2011 Gritty Brevet (104 Mile)

The start from 30th Century Bike Shop in Iowa City.

I am happy to report that I successfuly showed up for and then finished the 2011 Gritty Brevet in Iowa City.   I had been using this event as a motivator to get my cyclocross bike out and put some gravel mileage on it...  My only other event-specific training preparations were to devour an entire Chicago style pizza the night before, capping it off with a trip to Culver's for a double scoop Sunday...  Additionally, I had my cue sheets printed off, laminated, and affixed to my bike, and made sure to bring extra tubes. 

About 40 people began this journey, 33 of which had signed up to do the 104 mile route.  A question that seemed to linger on a few of the participant's minds was whether or not this was a 'race'...  I really felt that this event was going to be all about simply having the mental and physical fortitude to last to the end, so wasn't feeling compelled to be competitive.  Finishing well would be a bonus, but no matter how fast you do 104 miles, it is going to have a fitness enhancing effect.  On the other hand, I hoped to arrive with the first group of finishers, which meant I was committed to riding at whatever tempo the group was setting.

 

Rolling up Prentis Ave. to make our first right... grab your cue sheets.

The group rolled along at a relaxed tempo for quite some time.  I had my cue sheets out, but really didn't expect to have to use them unless I got isolated from the group somehow.   Paul D. and Lou W. had accepted my suggestion to enter this event, and I was glad to have teammates in the event, mostly for mental support and perhaps navigational reinforcements. 

Unfortunately, Lou got a flat right about the time that the group was starting to gain momentum.  He told me and Paul to just go ahead, but I was reluctant to leave him behind, knowing we could work together to get back up to the group.  I pedalled softly for quite some time, and noticed that two guys from Atlas (Nick Martin and Jim Cochran) were rolling out ahead of the group.  I wasn't going to chase this down with Lou still behind us.  Some of the guys from Mercy Specialized took some pulls, but ultimately this was way early in the event for two guys to hold the group off.  More importantly, who wants to fumble with cue sheets at high tempo for over 70 miles?

Well, eventually it was clear that Lou wasn't coming back to the group so we rolled along as the group dwindled down to about 20.  About 40 miles into the event,  someone realized that we were off course... I think the 'dead end' sign was an indicator... This was a dark moment for everyone... we were all guilty of assuming that someone knew the route and was navigating... most of us were blindly following along...  Someone eventually came up with a plan to get us back on the route, unfortunately this would be at a cost of about 16 extra miles.  So, catching Jim and Nick was no longer an option... the race was officially over.

I had to continue to blindly follow until we got on a familiar road near the Riverside casino... Yes!  Riverside was on the route... I got my cue sheets out and put the hammer down... I was free to finally ride my own event.   I was a bit frustrated with myself for not taking some initiative early on to self-navigate, and I was disappointed that there was no longer any way for me to finish with the leaders.  On the other hand, this challenge was far from over... would I have the mental and physical perseverance to finish this thing?  After all, I was looking at a minimum of 120 dusty, bumpy, and hilly miles.

My cathartic tempo setting thinned the group out quite substantially, and there were only about 8 of us still rolling along about half way through the route.  I had my cue sheets out struggling to read them at times, as the vibrations made this challenging.. Whenever I was leading the group, I looked over my shoulder at each turn to make sure that the guys were following.  Slowly but surely, there ended up being just 4 people still in my group.  It was reassuring to see fellow participants who had stayed on course, as we travelled along.  Their decision to follow the cue sheets and ride at their own tempo had saved them the extra 16 miles.

Another turning point with a sign angled the wrong way meant yet another 2 mile wrong turn.  We had met Kevin Connely at this turn.  He noticed we were off course and turned around.  I followed him because I was determined to stay on course and finish this event.  Plus, I really didn't know where I was, so staying on route meant that I could use the cue sheets to navigate my way to the finish.  It was getting sort of embarrassing because I was passing some of the same people for the third time... 

Me and Kevin road together for many miles.  We stopped at a convenience store at mile 75 and I refueled with Gatorade and Red Bull.  Red Bull really does give my wings, so at some point Kevin got really quiet and then told me he was going to sit up... Ok, it was just me... at about mile 94 (or Mile 110 adjusted for the extra mileage) and my cue sheets with 10 miles of gravel goodness ahead.  Each time I successfully navigated a turn I fist pumped the air... "Yes, I am most likely going to make it back to Iowa City without any more 'bonus milage'."

I rolled in at 3:12pm, with 7 hours of saddle time and 120 miles.

The finishing party next door to the bike shop... My brain is in a fog and my eyes are blood-shot,
as I am quite exhausted and incoherent.

I think I got the most mileage in, but that is hardly something I am proud of.  I learned that I would have finished faster by riding slower.  I really did enjoy the experience and can't believe I got in 120 miles this time of the year.  This was a great work-out that might help me battle it out at a couple of cross races later on.  It is also re-assuring to think that if I do this again next year, that the course will be much shorter, because I vow to stay on it... 

Ultimately about half of the 100 mile participants finished the event. Each person had their own journey... the preceding was mine... Below are the results that demonstrate that everyone had a unique experience.

1-Jim Cochran 100 mile 6hrs 10min
2-Nick Martin 100 mile 6hrs 10min
3-Audrey Wiedemeier 100 mile 7hrs 9min
4-Chad Bishop 100 mile 7hrs 12min
5-Kevin Donnelly 100 mile 7hrs 14min
6-Chris Delsandro 100 mile 10hrs 17min
7-Scott McDonough 100 mile 7hrs 21min
8-Lisa DeShano 100 miles 7hrs 28min
9-Dennis Grelk 100 mile 7hrs 28min
10-Andrea Cohen 100 mile 7hrs 39min
11-John Martinek 100 mile 7hrs 39min
12-Henning Gerke 100 mile 7hrs 39min
13-Bennett Bork 100 mile 7hrs 43min
14-Eric Waldron 100 mile 7hrs 43min
15-Jody Gorsch 100 mile 9hrs 43min
16-Kim Carpenter 100 mile 10hrs 17min
17-Mark Pooley 100 mile 10hrs 17min
Kim & Sue West 100 mile DNF
Scott  Hansen 100 mile DNF
Mark Sorenson 100 mile off route (again…), still got 100!
Tonya Johnson 100 mile DNF
Eric Arey 100 mile DNF
Ryan Nenninger 100 mile DNF
Wayne Fett 100 mile DNF
Tom Sulentic 100 mile DNF
Michael Edwards 100 mile DNF
Gary McNabb 100 mile DNF
Joe Hetrick 100 mile DNF
Garett Lee 100 mile off route – still got 100
Chris and Monika Martin 100 mile DNF
Rick Hopson 100 mile DNF
Paul Deninger 100 mile DNF
Lou Waugman 100 mile DNF

Lead finisher Jim Cochran reminding everyone the
importance of following your Cue sheets.

Everyone who lined up to ride 104 miles over this challenging terrain should feel successful regardless of whether things turned out according to plan or not. Steve G. posted a recap and some photos on the Gritty Brevet Webite.