2015 GRAVEL WORLDS

The Pirate Cycling League once again hosted this years Gravel World's the ride started out as The Good Life Gravel Adventure and in 2010 became the Gravel World's.  This was my 6th time doing the race so I at least had some idea of what I was getting myself into. Fellow 765 Racing team member Potenza was making his 5th trip to Gravel World's.  The PCL changes the course a little bit each year by adding a few new roads and keeping some of the crowd pleasing favorites. This year the race started on the North side of Lincoln in the Fallbrook neighborhood outside the Schilling Bridge Microbrewery.

 

The route was a giant counter-clockwise loop of Lincoln.  There was over 11,000 feet of climbing all of which was on never ending rolling hills.

 

Early miles Photo: Sunflower outdoor

 

 

Having finished the race the last 5 years I knew the pacing and nutrition are very important. The course and cue sheets were released on Tuesday before the race.  The first oasis would be 30 miles into the race and the last checkpoint would be 30 miles to the finish.  The weather forecast for the race was temperatures in the 90's with a strong 25-30 mph wind out of the south all day. I was having flashbacks to the 2013 Gravel Worlds and the Nebraska blast furnace of that year. 

 

B road outside of Valparaiso Photo: Lisa Janssen

 

My Fueling plan would be to use Hammer Nutrition products that I use during all of my training and in racing.  I carried my usual mix of Perpetuem and HEED in my bottles and several plastic bags premixed to refill my bottles.  I also carried several flavors of the Hammer Gel and Hammer Bar to have when I stopped at an oasis.

 

The first 30 miles to Valparaiso was overcast and rather uneventful which is a good way to start out a 150 mile race.

Photo: Lisa Janssen

 

 



After we purchased our Power Ball tickets in Malcom it was a grind into the wind for the next 2 1/2 hours.  The Denton wall this year had lots of deep soft gravel near the bottom combined with the headwind I was moving at a blistering 3 mph on the climb.

 

Photo: Lisa Janssen

 

 

The heat and the wind had taken its toll on me by mile 100 in Hickman and my legs were dead.  Luckily we headed north and with the strong tailwind was able to keep moving at decent pace.

 

After eating pickles at the Brown Family farm oasis mile 112. Photo: Sydney Brown

 

Around mile 130 Photo: Lisa Janssen

 

Photo: Lisa Janssen

 

 

I was pleased to have finished the race for the sixth time with my second fastest time of 10:47 which was good enough for 42nd overall and 29th Men's Open.  765 racing had a good showing with Potenza coming in at 10:35 for his forth finish 40th overall and 27th in Men's Open.

 

Potenza!