Pedaling for the Paws - Gravel Everest

ENDURANCE:  The struggle to continue against the mounting desire to stop.

This was my third time combining an ultra endurance challenge with a fundraiser for my local animal shelter.  I am lucky that I have several BDR (Big Dumb Ride) buds that I can rotate through 😂😂😂. I didn’t even have to ask this time, as Dave Jolin volunteered.  I guess he forgot the “shock and awe” of the DMR YoYo 2 years ago.

The Strava segment I chose to ride over and over and over again, for a total of 21 repeats, was the “Final Push to the Skyway,” gaining 1446 feet over 3.5 miles. This segment was on North River Road, just outside of Tellico Plains, Tennessee.

The morning of, I awoke to my inner alarm clock at 3:30 am, grabbed a mug of Christopher Bean Caramel Macchiato and dumped enough honey into it to cause a diabetic to go into a coma, and headed out the door.  But quickly went back in to make race weight.

We both brought back up bikes, back up recording devices, back up batteries, and enough food to feed Washington’s army. I chose to ride my Niner Air 9 RDO, the oldest in my stable; but also the lightest at 20 pounds. She had easier gearing than my Trek CheckPoint and front suspension. And 2.2 Race Kings for that rolling resistance!

Looking at this challenge in its entirety can be daunting.  I took the “eating an elephant one bite at a time” approach.  While Dave chose to focus on one repeat at a time, I broke it done into four efforts of 5 laps each.  Anyone can do 1 more, so I told myself I had to do 20; the 21st one would be a “victory lap.”

We began at 6:18 am with a starting temperature of 60 degrees.  We had parked up at the top of the climb, at Santeelah Gap. The air was crisp, so I did the first lap with my windbreaker and heavier gloves. These first 5 repeats I wanted to feel like I was going to easy. Our plan was to stay together the entire time, unless one of us imploded. 

The first 5 went by rather quickly as my legs were sparkly.  Listening to the forest come alive as the sun rose and hearing the cascading waters of North River made my heart swell with love for all things outdoors. Each ascent was 39-40 minutes and each descent was 9-10 minutes.  We stopped at the top each time to refuel food and water. By grabbing food at the top, we gave our stomachs a little time to start processing while we coasted back down to the beginning of the segment.

Repeats 6-10 were off to a great start by seeing Ali and Spencer Whittier, Brad Cobb, and a couple others who were riding the Tellico Highlands route. That gave me a little giddy up and I hit 38 minutes on a couple of them. Finishing the 7th ascent, I was at 50 miles and 10,000 feet.  I tried NOT to think that I was only a 1/3 of the way there, but that thought did creep into my mind on number 8, where I felt a lull in my energy.  So I popped a 200mg caffeine pill at the top.

I also had music I could listen to, but was trying to hold off and reward myself on lap 11 with some jammin’ tunes.  The caffeine kicked in on # 9 and 10, and I floated up the mountain! By now I was familiar with “the lay of the land.”. Knowing every inch and pitch, I used that to my advantage to find the smoothest lines and where to stand and hammer, working different muscles, stretching the back, and giving the taint a moment of reprieve.

After number 10, Dave took some extra time to heat up some chicken and rice on his propane stove.  Every repeat, I got off the bike not only to refuel, but to stretch out the lower back and hamstrings.  This layover, I was able to get in some more stretching of all my body parts. I did not mind the extra stopped time, as this was not a race and allowed for a little more self care.

Have a Coke and a cross-eyed smile!

Repeats 11-15 were getting incrementally harder.  Vehicular traffic had stirred up the gravel, changing our lines a little bit.  Although the temps may have approached 80 degrees, we were under tree cover 95% of the time, and there always was a cool breeze.  Our times were now in the 41-42 minute range. I listened to music for repeats 11-14, and even though I was slowing a little, I was able to keep my RPE (rate of perceived exertion) the same.  The second caffeine pill went down the hatch after the 13th repeat.

After the 14th time, we hit 100 miles and 20,000 feet.  I never truly felt that second caffeine pill kick in, On the 15th ascent, I could feel my stomach start to head south.  It was as if somebody stuck a basketball needle through my belly button and began pumping me up with air.  Man, if I could just fart!  I had a difficult time choking down a Honey Stinger waffle and that is my go to snack when my gut begins to misbehave.

Up until then, I had been refueling well:  300 calories and 20 ounces of fluid per ascent.  Foods were a bit of sweet and a bit of savory.  I was alternating Skratch Hydration and LMNT each repeat. But now, I had to switch to water and even that was hard to get down.  First time ever I felt nauseous doing one of these long events.  This angered me and fueled my desire to keep crushing.  The madder I get, the more deterimined I became.

Pedaling up the 16th time, I saw a rider coming my way.  It was Kevin Tumlin!  He came to give us a little morale boost, after working all day.  It was so good to see him.  He rode a few repeats with us.  And tried to offer words of encouragement and wisdom.  After telling him about my GI troubles, he advised to just suck on a shot block, which I did and was enough to trick my brain and legs into thinking they were getting the “juice” they needed.  So pretty much, for the last 5 laps, I was taking in 66 calories (2 blocks) and 4 ounces of water per ascent.

I put my lights on for the final 5 laps, as the sun was beginning to set. The fatigue monster was nipping at my heels.  So I reached around and gave him a big hug!  Nothing was stopping me now.  Lack of calories, no problem, as I could draw from my fat stores.  Lack of legs, no issue, I told them to shut the f*ck up! At least in the dark the road looked flat.  Dave was in a similar boat, so being there for each other, even if in silence, was enough to keep us pushing on the pedals.  

The final few descents even began to wear on us.  Dave’s stomach was more miserable on the chattery descents, so we slowed down.  This was probably also the smart thing to do, as our reaction times were slower as we got more and more tired.  I was also getting chilled from fatigue, so I put my windbreaker and heavy gloves back on for the descents and then would unzip my windbreaker and take my gloves off for the climbs.

Finally, on the 19th ascent, I began to expel the gas.  Farting never felt so good.  I was also able to eat about 200 calories worth of potato chips, once I finished that one. One to go and one victory lap.  On the 20th ascent I tried “mathing” to see if perhaps we could finish on a partial lap.  My brain was not cooperating and I did not want to take the chance of missing an Everest by a few feet.  So when I told Dave that indeed we needed to do a full final lap, I think he had a little toddler fit.  I almost laughed out loud, but knew the pain he was in, so kept it muffled.

On the final (victory) lap, I swear I heard a knocking in the woods;  a series of 3 loud wood knocks which repeated one time.  Sasquatch?  Or my own mind playing tricks on me at 3 am? 

The final ascent!

Around 3:30 am, I crested the top of the climb for the final time.  Dave and I gave each other a big bear hug!  Having someone there to suffer alongside definitely made this challenge an even more memorable one.  I could have shed tears of happiness if I wasn’t so dang depleted and dehydrated.  This was definitely not a “misery loves company” experience, but rather a wonderful day to be alive, strong, resilient, and durable.  Thank you, Dave, for being my co-pilot!

I ended up raising right at $2000 for my local animal shelter … with all your support.  Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Strava corrected elevation: 30,840

War Daddy

This race is one of my favorite mixed surface events.  It is touted as the hardest MTB race in Kentucky for good reason.  Normally it is 68 miles with 9000 feet of climbing.  Even though there is roughly 20 miles of pavement and 15 miles of smooth'ish gravel, the remaining miles are filled with enhanced gravel, moto trail, and single track. It is rare to see a gravel bike at this event.

This year, due to torrential rains in the week leading up to the race, a good portion of the trails were unrideable.  So John made the decision to shorten the race to 58 miles, leaving out the mud boggin' moto trails and the last 6 miles through the old strip mine. I still made the decision to race my SuperCaliber with 2.1 Bontrager Saint-Anne tires.

I stayed at the Wendover B&B, which I have always done in the past.  It is the historic home to the Frontier Nursing Service, dating back to 1925.  It was only Nick and I who stayed here; surprising, because of its peaceful location and inexpensive rates.

This year the women's field was the biggest ever.  With some heavy hitters and unknowns, I had no expectations.  I was just gonna leave it all out there and let the chips fall where they may. The temp at the start was 60 degrees and by the end was 75.

9 am was the shotgun start by Trevor, who knifed open a can of cheap beer and chugged it.  Throwing the empty can down on the ground signified that the race had begun.  There was a police escorted 5 mile lead out down the highway and through the town of Hyden, at a pleasant warm up pace. I positioned myself towards the front, but as soon as the car pulled off, people attacked like it was a short track race.

I let all the greyhounds by, knowing that I would reel some of them in on the Owl's Nest climb.  This was the first gut punch of the day.  I settled in and over the next mile, reeled a couple women back in.  Once over the top, it turned to gravel.  I flew down the backside picking off a few more racers and then motored the rollers.

On the flat gravel section next to the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, a fellow racer pulled up to me.  He looked familiar and told me that he used to ride the Outdoor Store Tuesday group ride back in the day. I had to ask for his name, to which he replied David Haines.  He now lives in Kentucky and has gotten back into riding.  That was so cool!  We took turns pulling, which was a blessing on this section.

Once we hit the second gut punch, War Baby, David lost my wheel and I was with a couple of single speeders.  It was here, only 20 miles in that my legs felt like 💩. Not really a surprise, as I haven't been doing any structured training this year. Too much time running with my doggos does not equate to being bike fast.  No regrets, however, as my life is evolving away from everything bikes and more towards a blend of adventure racing, hiking, running, strength training, and hanging with my "kids."

I had already drank one bottle, so I grabbed my second one.  As we all do, we grab the valve with our teeth, pull it open and then take a swig.  Well, the valve on mine broke off in my mouth.  That made it very interesting over the next miles trying to get water out of that broken bottle.  Fortunately that was the only mechanical of the day.

Once on top, it was an action packed descent, dodging mud holes and wash outs.  The Elkhorn section is always spicy, and even more so today, with the rivers of mud and water.

The third gut punch was War Dwarf.  This was the longest climb on the day at just over 2 miles, but felt like twice as long.  It felt like most of my watts were going into the ground as opposed to moving forward. It was definitely a slog. Once along the ridge, I began to feel a little better and then let'r rip on the Hell For Certain paved descent.  I came in too hot at the "T" in the road and overshot the turn.  

Twist N Sourwood was the next climb.  I felt somewhat better, reliving the 2019 edition where I met Jordan Sands for the first time on this section.  We were crushing it then and so I focused on this memory to see me through. At the top, around mile 34, I stopped at the aid station to swap bottles and slurp a gel.

I love the ridge riding of Grannie's Branch.  The gravel up on top is in perfect shape and you can rip on the rollers; hell, it feels like you are on an e-bike! I got some of my mojo back here, passing a few on the descent down to Big Creek.

I popped out on pavement for a 6 mile cruise. It was here that I befriended Yianni, a SS'r from Cincinnati.  Poor guy was spinning a 120+ cadence.  I got in front and pulled him along to give his knees and hips a break. I think he ended up 2nd in the single speed class.

Once we hit double track, the War Daddy climb was looming just ahead. But first I had to work my way along Mother Nature's cobbles (baby heads) of FR1600.  I believe the devil sprayed Miracle Grow on this section because these rocks had grown! Once I hit the War Daddy proper, my focus was on turning the pedals and not coming off the bike.  I have always been able to ride this and today was NOT the day for a hike a bike.

When you think you are at the top of War Daddy, the climbing is not finished.  There are a few more kickers along the ridge trying to break you.  But by now, I was smelling the barn, with 8 miles to go.  And there were a few carrots in my line of sight.  As bad as I felt, I just put my head down and time trialed it to the end.  When the legs started barking, I would stand and hammer some pedal strokes before settling back in the saddle.  This seemed to work and I slowly picked off a few more racers.  

At mile 55, it felt good to turn left instead of a right, signifying the beginning of the climb to the moto trail. I was kinda glad I did not have to slog through it and the strip mine section, as I was at my limit.  It was nice to finish off the final 3 miles on a paved descent.

I rolled across the line in 4:26, rounding out the podium in third place.  Mary bested me by 3 minutes and Sam slaughtered me by 29 minutes (silly strong youngster!). Although not my fastest time, I was pleased with the result.  I rode as hard as I could, had fun, and did not eat dirt ... all victories in my book.

There was plenty of post race food, a bike wash, and a shower.  I showered at the bike wash, after cleaning up Taz.  Hung out awhile for the podium and then headed back to Wendover for a proper clean up.  Later that evening there was an after party at the podium.  It was good to hang out with everyone and eat a home cooked meal.  Best after party of many a race I have been to over the years.

Those guys can play a mean guitar!

Put this one on your schedule for 2026.  And hopefully we will get to race the full monte.  And bring your mountain bike or you will have a 50% bad time.  You will NOT be disappointed.  And book a room at the Wendover.

Thanks to John Maggard and family for showcasing the hollers of Hyden, Kentucky where I was all smiles (well, maybe a few grimaces) all day.  And if you are an ultra runner, they are having the War Bird 100 in March.  Check it out!  

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