Buck!t Handmade Goodies
In these days of mass production and unimaginative merchandise that is cast from the same mold, there are companies out there producing unique and special items, made by hand. Buck!t…
Tour Down Under 2015 – The Francais de Jeux – Lampre Training Ride Video
Day four of riding with professional road cyclists, and the wheelsucking continues. January 15, I did a tough training ride with Francais de Jeux into the hills of Adelaide. Part…
Tour Down Under 2015 – The Giant Alpecin Training Ride Video
Day two of riding with professional road cyclists... somebody has to do it :) Today, I did a sweet beach ride with the Giant Alpecin team in Adelaide, South Australia. …
Tour Down Under 2015 – The Lotto Soudal Training Ride Video
This isn't a gravel road ride video. But then again, this isn't your normal road training ride. Today, I had the pleasure (and suffering) of riding with the Lotto Soudal…
Ritchey Breakaway Cross Bike Review – Part Two
I wrote about the Ritchey Breakaway Cross disassembly / packing process, in Part One. My most recent trip with the Breakway was from Gainesville, Florida, to Adelaide, South Australia. This…
Sub 9 Gravel Grovel Race Report 2014
From the Promoter, "Mother Nature's Cyclocross Race Through the Beautiful Hoosier National Forest and Beyond!" Check out the official race website. I (JOM) wholeheartedly agree with the promoter's statement. Not…
Petrol Station Hall of Fame
You ride a bicycle, on gravel roads or otherwise. During the ride, you may stop to refuel at a petrol station (Australia / UK / NZ) or gas station (USA).…
The “Cast” of Gravel Cyclist
K-Dogg K-Dogg is the only bloke we know who successfully sells heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves in Florida. Even in the middle of summer! He is the owner / proprietor…
The Heartbreaker Loop
Saturday, October 18, 2014 While everyone else in Gainesville was sleeping in, not riding, racing, or creating ruts in the same paved roads they ride over and over and over,…
JOM’s Dirty 40 Race Report – 2014
About the Race
The Dirty 40 was the 5th race of the American Ultra Cross Series, held in beautiful Derby
, Vermont, very close to the Canadian border. The second edition of the race took place on August 30, 2014. While advertised as a 60 mile race with approximately 40 miles of gravel roads, in reality it is a 70 mile race (113 kilometres as I prefer) with about 55 miles of gravel. I found this out first hand courtesy of my course pre-ride, or tribal knowledge scouting as I prefer to call it.
My race video documenting the experience is HERE.
Accommodations
I must give kudos to the Four Seasons Hotel in Derby, where I’d based myself for three days leading up to the race. Uber convenient location to the race, beautiful surrounding scenery, and comfortable accommodations were perfect. Because Derby is so close to Canada, people have no excuses to make a trip by bicycle or car, over the border. Just don’t forget your passport! Here is what I got up to on Thursday and Friday, before the race.
Road Bikes & Limerock Roads
Another Long Road Ride
Picture a hot and humid Sunday morning, in Gainesville, Florida. Seventy eight miles were planned, from the agreed meeting place, but more if you rode to the start. That’s what I did. Weather forecast called for showers around 1pm, which is pretty typical in Florida for this time of year.
Note to self: prepare for the ride by wearing not your best kit, not your best shoes, and riding not your best bike, aka the “rain bike”, “frog bike”, etc. If you’ve only got one bike, well, that’s a bugger. The route was carefully chosen; I have a nice library of rides I have prepared over the years, and rotate them in and out on any given weekend day.
About GravelCyclist.com
About JOM My name is Jayson, but a lot of people refer to me as JOM. The OM refers to my last name, which I may share, should you get…
