ROAD, DIRT AND FRANKENSTEIN

GRAVEL RIDING IS HERE and it is killing off road racing in these parts.  The turn out is bigger, the energy greater...

... it is fun and new.

Promoters don't know what to do.  
Some are threatened, some are on the band wagon,

Racers don't know what to do.  
Stick with the small fields or head on over to larger fields.

But, there is a problem as I see it.

Several.

First gravel racing isn't really racing.  

Hear me out.

Gravel racing is more like a gran fondo, a mass start adventure served with caviar and wine. Nobody is really there to win, but a few pros.  The rest are there to ride fast, bump bars, maybe shed some skin...

... and pedal for an absurd amount of time.

There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not racing.  This is racing:

• Lining up with riders of similar talents.
• Getting after it with power,
• and guile.

Gravel is a lot of fun, and it drew me in a few years back...

... I think it could be even more funner.

My typical gravel ride around here is limited.  We just don't have endless dirt roads.

We have some dirt,
and some single track,
and all kinds of horse trails,
plus back alleys and sidewalks and curbs,
and of course lots and lots of concrete and tarmac.

Which means my gravel rides aren't really gravel at all...

... they are a helluvalot more fun.

Each time I roll out on my gravel bike, I'm like Dr. Frankenstein building the parts from each terrain...

• jumping
• sliding
• climbing
• hammering
• carving

... I'm not a gravel rider,
I'm a Frankenrider.

What would make gravel racing more fun?

• Shorter courses
• Requiring more skill
• With categorized riders

Or maybe it would ruin it all together when the angry step dad, UCI, found out we were having fun and came in to make it "legit".

Speaking of legit, I have determined that for me the right tool for Frankenriding is an old hard tail.

• Party up front
• Business in the back
• No fretting if things get messy on course

Maybe it's just more representative of who I am as a person? 

I dunno.

I do know this.

I'm planning to race more MTB this year, and being as close to my MTB position on all rides is going to be helpful...

... Frankenriding is the only way to log the Zone 1 and Zone 2 miles.

https://pedalindustries.com/pages/raceday-ready-2023-ala-todd

Frankenriding also requires more upper body strength.

https://pedalindustries.com/pages/raceday-ready-2023-ala-todd 

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164
8 hrs Sleep
1 RaceDay Ready Strength Circuit
0 minutes recovery 
80 minutes reading + Journaling