Sunglasses for off-road riding

 

On Saturday morning we drove ~50 minutes to Clinton, SC for the recon group ride of the Gravel Battle Sumter Forest race. Southeast Gravel puts on great events and as an added feature, many of the events include a free recon ride to preview the course. 

There must have been over 60 cyclists attending this group ride, which eventually split into the long route (74 miles) and short route (44 miles). We rolled out at 10am and finished the ride just before 2:30pm. We ended up with 70 miles, 4 hours and 19 minutes (including regroup stops and a water refill) and around 3000 feet of elevation gain. I like this gravel course because it has a nice mix of pavement and gravel and the longest gravel section is around 8 miles. The gravel sections can get a bit dicey due to lots of holes so you need to keep yourself focused throughout the entire ride. There are a few gravel hills but they mostly come near the end (with a few spaced out throughout the route) but much of the rolling hills are on the pavement. There is even a water crossing near the end of the ride which gives you something to look forward to throughout the ride. The roads are very quiet - aside from a few dogs which is very normal on country roads. If you are new to gravel riding or are looking for a great course to be competitive (or just to have fun), I recommend this course - or any of the Southeast Gravel series. 

After a bit of time gravel biking, mountain biking and trail running, I quickly noticed how important appropriate sunglasses were for off-road riding (and running). As it relates to riding, sunglasses are not just to shield your eyes from the sun but they are protecting your eyes from debris. I can't tell you how many times I was pelted in the face with tiny rocks when riding on the gravel with the group. 

With coverage and comfort in mind, here are a few other important features when selecting a good pair of off-road sunglasses:

-Adjustable nose piece

-Big lenses

-Durable
-Should not slip/fall off 
-Comfortable and light

-Shape and lens tint/coating (to prevent eye strain)

-UV protection

-Air flow (vents)

Saturday was my first time wearing photochromic shades. From forested areas to the open road, my lenses constantly adjusted to the light, changing from dark to bright depending on the conditions. It was like having two pairs of sunglasses in one….a must for off-road riding.

When I received my Rudy Project Cutline Photochromic sunglasses, they were clear (as pictured on the left). But as I was riding, my sunglasses transitioned to a darker shade of purple. I was unaware of this change as I was able to see clearly throughout the entire ride - no matter if I was tucked in the forest with little sun, with the sun at my back or on the open road. Automatically adjusting to lighting conditions gives these sunglasses so much versatility than standard sunglasses. Of note, a photochromic lens is a transparent lens that reacts to light. It has an optimal filter that absorbs WV and infrared radiation while passing visible light. This results in the change of lens color from dark to clear/light. The lenses do not change instantly but take 30 seconds to a few minutes to adjust but they are a great option when you will be faced with different conditions. 

Although my dad is no longer here, he was very passionate about his job as a VA optometrist and I know he would agree that no matter if you are a professional or competitive athlete or a fitness enthusiast, the right pair of sunglasses makes all the difference when you are off-road. 

Because of their versatility, photochromic lenses are great for cycling in various conditions - especially for off-road riding. Take good care of your eyes and make sure to always wear sunglasses to protect them from sunlight, UV rays, dust, glare and debris. 

Note: In doing some research for this post, I came across an article discussing the difference between photochromic and transitional lenses. I found that in many articles, the words were used interchangeably but here's a description of the difference: 

"Photochromic or "adaptive" lenses darken when exposed to UV light, such as when you walk outdoors. When you are no longer exposed to the effects of UV, (i.e. walk indoors), the lenses return to their clear state. Transitions lenses are photochromic lenses that block 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays."

How to improve your gravel biking skills

Last week (while dealing with Madison's declining health) we had two of our athletes in town for a 2.5 day private training camp. The focus of the camp was improving off-road bike handling skills (gravel biking). We also included swim/run training in the camp as our athletes have several triathlons on their schedule. But with their first ever ultra-distance gravel event (150-mile) happening late summer, it was important that our athletes improve their gravel skills to that they can both feel more comfortable, safe and confident when training off-road. 

Although the weather was not in our favor with predicted rain all day on Thurs and Friday (the two full days of their camp), we got incredibly lucky in that we were able to drive to two different locations and entirely miss the rain. Even better, on Thursday we were able to ride in a short sleeve jersey and shorts! 

For Zach and Ashley's camp (husband and wife from Nebraska) we completed the following over 2.5 days: 

Thursday: 
9-10am: technique focused swim 
1:30-4:30pm: Gravel ride near Sumter National Forest, SC
10 min run off the bike 

Friday: 
7-8:30am: Master swim, group workout
1-3:30pm: Gravel ride near Zirconia, NC
30 min run off the bike

Saturday: 
9-10:20am: Run workout w/ hill intervals

Riding gravel is all the rage these days. Some perks include the wider tires, disc brakes, a change in scenery, being in nature, being able to ride on the road and off the road and feeling much more adventurous on two wheels. More so, many people are switching from road to gravel biking due to far fewer cars/trucks. Although the chances of experiencing motorized traffic is very small on gravel roads, there's a greater risk of crashing due to the uneven surface under your wheels. And not all "gravel" is created equal - neither is tire pressure. There are silky smooth dirt roads and then there are washboard-like roads which will have you bouncing uncomfortably on and off your saddle. Add in climbing and descending, tight turns on loose rocks, deep sand and peanut-butter clay, you may find that gravel riding is much harder than it looks on social media. Oh and don't forget to add in riding over puddles and water crossings. You never know what you will get when riding off road. Additionally, risk of heat stress, fatigue and bonking is also greater than on the road due to the lack of "convenient" stops to refill bottles and to restock edible fuel. 

The truth is that riding a gravel bike is very different than riding on the road. On gravel, you can't just sit on your bike and pedal. Weight distribution is key on technical terrain, especially with turning, braking and descending. With gravel biking, there is a lot of weight shifting that should occur efficiently and smoothly. Whereas you may be able to get away being stiff and rigid on a road bike, safe gravel riding requires you to stay relaxed. For your bike to float freely under you, you need to become the suspension of the bike to absorb the bumps under you. When you watch experienced gravel riders, you'll notice that they are rarely sitting - there's a lot of standing, hovering, moving the hands into different positions on the handlebars/drops and weight shifting. The key is making small adjustments to stay stable and in control. When it comes to turning, this is very different than riding on the road. On a paved road, what you need to do to turn is the complete opposite of riding on gravel. 

Similar to the road, you need to go easy on the brakes. When you squeeze on your brakes, your wheel is not free to roll. Depending on how quick and tightly you squeeze your brakes - and the position of your body - there's risk of washing out, losing control or flying over your handlebars. Learning how to brake on and off road (and the braking power of your brakes) is one of the easiest skills to learn to improve your safety. 

When you are riding off road, it's easy to get distracted and enjoy the scenery around you. While this is easy to do on smooth surfaces, I find that gravel biking requires a lot more mental energy as I am constantly scanning 10+ feet ahead of me to find the best line. And when I'm descending, there's a lot of adjustment to find the right body position to safely navigate down a hill, especially if there are deep piles of gravel or sticky sand/clay. 

Lastly, unlike on the road where you can comfortable ride with your preferred cadence, the key to off road biking is to keep up the speed, which often means pedaling with a higher cadence or a bigger gear - both can feel uncomfortable if you haven't trained yourself to ride with variable cadences (high cadence can cause great cardio stress and low cadence can cause great muscular stress). There are some scenarios where you will feel like you are pedaling and going no where. Learning to pedal at a high cadence, with great power, while also keeping your grip loose and letting the bike autocorrect is a skill that takes time to master. 

Ashley and Zach did an excellent job at their gravel riding camp (no falls!). They tackled all types of conditions from crushed gravel and light sand to thick peanut-butter-mud and washboards. Karel did a great job on helping with water crossing do's and don'ts as well as climbing and descending skills. The biggest takeaway was not to tense up and to just sit on the saddle but to relax, move the body and let the bike flow under you. 

If you are interested in improving your gravel or road riding skills, we have a few slots left for our April bike skills/climbing camp. You can find out more here. 

Every Trimarni camp is guaranteed to include farm animals. 

Gravel Riding - So Many Climbs!

 

On Friday afternoon, I asked Karel what his plans were for training on Saturday. I mentioned to him that a small group was riding at 8:30 from the parking lot at North Greenville University (a popular meet-up place for cyclists, around 20 minutes away) but I really wanted to go gravel riding. Karel was excited for the off-road adventure so he planned a route that included a mix of grave and road. He wanted to show me some of the segments that he covered during the Belgium Waffle Ride. 

We decided to leave from North Greenville University and it worked out great that we started our ride with a few of our friends that were riding on the road. The first ~60-minutes was mostly climbing as we headed toward the Watershed and the up the Hendersonville side. We accumulated around 1500 feet of elevation gain on the road, while chatting with those in the small group. The time went by fast and sometimes I forgot that I was on my gravel bike. That's the nice thing about having a gravel bike in that you can comfortably ride on the road in a similar position to a road bike but you have the option to head off road anytime. This makes for so many more riding options. Although the gearing and tire pressure/width is different than a road bike, Karel and I didn't feel held back on our gravel bikes. 

Once we entered North Carolina, we parted from the group as they continued on with their ~75-mile ride. Karel had planned for us to do 80-ish miles and while I didn't have any expectations for this ride, I started to do some math and realized that this would be a very long ride. But the weather was absolutely perfect - sunny and in the upper 40's and we had plenty of hydration/fuel on board between our bottles, hydration backpack and snacks in our bento box. And the scenery was just so breathtaking as the colors of the leaves were so bright and beautiful. 

For the next hour, we rode mostly on gravel in Dupont State Forest. We were surprised it wasn't more busy on the trails that Karel picked for our ride. The gravel was in great condition as it was packed and not loose. We accumulated ~1000 feet elevation gain over 12 miles off road. 

We had a few miles on the road before we started climbing Jeter Mountain. This was my first time climbing here but Karel remembered it from the BWR. He had to tackle ~2.63 mile, ~900 feet elevation gain climb at the end of his grueling gravel ride. This time was a bit "easier" because his legs were fresher but the 18% grade near the top and the steep ongoing climbs were not easy on my legs. Karel has really gotten stronger on the bike thanks to all the efforts he has to do on the mountain bike to get over rocks/roots while climbing so I spent all of the climb by myself and Karel waited for me at the top. We then had a really fun descend (with a few more climbs/flat sections) for about 5 miles. Although we didn't have a viewpoint at the top of the climb, the scenery around us was incredible. We warmed up a lot with all the climbing but we had a bit of a chill going downhill. With my undershirt, long sleeve jersey and vest, along with toe covers and ear covers, I felt like I dressed really well as I never got too hot or too cold. 

Although my legs were feeling pretty smashed by 45 miles (3:15 into our ride, averaging 13.4 mph and accumulating almost 4000 feet elevation gain by this point), I really enjoyed how Karel was taking me to places that I've never seen before, all thanks to being off-road. We are lucky that we have bike friendly roads so it was never difficult to get from one gravel section to the next as we shared the road with the cars (although most of the cars had mountain bikes on them so we knew we were in good company with like minded people). 

The next 20 minutes had a mix of road and gravel before we started our last long gravel climb. By this point, my legs were so tired but I was committed to our adventure. Karel was riding strong so he just went ahead and turned around for me at the top of the climb. Our last gravel climb was 3.63 miles and took me 25 minutes (~8.5 mph, ~900 feet elevation gain). I had no idea where I was in relation to Dupont and Flat Rock (I figured I was somewhere in between) but it was really cool to be somewhere for the first time and to have no idea what was coming next. 

When I finally got to the top of the climb, we were rewarded with a fun descend with a few switchbacks. Although I'm still a bit tentative on the gravel, I couldn't help but think that there was a time when I was scared of descending and now I can almost stay right behind Karel on technical descends. I know with time and practice, my skills off-road will improve. We had another few miles on the road before we made our long 6.3 mile descend down the Watershed. The road condition on that section is really bad so I felt like I could descend better on my gravel bike than on my road bike.

Nearing the end of our ride, we were glutton for punishment so we included the Callahan Mountain Climb to finish off our ride. I showed Karel a few new roads that I discovered with Alvi last weekend and then 75 miles, 5:15 hrs and ~7000 feet of elevation gain later, we were back at the car. And I was so relieved that my longest gravel ride was complete. My legs were toast and I was exhausted and satisfied. 

As I was riding, I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to have such incredible routes to ride on. Off-road or on the road, we have endless options to motivate us to get outside, even when it's cold out. Whether it's road biking or gravel biking, I love being on my bike as it's a free and fun way to explore, adventure and to enjoy nature. 

Gravel riding in Walhalla, SC

Back in March, I crashed twice within two weeks while riding my gravel bike - the first in a race and the second in a training ride. Both falls left me with a good amount of road rash. Thankfully, nothing was broken and after both crashes, I got back up and kept on riding.

A comeback is defined as a return to a previous state. On Saturday, Karel took me to Walhalla, which was my first real gravel ride since March. It was my courageous comeback.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never been to this area. Karel had ridden there twice (once on a group ride and once by himself) and he thought it would be the perfect place for my first real gravel ride since March. I say "real" because I have been on my gravel bike a few times (mostly on the paved road) over the past 7 months. He felt like this would be a good area for me to ride because it was scenic and the route was not extremely technical. 

It took about 50-minutes to drive to Walhalla and we parked at an elementary school just outside of downtown. Before we left, I downloaded the long-route into my computer from the Southeast Gravel Series website (although we weren't sure how long we would actually ride). It was a dreary, cold morning so riding off-road was the perfect idea for our Saturday. Although I find the trainer beneficial, I really look forward to riding "long" outside on the weekend (especially in a group) and try to keep myself outside on Sat/Sun throughout the winter months (luckily for us it doesn't get too wintery here between Dec-March). 

When we started the ride, we almost immediately started climbing on the road. We then had a few miles of unpaved road, which was a nicely packed section of gravel. Thankfully the off-road conditions were great for our ride. We then had seven or so miles of road with great scenery around us. Throughout the entire ride, I couldn't help but think that we went back in time and we were in another country. I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the area was! 

Karel told me in advance that while the gravel was "easy" there would be a lot of climbing on this route. And he was right. We were only 15 miles (1 hour) into our ride and we started a 3-mile climb from the lake, up a winding, switchback-type gravel road with a stream and a waterfall. I had never been on anything off road like this and it was so beautiful!

The climb took me about 28 minutes (and had around 1000 feet of elevation gain). But that wasn't it. Once we turned off the gravel, we had another 4.3 miles of climbing on the road. I sat on Karel's wheel for this section and it took us around 24 minutes (~780 feet of climbing). In total (gravel and road) it was almost an hour of climbing for 7.3 miles. I was sad that there wasn't a view at the top before we turned off road again but Karel decided to extend on climb a little more and we were greeted with a beautiful scenic stop at the top. 

The next 9.72 miles were mostly descending but there were a few rollers to mix things up. This section was all on gravel but nothing was loose or technical until the end (more loose rocks). I found myself feeling more confident in this section although I wasn't taking any risks and certainly rode a bit more safe just to be extra careful. Karel would sometimes slow down for me just to check on me on the steeper downhill gravel sections. 

There was a nice section of riding on the road and it felt like we were in the gaps of GA. That's the nice thing about gravel riding - you can take the bike anywhere, on and off the road. We then had a few more sections of gravel before we decided to modify the course and head back. We rode by old houses and fields and we were surrounded by nature. The leaves were falling and despite the cold dreary day, we had the perfect fall backdrop. 

In total we did 50 miles in just under 4 hours (3:51, 13.2 mph) and accumulated almost 5000 feet of elevation gain. It was a great route and I absolutely want to go back.

Reflecting on the ride, I am reminded of how we all face setbacks and have the choice on how we will respond and move forward. The most important part of my comeback was removing any negative or scary thoughts of crashing from my head. Interestingly, I never felt scared during all 50 miles of our ride.

We have all been there. We've all had a setback. Something doesn't go as planned. It can make you feel like you are stuck and not making any progress. A setback can make you feel like you are a failure. It can make you want to give up.

But you must learn from your experiences and make a comeback. When something doesn't go your way, look at it as an opportunity to prove to yourself that you can overcome anything that comes your way.

If you don't try again, you'll never get better.
Getting knocked down is really a step forward.
A setback is nothing but a setup for a comeback.