Camino205 Gravel Grinder Race Report 2014
The Camino205 - A challenging 205 mile Gravel Grinder in scenic NE Texas, with 205, 105 and 25 mile options, held on October 4, 2014. This report comes to Gravel…
K-Dogg’s L’Eroica Ride Report 2014
Gravel Cyclist presents one of the most epic ride reports ever. This is K-Dogg's story about the L'Eroica ride. Update 10/18/2014 - K-Dogg's Ride Video. The Heros: "An exercise…
JOM’s Iron Cross Race XII Report – 2014
About the Race The 12th running of Iron Cross was the 6th race of the American Ultra Cross Series, held in the Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania. The 12th and…
K-Dogg’s Pisgah Monster Cross Challenge Report – 2014
I love climbing. You suffer a lot but it’s peaceful. You can hear birds chirping and the deep, labored breathing of fellow sufferers around you. Everything is in slow motion and downright peaceful. You have plenty of time to pick your line. Nobody flats or crashes going uphill. I would much rather be in agony climbing for hours than experience 5 minutes of terror descending skittery gravel switchbacks.
For the last 3 years at extreme cx races I’ve tried hard to man up and go faster down the cliffs….but every time I get the courage to “let it go”… I crash spectacularly. At 59 (and living in Florida) drastic improvement is just not in the cards. So this year’s counter clockwise route of Pisgah Monster Cross should have been perfect with much more uphill, than down.
This year I didn’t crash but there were two close calls…. at the two exact spots they had warned us about. ” Two point three miles before forest service road bla, bla,bla and halfway between Bubba’s Still Road and Cherokee Revenge Holler.” “These washouts are real wheel grabbers so look for the multiple orange markers on your way down” said Cam.
Right.
Dave’s Pisgah Monster Cross Challenge Race Report – 2014
This race report comes to you courtesy of our new contributing editor, David Jordan. He foolishly agreed to do this, over the course of one Facebook message. Dave is another…
JOM’s Dirty 40 Race Report – 2014
About the Race
The Dirty 40 was the 5th race of the American Ultra Cross Series, held in beautiful Derby
, Vermont, very close to the Canadian border. The second edition of the race took place on August 30, 2014. While advertised as a 60 mile race with approximately 40 miles of gravel roads, in reality it is a 70 mile race (113 kilometres as I prefer) with about 55 miles of gravel. I found this out first hand courtesy of my course pre-ride, or tribal knowledge scouting as I prefer to call it.
My race video documenting the experience is HERE.
Accommodations
I must give kudos to the Four Seasons Hotel in Derby, where I’d based myself for three days leading up to the race. Uber convenient location to the race, beautiful surrounding scenery, and comfortable accommodations were perfect. Because Derby is so close to Canada, people have no excuses to make a trip by bicycle or car, over the border. Just don’t forget your passport! Here is what I got up to on Thursday and Friday, before the race.
K-Dogg’s Savage CX Race Report – 2014
Savage Monster CX, Version 2
“I’d much rather suffer pain than terror in a bike race,” I complained to anyone around me as I yet again clawed back to my companions.
I can throw my 148 pound skeleton up hill pretty well for a 59 year old… but descend like a plucked chicken with acrophobia. 
Plummeting down a 20 percent potholed, washboardy, marble-infested blind corner mountainside is not my idea of survivable fun-though others seem to revel in it. Somehow scores of CX’ers successfully fly past me down these sketchy roads with no problems at all… totally defying the laws of physics and coefficients of friction.
In North Florida we practice on sugar sand and potholed roads, except for the Flappalachian mountains (a geologic uprising between Lake City and Gainesville), we don’t have much to practice serious descents.
JOM’s Savage CX Race Report – 2014
About the Race
Savage CX 2014, race #1 of the Blue Ridge Monster Cross Series – August 23, 2014.
From the event website – 
“Savage CX is held in the only designated Wilderness area in North Carolina, it is wild and scenic. Often called the Grand Canyon of North Carolina, you will be in for a treat as you circumnavigate the gorge and push yourself to the base of Table Rock Mountain.”
Let’s Try This Again
That’s what myself and the Gainesville, Florida lads decided a few weeks after we appeared at the 2013 edition (2013 race video). Some of us didn’t have the best of luck at Savage CX 2013, and figured we should make amends in 2014. A bit of tribal knowledge from 2013 goes a long way in 2014. This year, K-Dogg, Dr Pain and JOM made the trip to Nebo, NC. Irish Ed had relocated to DC, so no Savage CX 2014 redux for him.
JOM’s Red Clay Ramble Race Report – 2014
Hosted by the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville and the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Habitat for Humanity, the Red Clay Ramble is a 56 mile gravel road bicycle race / recreational ride. 161…
Hilly Billy Roubaix 2014 & Cyclocross Magazine
Ultra CX is on the rise! Hilly Billy Roubaix and Ultra CX just made the web pages of Cyclocross Magazine, check out the article here. 
JR Petsko, you are an evil man for creating Hilly Billy Roubaix. Thanks!, I will be back for more stupidity in 2015.
You know Ultra CX and Gravel racing is *really* growing when a well known pro cyclist friend said to me… “One hour of punching* yourself doing laps in a park, versus cool gravel / extreme stuff.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Ultra CX and Gravel racing is GROWING. Embrace it (hugs). * = cleaned up.
Upcoming Race – Red Clay Ramble
Signed up! August 16, 2014, the Red Clay Ramble is happening in Milledgeville. Milledgeville, GA, is a small town about 30 miles North East of Macon, GA. The event is organized…
Upcoming Race – Savage CX 2014
Savage CX for 2014 is happening on August 23, 2014, and is the first race of the Blue Ridge Monster Cross Series. From the web page: "Savage CX is happening…