Belated Gravel Grovel 2014 Race Report

 

As has become a tradition. I spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Hoosier National Forest for the Sub 9 Gravel Grovel.  My fourth iteration of the Gravel Grovel was by far the hardest.  I won’t go as far as saying it was soul shattering, but at times it was close.

The course was similar to past years, although there were a few change ups. The main one was the elimination of the out and back to Story, Indiana and a steep climb out of Elkinsville. Instead, the course went straight out of Combs Road and past Elkinsville, over a gated bridge, and onto an unmaintained\dirt road, with a nasty climb.  The course followed this road north around Elkinsville before it cut back south to the Nebo Ridge trail head.

This year there was an option for a Open Mountain Bike category.  Considering my well documented dislike for technical downhills and cross bikes, the mountain bike seemed like the better choice.

My goal last year had been to race to a sub 5 hour time. I met that goal with a 4:45 time, thanks in part to hooking on to a fast group of cross riders on the way to Story.  My fitness is better this year, so I set a goal of 4:30. Overall, this year's course was just over 60 miles with about 3,900 feet in elevation gain according to My Garmin 705 and Ride with GPS. For the record, Strava tallied almost 5,000 feet of climbing.

 

My next task was to figure out nutrition.  In past years, and especially last, I have been hit with terrible cramps in my calves. In 2013 these nearly stopped me dead in my tracks more than once. This year I was taking one gel at the start, was carrying two more gels for the ride, along with a Payday bar and a pack of Cliff gummies. I also started with two water bottles, both with Heed (last year was just one). I planned to refill both bottles at the half way SAG. I also had a flask filled with water and Heed as my emergency option if needed.

Race morning was cool and partly cloudy. I went with a vest, two pairs of arm warmers and my wind proof gloves. On the bottom standard bib shorts, knee warmers and my heavy Pearl Izumi Elite shoes covers and toe warmers.  My feet did get too warm at times, but the shoes covers kept all the water and mud we were to encounter out quite well.

The neutral start was fast, and the cold morning was quickly dispatched.  The first few miles of pavement was uneventful, and then we hit the left turn on gravel. Typically a chaotic mess, this year seemed relatively calm and well mannered, at least from my position in the pack. Once on gravel I set about a steady pace and worked my way past other racers. The roads were wet and everyone was immediately covered in gray mud. Good thing I brought some Pro Gold chain lube. It was going to be needed later. (For a great blog posting about the race by someone faster than me check the Gravel Cyclist's race report and companion video.)

I was riding with a few people off and on but then hooked on with Aaron just after the descent down the Tower Ridge Road.  From here we tackled Combs Road. As always, it was a mess, with more water than I expected and lots of mud bogs.  I accelerated and managed to drop a few people. I was again able to tackle the stairstep climb to the top of Combs, including a nasty surprise of a fallen log near the top. Check out the video above at 2:30 for some seat cam footage of me climbing Combs. From there I descended to Elkinsville and the new section. 



Oh look, I'm smiling. Somewhere just before Nebo.
Photo: Snowy Mountain Photography

This section is accessed via a gated bridge over Salt Creek just west of Elkinsville.  What followed was a repeat of Combs, although initially flatter, but still plenty of mud and dead fall. Not long after, the “road” takes a hard right and goes up a leaf covered rocky hill.  The 28 tooth ring was working overtime and I managed to make it to the top without stopping, unlike many other riders around me at the time.  The descent from the hill was the same as the climb, and very sketchy. A cross rider in front of me wiped out rather spectacularly, but I dropped behind the saddle and remained upright.  I was admittedly taking the descent carefully (i.e. slowly). From there, was more unmaintained road which then connected to the gravel road leading to Nebo Ridge. 

Nebo was the same old Nebo.  Actually pretty solid, with a tough opening climb.  I was with a group of cross riders and mountain bikers and made short work of that section before hitting Berry Ridge Road.  BY this time the group had been whittled down to myself, a cross bike, and another mtber. We sort pf worked together on the downhill to Houston, Indiana but by the time we entered the little town, I was alone and the cross biker off the front, and the mtbr well behind.

The Mt. Baldy climb loomed ahead. 380 feet of climbing over 1 mile. I was in my small gear and spun my way past several other riders, including mountain bikers Jeff F. and Mike H., both very strong riders whom have raced DINO in the past.  Just short of the top was a SAG at the half way point. I rolled in and immediately passed off my bottles for refills, one with Heed in it, the other plain. I also ate a banana and tossed some Pro Gold lube on my terribly squeaky drive train. 

While my stop was efficient, it wasn’t efficient enough to prevent me from being passed by many of those I had passed on the climb. I shot down the paved descent from the top of Mount Baldy and spied some of those riders in the distance and set off. I passed a few on the next climb, Buffalo Pike and spotted Jeff and Mike farther up. While I got close before the “summit,” I couldn’t quite close gap before the drop to the flat lands leading to the next trail section.

This part was rough.  A few miles across fopen arm fields with exposure to the strong winds resulted in some suffering. The route hit a ridgeline and I gained on the mtbers in front of me. I eventually caught Jeff on a flat section soon after this (see 5:06 in the video above which is just after I passed Jeff and when the author drops me), but couldn’t catch Mike and another mtber before entering the second singletrack section.  The trail was very muddy in some spots, while pretty solid in others. The final quarter mile was downhill following a powerline easement, and then we popped out onto Pol Patch Road and a steep climb followed by a series of short, punchy climbs.

Here I lost sight of Mike and the other mtber and a cross rider who had joined them. I was mostly alone from this point until just before the end of the race, about 20 miles.

From the merge with Polk Patch the course makes a large loop through, past the Hickory Ridge Horseman Camp, before a long downhill back past the exit the second singletrack section.  Fairly uneventful in this section, other than a huge feral cat colony in an old motor home and getting passed by a cross rider who was absolutely flying.  Not sure who he was, but I suspect he was one of the top rides who may have flatted earlier or had some of other mechanical and was making up for lost time. 

The final trail section loomed ahead in the form of Hickory Ridge Trail 20.  It was mostly leave covered, although it had some sections in a pine forest which was muddy.  Near the end of the section, I spotted a cross rider ahead and was close to him when the trail emptied out onto Tower Ridge Road and the final SAG. I was handed a gel, got one bottle filled, and grabbed and ate half a granola bar. The cross rider was in the distance, and I worked my way up to him and made the pass, but was quickly re-passed just before starting the last big climb up Tower Ridge Rd.  During the climb I felt the first twinge of cramps, but not in my calves as in the past, but in the backs of my thighs. I had been eating pretty regularly which I think had held things in check.  However, I found I was able to continue to pedal and the cramping  eventually dissipated.

After the climb was a left had turn onto a gravel county road which led south to the Hickory Ridge Church. This was the homestretch and a fast, mostly level section. I picked up speed and was making good time. An occasional glance back confirmed that I was still alone.  Suddenly, a glance back and there were two cross riders who had come out of nowhere.  In due time they caught me and I could not hold their pace but stayed within a few seconds.

Hitting the final descent from McPike Branch Road, with about two and a half miles left, I glanced at the time and saw that I was sitting at 4:24.  I might just make my goal of 4:30. I pushed hard on the flat ground leading to the finish, ran across the iron bridge and came up to the final creek crossing at 4:28. The two cross riders who had passed me on McPike initially missed the crossing and had to turn around. I got by the female rider, and followed the male through what turned out to be the deepest part of the creek. No matter about soaking feet, the finish line was there and I was done.

After gasping for a few minutes, I checked the times and found that I had cross in 4:29, beating my goal time by one minute, and last year’s time by 16 minutes (on a harder course!) Myself and the bike were both pretty well trashed thanks to mud from the course.

 

I am expecting sponsorship offers from Orbea, Subaru, and Thule thanks to this pic.

As for results, I had no idea where I was in the standings, but figured I was well off the podium. I ate the post-race Yats, and then headed out before the raffle in order to meet my wife and have dinner in Bloomington.

Results were posted a few days later, and I ended up 8/52 in the mountain bike division and 42/231 overall.  I was thrilled with this result. A top ten in the division, especially one with some very good riders, was a solid win in my book. The overall wasn’t too shabby either. The first place mountain biker got 5^th overall, and came in over 30 minutes ahead of the second place mtber. As for myself, I was four minutes behind the next two mtber’s who finished together.

So, another Gravel Grovel is in the books. Again, decent weather was abound, although at some point we’ll have to get unlucky and find ourselves riding in snow or rain.  As for the new course, I give it a big thumbs up. More unmaintained/fire roads, the better. So until next year…or at least until the Death March.