BRX 100, I did it last year. Good solid ride coming in at 6 hours. Signed up for it again so i can try to get another mug and because its just so damn fun
Hellkaat 100- did the 50 miler back in 2014 or 2015 cant remember, 100 should be allright as long as the weather holds up.
Options for 3rd Race to qualify for the series are all 200+ milers. I have not been further than 100 miles on gravel. I'd say LJ 100 was the toughest physical/endurance demanding race ive done. I could be completely wrong when i say this but it looks like Sancho 200 is probably best option for my first 200 miler? Anyone do the Sancho, C2C, or Crusher?
Anyone on here plan on doing the series?
I hope their is some interest so they can keep these longer events around.
I'm on the fence on whether to sign up for it. I'll be doing many of the rides but I'm split between the two distances. No way I'm winning anything ever but the raffles have some nice stuff in them.
IMHO, If you did the Psycho 100 in 6 hours you have the fitness to compete for the longer events. But you can not ride the first 100 miles of a gravel 200 mile event in 6 hours. You will bonk out and will be spent. Hellkaat is a piece of cake compared to the BRX 100, which I thought was unnecessarily difficult. I did C2C 100 last year and it was generally a very good event. Would have done the 200 but I went to Kansas and did DK200 instead. Don't know anything about Sancho or the Crusher.
I’m extra dumb this year and signed up for both the long and ultra course series. For the Ultra I’m doing Barry, HK, C2C and Crusher. I did C2C last year and loved it, even though I was one of the last finishers. I’m hoping to come back and beat the sun this year. The only potential negative is the logistics can be difficult, although I believe Mark is offering a shuttle service this year. With support it’s really only a series of 50-60 mile rides so you don’t have to carry that much with you. The Crusher sounds insane and scares the hell out of me, which is why I’m signed up for that. I haven’t done Sancho but some friends did it last year and it sounds like a good time but small. I was hoping to do it this year but it’s too close to C2C for comfort.
Yea, only thing that bothers me is about Sancho is it being a week before Lumberjack, which i plan on doing single speed this year to check that one off the list. Would definitely be good prep but is awful close to eachother. I put alot of doubt in my capability during these winter months because i don't spend as much time on the bike as id like.
You’re not alone. I’ve been a wimp this winter about riding outside and am getting sick of the trainer. I seem to put together a solid 3-4 week build, then I get bored and take 3-4 weeks off. That cycle continues again and again and results in little to no gains. I have Land Run in a few weeks and am in no way prepared
In 2017 I didn't do much ridding all summer after finishing DK 100. I figured I had decent fitness heading into the fall and I did some minor rides on the trainer late in October. I went up to Iceman and was smoked. Barely finished. Had bike flat issues and major leg cramps. It was a total disaster and I was cold and in total pain. So I now fondly remember how I felt and swore that I'd never ever do another ride where I would be in such poor fitness. That feeling provides plenty of motivation to keep on the trainer. Right now I'm fighting a cold and feeling really crappy. But, I'm going to do a ride tonight. Maybe weights too. I don't want to loose ground. Waterloo is in a couple of weeks!
DerekJ_MI wrote:In 2017 I didn't do much ridding all summer after finishing DK 100. I figured I had decent fitness heading into the fall and I did some minor rides on the trainer late in October. I went up to Iceman and was smoked. Barely finished. Had bike flat issues and major leg cramps. It was a total disaster and I was cold and in total pain. So I now fondly remember how I felt and swore that I'd never ever do another ride where I would be in such poor fitness. That feeling provides plenty of motivation to keep on the trainer. Right now I'm fighting a cold and feeling really crappy. But, I'm going to do a ride tonight. Maybe weights too. I don't want to loose ground. Waterloo is in a couple of weeks!
You make a very vaild point about burning miles on the trainer. I personally prefer to run in the winter more than ride. Speaking of waterloo, I gotta rant here real quick- Gravel race prices are getting out of control. $90 for a gravel race in michigan after registration and fees? Thats more than Barry and almost as much as Iceman. No thanks- I can go freeze my dick off by myself for free in March riding locally. I'm assuming they offer you complimentary $7 beers afterwards also. I know i'm not in the top 10 pro/elite guys but to price events like that will keep me away.
I am so far and out of shape it’s not even funny... and I have Land Run in 17 or so days. It’s going to be a long day. I have absolutely zero mojo right now to get on the trainer... I am just burned out on winter. Lesson learned, don’t schedule early Spring races, especially long ones, if you live in MI.
As for race pricing... they are definitely on the upward trend. I am looking at putting on a gravel Tri next year and have been surprised by some of the expenses though. It’s definitely not a cheap undertaking, although I think that $90 range you mentioned is close to what I will charge, but that’s for a Tri and they are usually a little more expensive to put on. I’m not doing it to make money, I just think it will be fun. I figure I need around 100 people to break even.
I’m the type of person who likes to race every weekend and just use them as training rides, but if prices keep going up I won’t be able to do so. I went a little overboard on races this year by entering both the Ultra and Long course series. I think overall I’m up to 16 races. I don’t even want to think about what I’ve spent on race entries... pretty sure it’s more than an Ironman year, but at least it’s for multiple races.
Zwift. If you want to put on a thousand miles between Jan 1 and the spring events, then that's the ticket. I've done several 3 hr rides on it this winter - which shocks me, because I can't muster the mental fortitude to get through 1-2 minutes on my treadmill, nor can I get through a single page of a paperback book without wanting to poke sticks in my eyes to get saved from the sheer boredom of what I'm doing.
I have over 1k miles on Zwift so far this year, having trouble mustering any motivation. It absolutely saved me last year though. Not seeing the sun for 3 months probably isn’t helping my motivation levels. Hopefully it will start to warm up a little in the next few weeks so I can get down and ride the Barry course. That’s always humbling in the Spring and serves as great motivation.
