Just Like It Was Intended

Last Saturday was the Pony Express Gravel Dash down in Maryville, Kansas an event we've done several times now and always a fun time. This year, just like the original Pony Express route was designed, we signed up for the relay. While not on horses as originally ridden we opted to sign up for the 120 mile single speed category instead, single speeds eat a little less hay and poop a lot less than their equine bretheren.



Our ponies for the event were the Salsa Stormchasers that we have been putting the miles on this year, freshly shod with new Cantu hoops which Mark and Backroads Bicycles worked tirelessly the week of the event to make sure they got setup and on the bikes. It's been a single speed sort of season for us this year putting roughly 1600 miles on the Stormchasers this year... the wheels on the other hand we only had about 30 miles on prior to the race. I know, never change anything big before a race. Good advice but what are rules for if not to be broken.




As we have done for the past three years we loaded up the covered wagon and setup camp in the local park the night before the race so that we could partake in the spaghetti feed and pre-race festivities.





New this year was the antique bicycle exhibit at the art museum in town, a lot of pretty cool old bikes were on display and rumor has it that they are going to try to make it an annual event to go along with the Gravel Dash. After catching the exhibit and finding some food we hung out at camp for a bit before retiring for the night, morning comes early you know and a growing body needs it's rest.


Maryville has a pretty great downtown skyline, especially in the early morning glow of the sunrise.


Our team, Iron taint and the greasy cheeks, consisted of myself, Justin and Jackie riding in that order on the relay. The team name? Well that sort of came off the cuff due to my proclivity to avoid chamois and chamois butter of any kind, on any ride, no matter the distance and everyone else's desire to grease the cheeks with that awful stuff. It's not like I haven't given it the old college try but it worked the opposite of what it was intended to do for me... worst, and only really, saddle sores I ever have gotten during a gravel event was when I was wearing both a chamois and butt butter... nope, my hinie prefers the only moisture on it to be of it's own doing while avoiding sitting on a sponge as well.


Our competition for the day were Joe, Todd and Trisha Luke (not pictured here) as they were the only other single speed relay team that signed up. I think they are discussing their strategy of letting Trisha bring home the win here at the beginning of the race.


Things got underway right at 7:30 am as we rolled out of town in a neutral start until we hit the gravel, albeit a spirited neutral start as is usually the case with these things.





Once we got onto the gravel the pace quickly exploded, Todd and I swapped spots off and on for our leg of the relay and we ended up coming into the first relay spot at mile 42 with an average just under 16.5 mph. I'm not entirely sure we could have gone much faster without swapping out gears or at least I don't think I could have, the 38X17 was near perfect for the up hills and just a tad spiny on the flats but all in all a good gearing choice for the course.


Being wrapped up in the event and the relay I didn't get too many pictures of the second leg swap in Axtel but our two teams were still neck and neck leaving out of there. Justin and Joe kept the speed up and finished their 31 mile leg averaging right around 15.5 mph. The fate of each team would be decided by the ladies on the third leg.




Jackie did an amazing job on her 45 mile leg averaging roughly 14.5 mph but Trisha managed to pull away and get a 20 minute lead on her coming into the finish. Super proud of our entire team, everyone gave it everything they had and we fought right up to the very end. The weather was near perfect and the course was dry and fast and we managed to finish the 120 course in 7 hours and 46 minutes, which was pretty darn fast. Looking at the overall 120 mile finishers, our time would have netted us a solid 9th place finish in the geared category. Not so shabby for one speed if you ask me, not too shabby at all.

 

I'm A Cowboy, On A Carbon Horse I Ride - 2020 Pony Express Gravel Dash

This is the third year I've done the Pony Express 120 Gravel Dash and it's normally one of the last races of the year, this year even more so with it happening a month later than normal. Usually we'd be Ponying it up in September but then the gravel race formally known as DK... The Dirty Kanza, if you're nasty... (a Prince and Janet reference in the same sentence, be still my heart) slid into the weekend that the Pony Express had slated for their race. The organizers of the Pony Express then called an audible and moved to October, ironically the DK never happened but the new date was already set. Still in the midst of Covid guidelines, masks and social distancing was the norm for the Pony Express as it has been for all the races I've been a part of this year. To the credit of the organizers of the races that I've participated in, I have not heard of any cases being contributed to the race. It's possible that the elimination of mass starts, large rider meetings and after race parties might be a rarity for the foreseeable future but from what I've seen and experienced, it does seem like modified events are possible. Even if not a popular opinion.


Teach me how to Hopken.





With the normal area used for the start/finish line in Marysville under construction, this year it moved to just in front of the Union Pacific Station. Built in 1929 the Station was weeks away from being demolished in 2015 when the City of Marysville and the UP Preservation Society bought the station and started restoring it. The Union Pacific station was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, most famously known for designing lodges in our National Parks. Underwood also designed 9 Union Pacific stations and all of them were beautiful, ornate designs, the Union Pacific Station in Omaha is another of his designs. These stations and lodges were built by the Union Pacific as an incentive to get folks to travel by train to the National Parks thus increasing UP revenue. While still in the renovation process it's great to see these types of historical buildings being saved from the wrecking ball, architecture like this just isn't being produced today.





Check-ins were checked, beers drank, prizes raffled and won. Amy also gave an emotional speech about her recent battle with breast cancer and gave a little insight into her coming up with the idea and formation of Pink Gravel as a way to raise awareness of breast cancers among active runners and gravel enthusiast. For more information on Pink Gravel, click HERE.


The staggered start was in affect and participants had a 20 minute window in which to start their race, I was part of a three person relay team riding the third leg so I had time to kill before I'd need to get ready to ride.




Winds were strong and temps were low that morning, I was not envious of those riding in the wee hours of the day. On my way to checkpoint one I snagged a few pictures of the Pony Express rider and a few of the black squirrel sculptures that are everywhere around town. Two things Marysville is famous for is as a former Pony Express station and for the abundance of living black squirrels, which are also everywhere but not as into posing as the sculptured ones are.






The tiny town of Summerfield, Kansas, a town totally devoid of any sort of cell reception, was the site of the first checkpoint. Winds were still whipping and temps were still in the 40s, I was chilly but riding must have helped with that because a few of the crew left jackets and vests with me to take back to the start/finish. That was a good sign because it meant I might actually warm up at some point in the day.



The first relay point was some 20 miles up the course in Du bois, Nebraska. While bigger than Summerfield, there wasn't a single thing in Du bois except the forbidden love of a dog and cat. Nothing was open in the entire town, the lady running the Post Office was also the lady who would open the bar at 11 am after she closed the Post Office. I picked Doug up, who crushed his leg of the relay, and watched Sarah ride off to start her leg before Doug and I went in search of some Casey's pizza.


After Casey's, Doug and I headed to the second relay point to wait for Sarah to ride in. Once we saw Matt pull into the lot we knew it was only a matter of minutes before we'd see her so I grabbed the bike and warmed up a little bit. Sitting in a car and standing in the cold and wind most of the day was not ideal for preparing to race bicycles so I am glad that I got a few minutes to get the legs going.



Since we as a team were trying to do well in the race, I opted to not bring the camera along on the bike to stave off that distraction. The first 15 miles into that stiff SSW 24 mph wind sucked but thankfully as the day went on the winds began to drop so the second half of the leg became a little less windy as the ride went on. The entire leg was in about the same direction but I was able to add almost a mile per hour to the total mph average over the course of the second half of the leg once the winds started dropping. While not the fastest time or average I've had on the Revolt, given the winds I felt like it was a good effort and I gave it what I had.



As a team we did fantastic and raked in the hardware, we finished under 9 hours total time for the 120 miles and took first in the relay. Super proud of my teammates for absolutely crusing it out there on course!


The second and third place teams were comprised of junior racers from the Move Up Cycling Team. Don't let their young age or diminutive size fool you, they were fast and did really well, they are the future of gravel.


We weren't the only ones of the group to come home with some hardware however, Joe and Roy took 1st and 2nd in the 70 mile fat bike division.


Overall I am super stoked with our team and decently happy with my leg of the race. The Revolt performed flawlessly again and was fast as always, winds and temps could have been better but we don't get to control that part of it I suppose. It was great seeing all the Rastas out there and to have so many of us podium, great folks and great shop. Next year we are coming for the 70 mile tandem race, I think we have a decent chance of doing really well in that race also, we just need to get the miles on the bike early in the season and perfect our on bike teamwork. 

Oh, some of the photos were borrowed from Matt Pearson. He can take some mighty fine pictures.