All week the forecast remained consistent. 90% rain, probably storms, and a good chance the course was going to be a deluge. Had I not been working my ass off and excited to race, it would have been an easy morning to stay in bed. Matter of fact, I scrolled my phone until 5:45 am thinking about it. Mentally, I knew that would be a poor start to the year, so off I drove. About 10 minutes to Saint Croix Falls, I suddenly felt I forgot something. Surprise, my jersey was still on the drying rack. More mental battles ensued as the weather was quickly fading, but I made peace supporting Cyclova XC for the great event!
It was raining, but warm enough with promises that the sand from 17-24 miles was going to be firm. That was certainly enticing after last year. By sand, think deep beach sand for miles. It can zap legs within a half mile. Soon enough we were rolling. No one was particularly motivated to lead charge which was a nice gradual warm-up. Gravel races often start like this which is appreciated. Everyone stuck close until outside of the sand from what I could tell. I wavered between 1st and 10th based on how much grit I wanted to consume. The course was extremely wet, but it wasn't raining so far.
What's gorgeous about this course is the first 50 remote miles. You pass wide open lakes, countless bird sanctuaries and an abundance of skipping deer. It really is spectacular, even on a wet day. The beauty of gravel racing is that people ride hard, but also have fun. By mile 30, I just couldn't shake how bad I needed to stop and pee. The thought of losing contact with the top 15 was making me hold out until then, but alas, I couldn't hold for 70 miles. I signaled my exit and quickly braked to leap off the bike. Phenomenally, the majority of our group stopped and others slow pedaled to wait. God, did I mention I love the folks that show up to race gravel? It really is an enlightening experience - no attitude, camaraderie, grit, and unsupported racing. You just can't beat it!
By 60, the effort was getting quite thick as we pace lined asphalt into Webster. No doubt I was feeling it and my time up front was becoming more abbreviated. This meant insane amounts of water at garden hose pace. It was raining which made for pretty blinding conditions at points. Thankfully the wind wasn't present to chill us, though my legs were certainly cold. Somewhere between then and mile 65 we turned onto the Gandy Dancer state trail to head home. Immediately, we were greeted by humiliatingly soft class 5. A handful of folks jogged off the front and I was immediately zapped in no-mans land shelling myself while going less than 15mph. This can't really last for 35 odd miles I thought.
People went up and then fell back. What I didn't realize was the entire group had shattered with many strong riders no where in sight. The leader was strong and kept putting on distance. I hung with the second rider, but he decided to bridge up. I just didn't have it and knew in that low moment it would be a poor choice. I watched as he slowly reeled in the leader and they worked together out of site.
It was just my thoughts, two legs, and the Gandy Dancer. I remembered why this course was brutal. An isolated rail trail for 35 miles makes you go deep into your head. Add extremely soft conditions and you have a match made in hell. It's a slow climb back to Saint Croix Falls and I felt every mile pass - I noticed mileage signs around 23 out which didn't really alleviate anything. In the remaining miles, the sun poked out, the trail firmed a touch, and I was greeted by the company of 70 and 30 mile racers every so often.
As I rolled into town with zero fan fare, I was left again in awe by the beauty and brutality of this fairly "flat" course. It takes everything from you and leaves you with a thirst for more. It's unassuming and strong willed, ridden by people that want to have fun pushing each other. Overall, I was happy with both my fitness and more importantly my mental strength. It was a great test at the end of a full week of training and I rolled away shortly off the lead for 3rd. Hats off to all those that rode out there. For those that didn't, make sure to follow Cyclova XC for next year's date. It's a gem, rain or shine!
What worked:
- Nutrition: 5 Hammer Gels, 3 Endurolytes, 3 Anti-Fatigue caps, 2 24oz bottles of Perpeteum, 1 Clif Bar
- Tires: Panasonic Driver Pro 29 x 2.2
- Revelate Jerry Can - interfered way less with my natural pedal stroke to have the top tube bag attached to my seat post versus my steer tube. Still held all of my nutrition, so no problems there!
What didn't work:
- Had a pretty fail proof race. Didn't need to carry a wind breaker, but oh well.
- Picked pea sized gravel from my ears, nose and eyes the rest of the evening!