It’s here gravel grinders, the premiere cycling event of the year — DK200! Eric is off preparing so I (Eric’s wife and part of the Abe’s support crew) will be stepping into keep the blog updated with all of the day’s highs and lows. Our Lincoln Abrahams are in Emporia, KS already soaking up the … More DK200 2017 Updates
Editor’s foreword It’s a Dirt Tan Bike Club milestone, people! You know your blog has hit the (teeny-tiny) big time when somebody agrees to be a guest contributor. Here’s my fellow Lincoln Abraham, sportsman of the year, and owner of the occasional serious dirt tan—Dr. Addison Killeen. He’s a Dirty Kanza and Gravel Worlds finisher … More Be Prepared
Ten Points By Bill Strickland Hyperion Books, 2007 241 pages $24 The death of cycling legend Steve Tilford in April led me to this outstanding 1998 profile by Bill Strickland. The late world champion, Steve Tilford. Thanks to stories from Eric and Tony, I already knew a fair amount about the world champion Tilford’s grit, … More Book Review: Ten Points
This blog has featured a fair amount of whining by poor me about how I didn’t make it into the Dirty Kanza 200 on registration day. America’s top gravel grinder has grown so popular that, in 2016, registration filled in just a few hours. This year, interest dialed up even more, and the field filled … More This Just in: I’m in
There’s a woe-is-me Homer Simpson quote I’ve never forgotten: “Sick on a weekend … What are the odds—one in 10,000?” It’s easy to see random misfortune as darkly cosmic. Our cars fail to start “at the worst possible moment.” What we usually mean by “worst possible moment” is simply “now.” And misfortune can’t help but … More Long Odds, Cruel Ends
Says the blogger’s daughter, “Pedal. Faster.” A friend posted an essay to my wall on the nature of toughness. Vacek said, “You and all the Abes were all I could think about when I read this article.” In it, Khaled Allen made his case for “simple, plain old ruggedness.” When it comes to grit, Vacek … More Rethink Tough
Morning dose, gravel therapy. (Photo, Eric Vacek) I was an art and English major in college. (They didn’t offer gravel cycling back then, either because it wasn’t academic enough, or because it wasn’t really a thing.) So my interests include all kinds of creative endeavor. Writing, painting, bicycle repair, you name it. And, judging by … More Powerful Medicine
(photo, MS Photos) be•cause (bi kôz´) 1. for the reason that; due to the fact that: The boy was absent because he was ill. 2. because of, by reason of, due to: Schools were closed because of heavy snowfall. 3. Dirty Kanza 200 [1275-1325: bi cause BY CAUSE] For more than a year, my central … More A Different Because
Over Christmas break, I’ve been happily knee-deep in one of my presents from Beth and the kids: Lanterne Rouge by Max Leonard. It’s a history of the Tour de France through the lens of its last-place finishers—known as red lanterns—an honorific of fluctuating sincerity referencing the light hanging off the back end of a train. … More The Damned End
I don’t get to golf the Masters because I’m a clown. I can’t pitch for the Cardinals on account of I don’t know how to pitch. I’m currently not allowed to skate at Joe Louis Arena, nor am I welcome to kick at Soldier Field. These doors remain closed to you and me thanks to … More The Strangest Ticket in Sport
Dirt Tan Bike Club 