The short days of winter provided numerous quiet evenings
at the cabin. I spent many of those evenings pouring over electronic and
printed maps of Okanogan County. The
results of my study are new gravel routes added to my bucket list. Last summer
as my fitness, knowledge and experience increased it allowed me to journey
deeper and deeper into the mountains on dirt roads. My gravel ambitions for this year are grand
and I am salivating at the thought of long gravel rides under blue skies.
When I first began gravel riding last spring my initial
forays felt like pioneering efforts. I didn’t quite feel like I should plant a
flag and claim the land for the USA, but I certainly didn’t expect to see
anyone else on a bike. At that time I had no idea where my riding would take me.
As my love of gravel manifest itself I knew I wanted more. Soon the objectives
of my April rides had simply become waypoints; passed without fanfare as part
of longer rides that went hours beyond the earlier destinations. The remoteness of my rides necessitated that
I cache some water at two distant and obscure crossroads to refill water
bottles on my more epic adventures.
I explored more areas and gained valuable gravel
experience. Although I drew upon my background in Cyclocross, mountain biking
and road biking; gravel riding is a unique hybrid that has its own set of
rules. My trial and error included both
trials and errors. My trials included
cramps, sore muscles and sunburn. My errors included wrong turns, bonking,
running out of water and missing my return time by almost two hours. I found
good fortune with minimal weather surprises and undeservedly good luck
maintaining tire inflation (don’t even say the word!!).
Even with these experiences I can honestly say I didn’t
have a bad gravel ride all year. My fun ranged from the Winthrop Fondo to
dodging snow on Elbow Coulee with KB in March and finding feathers with Hottie
in September. Starvation Mountain was a
true highpoint. Ironically I was starving
(and a bit dehydrated) and it was the highest elevation that I rode a bike in
2014.
The Curtlo will not be denied !!!
Five years ago I would have said that you used a road
bike on the road and a mountain bike on the trails and a four wheel drive
vehicle on fire roads. Now I believe
that you can gladly take a cross bike on all of those and you smile the whole
time. I smile so much that when I finish
a gravel ride both my chain and my teeth are gritty.
One of the aspects that makes gravel riding enjoyable to
me is that you are using a single tool for varied situations. A lightweight road bike with a big cassette
is the perfect tool for a paved climb. A
full suspension mountain bike is the right tool to descend a rocky trail. The
mix of terrain and the constantly changing surfaces that make up gravel riding
means you are always adapting to suboptimal situations. It is a challenge to rely on skill to get
your tool of the day to work in the myriad of circumstances that makes up the
ride de jour.
Even the same road can be different on different
days. Depending on the weather the
preceding week I have picked my way downhill one week and been able to bomb
down it a month later.
"Avoid the rut"
A week after the Winthrop Fondo I found myself riding the
same final fifteen miles that I had raced the week prior. The conditions were totally different. Instead of the gravel being smooth from the
dozens of riders who preceded me in the race it was rough and I had to manage
my speed. Despite having ridden that
stretch of gravel a dozen times before the conditions of the day made it new
and demanded my full attention.
It is perhaps the aspect of spending hours in a Zen-like
state that I find so intriguing about gravel riding. Between the scenery, the terrain, the
technical riding skills and the physical effort I don’t find my mind wandering
far from the here and now.
The Gravel Fondo season starts in March and extends well
into the Cyclocross Season. I am looking
forward to further pedal-powered explorations starting next month. My goals include organized gravel events,
riding to the end of assorted Forest Service roads, repeating Starvation,
taking back roads from the Columbia to our cabin and riding to Hart’s pass.
Last weekend I took advantage of the unusually warm days
to Fat Bike in the morning with Hottie and then do some road riding in the
afternoon. I made my way up the Chewuch
and turned around at eight mile camp due to time constraints more than any
issues with the road surface. My bike
took on a Flemish look as the combination of sandy dry roads and wet dirt roads
with a sprinkling of snow patches combined to get my bike about as dirty as it
can get.
Snow build up means I am badass !!
My left knee which I injured fifteen months ago started
bothering me at the beginning of the month enough that I took a solid week
off. I saw the Jedi Master of Orthopedic
surgeons and we had a good visit. His prescribed period of rest and refrain
from excessively stupid activities had the desired results.
Oh Yeah !!
My rides this weekend started as tentative endeavors. Will it or won’t it? Every hint of any type of sensation drew my attention. As I warmed up and the ride continued everything operated like it should for a forty year old guy who rides a bunch. Now, those who know me realize I’m not forty anymore but you can have your benchmark and I’ll have mine.
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