Empowering Athletes through Menopause
March 21, 2024
ADHD and the Adult Endurance Athlete
April 28, 2024
Dirty 30 Gravel Races has quickly become my favorite local spring gravel opener. Close to home, perfect gravel roads, and a nice vibe from quaint little community of Saranac. There are several options for distances and a small field. It’s exactly what you want from a local gravel event!
In 2023 I rode the 30-mile course and this year I opted for the 16. They also have bike races of 6 miles, 50 miles and 120 miles, a kids bike race and some running events too. Stuart Coaching was a sponsor, providing training plans and a course preview ride both years.
I thought I would give this little race some love and share with you my experience at the Dirty 30. Reach out if you have any questions about Dirty 30, and if you’re new to gravel, you can download my Beginners Gravel Guide here.
WHAT DISTANCE TO PICK?
All along, I was planning to register for the 30-mile race, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I was racing the 36-miler at Barry Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race the following weekend, so 30-miles would have been the perfect training ride for Barry.
The course preview ride changed my mind!
The course preview was the week prior to the race, co-sponsored by Stuart Coaching and Di Payne’s beginner gravel group. She was leading the 30-mile route, and I was leading the cyclists on the 16-mile course. I had such a great ride on that 16-mile route, and I felt excited to do it again. In the ultimate ADHD party, my procrastination and impulsivity met face to face and plans suddenly changed. I signed up for the 16-miler that day!
I really enjoyed the 30 last year, and the first 14 miles are the same for all routes. I chose the 16 because I felt excited to push a little bit on a shorter distance. And that’s exactly what I did! It’s questionable whether I will still love that decision next weekend at Barry. But as of today, I’m still happy.
LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING: LOGISTICS
Parking is very limited in Saranac, and I was determined not to have a car on there. So Ben dropped me off in Lowell the morning of the race and I road down the crushed gravel Fred Meyer trail into Saranac. This was a nice approach because it gave me a few more miles on the day and also provided a warmup opportunity before the race.
I got there about 15 minutes before my wave took off. I found Jamie, got my number plate on my bike, threw a few layers of unneeded clothing into Terence’s snazzy hot pink PT Sports Pro Range Rover and lined up to race!
Was 42° and sunny when Ben dropped me off. That’s one of those tricky temps where you’re not quite sure what to wear. I would recommend to others to layer up because you can always take things off. However, I have learned something about myself recently, as a 46 year old woman, I will be hot.
I may have looked underdressed compared with others in my short sleeve jersey, vest and shorts – but I felt PERFECT. I saw people out there with thermal bibs, heavy jackets mittens, and toe covers. Not to say they were wrong, but I’m glad I went with less.
The 30-mile wave went off 5-minutes before us. They had to start a little late due to the 16 mile wave getting in their way! I tried my best to stay out of the way and got to see Jamie and Amy as they crossed the start line for their 30- mile adventure!
I lined up, still not knowing exactly what my ride would bring. Did I mention I’m impulsive, but I also knew I’m only looking ahead to a fun season with no big goals, so I can afford to play around. My social side wanted to find a friend and ride easy, but since that didn’t happen the part of me that loves to ride fast came out, so off I went by myself with a plan to do my best!
All of The Dirty 30 routes start off with 150 feet of gain over the first mile. It’s nothing steep, but enough to get your heart rate up. A great reason to make sure you warm up before these races!
From there the next 12 miles were relatively flat, very minimal traffic and the gravel was hero. There wind was no joke – 15-20 mph wind out of the west-southwest.
What I lack in athleticism, I make up for in drafting skill! Dozens of years of riding on Bens’s back wheel have taught me to stay alert and hang on to that wheel. I am also particularly skilled at finding just the right person to ride behind.
There he was – a broader man with calves like boulders and a very steady cadence. He was riding a bit quicker than I could maintain on my own, and boy did he do a good job of blocking the wind! So I hung on his back wheel for those stretches directly into the wind. Eventually, my free ride got tired and was slowing down, so it was time for me to press on by myself.
I had a great time pushing myself and mixing it up a bit. There’s a howl worthy downhill around mile 12 and the finish is fast and fun too. The sun was out the whole time, and it was starting to get hot! I only brought one bottle and downed every last drop. I also had some Scratch energy chews, and I nibbled on a few of those over the bridge at MacArthur, which gave me a nice kick of glycogen for the final few miles.
Earlier in the race, I had shared pulls with another female cyclist for a little bit. She had a gorgeous light purple bike with sparkles! She pulled away from me at some point and I lost her. But in the final mile, I could see her again so I now had a purple glittered carrot!
I did not catch up to her, but I sure tried! I got to see her about an hour later though on the podium. She took 1st in our age group, and I was 2nd with a difference of 6-seconds. Doh!
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
I wish I was able to share more knowledge about the longer distance events, but I can eagerly recommend the shorter events. These are particularly outstanding for a beginner because there’s a nice balance of gravel aesthetic and basic technical challenge, plus a small field of competition is always nice for a beginner.
There are two small but notable climbs on the 16-mile route, but there is one significant monster hill on the 30 – Ivan the Terrible. It’s a steady and steep climb just a mile or two from the end of the race, which makes you wonder if gravel racing is maybe not all that fun after all. Once you get to the top, you get to soon soar down to the finish line, and in that amount of time you are back in love with riding on the dirt!
Cassie participated in the kids 3-mile race. It was a free event, on the trail, which turns from pavement to crushed gravel. We rode together and had a nice ride. It was her first gravel experience, and when I called her a “rockstar” she replied, “Well yea, we are riding on rocks, mom!”
Again, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the Dirty 30 Reach, and if you’re new to gravel, you can download my Beginners Gravel Guide here.
