With sunny skies abundant, I used the bulk of my Saturday to do a complete course recon ride. I had already ridden most of the roads at some point in time, but it was the first time I actually rode them all tied together. I wanted to get a feel for what the gravel was looking like and see what kind of "flow" the course had. The day started off rather chilly, in the low 20's, but the temps increased up to the high 30's by noon. With sunshine and not much wind to compete with, it was an ideal day to ride.
So what does the course look like? The ride has a little bit of everything. Some flatter sections, some saw tooth hilly areas, a few grass/dirt lanes, and about 9 miles of pavement (sorry, it's the best I could do). Currently the gravel is different than it was last year. There are some sections with pavement smooth "hero's gravel", but there are more loose gravel sections this year. This is most likely due to the lack of rain we have experienced this year compared to last year, and the gravel just hasn't packed in as much. There are some sections with some "chunky monkey" larger fresh gravel rocks, but they are short lived and far between.
So what does the course look like? The ride has a little bit of everything. Some flatter sections, some saw tooth hilly areas, a few grass/dirt lanes, and about 9 miles of pavement (sorry, it's the best I could do). Currently the gravel is different than it was last year. There are some sections with pavement smooth "hero's gravel", but there are more loose gravel sections this year. This is most likely due to the lack of rain we have experienced this year compared to last year, and the gravel just hasn't packed in as much. There are some sections with some "chunky monkey" larger fresh gravel rocks, but they are short lived and far between.
I think this course is a good sampling of the Midwest. Just when you get tired of hills, the ride flattens out, and just when the terrain seems just a little too straight and flat, the hills and winding roads kick back in. I did ride past a few dogs that I hadn't seen before, but they mostly just ran along with me. So it goes in the country. Over the course of 80 miles, i crossed paths with only about 10 cars, so traffic won't be an issue.
With just two weeks left until the Grumpy Grind, the rider roster is up to 34 participants. Currently there is only one female on the roster, which kinds of surprises me. I've ridden with some really strong women riders in the last couple of years, so I'm not going to read into this situation too much. Maybe, like for most people, the weather is the determining factor. You just never know what the spring weather will bring. But that's part of what makes spring "grinding" an adventure. And for me personally, that's what drives me.
With just two weeks left until the Grumpy Grind, the rider roster is up to 34 participants. Currently there is only one female on the roster, which kinds of surprises me. I've ridden with some really strong women riders in the last couple of years, so I'm not going to read into this situation too much. Maybe, like for most people, the weather is the determining factor. You just never know what the spring weather will bring. But that's part of what makes spring "grinding" an adventure. And for me personally, that's what drives me.
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