Most of us learned on Fathers’ Day of Jim Cummins’ firing from the race he fathered. Cummins helped establish the Dirty Kanza back in 2006, and he fostered the race’s explosive growth in the years that followed. In the process, he helped make Emporia, Kan., one of the gravel family’s cultural hometowns. Cummins can take … More A Divorce in the Gravel Family
For my own well-being, I try not to make a habit of listening to former World Tour pros. I just don’t think there’s much perspective to be gained from a bunch of 130-pound man-children with 470-watt FTPs. But quarantine stir-craziness led me to bend my own rule long enough to watch ESPN’s “30 for 30” … More The Pros and Cons of Professional Cycling
Gravel’s coming back, dirtheads. Here and there, a few races are willing to peek their heads out and make a run. Too soon? Not soon enough? My own feelings are a badly mixed drink of #pedaldamnit and #hunkerdown. Ask me whether racing’s return marks a victory for our community or a failure of it, and … More Racing through the Apocalypse
For the last six weeks, everything I’ve tried to write for this biking blog has gone straight to dirt. There’s so much to say … about what this pandemic has done to our lives and to our sport … but I just haven’t had the will to ride down those paths. OK. No problem, Wendt. … More Biking around the Writer’s Block
Holy crud, I don’t envy race directors right now. These are mostly folks with day jobs. And they’re facing super-tough choices about their events in light of a global pandemic. They put on races out of love for our sport and our community. So what does a community-loving race director do in light of all … More Mass Start Hysteria: What should race directors do about COVID-19?
Sickness kept me out of last summer’s Cornhusker State Games. And ever since, the course download has just sat there on my Garmin, mocking me. “You feeling better yet, Sunshine?” “Up yours, Gary,” I’ll say. (Gary is short for Garmin, if you didn’t know.) Last week, the conversation went like this. “My Sunday just opened … More Headwinds Howl in Spring Training
A couple weeks ago, the UCI expressed its interest in producing a gravel world championship of its own. And many American gravel cyclists responded with lewd creativity. We saw the UCI as stepping on the toes of the Pirate Cycling League, which has hosted Gravel Worlds in Lincoln for more than a decade. Others worried … More UCI Rolls out Its First Rules for Gravel
K.P. from parts unknown writes: Hi folks, How does one go about joining the Dirt Tan Bike Club? Sincerely, K.P. After a quick Sally Field crying jag, I composed myself and responded with the following. We’re grateful you reached out to us about membership in Dirt Tan Bike Club. And I’m happy to report you’re … More Dirt Tan Bike Club presents: Tan Mail
Gravel cyclists have never had it so good. We’re swimming in new tech, and our most popular races brim in minutes with fields of homegrown, and even world-class talent. We’ve discovered, to our collective astonishment, that this pile of Great Plains gravel is dripping in diamonds. In Lincoln alone, there’s the gravel guy who set … More Will 2020 Be the Year Gravel Begins to Suck?
The big news in gravel racing this week is Bobby Wintle’s decision to rename one of the top three Great Plains gravel grinders. The Land Run 100 in Stillwater, Okla., is forevermore the Mid South 100. The simple reason why is a complicated history. The race’s original name was a reference to the 1889 opening … More Land Run 100 Makes (Itself) History
