GLAP: 2014 Midwest Gravel Riding Schedule

Hey All,

Winter is almost behind us (almost). Anybody planning to jump on the gravel train this year? I compiled a list of Great Lakes region gravel rides/races. Let me know your plans.

http://www.greatlakesadventureproject.com

T 

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Permalink Reply by PC on March 21, 2014 at 5:11am

Great pics. Looks fun!

mark stetson said:

I use the IDOT county maps for road surface:

http://www.dot.il.gov/bikemap/state3.html

They are not completely up to date.  There's several miles of roads near me that show as gravel, but have now been oiled and chipped.   

Download Hancock county for a look at one of the more gravelly counties.

I use DeLorme Gazetteers to find the interesting terrain.  They show contour lines and wooded areas, so I look for closely spaced contour lines, crooked roads, and green shaded areas and try to work them into the routes.  Once you have a route, you can preview it to a certain extent on Google Earth.  It can be hard to follow roads in wooded areas though, as they can be completely hidden by the canopy.

Pics are from a ride last year in Brown and Schuyler counties that I mapped without ever having ridden there.  Met a friend from STL in Mt. Sterling and we rode some fun roads.   

 

 

Permalink Reply by Tommy H. on March 23, 2014 at 1:40pm

For anybody staying current on the gravel scene, check out the Riding Gravel Weekly Update.

Permalink Reply by PC on March 25, 2014 at 3:52am

Barry Roubaix had some muddy sections but the 62 mi course was pretty good overall. Really hurt pushing up some of the hills with softer gravel.

If anyone has a report on the DPRT north from Lake-Cook give a shout.



peter moormann said:


Looks like more mud in the forecast!

How muddy was the Barry Roubaix?

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on April 12, 2014 at 3:14pm

Still a maybe for me.  If you see an old skinny guy on a red Trek 400 say Hi.

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on April 14, 2014 at 7:55am

Agreed.  Weather was a lot nicer Sunday than today, it's been snowing off and on this afternoon.   I meant to take a pic of my legs and shoes afterwards, but was so anxious to get hosed off that I forgot about it.

Permalink Reply by Tommy H. on April 15, 2014 at 3:06pm

Hey Mark and Peter,

Do you either of you (or both of you) have any interest in writing a short blog post for Great Lakes Adventure Project reviewing the Grumpy?  If so, let me know.  I would love to make it a feature on the site.

If so, email me at tom@greatlakesadventureproject.com

Permalink Reply by PC on April 16, 2014 at 1:34am

Agreed. Good times! Surprised that so many folks no showed this one. Their loss!

Will definitely be back for this next year.

peter moormann said:

Grumpy Grind was beyond description. Hills, hills, mud, hills, beer, BBQ.

Mark Johnson the host put on a exceptional ride and event.

Only 2 hours from Chicago.

Do not miss it next time. !

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