C.O.G. Blogging Beats

Wow, it's half a month into 2019, and I finally got around to making a blog post. I know that blogging is becoming more and more archaic in the Social Media Age (a thing which I have bemoaned on occasion, here), but it still is the best medium for some forms of discourse.

For the next couple of months, I'll be posting about the lead-up and preparations for an event in which I'll be participating. If someone does happen to read it, that will be very cool. If not, I have a record of this for myself.

If you look at the blogroll on the right-hand side of the screen, you will find a listing for "Guitar Ted". Mark, the real guy behind "Ted", was the co-originator and Race Director of the Trans Iowa gravel race for 14 years. This past year, he announced that the Trans Iowa (a 300+ mile race on gravel roads) was done, and he would be moving on.

Shortly thereafter, he floated the idea of a 100 mile, gravel road race, for single-speed bikes. This was dubbed the C.O.G. 100 (Creatures Of Gravel). The details can be found here, if you want the specifics. In short, it is an unsupported (no aid stations, etc.) 100 mile race outside of Grinnell, Iowa, on an unmarked course. Navigation is by old-school cue sheets, and there is only one resupply opportunity on the course (and one slightly off-course).

GT's description:

Course Update: I have re-routed the course to avoid a bridge that we discovered was out during recon a week or so ago. The mileage will be 111.87 miles. There will be an option to hit a convenience store at Mile 43 where you could leave the main course, and take a little over two mile detour to a convenience store. So, out and back to the course again you're looking at almost 5 bonus miles to make a pit stop. That would bring your total to approximately 117 miles for the day, barring any off course mistakes, etc...

Otherwise you'll have to pack water and food to make it to Mile 87 where there will be a convenience store just a few paces off the route. That will be a store that is pretty obvious as you are riding along, so there shouldn't be any issues finding it. But, those are the only suggested resupply options. Remember- There Will Be NO AID STATIONS- NO OUTSIDE SUPPORT ALLOWED- YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU! 


Considering the fact that I haven't ridden a bicycle in a serious manner for the past couple of years, this race presents me with a real training challenge. From the time I signed up, until Race Day, is only a span of 78 days (74, as of now). There is a day's worth of travel to get to Grinnell, from Denver, and I have a four-day trip out of town coming up, this week. Recovery days and other extenuating circumstances will probably also come into play, so I have to make my training count.

That said, I went out for some snowy training rides on Saturday and Sunday of last weekend. The picture at the top of the page is from my Saturday ride. I didn't go far, but I went hard, on a relatively high-effort bike on snow and ice. So, I got a good workout.

This picture is from Sunday's training ride. You can see a theme developing...

In addition to getting myself in shape, I have to build a bike for the race. as well. I am utilizing my old alloy 29er frame, with sliding dropouts, to build up a bike that I hope will be the most appropriate bike for this. Parts are trickling in and, once it's complete (or close to it), I will post about the build. In the meantime, I am agonizing over the gearing, since the course is said to be quite hilly, with numerous steep rollers.

That kind of terrain is not my favorite, to be honest.

So, I have to try to gear the bike low enough for short, steep hills, and high enough for the downhills and flats. At this time, I am leaning toward a gear in the 58-62 gear-inch range. I don't want to be so slow on the easy parts of the course that I have to spin my legs off to make the cut-off time (10 hours), but I don't want to blow my knees out on the climbs, either.

Here is a short list of the challenges involved, as I see them, and subjects of upcoming posts:

1. Physical fitness and ability to sit in the saddle for 100 miles (That is something which was once routine to me!)

2. Building up an appropriate bike

3. Gearing the bike correctly

4. Clothing - Weather at that time of year is highly variable in that part of Iowa!

5. Fuel - I have been following the Keto Diet since July of last year, with a weight loss of 35 pounds. I will have to modify that, somewhat, to engage in endurance cycling. But, I don't want to go completely off of the plan. 

6. What to carry on the bike, and how - This is actually not as big a challenge as some of the others, due to my experiences riding numerous solo, mixed-terrain centuries, a few years back.

I have a reserved hotel room for that Friday and Saturday night, in a hotel just a couple of miles from the Start/Finish, and I have the CRV in which to make the trip. I'm hoping to get Brad to go along as moral support/emergency extraction (in case of a DNF - the organizers are not offering any aid, at all, as part of the challenge). If he can't make it, I have a short list of other candidates to ask.

I don't want to make this too post darn long, plus I need to get out on a longer, lower-effort ride today. So, I'll end this here, for now.

More to come...

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