Riverside - Waldron Gravel Grinder

Ride Update - A very cold morning greeted our fellow gravel grinders this morning. Temps in the teens was a bit chilly, but everyone's adventurous spirit (that and some nice lobster gloves and embrocation lotion) kept everyone warm enough enjoy a great ride.

Kevin Nierman sends us his Riverside-Waldron Gravel Grinder photo album.

Pictures from today's ride from the Guru (including a very cold recon on Thursday night):

Riverside Waldron Gravel Grinder

Our next gravel grinder is a perfect opportunity for newbies with a shorter and flat route along the old Mighty Mo. We begin at E. H. Young Riverfront Park and proceed first to the Missouri Riverfront Trail. Next up is a trip through scenic English Landing Park and quick pass through the farm lands along the Might MO via Rush Creek Rd. We jump on the old River Road for our leg to the small city of Waldron. We take a trip around old Waldron via Moores Feny Road and the levee. Then it is back to Riverside to complete our journey.

What: Riverside - Waldron Gravel Grinder.
When: Saturday, 1/8/11 - 9:00 am start time
Where: 1001 Argosy Parkway, Riverside, MO 64150
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: It is gravel grinding time.

Route map is below. Course is ~ 35 miles. Terrain is flat. Expect a ride time of just under 3 hours.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4208739

Picture (hint - download and bring a copy).

Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder

A good group of guys showed up for tonight's ride on Little Blue Trace Trail. Temps were in the upper 20's with a light wind which made for a pleasantly cool night of riding.

Photos from tonight's little Festivus....

Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder

Come celebrate the holiday with the 1st Annual Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder. Our celebration will take place on the Little Blue Trace trail.

Info....

What: Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder
When: Wednesday Night, 12/22/10 - Time 6:00pm
Where: Little Blue Trace
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: To celebrate Festivus and ride our bike at night on gravel....

We will in the parking lot of the Hilton Garden Inn, 19677 East Jackson Drive, Independence, MO 64057.

You will need lights. Red flashing light on the back and an LED or HID light on the front required. Special prize for the best light display.

99 % of this ride is on the Little Blue Trace trail. The trail does cross several roads so please use caution.

More important info to follow, but save Wednesday night for or Festivus celebration.

Map is below


View Little Blue Trace in a larger map

Halcyon Holiday Gravel Grinder

Ride update...

Great turnout for the HHGG. John sends us some photos from along the route.

Halcyon Holiday Gavel Gridner

Brett is hosting the next GG this weekend. His Halcyon Holiday Gravel Grinder is a metric century and start out of good old Larryville...

Halcyon Holiday Gravel Grinder
Metric Century!
Will have 3 potential pit stop areas! (Baldwin x2 and Wellsville)
Gravel, roller, gravel, roller and repeat...bring your legs!
Ride starts at 9:00 am sharp.
Sunflower Outdoor and Bike
8th and Massachusetts, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Cue sheets and maps will be provided.

Full details

Course Map

Gardner Gravel Grinder

Ride recap...

Quote of the day: "Probably the windiest day I've ever ridden - John Williams"

Wow, that ended up being epic. The wind was absolutely brutal with gusts over 30mph and sustained that had to be over 25mph. A total of 6 of us braved the wind. The first 16.4 miles were almost all into the wind, before we turned South and East for a good tailwind. The rest stop at 27 miles was a welcomed relief. Just about everyone grabbed a donut and cup of coffee to refuel. After about a 1/2 hour we went back out into the wind to do the last half of the route. More tailwind to about mile 33 before we turned North again into the wind. Of the last 16 miles 8 of them were against the wind. Our average was 12.9 mph for the ride. Just about everyone commented that this ride was windiest they had ever done. I agree, I ride out at Gardner just about every day and that is the worst I have seen it. We also did 2427 feet of climbing for this route. My initial GPS of the route was way off in that it told me we would do around 683 to 700 feet of climbing. So my legs are toast now - Tim

Here are some pics of what looks like very cold riders...

Gardner Gravel Grinder

It is winter and Gravel Grinder time. Tim Greene is kicking things off in style with a nice route out of Garnder, KS. Distance is 49 miles. There is a refueling stop 27 miles in. Pace will be easy to moderate so all ability levels are welcomed.

Info....

What: Gardner Gravel Grinder

When: Satday , 12/11/10 - 9:00 am

Where: CenturyLink Office building in Gardner (Queen Mary on the Pairie)

Who: Any and all are welcome

Why: It Gravel Grinder Season

Map below:

The Gobbler Ride

Happy Thanksgiving!

A great time was had out at Clinton Lake State Park on Turkey Day. A hardy group of riders braved the very cold temps and enjoyed several hours of sweet single track. Until next years Gobbler Ride...

GobblerRide

Not a gravel grinder, but always a good time out at Clinton Lake State Park.

Wednesday Night Gravel Grinders

Night time gravel grinding is contagious and that is why a weekly night time ride has sprung up down in Stilwell, Kansas. The Tri 2 Ride with Us group presents....

What: Wednesday Night Gravel Grinders
When: Wednesday's starting at 5:30 pm
Where: Peoples Bank parking lot - corner of 199th and Metcalf
Who: Anyone that is not afraid of the dark. CX bike recommended, MTB bike o.k.

You will need lights. Red flashing light on the back and an LED or HID light on the front required.

Distance is 38 miles and the pace is between 16 and 17 average. Here is the course map courtesy of Tim Greene: http://beta.mapmyride.com/routes/detail/24807876/

Halcyon Holiday Gravel Grinder

MTB-KC Presents:

Halcyon Holiday Gravel Grinder.

http://www.mapmytri.com/workout/united-states/ks/lawrence/999128132478243088

Ride begins 8 am at Hy-Vee, 23rd and Kasold, Lawrence, Kansas.

Saturday December 18, 2010.

Route is entirely self-supported. It will pass through 3 towns with gas stations/restaurants/etc (Ottawa, Wellsville, Baldwin City).

Route is 73 miles with lots of gravel roads and some pavement through towns. The first 6-ish miles will be on multi-use trail south of Lawrence and go across the Clinton Lake dam before getting into some nasty rolling gravel going south to Ottawa.

mtbkc.blogspot.com for the latest.

The Mullet's Revenge

Mark your calendars for this classic...

Prairie Spirits Gravel Grinder

Gravel Grinding at Night

Our first night gravel grinder was a success. Turns out no one was afraid of the dark. Very nice evening for a ride with only a brief period of misty rain. By the end of evening the temps were perfect for riding.

Thanks to Tim Greene for organizing the ride. We had a great time and plan on hosting several more night rides later this year.

Here are some pictures from our evening of gravel grinding.

Night Gravel Grinder

Achluophobia Gravel Grinder

Update: We are still a go! Roads are all clear in Stilwell. See everyone tonight. Should be a great night with a nice moonlight night.

What: Tim's Night Gravel Grinder
When: Saturday, 9/25/10, 6:30 pm start time
Where: Stilwell Station - corner of 199th and Metcalf
Who: Anyone that is not afraid of the dark

**Lights are required for this ride**

Do you have Achluophobia - Fear of Darkness? Here is your chance to change that. Visit How to Not Be Afraid of the Dark or just join us for our first night time gravel grinder. Tim Greene will be our ride leader for the evening. He will lead a group at an 15 - 16 mph average. Expected ride time is around 3 hours. Please bring food/water for your journey. A faster group will be forming - more info to follow.

This is a Show-N-Go ride and you are responsible for yourself. Please obey all traffic laws. You are responsible for your own safety.

Here is the route:

One Fast Gravel Grinder

What a great day for a ride, especially on gravel. Today's Chamois Butt'r Gravel Grinder was well represented by several local teams and gravel enthusiasts. Plenty of happy faces before the ride started our of Smoke' N Davy trail head.

A route of just under 50 miles with plenty of hills which created some separation within the group. Today's little grinder felt more like a race at times, but was fun non the less. We dropped several along the way and waited a couple of times but the gaps were large by then. A suggestion was made to have two different rides - one fast, one slow. This is a good idea and we will make every effort to find some more ride leaders to make this happen. Maybe also have shorter route for the slower group was also suggested.

The gravel roads north of Smithville Lake offer a wide variety of routes. We look forward to having another gravel grinder there soon. Thanks to Curt Shelman for creating the route and leading us along the way. Thanks to Paceline Products for their continued support and for making the best skin lubricant out there.

Pictures from the day....

Smithville Gravel Grinder

Chamois Butt'r Gravel Grinder

What: Chamois Butt'r Gravel Grinder
When: Sunday, 9/12/10, 9:00 am start time
Where: Smithville, MO - Smoke N Davey trail head.
Who: Anyone who enjoys riding cross, off-road, and of course hilly gravel roads.
Why: Enjoy some sweet gravel and receive a free water bottle and koozie compliments of Paceline Products.

Come enjoy a 46 mile route brought to us by Paceline Products Curt Shelman.

Smoken N Davey trail head is located off W highway just north of Smithville, MO. Take Hwy 169 North out of Smithville. Turn right on W highway. Cross the bridge and the Smoke N Davey trail head is just on the right.

More info forthcoming...

The course map

Night Gravel Grinder

**Update**

Due to a family illness, it looks like our night GG will be moving to 9/25/10.

Our next Gravel Grinder will be an exciting one - a night gravel road adventure.

Mark September 25th, 2010 down for some night time fun. We will Meeting at 8:00 pm and starting by 8:30 pm. Lights will be required. More details to follow. This ride will start down in Hillsdale, Ks.

A new route map will be forwarded shortly by Tim Greene (our new ride leader :-))

Sizzling Gravel Grinder.

Great turnout today for our first Gravel Grinder of the season. Thank you to everyone who came out and suffered along with me on the Riverside - Weston Gravel Grinder. This route is coming together nicely and by fall we should have a nice route with plenty of gravel fun.

Here are some pictures of today's ride. More to come once I recuperate and have another beer...

Riverside - Weston Gravel Grinder

Riverside - Weston Gravel Grinder

Time to start back up the gravel grinders. Why? Because the Gravel World Championships is just around the corner.....

What: Riverside - Weston Gravel Grinder

When: Sunday , 08/08/10 - 8:00 am

Where: Start at E.H. Young Riverfront Park, Riverside MO

Who: Any and all are welcome

Why: Training for the upcoming RIM, Gravel Worlds and Cruise the Blues.

Route: A mix of gravel, levee and back country roads. A fair amount of county roads could be used depending day of ride conditions, but plenty of gravel to keep us sane. Some hills will be climbed. Any road bike with a good sturdy set of wheels can be used. Cross bike preferred, but not required.

This is a Show-N-Go ride, please bring food/water and anything you require. We will stop at Weston and Parma Woods (return leg) for water. Please obey all traffic laws. You are responsible for your own safety.

Cue Sheet for the Riverside - Weston Gravel Grinder is below. Long course 75 miles, Short course 40 miles.












Here is the latest course map for the long course (75 miles). We had to take out a section along the levee due to construction.




Please check back for any updates.

Historic Gravel Road Ride

10:00am Historic Gravel Road Ride (aka Mullet Ride) 12 and 25 mile options.
Free entry. Just bring food and water. We start at a Antiques on the Prairie
10am start at 6th and high street. park at Collin's Gym on 6th street.
25 miles. figure 8 loop west of town and east on the gravel roads. maps provided.....

Here is a review of our last edition of the Mullet Ride

And Don't forget...

Vintage bicycle show and vendors, ride around town 10 am
free plane rides at Vinland Airport for ages 8-17 9am to noon.
Train rides 11am to 2pm
antique car and motorcycle show 8am to 2pm
Chris Cakes Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10:30 am $5

Kill Creek 135

Sorry for the late notice. Cow Town Cyclings, John Williams is hosting the Kill Creek 135 on Sunday morning. Here is the route. The majority of the route is our favorite - gravel. Gathering up info now and will post later today.

http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=453127451440639597

This will be great training for the DK200. Who's on board?

What: Kill Creek 135
When: Sunday Morning (9:00am)
Where: Start at Kill Creek Park

Check back for more details Saturday night.

MTB - KC Ride

The MTB-KC 90 is still a go. However, due to today's rain, the ride is now only 60 miles and will include commuter trail and bike route connections.

More Gravel Grinders on the Way....

We were ask if we were going to have some more Gravel Grinders. The answer is YES. Stay tuned for some more GG's, a pre-ride of the Cow Town 200/100 and the upcoming MTB-KC series. First one is coming up on April 3rd....

The 411 on the series

April 3--MTB-KC 90 Miler
*Utilizing the Swope, BuRP, SMP, Trolley Track, Tomahawk Creek, Indian Creek, Mill Creek, and Turkey Creek Trail Systems

May 22--Lawrence Legato
*Utilizing the River Trail, Clinton, Burroughs Creek, Haskell Rail, and South Lawrence Trafficway Trail Systems

July 31--SOS! (Stocksdale Obbligato Smithville)
*Utilizing the Stocksdale and Smithville trail systems, plus some of Clay County's backroads

August 7--12 hours of Landahl
*Utilizing the Landahl Park Trail System

The official MTB-KC website: http://mtbkc.blogspot.com/

Riverside Gravel Grinder v2

What: Riverside Gravel Grinder v2

When: Saturday, 03/06/10 - 10:00 am start time

Where: Start at E.H. Young Riverfront Park, Riverside MO

Who: Any and all are welcome

Why: Because there is way too much pavement in the world

Route: A mix of gravel, levee and back country roads. We will hit a little more gravel on this version. All depends on the trail condition. A good amount of road, but plenty of gravel to keep us sane. Some hills will be climbed. Any road bike with a good sturdy set of wheels can be used. Cross bike preferred, but not required. I will most likely be on my 29er this week unless I fix my broken shift levers by Saturday.....

This is a Show-N-Go ride, please bring food/water and anything you require.

We will be running before the ride if anyone is interested in a brick workout. Starts at 8:45 am. 5 miles. Same location....

Frozen Muddy Gravel Fun

Plenty of muddy, frozen gravel riding this weekend. Saturday was nearly 65 miles of frozen mud up in Iowa. Cirrem results here. Sunday the gravel roads thawed a little quicker than expected turning the Smithville Gravel Grinder into a muddy mess. Still everyone seemed to have fun, which is why we are out there riding in the first place.

Here are some pictures from the Cirrem and Smithville.

View all

Get your own

Smithville Gravel Grinder v4

Plenty of gravel in store for this weekend...

Saturday is the CIRREM 60 Mile Gravel Road Race.

Sunday we will give the Smithville Gravel Grinder one more try...

Smithville Gravel Grinder v4
When: Sunday , February 28, 2010 - 10:00 am start time
Where: Smoke N Davey Trail head (off W highway) , Smithville, Missouri
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: Because it is time for Randy to get off his ass and ride.

Come join Cow Town Cycling's Randy Cartwright on a scenic trip around Smithville and surrounding counties - 4 to be exact. Route is just under 34 miles and includes our favorite, hilly gravel roads. See below for route maps. Route is marked and ready to ride. Yellow flags = Left Turn, Pink flags = Right turn.

The Smithville Lake MTB trails look like we could ride them early on Sunday before the GG. Check back here on Friday for an update. Forecast temps are 21 in the early a.m. Let's keep our fingers crossed....

Smithville Gravel Grinder v3

Update 2/21/10 (7:30 a.m.). The Smithville Gravel Grinder has been cancelled for today due to unsafe driving conditions and icy roads. And the fact that I could not get out of my neighborhood with my little truck due to the slick roads....

Update 02/20/10:

Randy marked the course today. Yellow flags = Left Turn, Pink flags = Right turn. Bailouts are flagged with both Yellow and Pick. See below map for bailouts.


Based on the forecast (30 degrees), the planned MTB ride before the GG is not going to happen. We will meet at around 9:50am for a planned 10:00am departure for the gravel grinder. This looks like it is going to be a real classic - wintry mix, snow, slush, ice, slop.


What: Smithville Gravel Grinder v3
When: Sunday , February 21, 2010 - 10:00 am start time
Where: Smoke N Davey Trail head (off W highway) , Smithville, Missouri
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: Because it is time for Randy to get off his ass and ride.

Come join Cow Town Cycling's Randy Cartwright on a scenic trip around Smithville and surrounding counties - 4 to be exact. Route is just under 34 miles and includes our favorite, hilly gravel roads.

If the trails are frozen on Sunday morning (long term forecast says they should be) a group of us will also ride one lap of the Bone Bender course beginning at 8:30 am. After the MTB ride we will ride the gravel grinder route. What more can you ask for. A full morning/afternoon of riding our bikes.

Here is the course map - Smithville Gravel Grinder v3 Course Map

Mullets 'n' Mud 'n' Good Times

What is a Gravel Grinder without some Mullets? You are not really doing it correctly if you don't see plenty of mullets or dead squirrels on your gravel grinders. Both were found on Saturday's Mullet Ride hosted by Gerard Arantowics. As advertisted, this gravel grinder was held at a much more relaxed pace which allowed for more social riding and some good times riding the scenic and historic roads of Baldwin City.

We had a good group start today's gravel grinder. Not all completed the ride. Some like, Mark and Joe, joined us for part of the ride then headed back home to complete a long day in the saddle. Some like John Williams were not able to finish the ride due to mechanical failures. You would think someone in the group would have carried a spare chain ring, but noooo....

The majority of the route was on gravel roads. As expected during this time of year they can get a bit muddy. Everyone surprisingly rode the muddy spots like true champions and never missed a pedal stroke. After a few miles the mud had flung off and we were rolling along.

During the ride we visited some interesting sites like Signal Oak, the Battle of Blackjack and we learned about a section of land that produced over 10 million dollars in 10 years from those little oil pumps.

Complete pictures can be found on Cow Town Cycling.

Mullet Ride

Gerard Arantowics is hosting our next Gravel Grinder this Saturday. His annual Mullet Ride is a must do. Course will include some nice gravel roads around Baldwin City. Pace for this ride will be very mellow and is very mountain bike friendly. Course distance is 25 miles with a 12 mile option. Maps will be available.

What: Mullet Ride
When: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Where: Baldwin City, Kansas

We will meet at 6th and High street in Baldwin City. Parking is available at Antiques on the Prairie or at the Collins gym. Ride begins at 10:00am.

More info to come...

Chucky's Challenge

Edit 02/05/10:

Doug Long sends word that Chucky's Challenge is still a go. They only got about 1 inch of snow and everything is looking good for tomorrows ride. The 54 mile route has been flagged and custom designed for our current weather - Flat and Fast.

Be sure to check out http://chuckyschallenge.blogspot.com/ for course maps and any updated info.

See everyone tomorrow.

Chris

The third Annual Chucky's Challenge gravel grind will be rolling out of Jamesport at 10:00 am on Saturday-Feb. 6th.

The route will utilize the fine ground gravel via Amish buggies, some paved sections, and the rolling hills of the "Green Hills" region. I hope to put together approx. 60 miles of route with a shorter option. We had a SAG at approx. 1/2 way last year. It took the fast guys over 4 hours to complete the ride last year and there was at least one hill that 90% of the riders walked.

The start is at the 4 way stop downtown Jamesport. There is plenty of parking in the lot next to the Jamesport Tavern. We had 20+ riders last year and hope to continue to grow this till one day it may become a competive event.

Here is the info:

3rd Annual “Chucky’s Challenge”
Ground Hog Gravel Grind
Saturday-February 6th
Jamesport, Missouri

Climb out of that burrow and join the Green Hills Trail Association for our 3rd annual “Gravel Grinder” from historic Jamesport, MO!

Why this ride? Chucky says “Lighten up dude, I wanna see my shadow! After being in a hole for 4 months, I’m ready to break the ice, hang out with my friends, and get the riding season started.” The ride drew 20 riders in 2009.

Starting time is 10:00 a.m. and we’ll be departing from the 4 way stop right downtown next to Gingerich’s Dutch Pantry . It’s “show-n-go” so there is no participation fee. Just show up and we will provide route maps and all the gravel riding you can handle. This will not be a race but don’t let that frighten you back into your den.

The 2010 route will traverse the hills and hollers of the Green Hills region with some “aggie flats” thrown in for recovery. Riders can choose either the “Full Chucky”-60 mi. or the shorter “Lil Chuck”. Most of the route will be on smooth crushed limestone suitable for cross or mountain bikes. The route will be posted and blazed the week of the ride so we can hopefully stay away from any fresh gravel maintenance “large gravel” and pick the best route.

Jamesport is an Amish community, so expect to see horse and buggies and prepare to take a little step back in time. There is a small grocery, some restaurants, and a “watering hole’ for post ride libations.

Please contact me at: dlong@windjammercable.net if you are coming so we’ll have plenty of maps and so I can forward the route to you via email.

Anyone can ride a trainer on a cold February day, but it takes some courage to brave the weather. Will you come join the fun? Or are YOU Afraid of your shadow?????

Groovy Gravel 'n' Broken Spokes 'n' Fish Bowls.

Sundays ride start at Curtis' house. Temps were in the 20's but the sun was coming out and it looked like it was going to be a great ride. Bill handed out maps and Curtis covered the course route before we headed out. Little Martell was dressed and ready to go, but his darn rig did not even have pedals....

The Lone Star Gravel Grinder, hosted by Bill Anderson, traveled from the University of Kansas campus along rolling twisting gravel road to the sleepy little town of Lone Star. Some nice groovy gravel with many sections still snow packed with a thin layer of snow were encountered along the ride. After a short loop around Lone Star Lake we headed back rolling along on the snow packed gravel and back country roads.


Ride went very smoothly except for..... Mr. Pot Pie sprung a leak early on the ride. Don't you hate it when your bladder leaks. Poor guy had a frozen water fall coming out of his jacket the entire ride.....We went slightly off course Sunday. GPS said we were on route, but Bill's sense of direction and the a printed course map said were heading in the wrong direction. We opted to go with the GPS and ended up added about a couple of square miles of road. I don't the added miles bothered anyone, especially our single speed rider as he had the perfect 46 x 16 gear for the road.... Along that stretch we encountered our other small problem. A broken spoke. But Dan's build job was first rate and only required a wrapping of the spoke to get us going again.

After the ride about half the bunch headed for some refueling and rehydration at the 23rd Street Brewery. The promoters of next weeks Chucky's Challenge were also on hand. They had just finished up 4 days of riding and needed some recharging. The special of the day was "Fish Bowls". 60 oz of your favorite ale for $6.00. Personally I was not man enough to finish my Fish Bowl, but Dan, Doug and most of the others had little problem. Heck, even ole' Jeff Arnaud finished his but I think he did have some help from his GF.

Great ride, fine food and good times. Thanks again to Bill and Curtis. We will see everyone Saturday at the Chucky's Challenge up in Jamesport, Misssouri.

Here are some pictures of our ride.

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LoneStar Epic Gravel Grinder

What: LoneStar Epic Gravel Grinder
When: Sunday , January 31, 2010 - 10:00 am start time
Where: 2017 Melholland Rd, Lawrence, KS 66047
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: Because Bill Anderson says there is too much pavement in the world.

Come join Bill Anderson and friends on a nice scenic tour to LoneStar Lake and back via plenty of gravel roads. Route includes 3 long climbs and some very scenic country side. After a quick tour of LoneStar Lake we head back to Lawrence.

Ride begins and ends at Martell's house . About a mile west of 23rd street and Iowa. Here is the map to the start. The gravel fun begins shortly after our depart.

Here is the map.

Cole's Pain Cave

Today's Spring Hill Gravel Grinder was a little harder than planned. Partly due to the wind, partly due to running the course in reverse and mainly due to crazy ass ride leader Mark Cole. The gravel road conditions today were very good with mostly smooth packed down dirt making the pace very fast at times.

I would like to apologies to the riders who got dropped. The remaining rides will be at a more sane pace I promise.

Some pics.







The next gravel grinders include Smithville, Jay Hawk Delight, Chuckies Challenge and Baldwin City.

See everyone Sunday in Smithville....

Spring Hill Gravel Grinder

What: Spring Hill Gravel Grinder
When: Sunday , January 24, 2010 - 10:00 am start time
Where: 22350 S Harrison St, Spring Hill, KS 66083
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: Because there is way too much pavement in the world.

Our next gravel grinder is again south of the metro and begins/finishes in the wonderful town of Spring Hill, Kansas. Spring Hill is Johnson Counties first historic district and has a rich history of stamina and a fun-loving spirit. Both of which will come in hand Sunday as Mr. Cole leads us on a 46 miler.

We will meet at Price Chopper off of 169hwy and 223rd Street. Address is 22350 S Harrison St, Spring Hill, KS 66083. NOTE: Do not come down 223rd from 69hwy, it's closed... Cut over on 199th, or 179th street to 169HWY.

Here is the route: Spring Hill Gravel Grinder Route Route features 95% gravel and plenty of rollers.

More info to follow.......

Mud 'n' Fog 'n' Hills

Today's Paola Gravel 'n' Hills 'n' Trail could have been called Mud 'n' Fog 'n' yea Hills. Despite the less than ideal conditions a dozen riders showed up to partake. One ride can as far away as 2 hours to "get in some riding" Many rural roads are still covered in snow/ice and not safe to ride.

Upon arriving at Wallace Park we were pleasantly surprised that a dozen liked mined riders were just as crazy as us. A good turnout and a great bunch of guys enjoyed the afternoon following Randy's ride throughout Paola and surrounding areas.

Finders were the opimal equipment choice for the day. Only Randy Rasa and Tige Lamb had sense enough to bring them. Everyone else left there at home including me. I actually had them in my hand but did not thing I would really need them. That shows you how much I know.



Randy led us out of Paola into dense fog and onto the awaiting gravel roads. Oh, did I say gravel. I ment muddy roads :-)


More pictures of our muddy little gravel grinder can be found HERE.

Until next week.....

Paola Gravel 'n' Hills 'n' Trail

What: Paola Gravel 'n' Hills 'n' Trail
When: Sunday , January 17, 2010 - 10:00 am start time
Where: Wallace Park, Paola, Kansas
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: Because there is way too much pavement in the world.

Our next Gravel Grinder heads to Paola, Kansas for a nice 45 mile route. Below is the route in detail which features a lot of gravel and yea some climbing. Just the way we like em.

The starting point is Wallace Park in Paola, KS. The route heads west to Peoria, then onto the Flint Hills Nature Trail thru Rantoul and on to Osawatomie. From there we ride to John Brown Lookout (which should give us a great view of the surrounding countryside) and back to Paola. It's about 45 miles with lots of short but steep little hills. No services until Osawatomie at about mile 35.

Directions: From KC, head south on I-35 to US-169, then south on US-169 to the Paola exit. Turn right onto Baptiste Dr, left on Hospital Dr, right on Osage St, left into Wallace Park. Meet in the parking lot in front of the swimming pool.

Baldwin City Gravel Grinder????

Updated 1/8/10:

We have only one taker so far for tomorrows planned Baldwin City Gravel Grinder ride. Mr. Pot Pie ponied up but everyone else is hunkering down for the record cold temps that await us.

The weather looks to be improving and the roads have all been plowed for next weeks Paola Gravel Grinder. We have a great route planned so make sure you put next Sunday(1/17/10) on your ride calendar. More info coming soon.....


Who is up for a gravel grinder ride on Saturday? It will be "colder than a well diggers ass" but if anyone else is game we will have the ride. Let us know and we will make arrangements for the Baldwin City Gravel Grinder. The route is ready to ride, we just need some riders to make it happen and maybe some studded ice tires.....