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 light since I got pretty cold near the end of the ride. Under that I had 2 other layers: a midweight fleece lined long sleeve and wool tank, along with my Patagonia Dirt Roamer bib liners and Endura MTB rain pants. On my feet I had the Shower’s Pass waterproof merino socks and my Pearl Izumi flat MTB shoes, however my feet stayed chilled (yet dry) almost the whole ride. Not fun! I definitely have to re-think my clothing choices for the next ride in these conditions…

The rain held off for the first few hours which was really nice! The gravel was hard packed and dry! My new bike felt great. The steel frame really dampens the bumps—it’s so much more comfortable.

We finished the ride in just about 4 hours, just in time for post-ride beer and mac and cheese. It was raining pretty hard when we finished.

Ride stats–

RidewithGPS route

95% of my training for this ride consisted of Power Zone training all winter on my Schwinn ic4 spin bike with the Peloton App. I have to say, I felt strong and didn’t have to walk my bike on any of the hills. I stopped once at the top of the brutal Ashley Hill climb to bring my heart rate down a bit, but I didn’t have to walk my bike. I call that a win!

Bike bags used–
Ghost Cat Bags Charge handlebar bag
Topeak Wedge Drybag
Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag

Nutrition–
Tailwind Endurance Fuel  w/26 oz water bottles (1 refill) 400 cal
Nature’s Bakery fig bar- 140 cal
Scratch Labs Sour Cherry Energy Chews +Caffeine – 1 packet -210 cal
French toast bites w/maple syrup at the mid-point aid station @ Sabba Vineyards – approx. 400 cal
~950 calories total