1 and 3. One kid would love it, the other would be confused and both parents would hateeeeeee it 

Damn this looks good.

Road bike tomorrow
https://cyclingtips.com/2022/10/mathieu-van-der-poel-is-racing-a-road-bike-at-gravel-worlds/
 

frame don't matter, it's the tires, and those are gravel tires

Are you telling me all those hours I spent on the internet reading about , slack geometry etc were a waste of time ?

 Mark Taylor said:

Are you telling me all those hours I spent on the internet reading about , slack geometry etc were a waste of time ?

Yes!! it's all marketing propaganda (except for Santa Cruz bikes of course)

Geoff has opinions, which I mostly agree with

if you're on a road bike, you don't have to stop for pancakes at the feed stations

There's a great video on SBT/Leadville -- where Sofia Gomez Villafañe, winner of unbound, says "Fuck the the spirit of gravel" and I so million percent agree.

Cue'd up here -- connect it with the comments from Kabush above. 

I do not understand the idea that going fast is somehow not in the spirit, or somehow not fun, it is completely ridiculous in concept.

The full video is very good -- spoiler-ish Sofia is not able to race due to altitute/food issues

Mark Taylor said:

Are you telling me all those hours I spent on the internet reading about , slack geometry etc were a waste of time ?

I think the bigger issue is that Canyon missed the mark with the Grail.  Their sponsored riders didn't seem to like it (and the handlebar/stem setup is meh at best).  Which is why they brought out the Grizl.  

James Reeder said:

if you're on a road bike, you don't have to stop for pancakes at the feed stations

You don't have to, but you can and should. 

Also if you're on a slow bike, you should always stop for pancakes.

The point is, you should should always stop for pancakes is what I'm saying.

Pancakes.

Pan.

Cakes.

Riders of Kissena Autumn Leaves tomorrow!

Meet at 8am in the New Paltz lot here
Remember to have a $20 spot on you to access Mohonk trails. 
Download and sync to your bike computer and phone Eloy's GPX route here

Thanks for organizing this , majestic ride 
really stunning views and trails , hard without killing me 
Put this on your calendar @David Yang has promised even more red leaves next year 

stay tuned for the real photos from @eloy s 

Oh, and a fox crossed our path 

a truly fun beautiful ride

It was a truly gorgeous ride. Thank you guys for the pictures and the company. I might be on a gravel high but what do you think about doing another one before the fall turns into winter?

I'm thinking of Saturday November 4th. The gravel roads of Westchester around Cold Spring or maybe Mount Riga in Connecticut. Any interest?

Remy Forgues said:

It was a truly gorgeous ride. Thank you guys for the pictures and the company. I might be on a gravel high but what do you think about doing another one before the fall turns into winter?

I'm thinking of Saturday November 4th. The gravel roads of Westchester around Cold Spring or maybe Mount Riga in Connecticut. Any interest?

I’d be up for it

Had so much fun, I’m pretty sure this is a new annual KCC tradition. I went back yesterday with family and friends to hike and it was beyond crowded. We did end up eating at Mountain Brau Haus for lunch first right when it opened at noon and it was packed so we will definitely put in some advanced reservations next time.

Down for more gravel riding before EOY. If the route doesn’t have anything too gnarly people with bigger road tires can probably join in on the fun?

As promised, this is a cleaned up RWGPS route based on what we actually rode, not including mistakes, plus a full loop around Lake Minnewaska:

Kissena Autumn Leaves 2022 (Actual)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41164386 

I could be convinced to ride on Saturday Nov 5th, as I'm likely not racing, and will be spectating the NYC Marathon Sunday. Don't expect much foliage unless we go south -- which we could, lots of great riding around Hunterdom/New Hope, etc...

Race report from UnPAved Pennsylvania.  Best gravel event I've done, great course, vibes, peak foliage, course, and format added up to a great day out.  Lots of horses and buggies out there, amish country and all.  The ******spirit**** of gravel alive and well.

About 1400 people lined up and could pick from three options: 54 miles, 99, and 130 miles.  Signed up for 99 instead of the 130 because there is an extra 3800 ft of elevation within the extra 30 miles, and 99 miles still most I've ever done on gravel.  Race is start whenever you want, with six segments that are timed.  My plan was to give contest some segments, but also ride pretty steady so I could actually finish.  Was set on taking my steel Viscous Cycles gravel bike with 38s, but realized the hanger was bent on Friday.  So bearclaw it was, 55 tires and all.   

Start of the race was cold like you wouldn't believe, e.g., I started about 7:30 and temp was about 33 degrees.  Nice easy pace out to the mountain on a rail trail, fall in with some dudes from NYCC and other clubs, fine fine.  8 miles later comes the first segment, which is a 5 mile, 1600 ft climb, and group shatters, some fall off the back, couple get away off the front.  Had not planned for how much it hurt sucking in that cold of air when giving it the berries up the mountain but lungs were a little fried rest of the day.  Group reconvenes at the top, and stops at the first aid station, which was well stocked with Perogies and other goods.  I fill up my bottles, get a snack, try to unthaw my right foot, and decide to take off to stay warm and do the second segment, which is rolling hills and a fast descent, as an ITT.  Find myself still by myself after the second segment, on the only stretch of road and a now a dern big wind in my face, regretting my decision to leave out of the aid station solo.  Thankfully, caught the back of a pretty fast group paceline of about 10 riders, some guys from Deno's Wonder Wheel and some other NYC clubs.  Reach the second mountain and start of a big climb with the group.  About a quarter of the way up, I think I've dropped the group because I've got a pretty good, pretty solid gap.  But two riders catch me and there is no hanging on to their wheels for me, and I finish that segment behind those two.  We go into the second aid station a few miles later.  

Second aid station is like a big party with a bon fire, all types of hot dogs and candy corn.  Was able to take off my jacket as it had warmed up to about 50.  Group I was with was going on to the 130 route, and I was feeling really solid, and seriously debated throwing in my lot with theirs.  But honestly, was having a lot of fun, and felt like that would be too much, given that the biggest ride I've done in last six months is less than 60 miles.  So I bid them adieu and basically spent the remaining 45 miles by myself to the finish, passing riders here and there.  Was actually really nice to take on the last three segments by myself, enjoy the woods and gravel, and otherwise really rip the descents without being in a crowd.  Tight switchbacks were well-marked on the course so you could really just let it fly, 'especially with those huge 55 tires I was running.

I finished between 31-54 on all of the segments.  https://www.strava.com/activities/7938203391

Kerry Werner was there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3EXs85vhj4

Btw, I had a beer or so with Kris Auer after the race, founder and operator of Charm City, and he spoke very highly of Kissena.

SammuelAuld said:

Btw, I had a beer or so with Kris Auer after the race, founder and operator of Charm City, and he spoke very highly of Kissena.

Kris is truly awesome. BTW he used to destroy as a racer, but thankfully, Charm became so big that he doesn't race that weekend anymore. 

eloy said:

As promised, this is a cleaned up RWGPS route based on what we actually rode, not including mistakes, plus a full loop around Lake Minnewaska:

Kissena Autumn Leaves 2022 (Actual)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41164386 

I could be convinced to ride on Saturday Nov 5th, as I'm likely not racing, and will be spectating the NYC Marathon Sunday. Don't expect much foliage unless we go south -- which we could, lots of great riding around Hunterdom/New Hope, etc...

Eloy - The new Shawungunk Grit event is on 11/5 benefitting the Mohonk Preserve. Some roads around the Mohonk house will be open that aren't typically open for cycling.

https://www.bikereg.com/grit

https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/grit/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41072282

Team, that event looks like the hotness!! 

don't expect the beautiful leaves we got a weekend ago, but this could be perfect!

That's not the right parking lot!

Is their still interest in a Gravel Jolly on 11-5-22 ?

Oops. Wrong thread...

I'm down for some gravel on 11/5.

My gravel high went away. Can't go. I'm registered for a CPR certification.