Gravel Riding
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The Toad Strangler – 4.3.2022
The first gravel event of the 2022 season is in the books! Yesterday, my friend Margaret and I rode the Toad Strangler, a new 39 mile route in Chatham that was organized by the same group that organizes the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder! The bike was ready to go! (I am planning on doing a full post about my new bike–stay tuned!) Unsure what to wear for this ride with the weather forecasted in the 40s with chance of light rain, I packed almost every jacket I own and ultimately ended up wearing a light rain jacket (the Outdoor Research Helium jacket) which turned out to be a little too…
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Gravel Gobbler Big Bird – 11.6.21
Better late than never right? The Gravel Gobbler was my final big gravel ride of the year. And it turned out to be a gorgeous day and great ride! (Currently it’s the middle of winter and I’m pining for days like this.) Anyway, the Gravel Gobbler is one of my favorite local gravel events. This time the course was reversed, however there was still a lot of climbing. One of my favorite parts of the ride was riding Seven Bridges Road in reverse (a fun downhill). Since it’s been almost 4 months since this ride, I’ll just leave you with some photos. Route Overview In other news, I’m having a…
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Gravel Riding in Poultney, Vermont
Earlier in the month, Jordan and I rode the Analog Cycles Gorey Hollows Gravel Ramble in Poultney, Vermont. The bike shop Analog Cycles organized the event (where I got my bike fitting done back in April), so it was a very low-key event. There were two other events going on that day, an 80 mile race (with like 13K ft of climbing, eek), and a challenging 40 mile “scramble” race, which still had like 10K ft of climbing, and the Ramble. We opted for the Ramble, a 32-ish mile ride with about 3k ft of climbing, which is still nothing to scoff at. This ride had everything. Fall foliage, sweet…
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The BikeADK Handlebarley Gravel Tour – 9.25.21
The Handlebarley, a 42 mile ride throughout the Adirondacks is a new event organized by Bike Adirondacks. With 42 miles of scenic Adirondack roads, two fully stocked aid stations, followed by good local beer, pizza and a live band, the Handlebarley was a great way to spend a Saturday. * Note: I was offered an entry to the event in exchange for social media coverage and a blog post! On Saturday morning my parents and I drove out to Paradox Brewery, the starting and ending point of the ride. Since I was attending solo, I thought it would be a good chance for my parents to hang out and do…
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Nutrition for Endurance Gravel Riding
Now, I’m not an expert at endurance cycling events, but I’m no stranger to long distance activities. I’ve run a handful of marathons and finished the 46 high peaks, both of which require adequate nutrition for long hours of intense activity. The Farmer’s Daughter was the longest ride I’ve ever done at 65 miles, with eight hours of pedaling and seemingly never-ending climbs, requiring a lot of calories and hydration. Fueling for long cycling events is easier for me than it was for marathon running because I can tolerate real food and actually prefer it over gels and blocks. My strategy was to keep stuffing my face every few hours…