Yesterday was the Gravelluer’s Raid back in Kansas.  This is the 3rd year for the event and it is super fun.  It is a 100 miles and hilly.  Yesterday it was a bit chilly, but everyone I was in contact with had a good time.  And they were very tired.

My team mate, Brian Jensen, won the event for the 3rd year in a row.  I was 2nd both the first two years and missed riding with Brian yesterday.  Catherine Walberg was 2nd in the women’s event, even though it was pretty long for her, this time of the year. Pretty great result and effort.

I went up to North County and met some guys and road 100 miles myself.  We did a few of the sections of the Belgian Waffle Ride, which is quite a bit longer than 100 miles.  I have no idea if I’ll be up to the distance by then, but it was a nice day to spend on the bike. The race is in May, after the Tour of California.  I’m not exactly sure where we rode, but it was scenic and fun.  We actually saw the czar of the BWR, Michael Marckx, while out by Sutherland Reservoir.

We did a fair amount of dirt riding, sometimes just on dirt hiking trails and sometimes on dirt roads, climbing and descending.  I had way too much pressure in my tires for how bumpy the dirt was.  It had been raining out here a ton, this winter, and the dirt is pretty eroded.   Plus, it was pretty windy from the West, so we didn’t have the fastest average speed, even though it was a hard effort.

Sue met us about a quarter the way in and rode the majority of the ride, until she had to turn back to Highland Valley to get to her car.

We got back to near Carlsbad and only had 90 miles.  We had stopped Dave Mas’ house, and had a beer or two.  Man, does that go to your head quick after 6 hours of riding.  I had received the results from the Gravelleur’s so thought it was best if I did the last 10 miles and matched the distance, just in honor.  Plus, sober up a little.

I felt alright riding yesterday.  I got twisted up a little early in the ride, in the sand, and felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, but that only lasted a little bit.  And the funny thing is that the last hour, the dull pain was pretty much gone and I could ride standing while climbing, which is new.

I doubt I fixed anything, so maybe something was out of alignment?

Flanders is over.  Pretty close race, considering.  I won’t spoil it for you if you’re going to watch it later.  But I have to spoil the women’s results.  American Coryn Rivera won, which is a lifetime result.  She deserves it, just continuing her winning ways in Europe.  Trudi left Belgium and flew to Spain for a stage race there.  I think she is going back to Belgium for Paris-Roubaix.

I think I have nearly 400 miles for the week already, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do today.  Still trying to met up with a doctor out here, so it has been a little frustrating in that regard.    Anyway, it is a nice day, once again, in Southern California.

Brian on the top of the podium.

Results.

My loop yesterday.

I think this was climbing up Black Canyon Road.

Partial group shot up by Sutherland Reservoir.

Dirty Garmin screen shot from yesterday.

From Coryn Rivera’s Instagram from pre-Flanders.

I wish I would have been in Fayetteville yesterday,  just watch the criterium at Joe Martin.  I’m not up to racing a criterium in the rain, but the race really interests me.

First, I need to state categorically, that I don’t like racing criteriums in the rain.  I happen to be good at it, but it is way more dangerous than just regular criterium racing, thus who would want that to be the case.

That being said, it is part of bicycling race.  Being able to handle your bike in all conditions is really a part of all disciplines of the sport.  Especially on the road, cross and MTB.  Track racing, well, that is a separate beast.

Riding in the rain takes a special talent.  And usually a fair amount of experience.  Tire selection is super important.

Robin Carpenter, Holowesko-Citadel, won the Joe Martin Stage Race, overall, because he has this talent.  Not exclusively only this talent, but it is key.   He won a stage in the Pro Challenge a few years ago, riding solo in the rain, on a dirt descent.  He has the bike handling skills.  He is a very good bicycle racer.

I would have liked to watch the race develop and seen exactly what happened.

I lined up at Joe Martin a few years ago and it was looking like it was going to be wet for the criterium.  I was on the 2nd row, right behind the race leaders and I was aghast seeing the tires that most the guys in the top ten were riding.  The guy right in front of me was on Continental Gatorskin clinchers, that were nearly bald.  And he didn’t have the worst tires of all the guys on the front line.

I was thinking to myself, that the officials needed to do a bike check and not let riders start that didn’t’ have the proper equipment to race.   I never would have started a criterium riding that equipment.

It didn’t end up raining, so everything was fine, but just the idea of starting a race, knowing that you were riding something was wasn’t up to the potential weather, made me wonder.

Remember a long time ago, when during the Tour de France, the riders neutralized the race themselves, on a descent, because one of the Schleck’s crashed and Fabian or someone convinced everyone that it was way too dangerous to race?  This was stupid, in my opinion.  Like I said above, being able to handle your bike when the roads are wet, is part of the sport.

Anyway, congratulations to Robin.  Winning Joe Martin overall, the final criterium, is not how the race usually plays out.  I guess the rain made the day very hard to control.  Good, old fashion, bike racing.

Robin Carpenter winning yesterday in Fayetteville.

And at the Pro Challenge.

Sven Nys showing off the best cyclocross tires every made, in my opinion.