Gravel Race Up Spruce Knob

[TwoWheelsDC]

Anyone doing it this year? I’m planning to, but our car will be at the beach in NC so I’m not entirely sure how I’m gonna get out there. Anyway, I’m thinking I’ll do the 52 mile route, but the 72 mile route looks tempting. I’m also not sure if I’ll get a bed for just the night before, or for both nights. Curious what others might be thinking.

https://www.bikereg.com/32184

Topic

[Judd]

@Sunyata 160420 wrote:

Also… I heard it through the grapevine that Judd is going to be talked into doing this race. 😎

One looking to convince Judd to do GRUSK should send him a link to this nearby trail.

[vvill]

@TwoWheelsDC 160464 wrote:

I’m sure HBR is great*, but only GRUSK gives you the option (practically a requirement) of sleeping in a mountaintop cabin at the race start point!

I sort of regret not doing that last year. It really was a great place to hang out and I would’ve enjoyed overnighting there for sure.

@Birru 160468 wrote:

This confirms that GRUSK is a better place to start for someone at my level.

Err… having ridden with you, I think your level would be totally fine for either event! The start and finish of GRUSK is a little rougher than the rest of it. HBR just seemed like steep gravel up/downs throughout. Probably didn’t help that it rained the whole time too. And I fell into a car-sized puddle in the first 10 miles.

[vvill]

Ok so looking at Tania’s GRUSK pic, I guess it was slightly different conditions to HBR after all. Spare a thought for the poor photographer! This road wasn’t exactly accessible to 4-wheeled vehicles.

[Tania]

@vvill 160481 wrote:

Ok so looking at Tania’s GRUSK pic, I guess it was slightly different conditions to HBR after all.

Ha! Did I mention GRUSK was lovely? ‘Cause it was. :p

[Birru]

@vvill 160481 wrote:

Ok so looking at Tania’s GRUSK pic, I guess it was slightly different conditions to HBR after all.

I like how you posted a still from Aguirre, the Wrath of God with the phrase “slightly different conditions.”

[Sunyata]

@Tania 160484 wrote:

Ha! Did I mention GRUSK was lovely? ‘Cause it was. :p

It really WAS lovely. In fact, I wish I had taken more photos. This was like Tania’s, coming down from the summit – HUGE smile. It was a REALLY fun day!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14847[/ATTACH]

[Birru]

@Sunyata 160494 wrote:

It really WAS lovely. In fact, I wish I had taken more photos. This was like Tania’s, coming down from the summit – HUGE smile. It was a REALLY fun day!

Ah, from your pre-roadie days.

[Birru]

Anyone got HBO Go and know if there’s good cell reception at Spruce Knob? :p http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?11941-Tour-de-Pharmacy-viewing-party

[Sunyata]

@Birru 160519 wrote:

Anyone got HBO Go and know if there’s good cell reception at Spruce Knob? :p http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?11941-Tour-de-Pharmacy-viewing-party

I do not have HBO Go, but if I recall correctly, there is Wi-Fi at the camp.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Sunyata 160557 wrote:

I do not have HBO Go, but if I recall correctly, there is Wi-Fi at the camp.

I’ve got HBO! Odds of the wifi being robust enough to support watching it, however, are slim-to-none.

[Birru]

Good… let the hate flow through you.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Okay, I am now back to maybe needing a ride. Anyone have an extra seat?

[Birru]

Ugh there’s just no way I can get everything sorted before GRUSK this year. So if you go and have an awesome time please keep it to yourself. Thanks.

[Judd]

My pops decided to visit this weekend so I’ll be headed out to the beaches of Delaware on Saturday.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Birru 162505 wrote:

Ugh there’s just no way I can get everything sorted before GRUSK this year. So if you go and have an awesome time please keep it to yourself. Thanks.

If it makes you feel better, the ride was like 80% suffering for me for a few reasons. First, I just wasn’t in top shape, so I was struggling physically. My legs even cramped up off-and-on during the second half, which has never happened to me before. Second, I didn’t sleep well in the dorms and woke up with a terrible headache that persisted pretty much the entire ride. Third, I got pretty nauseous after the 2nd rest stop and that nagged at me for quite a while.

Generally though, it was a great day to ride. There had been some rain the previous night and some mist/drizzle in the morning. So the roads, while not “muddy”, were definitely soft, especially for the first half of the day. Not a huge deal, but when you’re dragging ass on a climb and hit a stretch of really soft dirt, it just increases the suffering. The wetness also made the long grassy descent a real white knuckle experience. I came really close to wiping out once, but was just able to hang on….it didn’t help that I was riding at the back so the surface was pretty rutted by the time I got to it.

I’ll definitely consider doing the Epic route again next year if I’m in better shape. Otherwise, I’ll stick with the 50 miler.

[Author]

Replies