Well it has been a few months. Are you shocked I still have access to this account? Well a lot has occurred since the last post, Ella has joined the great hunt in the sky. And that sort of drove why I was going back to New York in the fall, and also it had nothing to do with it. It was an expected outcome with how her health and mobility was rapidly declining since Christmas.
In April I took a look at my work schedule with projects coming up and then overlaid any gravel/bike rides in New York during that window. I logged on to Bike Reg and I came across the Keuka Lake Gravel Classic put on by Steuben Strong Independent Cycling. I went to their website I saw the Cameron Crusher race date, October 8th. From there I asked Morgan if she wanted to see the trees turn again. It was decided, and registered in May.
After I registered I was riding pretty strong and then summer happened. Not feeling to bikey, chest issues, and moving Morgan in. Then in July I had a pretty good bike crash that put me off the bike for a week. Then I took my time getting my knee healthy.
So I kitted out the Santa Cruz Stigmata with a 12spd Ratio Technologies shifting kit. It modified a 1x11 Rival Shifter to be 12spd. I put a eagle XO1 rear derailleur, and a new 10-50T Sram Eagle cassette on. I also ran Vittoria 38mm Terreno Zero tires for the event.
The Day came, it was suppose to be dry, well the drizzle of the morning kept a mist hanging in the air, and would not let the ground dry out over night. It was the typical gloomy east coast rainy October day. The morning of the event it was a nice drive down I-390. Morgan and I pulled in to start area, and it was amongst piles of wood chips and cut logs in a field at the base of hill. I got registered and waited.
At the start 14 of us lined up and I took to the rear as I do not anyone or their skill sets, and this a enduro or a grand fondo timed event. So I settled in the rear, and then started climbing the old road bed up the hill.
I really had the worse tires for this event with the rain. I hit the first down hill, and it was straight, water was sheering off the road and the slick sections of the tire were losing grip. I kept it upright for now, but the pucker factor has settled in.
The descents kept getting steeper and curvier as the day went on. In hind sight, the Twin Six FSU with 2.35 Mezcals would have been the bike to have. But here I am climbing and descending on 38mms on wet gravel.
I ended up playing yoyo with a few people. What I did notice, I am not comfortable descending as I thought I would be. dropping 100 foot is not an issue, it is the speed getting up to 40mph and sustaining there, on open roads with blind corners that make unsettled. I did through the day get faster and comfortable. But as it is with most things, it is familiarity and comfort that breeds success.
Overall I enjoyed the ride, it was not my best day, but it was not my worse. I did 53 miles with 7,900 feet of climbing. In the end, I want to do it again. Also, thank you Morgan for the pizza waiting for me at the finish.
Final thought, no one there was a grouch. The crew hosting it was welcoming, no illusions of being a deal or snooty noses. It was hey, this is the course, get after it, and reach out if you need help. It is the way it should be, people saying, go do it, and we will to make you successful.
Comments
Post a Comment