I have an upcoming crazy / stupid / bad idea ride coming up. It’s one of those rides that makes people pause and say “wait, you’re doing WHAT?!” and I couldn’t be more pleased. This comes on the heels of my one year spinal fusion anniversary, and it seems like a fitting celebration if you ask me.
Category: Ultracycling
Alexander Cue Sheets
Annotated Alexander cue sheets with resupply points marked!
Long Distance Rides: Planning and Preparation
Want to go on a long cycling journey of your own creation but don’t know where to start? This post outlines my planning process
Alexander 380 Rematch – Fallexander Day 3 – Salvation
My tired legs were fading fast and I found myself counting 5 pedal strokes at a time, then 4, then 2, then 1. “One, one, one …”
Alexander 380 Rematch – Fallexander Day 2 – The Dark Day
I trudged up Oriole, hating the course, hating its maker, and hating the stupid idea of biking 380 miles of gravel over 3 days as a recreational ride.
Alexander 380 Rematch – Fallexander Day 1
I had a gnawing deep down after not finishing the Alexander 380 this spring due to an ill-timed mechanical, and I was simultaneously determined to tackle the course again but also wanted to walk away and never look back. My tenacious attitude got me back on the bike and now that it’s over I’m SO glad I did.
A Score to Settle
I have a score to settle. You know those races, rides, or routes that haunt you because you KNOW you could have done better on a previous attempt?
Ride Across Iowa in a Day (RAID, or RAIIAD)
Every so often, I get restless. Ok, well, I get restless a lot. I am goal oriented to a fault and need something on the horizon to keep me pushing, striving. My boyfriend made the mistake of goading me into riding across Iowa in a day, telling me I needed to find other riders and plan a route, and he’d make sure we had transportation covered. I’m not sure he realized that once the gauntlet has been thrown down, I won’t give up on something! Here’s the story of our day.
The Alexander 380: Part 2
(This is the second half of my Alexander 380 story, the 380 mile gravel race that is the “big brother” of Almanzo. Read the first part here.) As we left the first gas station stop at mile 70-something, we soon crossed over highway 52. It was so tempting to cruise down the big hill to Decorah, to a hot shower, a warm bed, and excellent ice cream. Ugh. We pedaled on, and not long after leaving Kwik Trip the rain started to fall. First it was a few drops, and then the sky opened up with a vigorous rain. We were Read More
The Alexander 380: Part 1
The Alexander 380. The little known big brother of its famous baby sibling Almanzo and the middle child, the still popular but slightly less known Royal. These three races make up a trio of notorious gravel rides in southeastern Minnesota. The Almanzo is 100 miles, the Royal is 162 miles, and the Alexander is 380 miles. Three. Hundred. And. Eighty. Miles.