Because of low traffic and road conditions, most gravel races in the Midwest are held in the Spring and Fall. By early Spring, most of the gravel that has been poured to winterize the roads has worn down to make it rideable. By Fall, the gravel that his been poured for Summer traffic is typically smooth as well.
In the Fall of 2016, the Michigan Mountain Mayhem race in Boyne, Michigan was held on October 1st. The Lowell 50 in Lowell, Michigan was held on October 22nd, and the Zionsville Harvest 50 in Zionsville, Indiana was set for October 29th.
I had previously raced the Michigan Mountain Mayhem course in 2015, and I knew what to expect with the climbing and the chilly temperatures, because the race was so far north. 2016 proved to be a much better year. Even though it was cold and rained off an on throughout the entire race, I beat my previous course record by over 26 minutes. I finished 5th woman overall and collected $75.
The Lowell 50 would also prove to be a fast course in 2016. I beat my previous time by 12 minutes, and achieved my highest gravel pace to date at 16 mph, finishing 5th in my age division. I am in the pink and black in the picture below, helping to pull for my friend Melanie, who won 1st place in the women’s fat bike division.
I had lost 10 pounds since doing Gravel Worlds in August, and I was convinced that the lighter weight was contributing to my new found speed on gravel hills. Because of my performance at MMM and Lowell, I was really looking forward to the Zionsville Harvest 50 on October 29th. I was hoping to achieve greater than 16 mph, since Zionsville was extremely flat. It was said to be only 800 feet of climbing in over 50 miles.
October 29th proved to be an incredibly beautiful day. It was sunny and unseasonably warm, in the 60’s, when we started the race. This meant that I could wear just shorts and a jersey, which makes for an even faster ride with less wind resistance. The race was to have a neutral start, with riders starting out at the historic Maplelawn Farmstead and riding about 2 miles to the starting line in a patch of woods, which is pictured at the top of this page.
We began riding from the Farmstead at 10:00 am, and were led by a Zionsville Police car. Even though this was supposed to be a neutral start, this pace car was going very fast, and riders were already jockeying for position.
After several miles, we came to the patch of woods which is pictured at the top of this post. The race start was to be on a broad, dirt walking path through the woods, which was covered with fallen leaves. I didn’t like this start, as racers were packed tight. I knew it would be impossible to see any holes, roots, or obstacles in front of me because of the leaves and the other riders. We were also told to be on the lookout for short, steel poles at the end of the path. This wasn’t good for my PTSD, because a short concrete pole on a bike path had been responsible for my broken arm the previous winter. I snapped several pictures in the woods, and soon it was time to start.
Within minutes, my friend Austin bunny hopped a large tree root in front of me, and I was grateful that he had seen it and had warned me. Thankfully, this trek through the woods was very short lived, and soon we were going very fast on some paved, rolling hills. I was thinking that this was going to be a very fast race. I was wrong.
First of all, Indiana gravel is not like Michigan gravel. It is thick, chunky limestone, which can be extremely uncomfortable. On a drop-handlebar gravel bike, this can wreak havoc on your hands, which take a lot of impact. Michigan gravel, on the other hand, is more like natural hard-packed dirt and sand. When conditions are right, Michigan gravel roads can be almost as fast as pavement. Indiana gravel can be fast when worn down to pea-sized chunks at the end of the Summer. However, it was clear that the roads in Zionsville had all been prepped for the large farm machinery of the harvest season, as well as the Winter. Most of the roads were covered in thick, freshly poured gravel.
The hills of Michigan also offer incredible wind protection. The flatlands of Indiana, especially as the wind-shielding crops are harvested, can produce some very cruel winds. Cruel winds + thick gravel = suffering. The Zionsville Harvest 50 turned out to be 52 miles of this equation.
In addition to the thick gravel and 20 mph winds, there was also a lot of stopping for traffic across busy highways. Some intersections had people assisting with the crossing, while others did not. At one busy intersection, I got separated from the group I was riding with. For a brief period, I found myself riding alone, struggling to maintain a speed of 12 mph against the wind. I fought to catch the wheel of a rider in front of me. He was an incredibly nice guy, as when he realized I was there, he kept looking back to see if I was on his wheel. He even slowed down a few times so I could get back on his wheel after I had fallen off. I was amazed by his chivalry, and I thanked him for being a Good Samaritan and helping me out. I had never encountered that kind of helpfulness in a race before. With his help, I was able to catch up to my friend Austin, who rode with me the rest of the race.
At one point, I heard someone behind me call my name. I looked back and was confused, because I didn’t know who it was. He said he read my name on the back of my number plate and recognized my name from Strava, because I am friends with his his friend Devin. He was a guy named Ted from Terre Haute, my hometown.
At about mile 40, Austin and I were travelling very fast because we had caught a brief tailwind. As we turned a corner, I slowed down, but didn’t anticipate how fast I was going with the tailwind. I hadn’t taken the corner cautiously enough, and I went down in about three inches of gravel. I hit the ground harder than I have ever hit, and my first thought was that I was not going to be getting back on the bike. I was angry that I wasn’t more cautious, and I was angry I crashed with only 10 miles to go. Austin helped me up and I made sure that I had full range of motion in my arm and shoulder, which had taken a huge impact. I could move everything, so I immediately got back on the bike. I decided I could be in pain either riding or sitting on the side of the road, so I decided to ride. I ended up with a bruise from my hip to my knee, some road rash on my arm, and a pulled something or other in my shoulder.
Perhaps the cruelest part of this race was that after we crossed the finish line in the woods, we still had several miles uphill to ride back to the homestead. I ended up in 3rd place in my age group, with a time of 14.68 mph. This was much slower than I had hoped, but not terrible considering the road and wind conditions.
The best part of the race was the nice gathering and lunch with friends at the Farmstead after we had finished. My sister Arlene and friend Sue had done the 25 mile ride on fat bikes, and my friends Kelly and Eric had finished 1st and 2nd place in the fat bike division. I’m glad that I had the experience, however, this is most likely a race I wouldn’t consider doing again.
