Gravel News Shorts - 12/29/14

 In case you missed the photos from the Festivus of Nights here they are - 2014 Festivus of Nights Pictures.

Our next planned ride is the annual LMBC New Years Day Ride which takes place this Thursday over in Lawrence, KS.  Check out the details on their Face Book page - LMBC New Years Day Ride.

Make sure you add the original gravel grinder to your ride calendar. The one and only Mullet Ride is on January 17, 2015.  The official name is the Baldwin City History Gravel Grinder but we all know it as The Mullet Ride.

5th Annual Festivus of Nights

What: 5th Annual Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder
When: Tuesday Night, 12/23/14 - Start Time 6:00pm - 6:15pm
Where: Little Blue Trace
Who: Any and all are welcome
Why: To celebrate Festivus , air any grievances you may have,  partake in Feats of Strength and last but not least ride your bike at night on the fun Little Blue Trace Trail.

We meet in the parking lot outside of Nature's Pantry, 19019 E 48th St, Independence, Missouri 64055 . Access to the trail is just yards away.   New this year.  At 6:00 pm we will first head South on the trail and ride down to Lees Summit Road.  We will then return back and head North on the Little Blue Trace Trail following our normal route.  This will allow any riders who arrive late to join in the fun as we pass back by Nature's Pantry.  

What do I need to bring? Besides a working bicycle, you will need lights. Red flashing light on the back and an LED or HID light on the front required. Many decorate there body/bikes, but this is not required.  Special prize for the best light display.

Will we encounter any traffic on the ride? 99 % of this ride is on the Little Blue Trace trail. The trail does cross several roads so please use extreme caution while crossing any roads.

We will meet up after the ride for dinner.  At this time  feel free to lashing out at others and the world about how you have been disappointed in the past year.

Disclaimer for the Festivus of Nights Gravel Grinder :
You are 100% responsible for yourself! You are totally on your own.  There are no rider services.  There is no support. If you choose to participate, you agree to taking full responsibility for what happens to you out on the course.  Please have someone you can call to come get you in the case of emergency, fatigue, freezing weather or bike failure.

Spoke Pony Pictures

A terrific turnout for the 3rd Annual Spoke Pony Gravel Express despite some very inhospitable conditions.   Thank you to Tim Greene for hosting a fun event.  Tim offered 3 different courses so there was a route for everyone.

The Dirty Dogs were out in force today.  Dirty Dogs must love the mud.

The largest turnout for a Spoke Pony event.  We had a good group of riders from all disciplines.   The roadies lead the way as we departed.

Once we hit the gravel Tim and John lead the way.  Mr Pot Pie just loves gravel.

The first 15 miles we stayed together is a nice warm pack.  The winds did not pick up until later in the day.

Out on course we took 100 pictures - 2014 Spoke Pony Gravel Express Photos.

Spoke Pony Gravel Express v3

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Spoke Pony Gravel Express.  One of our most popular rides brought to us again by Tim Greene.

What: Spoke Pony Gravel Express
When: Saturday December 6, 2014 - 9:00 am Start
Where: Gardner, KS

Starting point is 600 New Century Parkway, New Century(Gardner), KS in the Century Link Parking Lot. Right off I 35 and 175th street.

Two routes to pick from.  A 44 mile route which is very simple to follow.  If you are up to the full Spoke Pony challenge then the 57 mile route is for you.   Both course will share roughly the first 29 miles together.  At county road 600 the long route will go right and short route left.  I may reverse the route the day of the ride, based on wind direction and speed.  If we have a strong wind from South we will do route backwards.  Given we are in winter we will most likely have a strong wind from NW and if that is cases we will run the route in normal direction. We can pull into Eudora for a break at 22 miles and pull into Baldwin City if necessary for water.

The full  57 mile route: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/8440961

Short course 44 mile route: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/8440980


**Remember, you are responsible for yourself and you ride at your own risk.  You are totally on your own.  There are no rider services.  There is no support. If you choose to participate, you agree to taking full responsibility for what happens to you out on the course.Always follow all traffic laws and rules. Always choose safety first and be prepared.**

Check back for updates

Gravel News Shorts - 11/26/14

 Thursday (tomorrow) morning is our annual Gobbler Grinder.  This year we return down South to Freeman, MO to the stomping grounds of the Dirty Dogs.  They have a nice 31 mile grinder for us then it is off to spend the remainder of the day celebrating Thanksgiving with our families. 

Info for the Freeman Gobbler Grinder

It is time once again for the annual CIRREM race.  If you have never attempted this fun event now is the time get registered.  Registration opens this Friday.  Check out www.cirrem.com  for the registration link and be sure to sign up early.  This event usually sell out in a few hours so put this on your Black Friday

One last bit of news.  Tim Greene is hosting the Spoke Pony Gravel Express on December 6th.  Tim always host some run rides.  Yes they always seem to be windy, but they are fun no the less.

2014 Freeman Gobbler Grinder

The Dirty Dog Race Pack presents:

What: 2014 Freeman Turkey Day Gravel Gobbler
When: Thursday, November 27, 2014, 8:00 am
Where: Freeman, MO
Why: Because we all know you will over eat on Turkey day. Time to get on your bike and burn off all those excess calories that will be consumed so no need to pass on that extra piece of Pie.

Our Turkey day ride returns to Freemon, MO for 2014.  Same route as last year but in reverse.  Great scenery and plenty of fresh gravel and country roads to explore.  Come enjoy 31 miles of gravel before your Thanksgiving feast.

Start location: Freeman City Hall, 106 E Main St, Freeman, MO 64746

Course map: http://connect.garmin.com/course/8361418 

Disclaimer for the Freeman Turkey Day Gravel Grinder:
You are 100% responsible for yourself! You are totally on your own.  There are no rider services.  There is no support. If you choose to participate, you agree to taking full responsibility for what happens to you out on the course.  Please have someone you can call to come get you in the case of emergency, fatigue, inclement weather or bike failure.

Full Moon Monty Pictures and Report

We were blessed with some great weather last night for the 2014 edition of the Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder.  The only problem was the cloud cover prevented the full moon from showing and lighting the way for us. 

Pictures from the night - 2014 Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder Pictures.

It was good to see a tandem out last night.  The Little Blue Trace Trail is perfect for an enjoyable evening ride with double the horsepower which was especially useful with that headwind on the return trip.

We departed promptly at 6:15 pm on the nights adventure.  For some reason Christopher tried to take a few short cuts - notice Mark Krause.  (Yellow Dirty Dog jersey) riding to the trail entrance while Christopher cuts across.  Later in the evening one of his short cuts got him lost.

That is one bright tail light. 

The trail was in great shape for tonight's ride.

Barbie Miller enjoying the tailwind. We had a contest of who had the longest flowing hair.  She won...

JP was having trouble with his knee.  He injured it at a recent cyclocross race.  Even with one leg he put the hurting on us.

It is always nice to regroup at the far end shelter.  For the Festivus of Nights ride we plan to have some beverages on site for everyone to enjoy.

One of the several bridges that we had to cross.  

After the ride we enjoyed a nice meal at the Corner Cafe'.  That place has some great pies and ice cream.  Mark enjoyed his.

Gravel News Shorts - 11/06/14

Do not forget to charge you lights tonight.  Tomorrow evening is the very popular Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder.  Join us on Face Book - Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder.

We meet up at 6:00 pm outside the Nature's Pantry.  Access to the Little Blue Trace Trail is available from there.  The route heads North 12 miles to the Blue Mills trailhead.    The weather for tomorrow night is looking great especially for this time of year.  Look for temperatures around 59 degrees when we depart at 6:15 pm.  We suggest you dress for the low 50's/ high 40's.  It can get cold at night. 



Next weekend is the El Camino de Santa Fe.  Routes have been added - full and half El Camino routes are available. 

El Camino de Santa Fe

What:  El Camino de Santa FE
When: Saturday November 15th 9:30 AM
Where: Monkey Mountain Sports Complex.

Come join us on a 50 mile tour of Eastern Jackson County and Western Lafayette County. I can't claim that it will be the longest or hilliest or even the graveliest ride you will do this year. It will go past an airplane graveyard, over the scenic Greenton overlook, down the sketchy Devil's Backbone and return on a stretch of the Santa Fe Trail.

The ride departs from Monkey Mountain Sports Complex in Grain Valley, MO. 

Two routes to pick from.   The beginning and end last 7-8 miles of each course will be on asphalt.

El Camino Full: 52 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/622545341
http://www.strava.com/routes/1129558

El Camino Half: 34 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/619136563
http://www.strava.com/routes/1091802

Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder

What: The 4th Annual Full Moon Monty
When: Friday Night, November 7, 2014 (Depart @ 6:15 PM)
Where: Little Blue Trace Trail
Who: For those who love gravel grinding at night.
What do I need to bring? Besides a working bicycle, you will need lights. Red flashing light on the back and an LED or HID light on the front required.

We kick off the 2014/15 Gravel Grinding season with a fun easy social gravel grinder.  This years Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder moves to the popular Little Blue Trace Trail in Independence, MO.  This will be a very fun ride for all abilities.  Expected about 25 miles of mainly crushed gravel the trail is an out/back so you can turn around at anytime.  The route is flat and winds along the the Little Blue River.

It will be a full moon on November 6th which will held with visibility, but a light is still required.

We meet in the parking lot outside of Nature's Pantry, 19019 E 48th St, Independence, Missouri 64055 . Access to the trail is just yards away. As of now we are planning to meet up at 6:00 pm and roll promptly at 6:15 pm.  If you would like to get in more miles and start early a group will be riding South to cover the several miles to Lee's Summit Road and then meet up with the main group when we depart at 6:15 pm.

Trail Map:

Disclaimer for the Full Moon Monty Gravel Grinder :
You are 100% responsible for yourself! You are totally on your own.  There are no rider services.  There is no support. If you choose to participate, you agree to taking full responsibility for what happens to you out on the course.  Please have someone you can call to come get you in the case of emergency, fatigue, inclement weather or bike failure.

Gravel News Shorts - 02/21/2014

CIRREM is upon us.  This 100K gravel adventure up in SW Iowa is taking place tomorrow morning.  The region got a couple of inches of snow yesterday.  Temps in the high 30's to low 40's today will cause some melting.  Tomorrow could be interesting with frozen in the morning and melting in the afternoon.  Could it be a repeat of 2010?   

A good group of locals will be taking part. Local Cirrem Racers:

• Donald Daly
• Mark Easter
• Chris Locke
• Doug Long
• Barry Meitler
• John Porter
• George Williamson

Locally we have Mad Mike's Gravel Grinder out of Topeka, KS.  Mike has long and short course options. 

Check out Mike's page on FB for complete info:  Mad Mike's Gravel Grinder

March ride calendar will be posted soon.

The "Strada Grigio" Report

The 1st Annual Sweetlove Gravel Grinder or "Strada Grigio" was a great success.  Despite snow covered landscapes and some bitter cold temperatures for riding 25 hardy gravel grinder souls showed up at the Sweetlove Farms in Oskaloosa, KS for a little adventure.  Host Phil Holman-Hebert has some plans on making this event into big race.  The surrounding roads make for an ideal location and offer some of the most challenging climbs around.

We depart Sweetlove Farms and join the course.  We had two options today.  Short course of 31 miles and a Long course of 59 miles. There was also an option for a Medium course of 45 miles which was very popular.  All fun and challenging.

 The start was set at 10:00 a.m. to allow a little extra time to warm up.  Mother nature appears to have no clock because it was darn cold at the start.

The roads were in great condition.  Many thought that there would be mud but conditions were ideal for riding.  Some sections were even dusty.

It was great to see Dan Hughes out again.  Dan is a 4 time winner of the Dirty Kanza 200.  I know why after today.  It was hard for many just to load up their bikes this morning and venture out for our ride.  Dan shows up by actually riding from his Lawrence home.  After the ride I offered to drive him home.  He declined saying he needed the miles.  My money is on Dan to become a 5 time winner.

Just ignore the "Bridge Out" sign.  Phil informed us that part of the route went over a bridge that was closed.  As a Gravel Grinder you learn to ignore signs :-)

Phil rocking the short course.  Gerard follows closely using his past track skills to hide from the wind.  Later in the ride Gerard would suffer a flat tire. One of several on the day.  Maybe time to go tubeless?

As usual with hilly and windy rides several  small groups formed on the day.  Scott, Jeff and Rod led the way.

Finally someone took a picture of Guru.  Thank you Scott!.  It was good to ride with Lyle Riedy.  Always fun to talk about past events and just life in general.

By the end of the ride many had tired legs and felt like this poor critter.

Picture album (coming later today)

Sweetlove Gravel Grinder

What: Sweetlove Gravel Grinder
When:Saturday, February 15, 2014 - 10:00 am
Where:Oskaloosa, KS
Why: A fun new ride with friends and great training for your upcoming adventure. 

On Saturday, February 15, the first ever Sweetlove Gravel Grinder, hosted by Phil Holman-Hebert, begins from Sweetlove Farm, two and 1/2 miles west of Oskaloosa, Kansas. The route tours through the rolling hills of central Jefferson County, home to many miles of magnificent gravel roads. With snow on the ground and several very steep sections both up and down, this route has proven extremely challenging during recent reconnaissance. The predicted cold temperatures should add to the difficulty. Be prepared for icy conditions if this cold weather continues. The constantly rolling terrain of this course includes 6 significant uphills and 3 long downhills, about 2 miles of pavement, and almost no flat roads. This is an unsupported ride. Carry what you need and be self-sufficient.

For those of you need a little more to satisfy your sadistic tendencies, or who just want to get some extra miles in your legs, this longer route adds a loop of some of the most picturesque roads in the county, including the leg-burning Chester Hill on 27^th Street that was featured in the Lake Dabinawa Ride a few weeks ago. It also gives you the short, extremely sharp approach to the 27^th and Republic intersection from the other side as you head west on your way back up north to rejoin the short loop. There will be some decent stretches of almost flat road in this loop, mixed in with lots of windy, rolling roads too. It also features a couple of mildly technical, off-camber, and right turning decents that can be pretty fast on a good day. 

Perpendicular parking in the grassy (snowy?!) margins on either side of the long driveway should provide plenty of space for setting up. We do have a bathroom on site.  A heated, but unprivate space will be available for changing.

Join us on FaceBook: Sweetlove Gravel Grinder on 2/15/14

Sweetlove Gravel Grinder Long Route: Distance:58.57 miles 

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRide

Sweetlove Gravel Grinder Short Route: Distance 32 miles

View this Course on MapMyRide

 

SweetloveFarm is located at 13248 102nd Street, Oskaloosa, Kansas, 66046

For information about Phil, his family, and the farm, visit us at www.sweetlovefarm.com.

Call Phil at 785-863-2432 with any questions.

Ride will start casually at 10:00am.

I’m sure you’ll let me know if I’m missing anything important.

Thanks,

Phil

 **Remember, you are responsible for yourself and you ride at your own risk.  You are totally on your own.  There are no rider services.  There is no support. If you choose to participate, you agree to taking full responsibility for what happens to you out on the course.Always follow all traffic laws and rules. Always choose safety first and be prepared.**
 

Chucky's Challenge

**UPDATED - Chucky's Challenge POSTPONED**

From Doug:

As much as it pains me, it could pain me even more if we try to ride on the slick conditions that the national forecast is predicting for our area.  I also don't want to see anyone traveling under the conditions forecasted.

The 57 mile course actually traverses a variety of forecasts with mostly snow on the west side and possible sleet and freezing rain mixed with snow on the east.  I'm also concerned about the aggie gravel roads not being cleared by tomorrow should we get more precipitation tonight.

Time for the 7th Annual Chucky's Challenge is upon us.  Join our friends from Jamesport Missouri for a true classic gravel grinder. This year course will feature 57 miles of buff gravel. The route will utilize the fine ground gravel via Amish buggies, some paved sections, and the rolling hills of the "Green Hills" region.

What: Chuck's Challenge
When: Saturday, February 1st, 2014 - 10:00 am Start
Where: Jamesport, MO
Why: 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?????

If you plan on coming please contact Doug Long - dlong at windjammercable dot net.  CUE sheets will be available and SAG stops will be provided so bring a food bad if you need items SAGed. 

The start is at the 4 way stop downtown Jamesport, MO There is plenty of parking in the lot next to the Jamesport Tavern.

 Chucky's Challenge Map Link

Map below:

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The Dabinawa Report

Something must be in the water over in Lawrence.  Every time we host a ride there we get great turnouts. Today's Lake Dabinawa Gravel Grinder was no exception.  The final count today was 71 riders. That might just be a new record.  Check out the photos from today's ride - Lake Dabinawa Gravel Grinder Photos.

Thanks again to Jeff Arnaud for hosting this very fun ride.  

 Today's ride brought out some first timers and some who have not ridden with us in awhile. 

Our favorite two riders showed up again for more gravel grinding fun.  No matter the conditions they come out and that is why they are true gravel grinders at heart.

Today's ride hit gravel right away.  Well sort of - we heading to the levee from the parking lot.  A short little tricky downhill and we were off riding the levee

Some good views can be had while out gravel grinding.  I like this one in particular - The KAW river to your right and a huge pack of gravel grinders heading out for a days adventure.

The view towards the rear.  With so many riders it is hard to work your way towards the front. 

The cool morning temperatures always makes it hard to dress.  You know you will have to peel off clothing layers soon enough and who wants carry clothing for 3 hours.  This rider  has a great ideal to keep your head warm and be able to store once the temps heat up.

For some reason a handful of riders had bike troubles within the first 5 miles.

Phil will be hosting the SweetLove Gravel Grinder over the upcoming valentines day weekend.  I just love Phil's wool jersey.  I myself wore a wool jersey today - see bottom picture. 

The large early group broke into many small groups based on ability and current fitness level.  I myself enjoyed a fun ride on an awesome winters day.