Dirt Tan Bike Club

Every grinder has his goals. (Photo, Tracy Hoffman) My son’s a freshman at Lincoln Southeast. He’s gotten into gravel riding this spring, and is off to a far better start in the sport than I experienced. (He won his first race. Me? I wrecked, overheated and DNFed.) As a result, Marcus sees possibilities that probably … More A Feasibility Study: How realistic are your racing goals, really?

A brutal winter and March floods have done all sorts of damage in Nebraska. The state’s ag industry alone stands to lose an estimated $1 billion. And our river towns, roads and bridges took a serious beating. The floods closed 2,000 miles of Nebraska roads, including this stretch near Fullerton. (Photo, Nebraska State Patrol) The … More Behind the Curve: Why it’s hard to catch up when you’re training from behind

I had to find a way to tell my son: We’re not racing on Saturday. Marcus is 14 and jazzed to start riding gravel this year. He’ll race Dirty Kanza’s 35-mile high school course in June, and he knows enough to want more experience before that wild mess. We circled Angry Cow Adventures’ Panama Enduro … More Proud Panamanian Papa

Forgive me, Mother, for I’m about to break one of the rules upon which you raised me: If you have nothing nice to say, then stuff it, son. Well, I can’t stuff this anymore. Momma said there’d be days like this. The Shirelles, 1961 What’s snagged me like a cocklebur to the chamois was this … More A Calendar Conflict

On what (I pray) is the coldest day of the year, it feels good to look ahead to spring and the gravel racing to come. It may be frigid, but races are around the corner. Now’s the time for health checks. How are our legs weathering the off-season? And what’s the broader state of health … More Gravel’s Upset Belly

Looking to get faster this winter? Well, gravel racers, you’ve come to the wrong place. Here at Dirt Tan Bike Club, we’re sticking to the B-roads to dish you up some alternative cycling advice. Forget your New Year’s resolutions about more fun on the bike. We’re here to teach you how to toss your cycling … More I’ve Already Told You More Than I Know: How to Hate Cycling in Six Easy Steps

What is it about Lincoln’s bike trails in November? Maybe it’s that we all understand an icy, windy kick to the crotch is coming. And every Lincolnite with tennis shoes hits the trails, determined to squeeze the last drops of joy out of whatever sun we have left. Soak up those last rays, people. (Photo, … More I’ve Already Told You More Than I Know: Bike Trail Survival Guide

Coming out of last winter, I wrote about the vacuum at the top of Lincoln’s gravel racing scene. I wondered out loud who might fill that spot as Lancaster County’s fastest gravel guy. Heading into this winter, it seems like I should be able to answer my own question by now. But so much has … More Changes in Speed

Lincoln’s Gravel Worlds long ago earned its place in the big three of Midwestern gravel racing (also known as the coolest part of cycling). Dirty Kanza in Emporia, Kan., has the corner on tallgrass-prairie beauty and bike-eating ruggedness. The Flint Hills are a sight to behold. (Photo, travelks.com) The Land Run 100 in Stillwater, Okla., … More Look What We Have Here: Gravel Worlds 2018