References to literature in sports are few and far between. When one comes along, I’m obliged as a licensed English major to grab on and enjoy it. For instance, whenever the Baltimore Ravens do well, as they are this year, I consider it a small, purple victory for poetry and the Ravens’ unusual namesake, Baltimore’s … More Bike Review: Niner’s 2020 RLT

I bike to work in a squat little office building a block off Nebraska Wesleyan’s campus. It’s a short, one-story outpost in the shade of higher education’s ivory tower, where college elites supposedly lounge in enlightened ease. It’s not a bad gig. But the ride gets a little dreary in late December. The sun’s barely … More Vicious Cycles: Can a bike light your darkness?

This blog’s gravelly focus belies the fact that a big hunk of the unmentioned miles we ride are of the paved flavor. And for every joyful weekend gravel jaunt, there are six or eight urban yawners where I’m just a guy on his way to or from the office. Most of these commutes are indistinguishable … More Gravel’s Gridlock: Riding the country rush hour

There’s plenty of good gravel news to report. Gravel cycling’s popularity is booming. Events are growing and multiplying. Well-positioned cities—like a Lincoln, a Lawrence, a Little Rock—can now, if they play their cards right, host full seasons of gravel events with triple-digit fields. It’s to the point where even back-roads blogs like this one can … More Tour Divided: When did gravel get so mean?

  I’ll go ahead and risk the Jeff Foxworthy comparisons and frame it like this: If you’ve ever thanked the Lord Almighty for the blessing of a putrid, warm, yellow-green mouthful of pickle vinegar … you might be a gravel cyclist. Gravel cycling’s grossest leg cramp remedy is so engrained in my long-ride routine by … More Gravel and the Magic Pickle: Why do cyclists swear by this swill?

Corey Godfrey has reason to be tired. When we sat down for coffee at Method, the co-director of Gravel Worlds was not-so-fresh off the 350-mile DKXL (where he’s two for two in the event’s two-year history). “Losing a couple days of sleep is getting harder the older I get,” he said. When Corey Godfrey arrived … More Watching the Grassroots Grow: The Corey Godfrey Interview

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