Tour of Hermann Gravel Challenge #fuledbyscience #thisismaplewood #justanotherdayonthebike

The past weekend was the Tour of Hermann Gravel Challenge. Day 1 was 95 miles and 7200+ feet of climbing. The weather looked bad to start the day off but luckily the rain ended and the wind wasn't as bad as it suppose to be. I took off around 9 miles into the race once we got to the first big hill. We had 3 - 30+ mile loops to do. It was nice to break the race up into sections. The second loop had a lot of challenging hills that just kept coming one after another. On the 3rd loop the gravel was really loose so it made it hard to get any traction going up the climbs. I finished the first day in just over 5:30 hours of riding.
Day 2 started off with great weather. Warmer temps and a bigger field of riders made for a nice day. We had around 18 miles on the Katy Trail to start things off. We got a good paceline going so it made for a nice warmup. My legs actually felt really good despite race hard the day before. Once we got to the hills the field thinned out quickly. About 4 of us broke away but we still worked together well. Cody (a Cat 2 racer) pushed the pace, so I tried to just settle in and not work any harder than I had too. Once we got to the end of the first lap (52 miles) one of the stopped, so we were down to 3 in the pack. When we took off for the second lap (52 miles), Greg said he was going to drop back also. That left Cody and myself for the rest of the day. Cody continued to push the hills and a couple times it was hard to hang on. We kept talking and Cody didn't seem to want to ride much harder so we were able to work together most of the day. Cody did a lot of the pulling since I was getting pretty tired as the day went along. I still was able to climb well when I had to, so that was encouraging for Dirty Kanza. Cody is also doing DK and The Epic 150 coming up this weekend.
I have been really pleased how the training has been going this spring for DK. I know that I will need to get a couple more really long rides in prepare. I am still a little worried about my nutrition for the race. I really tried to eat a lot of food during Day 2 and it seemed to work well. Hydration is going to be a big factor at DK and I still debating on what I am going to do for that part.

Another good week on the bike. #fuledbyscience #thisismaplewood

This past weekend the weather has warmed up and I got to start working on my tan lines. Saturday was the Missouri State Road Race. We had about 30 people in the Cat 4 race. There were three good climbs in the 21 mile loop and we had to do it twice. I tried to get things rolling a couple of times, but I couldn't get anyone to go with me on the hills. After opening a gap on the last hill in the first lap, about 10 riders pulled me back. I knew I couldn't keep away on the flat with the cross wind. The next lap nobody really attacked the hills, so I sat in on most of them. Once we got to the last flat section going into the finish, three guys tried a breakaway. I was able to pull them back in but I brought the rest of the guys with me. The last couple of miles we just rolled on into the finish. I made the first move with about 1000 meters out. I thought it was probably my only chance with the field and we had good headwind. I ended up 8th in the sprint. It was a good day and I know if I waited I may have placed a little higher.
Sunday I needed a long ride in order to keep preparing for Dirty Kanza. My goal was to ride for 8-9 hours and not really worry about how many miles I got in. I ended up riding with a couple of fellows who were wanting to get in some good climbing for the day so it was good for me to sit in and not ride real hard. I ended up with 142 miles in a little over 8 hours.
The Tour of Hermann gravel race is coming up a couple weeks - Saturday 90 miles & Sunday 100 miles. This should be a good training weekend for DK and there will be a couple guys there who are also doing DK.
I want to give a big shoutout to Science in Sport for their support this spring. Using the electrolyte drink and gels during the race and long ride this weekend kept me rolling without any problem. I am still trying to figure out my nutrition for DK but I know that my drink & gel selection is good.

Fools Day Crit - Cat 4 - 1st Place #fuledbyscience #thisismaplewood

I had a great race at the Fools Day Crit. This was my first real race as a Cat 4 and I was able to breakaway and hold on for the win. There was a good (steep) hill on the course that broke up the lead group after a few laps. A couple guys tried to get a break going as we came into the prime lap. I was able to get the sprint for the prime and then began my breakaway. Since most of the guys were having trouble with the hill, I was able to get the win by a little over 30 seconds. This coming weekend is the Missouri State Road Race on a really hilly course. Hopefully thing will work out in my favor again, but I will be just happy to get on the podium.