Back in early summer, I bought a cyclocross/gravel
bike. A new toy/tool for adventure. I’ve been having a blast getting out on some
longer rides, daily bike commuting and shuttling myself between trailheads for
point-to-point mountain runs.
Three recent noteworthy rides include JayP’s gravel pursuit
60mile race, riding the tetonia to ashton rail trail as well as my first
century ride, “around the block.”
Although JayP’s 60 and 120mile gravel bike races outside
Island Park, ID were on my radar all summer, I didn’t commit to racing until
the day before. With crappy mountain
weather in the forecast for the weekend and knowing some friends would be there,
I gave in and decided to dabble in a completely new venue of racing.
Needless to say, I was well out of my comfort zone as racers
zoomed past me in the initial rough mile, dodging huge potholes and mudholes as
the group of approximately 60 riders in the 60 mile race splintered apart. As the course changed to better gravel, I
started to find a rhythm and slowly start passing some riders. The first of two climbs of the course was
paved and not really knowing the etiquette or proper execution of drafting with
other riders, I rode alone, pulling away from the group of 3 that tried to
group up behind me. Not long into the
first major descent (now gravel), I suffered a front pinch flat and spent the
next 14 minutes changing it. Miserably
slow from a racing perspective I know, but hey, it was my first real time
changing a tube (other than practicing in my living room while watching a
how-to video the first week I owned my bike).
A depressingly large number of racers cruised by while I was
working but nearly all were nice enough to yell and make sure I had everything
I needed. With a 14 minute stop, the
racing aspect of my day was clearly over but I continued on, determined to
still enjoy the rest of the ride. I
spent nearly the entire remainder of the race alone, trying to remind myself I
was racing and should push hard. However
no-mans land is an easy place to slack off and my pace on the second climb was
certainly easier than it could have been.
I made contact with 2 riders in the final couple flat miles and was
excited to have a brief battle with one in the rough final mile and out sprint
him to the finish.
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| double rainbow at the finish |
Despite my flat and poor finishing time, it was fun to ride
at a hard effort for my first time and get a taste of gravel bike racing. If I try racing again, I need fatter tires to
allow for bombing over rough terrain with seemingly reckless abandon with
other/faster riders. The overall
organization and vibe of the event was great and definitely recommended for
novice or experienced riders alike.
Tetonia to Ashton Rail Trail
A week later, I decided to check out the 30mile old railway
trail between tetonia and ashton. With
high winds (20-30mph, gusts to 40) in the forecast, I hoped for the best and
set out from the house, riding ~10 miles of mostly dirt roads to tetonia to the
trailhead. The ride to ashton went well
with mild winds and spectacular fall foliage and 3 large trestle bridges.
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| trestle bridge and golden aspens |
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| longest of the three trestle bridges on the right |
I refueled at a gas station in ashton before
reversing my route home. The forecasted
high winds arrived and made for a slow, oftentimes brutal ride home. Despite having railings, it was downright
scary riding across the trestles given the intense crosswinds threatening to
blow me off my bike. There was also a
memorable hill I tried to coast down but given the strong headwind, I found
myself having to pedal in order to keep moving.
Downhill. I spent far too much
time cranking in a low gear despite the flat grade just to keep moving forward
at a snail’s pace. I had to stop in
groves of trees several times for a break from the wind, but kept on battling
and eventually made it home. Excluding
race pace efforts, this was the most spent I have felt in a long time. Lesson learned on riding 80 miles on a windy
day.
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| this is easily the best time of year to do this ride |
Around the Block Century Ride
On the last weekend of nice fall weather, I opted to checked
out the area’s single most classic century ride – a paved 110 mile loop from
jackson to victor to swan valley to alpine to hoback junction to jackson. Living in driggs, I naturally chose to start
and end my ride in victor, which would mean I would end with the steep ascent
of teton pass at ~mile 90. The weather
was perfect, I had just enough layers to stay warm on the fast, windy descents
and had a great 7 hour ride. I carried
minimal food and a credit card and stopped at swan valley, alpine, hoback and
wilson gas stations for snacks and to refill on water. The small climb up pine creek pass was a
breeze and although it was hard and slow, the big climb up teton pass at the
end of the day wasn’t as brutal as I feared.
Although I am in no rush to spend 100 miles on pavement again in the
near future, it was rewarding to tick off a worthwhile century ride.
