Looks like tricky conditions for Saturday if the forecast holds (low 50s, t-storms, winds 10-20 mph). Just looking for any advice at all from people who have ridden this before. I'm looking to be competitive but this is my first true gravel race so I'm not really sure of what to expect, would be happy to finish in the first couple groups. I'll be riding a rigid 29er with 1.95 tires...
Just some questions that come to mind... Is the course really exposed to wind? Any sketchy descents to worry about? Are 1.95s overkill? Is the gravel well maintained or a sand pit? Is the course marked at all or do I really need to pay attention to where I'm going?
Q: Any sketchy descents to worry about? A: Maybe, depends on your definition of sketchy. To error on the safe side I would say yes. Take a look at the elevation profile here to get an idea of where the fast descents are: http://www.almanzo100.bike/almanzo-100.html
Q: Are 1.95s overkill? A: Maybe. Tires are a personal choice. If that's what you have on your bike stick with them. No need to 2nd guess this 5 days before the event. I've seen people ride the Almanzo course on everything from 23mm road tires to 5" fat tires.
Q: Is the gravel well maintained or a sand pit? A: Gravel roads exist because cities/towns/counties don't want to maintain asphalt/ concrete roads. Over the course of the route you will see many different gravel surfaces: hardpack, chunky, loose, and sand. If you mix in rain add mud/ peanut butter to that list!
Q: Is the course marked at all or do I really need to pay attention to where I'm going? A: Not marked. You are responsible for yourself. With that said, there are a lot of people riding in the event so your chances of always seeing someone on the horizon are good. But don't blindly follow a rider ahead of you. They might be spacing out and miss a turn.
Pre race - Stayed in Rochester the night before constantly watching the weather reports get worse and worse (colder/more rain/wind). It was an easy 25 minute drive the next morning, probably will do the same thing next year.
Morning of - Checked the weather (mid 30s and rain) and got to the start point way early (my normal routine), checked in, then huddled in my car hoping it would taper off a little. With the weather about a third of the registered riders decided to show up made for one of the most casual start lines I've ever been to.
Before I get into the actual race I'll just come forward and say I made two really stupid mistakes before it even started. 1) I didn't dress well enough and didn't have a support crew. The rain tapered slightly a half hour before the start and I ditched the sleeves of my rain slick opting for just a vest, I had plenty of other layers below but was drenched immediately and it made zero difference. Not sure a support crew would have helped, but something dry to throw on midway through the race or a cup of coffee/hot cocoa could have been a lifeline. 2) I had adjusted my handlebars a week before the race and didn't really test the position enough. This was my first race after being hit by a car early in the spring (broken pelvis) and I simply didn't have the flexibility to hunch down far enough and still be comfortable, was agonizing after 2 hours.
Race - Put myself right at the front at the start, with it being my first attempt at being competitive all year I was fairly keen on going down swinging. The neutral rollout through town was a really nice buildup leading to a 90 degree right hand turn onto dirt where the pace went up right away. I made sure I stayed in the top 10-15 early on. Mud was flying everywhere and glasses were tucked away within a few minutes. I realized about 5 miles in on the first decent that my freehub wasn't working properly. Went to coast and the cassette just kept turning kicking the chain right off the crank, I was lucky enough to get the chain back without needing to pull over but I lost a lot of ground and had to work to get back to the front. It was still a big group at this point but was jumpy and the pace wasn't steady making my freehub a real issue as I couldn't freewheel like everyone else as the pace slowed. Inevitably the group sat up and since I had to keep pedaling I got a little gap. In my head I just said 'screw it' and went for it, turns out it was a decent time to go as there were a few twisty bends and a descent to follow. A significantly smaller group caught me a down the road right as the it turned upwards onto the first real climb that really broke the group up for good. I made the lead split comfortably and the attacks started coming thick and fast with nothing really sticking. At this point (~20 miles in) I realized just how cold I was, everything was soaking wet and I had zero feeling from my hands to shoulders. I tried taking on fluids and food (hands were way too cold to open any wrappers) and decided even if I was with the leaders at the first aid station (mile 40) that I would have to stop to eat and realistically consider my options. There was a true relaxation right before the climb around mile 30 but the pace when sky high right on the climb. This is when everything came crumbling down, riders in front of me dropped a few wheels and the leaders were gone. Hip was next to go when I tried to bridge up to the leaders on the next little ramp with a splitting pain right on the front of my hip causing my eyes to tear up and barely able to turn the pedals over seated. Right then I had the sinking realization of where I was, the leaders disappeared on the next descent (another dropped chain) and there was no one visible behind. Dropped the chain on another descent a lone chaser flew by before the aid station. I rode through the support crews my resolve completely gone. Gears or hub was skipping if I even thought about putting torque through the rear wheel at this point as well but I didn't really know what was wrong all I knew was it wasn't something I was going to be able to fix. Not long after the aid station I pulled over and tried to sort out what exactly to do. I was cold to where that without anyone keeping tabs on progress I was making I didn't feel safe continuing (frankly I didn't want to) and mechanically my bike was in a bad way and I had no ride back to town if it got any worse... So I gingerly rode back to the start line (which incidentally was 10 miles away).
Post DNF - I was in a pretty terrible state by the time I got back to the community center but knew that I desperately needed to get the wet clothes off and couldn't feel a dang thing. Not sure how long it took to change but even then it took another 30 minutes of uncontrollably shivering in the car with the heat blasting before I felt okay to drive. Major respect for everyone who stuck it out and finished (I have a feeling they all were much tougher and much more well prepared).
I'm sure this isn't a helpful report unless you are considering doing a ride in similar conditions... The course would have been amazing on a dry day. Really scenic with rolling terrain, nice climbs and descents. It's an open course but no traffic to speak of. Personally running 1.95 29er tires were overkill even with the conditions as wet as they were as surface was all really well packed limestone, honestly it felt closer to pavement than gravel. There were a few potholed sections but nothing ridiculous at all. I plan on making the trip back this summer to finish the course as it would be a great way to spend an afternoon...
I have a timelapse of the first 20 miles I'll link back here later.
wrandom thanks for this ride report. What seems really intriguing to me is all the mechanicals that can happen gravel riding/racing in the rain or the mud. For me road riding since 1992 I think I have only had 2 and both times the rear shifter cable broke. Is there anyway to fix this while riding/gravel riding that is where mud gets jammed everywhere?
