Ride/Race Report: Farmer's Daughter Gravel Grinder Chathum NY

[Jason Gonzalez]

Ride/Race Report: Farmer's Daughter Gravel Grinder (Chathum NY)

Everything came together, and it needed to, for nearly 7,000 feet of climbing (including one 4 mile climb from 6%-, 17% gradients) for the 65 mile grinder.

I had the 36/22 2X10 chainring and an 11-36 rear cassette on the Pugsley fatbike with 4" tires.

Course was a combination of hard/loose packed gravel, pavement, fireroads, and singletrack (including technical singletrack of rock gardens and tree roots).

There were 15 climbs each varying between .5 mile to 4 miles (averaging 2 mile climbs) with grades starting at 5% and going up to 17% (average of 9-10%).

All that said, it was still a struggle for me, I wanted to quit at 45 miles in, but stayed the course (literally). It was all I could do to just finish (though I didn't finish last). 

I am realizing now, at age 50, that being a true bike racer (trying to get into bike racing at age 49-50) competing against people usually between 22-35, and then against people within +/- 10 years my age who have been doing actual racing since they were teens, is a daunting task at best, and a near impossibility at worst. Bike handling skills, aerobic/anaerobic base capacity, etc. are things I'm still building, while most others have long since built and refined it. 

[David Alden-St.Pierre]

Yeah, the 50ish aged racers can be tough… some are older (“retired”) pro’s or other genetic freaks that aren’t really like most of us. 

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David Alden-St.Pierre, MS, PA-C
davidalde...@gmail.com

[David Alden-St.Pierre]

Jason—-great to meet you today!

[Jason Gonzalez]

Great to meet you guys and (briefly) ride with you.

I'm getting another wheelset which is an "in-between" between the fat tire wheel set and my 29er roadie wheelset (I have 700x25mm tires on it).

I'm putting on 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial tires on the new wheelset.

I'm also switching out the fat tires I have on my fat tire wheelset with Kenda Juggernauts.

Between the two maybe I'll be able to keep up with you guys!

Jason 

(913) 669-1842

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