6 gap gravel event recap

 

On April 28th, we participated in the inagural 6 Gap 9000 Ride Gravel Event. Whenever we participate in a first-time event, we always go in with no expectations and an understanding that things may not go smoothly. We can't say enough great things about this event. In each of our $125 registration fees we received a jersey, t-shirt, free breakfast and free lunch. The course was well marked and there was a timing system on each big climb. The aid stations were well stocked with incredible volunteers. When I stopped at the aid station around mile 41, the volunteers offered to fill up my hydration pack as I went to the port-o-potty. 

The event was held at Camp Merrill in Dahlonega, GA (~2 1/2 hours from where we live in Greenville, SC). We originally planned to stay in a hotel on Sat evening but last minute (like Friday morning around 10am) Karel decided that he wanted to gravel ride on Saturday to make a weekend of it. Luckily, our athlete Bryan was driving down on Friday from Charlotte so it worked out perfect that Bryan could pick Karel up on his way and Bryan had a two bedroom VRBO booked until Monday morning (we ended up staying in the house and cancelled our hotel room). 

Karel and Bryan rode 43 miles (4 hours) on Saturday in Dahlonega on some of the gravel course and I went for a long run (13.5 miles, 1:51) on Saturday and then made the 2 1/2 hr drive around 1pm. 

We've been a bit sad and anxious after hearing from the vet a week prior that Campy's kidneys are declining but we felt good leaving Campy with my mom for the night so that he could enjoy some quiet (cat-free) time with his grandma. 

The VRBO was on a farm and it put me in the best mood to be around Katie the donkey and all the horses. Karel made pasta for dinner and we went to bed around 9pm. I didn't sleep well and we woke up to pouring rain. 

I had been checking my Epic Weather App and although it was originally showing 90% showers for at least 2 hours, the rain chance dropped and it looked like it would be light rain for an hour or two and then we would have clear skies for the rest of the race. 

The event started at 8am and we left our place around 6:45am. We had a bit of drama leaving our place as the gate wouldn't open so we were stuck - until Karel managed to take the gate off so we could get our cars out. 

The course was very hilly and the gravel was perfect - not too chunky. There were some dirt sections that were slower but nothing compared to the Saluda mud fest that we experienced a few weeks ago. The scenery was incredible with so many waterfalls, mountain views, tree canopys and farms. I was in my element and I felt like I stayed in a mentally good place throughout the entire ride. 

To help me fuel for 91 miles, 7:24 hrs and almost 11,000 feet of elevation gain, I consumed the following: 

• 1.5 liters in my USWE hydration pack with almost 720 calories of a new formulation from INFINIT nutrition (maltodextrin and fructose formula that is not out yet, 90g carbs per serving). 
• 2 x 28 ounce bottles, each with 3 scoops C30 berry (90g carbs per serving)
• 1 mini can coke
• 1 bottle Heed at the last aid station
• 2 bars (~420 calories total)
• 2 packages Power Bar Chews (420 calories)

I experienced a big bonk with a few miles left to go. It was after a very technical descend after the last aid station that I stopped at and then we had a few miles of super technical up and down, muddy and rough terrain. Thankfully I had a bit of solid food left so I ate that and after around 20 minutes I felt much better. 

Karel also enjoyed the ride. He wished he was able to keep up with the front riders but he's often limited by his back. Thankfully he didn't experience any leg/hip cramping in this race which is a big deal for him as he is often limited by cramping in his hips. He rode most of the race by himself so it was a mental battle for him at times but the incredible scenery and knowing this was a great training day for his upcoming Oregon Gravel Grinder in June helped him power on until the finish line. He absolutely loved the fast long gravel downhills. He finished in 6 hours and 46 minutes and placed 14th overall. 

When I finish I told Karel that I had so much fun. I had never been so happy after a gravel event. I finished 1st overall female. Seeing that my first two gravel events were not so great (crash in the first and then DNF due to getting lost in the second), I was happy to finish this race without any issues. I even made it through a deep creek crossing without falling at the end (had to unclip to walk through starting out which made for cold wet feet starting around 20 min into the ride). The weather worked out great that we didn't have rain but just light sprinkles. It was cool in the 50's but I felt comfortable in my rain vest and arm warmers to start (I removed my arm warmers around an hour into the ride). 

Karel and I have really been enjoying our off-road adventures. As long time triathletes, the different type of adventures have kept us enjoying our training and each race gives us a different experience to learn from to apply to future races. We put together a recap of what we learned from this event and why we encourage other triathletes to seek out different events to help with longevity, mental and physical health. 

2021 Thomasville Clay Road Classic - 104-miles of mud, clay, water and sand.

 

**If you'd like to skip the race recap and view a video from the event, JOM from The Gravel Cyclist did a great video recap from the event. Scroll to the bottom to see the footage.**

Around 12pm Thursday, we left for our 6-hour drive down south to Thomasville GA. It was a rainy day for a long road trip but it’s been several months since we had a true “race-cation” road trip so it was somewhat enjoyable to know that we were traveling for an actual event. 

We made good time and arrived to our Airbnb shortly just after 6pm. I was happy to have booked an affordably priced 2-bedroom house just a 1/2 -mile from the race venue but I had no idea how cute of a house we would be staying in. The house had historic bone-structure with a few recent updates. It was one of the best Airbnb stays that I’ve booked, which made for a super comfortable stay.

After a good night sleep on Thursday, we took our time on Friday morning to catch up on work and emails. We ventured outside around 11am to ride the first ~10 miles of the course (out and back). We ended up with around 18 miles (in about 82 miles) and a whole lot of mud and water on our bikes. After several days of rain, the packed clay roads had been filled with water which turned the roads into a muddy mess. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself when I fell into the mud as I attempted to go from a muddy groove up to a muddier section. I’ve only been riding off-road on my gravel bike just a handful of times (4 rides + 1 technical skills session) so every ride is a learning opportunity. I’m still getting a feel of what different textures feel like under my wheel and how to handle my bike through those conditions. Karel is a great teacher. Not only does he instruct me what to do but I also watch him and learn from his exceptional bike-handling skills.

   

 After our ride we biked to the Hubs and Hops bike shop to check out the store and to pick up our packets. While this was technically an event (we paid for it, received an event t-shirt and a bib number), the Thomasville Clay Classic was a self-supported, see-ya-when-you-get-back type of ride. The event host/organizer was very nice and it was to hear that the event brought in over 200 participants to this small charming town of Thomasville.

Since I brought all of our food for our stay, we didn’t have to do any grocery shopping or eating out. Although we did visit the local bagel shop (Empire Bagels) for 6 delicious bagels. Our assistant coach and long time friend Joe arrived to our place around 2:30pm.

We went to bed around 7:30pm and feel asleep just before 9am. I wasn’t nervous for this event but instead, excited to embrace the challenge of riding 100 miles on the clay roads of Thomasville.

 

The alarm woke us up around 5:30am. With all of our gear prepped the night before, all we had to do was eat, gear-up and do some foam rolling to move some blood for the chilly start (~low 30-degrees when we left the house around 6:45am). With the sun just rising, we had just enough light to bike our way to the shop for the start of the event.

There were only ~10 of us doing the 102-mile version (there may have been a few others who started later in the morning). We all started together after the event organizer gave us a pre-course talk and a morning prayer. We started the ride just a few minutes after 7am.

 

The first few miles of the ride were on the road and then we hit the clay trail. Three guys broke away right from the beginning and then there was me, Joe and Karel. And for the next 60-ish miles, we didn’t see any other riders. Although this was a race, there was no timing or competition to race against. We didn’t ride easy but instead, rode a steady strong effort to try to complete the course as “quick” as possible – also taking into consideration that this would be a long ride with a lot of challenges to overcome.

I didn’t feel the best for the first two hours. My hands were cold and my body was not awake. It typically takes me about 60 minutes to feel good on the bike when I start a ride but for this ride, I was struggling for the first 2 hours. At one point, I asked Karel to look at my bike because I couldn’t understand why I was going so slow and why it was so hard to ride. He told me that this was all normal and that it was hard for him as well. Realizing that this was only my 5^th gravel ride, I quickly changed my perspective as I was approaching this ride in the wrong way. I didn’t think the ride would be easy but I had no idea that it would be this hard. It wasn’t that I wasn’t having fun but I didn’t have the right attitude. Once I changed my mindset, I started to ride a bit stronger and better. Because I had the course map on my computer screen, I had no idea what mile were at (there were no course markings) or how long we had been riding. And I didn’t want to know. 

I really enjoyed seeing my map and knowing that our next turn would be in x-miles. It was fun to approach each segment and to feel accomplished after that segment ended. Sometimes a segment would end after a super rough 5-6 miles of rough, bumpy and slow terrain, only to turn onto another 8-9 mile segment of road of even more difficult terrain.

We crossed a few water crossings, which is still a bit nerve-wracking for me as each time I enter the water on my bike I have no idea what to expect. Karel always reminds – keep pedaling, don’t stop pedaling. Nothing good happens when you stop pedaling. There was one water crossing where the road was under water and Karel and Joe decided to ride through it. I like to watch and learn when I see a technical or uneasy section so I stopped far out from the water to watch how Karel and Joe rode through the water. It wasn’t until Karel’s lower leg was nearly covered in water that I realized that this was way too deep for me so I walked my bike around the water on the grass. It was a laughable moment by us all.

Normally the roads are ideal for gravel biking but we have learned that after a rain storm, they become rather difficult for riding. We would be riding along feeling a good rhythm and then we would hit a section of bumps which would knock you around as you tried to dodge the big holes but you would still have to ride over the bumps (which felt like speed bumps). There were very few “nice” sections that were “easy” but plenty of sections of sand and mud which made us feel like our brakes were squeezed tight, we had a parachute behind us and you were riding with a flat tire. Oh, and it was windy too! It’s just the strangest feeling to be riding and then hit these sticky and slow sections and you have to produce a lot of power and a high cadence to keep the momentum going. The roads were fun at times but super exhausting. I’d say that about 85-90 miles of the ride was off-road and only about 15ish miles of pavement. We were always happy when we did hit pavement because it was such a nice change to be able to ride so easy and cover the miles a bit quicker. And then, back to the hard work again.

 

It was incredible to see how many roads were suitable for gravel riding. We had very few cars pass us (maybe 5?) on the clay roads which was great for feeling safe. The only downside of gravel riding is the lack of stops for refilling bottles so we planned our stop for the end of the loop at mile 70 (we passed the store at mile 20 so we knew where we would stop at the end of the loop).

As we were getting close to finishing the loop, we made a turn and saw our local friend Boyd Johnson (of Boyd wheels) riding in the opposite direction – toward us. He was in the front of the ride with the two other guys so we were surprised to see him. He told us that the road was under water and it was really deep (which deep for them meant really really deep for me). He said there was a way around it which would give us a few extra miles but would keep us from being really wet. We all decided that we would take the extra miles on the road to bypass the road under water.

After our store stop for some needed water to refill our bottles (we brought sport drink power to refill and had plenty of snacks for throughout the ride) and a coke, it was time to hit the road again for the last 30-ish miles. At this point, Karel found his rhythm, I was feeling strong and Joe had hit his low moment. We knew that we would all be affected differently by this ride and that we would each have our moments. Karel, however, never hit a low moment and contributed it to taking in more calories than he would in an Ironman on the bike. As we were nearing the last 20 miles, Karel was in the front and then out of sight. Boyd and gotten his energy back after the store stop and Joe was still struggling. We thought we would see Karel at the next turn but he was not there.

 
We rode to the next turn and no Karel. I called and texted Karel but no reply. I was very worried about him and of course, thought the worse – that he had bonked and he was laying in a ditch in the mud half asleep. Joe helped me stay calm as I was super worried about Karel. Part of me knew that he was just fine but I guess when you are exhausted your mind thinks silly things. Karel finally called me and told me that he was feeling good and just kept riding because he didn’t want to lose his rhythm. I was a bit upset at him for not letting me know this as I would have been fine with it but instead, I was worried. Karel’s exhausted brain convinced him that he thought I’d figure it out. Oh Karel - he always keeps me on my toes. 😊

Near the end we had one last creek crossing which I managed to get through successfully, despite the water coming up to my knees. It’s the weirdest feeling pedaling a bike through the water! But this was a nice one as you could see the bottom of the creek and the rocks didn’t get bumpy until the end. And then there was one last super muddy section that forced me off my bike as my legs were just so tired that I didn’t have the power (or willpower) to get through that deep mud.

Joe kept me laughing as he was struggling and anytime he needed to unclip to navigate through a technical section, he decided to just lean over and fall to the ground. He called them his “micronaps” and said it felt really good just to lay down. I was belly laughing at him as he fell twice and both times he could have easily unclipped but in the moment, the easiest thing was just to fall over.

As we made our way on the pavement for the last 2 miles of the event, I was so relieved to be on a smooth road. It was actually a bummer that we didn’t ride on the pavement more often during this ride as the Thomasville and surrounding area roads were super smooth! I finally saw Karel (who had finished about 10 minutes ahead of us) and he rode to the finish of the event with me. There was no official start/finish line but instead, we biked right to the bike racks to hose off our incredibly dirty bikes.

It felt so good to finish the ride. Surprisingly, the ride didn’t feel like 104 miles or just under 7 hours of riding. It was a challenge and an adventure and it was really exhausting. But it was also a huge accomplishment to ride 104 miles on such difficult off-road conditions. At least we had a beautiful sunny day and got to enjoy great scenery with each mile.

After we cleaned off our bikes, we received our post-ride meal of vegetarian stew topped with cheese, sour cream and frittos and a side salad and bread. Oh it was sooo good. During the ride I had 4 bottles of sport drink, 2 bars (Clif PB and chocolate filled bar and a Picky bar), a handful of chews (Skratch and Honey Stinger) and some coke.

After the ride, there was live music and the amphitheater park was filled with local people. There weren’t many cyclists at the finish when we arrived but we did see a few dozen riders out during the last 15 miles. I think most of the riders started around 9am and were riding the shorter versions (25, 50 and 70 miles). There were also options to shorten the ride by taking some of the main roads instead of the clay roads. Like I said before, it was an unofficial, self supported event. Although we had hoped for a bit more socializing before, during and after the event, we still feel like this trip was well worth it. 

 

 We made it back to our rental house around 4:00pm and it felt so good to get out of my cold wet socks and into the warm shower. I was so exhausted after I cleaned up that I barely managed to eat some type of dinner (quinoa vegetable microwave mix with tofu that I brought from home) before collapsing in bed. Wow – I had no idea how hard that would be! It felt like I had just done an Ironman but without the deep aching soreness that comes from running. 

I never grew up a cyclist and really didn’t improve my bike handling skills until we moved to Greenville. Although I still have a lot of skills to learn for gravel riding, it makes me excited to know that I can continue to improve and seek out more adventures on two wheels. Running can be really hard on my body and I just can’t push and test myself when I run like I can when I swim and bike. If I try to push myself running, I get injured so I have to be cautious and careful. Swimming and biking are safe sports for me to feel challenged and to test my limits and abilities. I look forward to more adventures where the focus is on the experience and not on the end result. Don’t get me wrong - I love racing and I love competition. And I LOVE triathlon. But sharing these adventures with Karel – out in nature - makes me so happy. And this type of happiness doesn’t involve a finish line or race results and I'm ok with that.