only if there is confusion or if the road changes name after the curve.
XX: Means you are at the "Checkpoint" or "Finish".  Both good places.
Your odometer should be pretty close to the noted mileage marked for each turn.  The cues really are simple.  Collaborate with your fellow riders and make a common sense decision if you are in doubt.

​*Question: Is there food at the Checkpoint?
 Answer: No.  There will be water, powdered Gatorade, and some sweets like gummy bears and fig newtons, but no buffet of energy bars.  Be prepared with enough food and drink to ride 86 miles.  There will be a bathroom available at the checkpoint.  The checkpoint is at Wishful Acres Brewery, and they do serve a cheese plate and soft pretzels, but they do not serve  a full menu, so don't rely on the brewery for nourishment (but the beer is delicious).

*Question:  What do I do if I have a mechanical breakdown or can't finish?
Answer:  I don't know.  This is a completely self-supported ride, so come prepared with a pit crew or some other plan for this type of unfortunate scenario.  There will NOT be any SAG to pick you up.  Sorry.

*Question:  Can I still get a t-shirt?
Answer:  Not likely.  Only riders 1-55 on the Official Rider List sent in their postcards by the deadline to receive a shirt.  If there are any extras, they'll be $10 a piece.  

Okay, that's all I've got for now.  I'll post a time or two more before it all goes down next Sunday.  The weather forecast is putting us at around 55 degrees with cloudy skies for the day of the ride, but who knows if that will change.  I'm getting pretty used to riding in this gloomy never ending winter weather we have, as I'm sure many of you are too.  We might not know what to do if the sun shines on us for too long.  It looks like things are shaping up to be a true "Grumpy Grind."  See you soon.

     We're down to less than two weeks to go until the Grumpy Grind. Registration postcards are still trickling in.  I'm sure there are many riders who are still on the fence about coming and will make that final decision based on the weather.  Last year I ordered up some amazing weather, and I'm trying to do the same this year, but so far weather management doesn't want to cooperate.  For those of you who have committed, I'm just just going to say I think it's a pretty darn good course and it's going to be a great day for a ride (wind, rain, or snow?).  With that in mind, I'm going to go over some things to know about the ride in today's post, and in the posts to follow over the next week.   

THING TO KNOW:
*This is a completely self supported ride.  Enough said.  I'm not coming to get you.  Normally my volunteers have the event covered and I get to ride, so I would be of no help anyways.
*You can camp out at the farm the night before if you'd like.  Just be respectful of the farmer and his property.  Usually there is a bonfire going and people have a good time camping out.
*RV's are welcome too, though I'm not sure there are any outlets available for keeping your electrical going.
*All riders must check in inside the barn for registration.  This is where all riders must sign an event waiver, receive cue cards and a souvenir race bib.
*Ride starts promptly at 9:00.  We won't wait for you.
*Riders must wear a helmet.  If you don't bring any supplies for repairs or an odometer for mileage... well that's just silly.  Come prepared.
*All riders must check in at the 47 mile checkpoint.  Total mileage is 85.75 miles, so don't back track the course to get home or it will take you longer.
*The checkpoint is at Wishful Acres Brewery.  If you only plan to go halfway, it's a great place to stop and have a delicious beverage.  Just make sure to arrange for a ride home.

*A Mexican food vendor will be cooking it up at the finish area.  It is NOT free.  He accepts cash only.
*There will be free beverages at the finish... soda, lemonade, water and cerveza.  
*If it is rainy or chilly out, the farmer usually has some heaters going in the barn, but dress accordingly just in case.
*If you made the cut-off for early registration, I'll have a t-shirt waiting for you.  You'll get the size you ordered, no exchanges.  There may be some extra available for sale for $10 for those who didn't register early.
*The first 75 finishers will receive a finishers mug.

My goal is to organize an event that has good food, good swag, great riding, and great participants.  The concept is very grass roots like.  It is a free event, but it really runs off of donations by those who value the event and the vibe it offers.  If you have already committed to come, I hope  to see you in two weeks.  If you're undecided, just know you'll be missing out if you don't.  Now if we can just get some sunny skies and 70 degree weather!