UCI Gravel World Championships 2023, October 7-8, Italy

[ChewbaccaDefense]

The BWR Kansas course was really fun. Hardly a flat section, cold and windy. Didn't have my best day on the bike, but pretty respectable for a nearing 50 yr old. The field size was pretty small. Probably didn't help that Little Sugar was the same weekend. A couple young guys that I have gotten to know due to their spending the majority of their time in Colorado going to school were 1st and 4th so the post race beers were fun.

I watched some of the videos (one with a lot of footage with Daxton) from the race, and it looked like a nice course. Glad you had fun!

I ended up doing an organized century last Saturday...started with a pack of about 5, who were averaging a bit more than I wanted to go, that early, so I dropped off thinking I'd get caught by another pack...never did, and turns out I was about 5 minutes back of the pack I dropped off of, the entire time...so I spent 95 miles in the wind. It was fun though, super flat ride around the smallest mountain range in the world (Sutter Buttes).

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I guess he flatted 4 or 5 times and finished with a different tire on his bike. A friend said that Pidcock passed him 3 different times.

I figured he must have catastrophically flatted, considering some of the people that finished ahead of him.

 

[Sciatic]

A little over 31 years ago, after my first year of being clean and sober, I balled up a pack of Marlboros, threw it away, and bought a cheap road bike from the local shop. I started, not even being able to ride 3 miles. 32 clean and sober years later, I'm still riding. I'm not super fast, but I can still get on my bike and ride 7 hours, and it doesn't completely waste me to do so. I love riding my bike.

Great to hear!

 

[ManicJack]

I watched some of the videos (one with a lot of footage with Daxton) from the race, and it looked like a nice course. Glad you had fun!

Daxton is a really nice kid. His dad Aaron is VP of Trek. Known him since he was a sales rep.

 

[Unchained]

The BWR Kansas course was really fun. Hardly a flat section, cold and windy. Didn't have my best day on the bike, but pretty respectable for a nearing 50 yr old. The field size was pretty small. Probably didn't help that Little Sugar was the same weekend. A couple young guys that I have gotten to know due to their spending the majority of their time in Colorado going to school were 1st and 4th so the post race beers were fun.

Congratulations.. Sounds awesome

 

[Unchained]

A little over 31 years ago, after my first year of being clean and sober, I balled up a pack of Marlboros, threw it away, and bought a cheap road bike from the local shop. I started, not even being able to ride 3 miles. 32 clean and sober years later, I'm still riding. I'm not super fast, but I can still get on my bike and ride 7 hours, and it doesn't completely waste me to do so. I love riding my bike.

I love stories of bicycle connections to health both mental and physical. In my life I have met people who have been transformed through a bicycle, from weight loss, rehab from injury to spiritual experience after divorce, drugs,death and pain. I rode bikes as a kid, BMX was a thing. As an adult I got on a bike because the ball joint and complete lower control arm assembly on my Volkswagen bent under and broke off..borrowed a bike until I had the money for the repair. I was mostly into tennis and golf, found that the bike made me better at both. Funny that I can still remember the sensation of riding @30+ minutes to the tennis court and I was noticeably better. Started chasing guys in lycra around San Diego and a few suggested that I get out of my sweat pants or swim trunks and go to the next level.. I did.. I have ridden w all kinds, National champions, TDF stage winners, TDF winners and ex alcoholic and drug users and everyone in between... this week I rode w a small group of Mexicans and at the turn around point was asked what the difference is from riding in the US..I said the obvious.. when you buy mini white powdered donuts at the mini market in the US they come 6 to a pack and in Mexico there are 8 small donuts so that is significant..
I don't think that the consumable income of most Mexicans will have financial headroom for a dedicated gravel bike, but Mexico and the US have one thing in common the majority of the best roads are dirt roads. I personally think that riding on dirt roads is a great way to expand cycling.. and not everyone wants to bomb down mountains over coffee can sized rocks and risking death.

 

[Unchained]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OTWCZWx6keE&pp=ygUSIGVucmljbyBjYXBwZWxsYXJp


Some of the video and photography in general are outstanding