The 7th riding of the Grumpy Grind took place last Saturday.  For this years ride the mileage got amped up to 140 miles.  The result of this longer distance was a much smaller preregistered field of riders.  But the mileage ended up playing second fiddle to the the real nemesis of the day... the weather!  The forecast for Saturday called for a high of 43 degrees, with rain, freezing rain, and snow projected.  I know if I was a rider, I probably wouldn't have shown up for a ride on a day like this, so I wasn't optimistic about anybody showing up to ride in such horrific conditions.
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The Ride
Cancelling the ride probably seemed like a logical choice, but I know that gravel riders are a special breed, and I just wasn't willing to pull the plug on the event.  My registration crew arrived bright and early at Keggers prepared to greet anyone crazy enough to tackle the distance and the opposing weather.  And three riders did end up showing up.  Geoffrey Harding and Aaron Smith, both previous Grumpy Grind participants, drove in from Chicago to ride.  Local rider Jim McPherson, also chose to test his mettle against the distance and the elements. I honestly didn't think anybody would show up, so three riders exceeded my expected number of participants.  

The beginning temperature of the ride was 41 degrees, with steady rain falling.  It was the kind of weather that could be dangerous for riders if they couldn't maintain their body heat.  Hypothermia at some point could be an issue. With this in mind I decided to sneak ahead to different points of the course to keep an eye on the riders, and to make sure they made the correct turns at a few unmarked intersections.  Fifteen miles into the ride the temperatures dropped to 38 degrees and freezing rain was coming down.  When the riders passed by at this point, their voices were optimistic, but their cheeks were bright ride from being pelted by the ice.  

At an intersection around mile 20, Jim stopped to talk to me and explained that his gloves were already soaked through and he was pretty sure there was no way to get warmth back in his hands if he continued on.  He was fortunate to only live about 8 miles from that point of the course, so he made the smart decision and decided to call it a day.

I waited in anticipation for Aaron and Geoffrey at another intersection at around mile 28.  At this point, my car temperature gauge read 33 degrees and giant snowflakes were dumping from the sky.  It was beautiful to see, but not beautiful conditions to ride in.  After waiting for what seemed like a reasonable amount of time, I decided to turn my car around and go back to check on the riders.  But first I had to get out and scrape snow and ice off my car windows.  It had snowed that much in a short amount of time!  

After backtracking, I ran into the two riders a couple of miles back.  They were shivering and miserable looking.  They had decided to pull the plug on the ride and were trying to figure out the quickest route back to warm civilization.  I felt bad that I was only in my little car, without bike racks, so I couldn't just throw them in and get them back to town. But I did lead them to a Casey's General Store that was about 5 miles down the road in Milledgeville.  The Grumpy Grind 7 officially came to an end at this point.  No finishers, but nobody lost or hurt either.  Mother Nature had won this years ride.

Leftover Swag  
As I rider I understand that the weather can always be the "X" factor in any cycling event.  It is frustrating to put time and energy into an event without having the event play out, but that is the risk that always goes into any cycling event.  And with the weather being what it was, I'm just glad nobody put their body in any physical harm by choosing to ride beyond what was safe in such conditions.

Without doing much advertising or trying to become frivolous, the Grumpy Grind has grown to have a very positive reputation through mainly word of mouth and repeat riders from the past. This year I once again had t-shirts and glasses created to hand out to finishers.  Rather than handing these unused items out as X-mas, birthday, and wedding gifts to all my friends, I would like to offer these items for sale to help go toward a good cause that is cycling related.  I have some ideas that are in the works for this, so please check back in a couple of days to see pictures of the swag that you can purchase, and read about the good cause that your donations will be going towards.

Tomorrow's weather looks less than hospitable for riding 140 miles of gravel.  Several riders have already sent me apologetic emails telling me they are not coming.  I'm not begrudging and I totally understand.  I am a rider too.  If you are one of those who is choosing to come and ride still, please know I will be at registration bright and early prepared to send you off with cue cards and best wishes.  Please also be prepared with proper clothing and such for harsh weather conditions.  Do not take unnecessary risks and find yourself in a state of hypothermia stranded in the middle of nowhere.  You will still be responsible for yourself.

There will be no make-up date for this ride.  For those who are choosing not to come, but would still like to come to the area and still challenge yourself to ride the route, I will post a cue card link at a later date.  I will also make mugs and t-shirts available to purchase for a small fee plus shipping (they're kind of cool I think).  I'll figure out a reasonable price for that sometime after the event.

That's all for now.  Maybe I'll see some of you tomorrow?

Creating a safe and challenging event is always my goal for the Grumpy Grind.  There are only a couple of days left until the 7th Grumpy Grind takes place, so I'm going to post a large amount of last minute thoughts that will hopefully lay any questions you have to rest.

Essentials to Bring:
Helmet, Odometer, Headlight, Taillight, Phone, Riding Shoes, Waterproof bag to hold cue cards (only a zip-loc baggy will be provided for the 4"x5" cue cards).

Check the Weather Forecast:
The current weather forecast for Saturday looks pretty miserable with rain showers. Cyclist are typically fair weather friends. Maybe riders will show up, or maybe they won't. But I'll still be here prepared to put on a ride.  If it does rain, please ride safe and don't put yourself in a situation where hypothermia could become an issue.  You are responsible for yourself, so please make smart decisions.

Morning Registration: 
Registration will take place from 7-7:45.  Riders will pick up cue cards here and sign an event waiver.  Registration will take place inside of Kegger's Tap House.  Participants will need to park in the grass parking area, NOT in the paved parking area directly by the building.  Extra t-shirts will be available at registration for a $10 donation.

Cue Cards and Navigation:
Please read posts prior to this regarding all the details of how to read the cue cards.  There will be a set of cue cards for the first 70 miles, and then another set of cue cards given out at the checkpoint for the second 70 miles.  You will need to reset your odometer at the checkpoint. Please note that the mileage on cue cards can sometimes gradually become off.  Maybe this is due to wrong turns, or the veering off the road due to natures calling, or whatever, but just use your common sense math skills and navigation to figure out the difference is in your mileage and you will be just fine.

Unmarked Roads:
There are several roads on the course where there is no signage posted.  If this is the case, the cue card will note that the road is "unmarked".  I will also have put a post with pink ribbon on it on the Right side of the road at the corner where you are turning.  This does not always mean you will turn right (follow your cues), but it does indicate you are at a specified unmarked corner.  Sometimes other landmarks such as "after bridge" will be noted on the cue sheet.  Use common sense and you will be fine.

During the Ride:
Please ride on the right side of the road at all times and be safe.  Don't take risks on steep downhills or rutted sections.  It's just not worth the risk.

Checkpoint:
Riders must reach the 70 mile checkpoint by 2:30.  My volunteers will be abandoning their post at this time and you will not be able to receive your cue cards for the second half of the ride if you don't meet this deadline. The 70 mile checkpoint is in Pearl City.  I don't usually reveal this information, but due to the length of this ride, and the impending weather forecast, I feel it would only be responsible for me to reveal this location. I'm not telling you where it is in Pearl City, but it's a small town and you can find it easily.  If you do choose to end your ride here, the Brew and Chew is a good spot to grab a bite to eat.  There is also a BP Gas station across the street from the checkpoint for riders to grab snacks or a sub sandwich.  There will be no provisions of any kind provided for riders at the checkpoint.

DNF:
I will provide my phone number at registration for riders to call if they are not able to finish. Please politely text or call this number and leave your name so I know that you won't be expected to finish.  If you are a DNF, please remember that neither myself or my crew will be coming to get you.  You are completely responsible for yourself on this ride.

Finishers:
You need to finish by 10:00 to be considered an official finisher.  My crew will likely be packing up at this time to head home (unless they are feeling festive!).  Finishers will receive an official finishers whiskey glass.  Please check in with my "finishing crew" at the tent outside of Keggers to let us know you are finished.  If weather is bad, my finishing crew will be inside waiting to check you off their list as a finisher.  

Post Ride:
Keggers has a very tasty meal and beverage selection.  Food stops being served at 10:00 and the establishment closes at 1 a.m.  Its worth finishing early enough to enjoy what they have to offer.

I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, rain or shine.  Please email me if you have any questions.  

I had the day off so I spent a good chunk of my morning doing a final course recon.  I felt pretty confident my numbers and turns were all spot on, but I always like to double check myself.  I've had riders get lost in the past, but always because of poor navigation, not faulty cue cards.  I also like to double check that no bridges have suddenly come under construction or some other unexpected "course malfunction" might change the course route.  But it was a beautiful morning for a drive and the roads were all in order.  It is worth mentioning that there was one spot in a remote area where there was signage for the road being closed, but it clearly wasn't, and the sign just hadn't been removed yet.

Here are some things you can expect from the course and you should make a mental note of:
*Road conditions are dry right now.  I expect them to be about the same next Saturday.
*There are all types of gravel on this course.  Some is nicely packed, some small and loose, some medium sized and loose, and there is one half mile section that has giant baseball sized gravel, seriously!  I think that section is called rock, not gravel.
*There are some occasional loose pockets of gravel in sections where a complete washout must have been filled.  Be careful with these, especially when going downhill.
*It is 70.4 miles to the first checkpoint.  There are about 6 miles of paved roads prior to the first checkpoint.
*It is 69.2 miles back to the start after the first checkpoint.  About 18 of these miles are paved, but they will be scenic, remote, and challenging enough that you won't feel like you are missing the gravel.
*Be careful during the first 15 miles after the checkpoint.  This section is wild.  It's filled with "aggressive gravel", along with screaming downhills and agonizing uphills.  I can't say enough about being cautious as you ride this section.  It's also one of the more beautiful sections of the course.

This years course is composed of sections from years  past, plus a few new areas to help tie them together.  140 miles will definitely be a challenge.  I expect the field number to be smaller than ever, and I expect the finishing totals to be even smaller yet.  It will take about a 12 mph average for riders to finish by 8:00 in the evening.  I would highly recommend riders be prepared with lights in the event that they finish in the dark.

It is my hope that all who start are challenging themselves with the goal of finishing.  But if you know you can't, and some of you already know this, please be prepared with a pit crew/person to come get you.  You are responsible for yourself.  I will not be coming to get you if you need a ride, and there is no sag support.  So please come prepared.  This is rural Illinois and an Uber driver is not going to be close by!

Lastly, there have been a few emails and postcards asking about shirts.  Only one person actually pre-ordered a shirt by the designated deadline.  But there will be extras available for a $10 donation.  I will not reserve these for anyone, it will be a first come first serve situation.  

The GG7 is less than a week away.  I'm getting excited.  Hopefully you are too!

It's been a busy couple of weeks of being a soccer dad, track coach, teacher, blah, blah, blah.  A good bike ride puts most things in perspective. And sometimes being busy with all those things in life makes me appreciate cycling all that much more. Hopefully those of you reading this are getting some time ride so that you are prepared to come enjoy a great route I've put together for you at this years Grumpy Grind.  If you've come to my ride before, you know that it's going to have a good vibe and it's going to be challenging.  I'm not going to apologize for making any part of the course to difficult, with hills or big chunks of gravel, or too easy during a 10 mile segment of pavement.  All I can say is that if you like to ride and want a delicious day of riding, the Grumpy Grind will suit your needs.

Many of the riders coming to ride the GG7 have come before and they know the basics of how I organize things, but there are new riders coming this year too, so I feel like I should go over some of the event basics.  So here we go with "stuff" that riders should know prior to the event.

*You are completely responsible for yourself during this ride.  I will not be coming to pick you up if you need assistance.
*Registration is from 7-7:45 Saturday morning.
*Waivers must be turned in at the registration check-in on the morning of the ride.  Cue cards will not be given out until you sign an event waiver.
*Cue cards for the first 70 miles will be handed out at registration.  They are not waterproof, nor are they printed with waterproof ink, but they will come in a zip-loc baggy.
*The ride will start promptly at 8:00.  
*Cue cards for the second 70 miles will be issued at the checkpoint that riders are required to stop and check in at.
*Cue card information is the same as in the past.  Please check out the April 15, 2018 post for information about what a cue card for this event looks like.
*Riders must reach the 70 mile checkpoint by 2:30.  My checkpoint crew will be leaving their post at 2:30.  If you don't reach the checkpoint on time you will DNF and probably want to find a ride home.
*There is a gas station with sandwiches, water, snacks, etc. for you to take advantage of across the street from the check point.  This is the only point on the course where you will go through a town and have direct access to food and water.
*There will be no food and water provided at the checkpoint.  Come prepared!
*The second half of the ride is also 70 miles.  If you feel you don't have the legs to make it back, this would be a place to call your support crew to come and get you.
*Riders should come prepared with headlights and taillights.  There is a strong chance that you might finish at dusk or in the dark.
*Check in at the "Finish" tent when arriving back at the start/finish area. *The first 50 finishers will receive an official finishers glass.
*Riders must finish before 10 pm to be considered an official finisher.  The "Finish" tent will be packing up and closing at this time.

For those interested in camping, I'm still waiting to hear back from a local campground about whether or not they will be open yet on the weekend of April 27th.  I'll post something as soon as I find out.  

T-shirts are still likely going to happen, but only one person has expressed interest so far.  So we'll see how that goes.  They might be available for $10, or they might be free?  We'll just see what happens.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly.  I'm looking forward to another great Grumpy Grind two weeks from now!