Pre-ride morning before a recon ride. As a teacher I had spring break this past week, leaving me ample time to do some course recon rides to make sure all my cues were spot on. The weather for the week wasn't bad, but it still didn't have that warm feel I was wanting. Hopefully this means it is holding out to be a beautiful later in the month. I was impressed by the gravel road conditions. The recent grating of gravel, combined with snows and rain, actually made for some super smooth roads after the cars packed it down. And then there were some roads that the grating just clumped up the dirt from the "shoulder" making for a mess of a road. Still, it wasn't sloppy, and it was nice to be able to ride without have a dirty back or needing to clean my bike afterwards. At 86 miles, this course is the longest of any Grumpy Grinds. But as I told a friend, even though it is 86 miles, it really only feels like 79!
My first time riding past "Goat Land" A real place evidently! So what is the course like? Some parts will be familiar to those who have ridden the Grumpy Grind before, and some parts will be new. About 90% of the roads will be gravel. There will be some great scenery overlooking wide landscapes, some hilly wooded areas, plenty of rolling hills and false flats, and a few flat spots. Every time the course wears you out with hills, it will back off and give you a few miles of respite. And likewise, just about the time you think it is a little boring, some scenery or hill will come your way and you'll be once again energized. It's a fun course. It even goes by two microbreweries, with one being the checkpoint! But be wary of the sound of the brewery sirens, and resist the urge to stop or you'll be calling on your pit crew or uber (if they go out that far) to give you a ride back to the start/finish. Overall, I find it to be a pretty "fun" course.
The deadline for postcard registrants to receive free t-shirts was today. So if you see you're name on the list today (riders 1-55), you made the "free" cut. Sorry to those who didn't make it. I've had registrants send me postcards as early as December, so you had ample chance to get them in. Riders can still send me a registration postcard if you plan to participate. It helps me plan for the event accordingly. You can send them in all the way up to the date of the ride. You can do event day registration too, but it's a nice courtesy to register ahead of time. We're only three weeks away my friends, it's time to get out and ride!
The deadline for postcard registrants to receive free t-shirts was today. So if you see you're name on the list today (riders 1-55), you made the "free" cut. Sorry to those who didn't make it. I've had registrants send me postcards as early as December, so you had ample chance to get them in. Riders can still send me a registration postcard if you plan to participate. It helps me plan for the event accordingly. You can send them in all the way up to the date of the ride. You can do event day registration too, but it's a nice courtesy to register ahead of time. We're only three weeks away my friends, it's time to get out and ride!
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