Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Almanzo 100 Wilderfest Bike Race: still a rookie

Outdoors | May 31st, 2017

If you've ever heard of gravel bike racing or "gravel grinding" you've probably heard of the Almanzo. It's a one hundred mile bike race that takes place on the Southern Minnesota border right outside the small town of Spring Valley.

There's no fee to ride or rider cap. Riders register by simply sending in a postcard with their name and email address: a relatively unique experience in today's pay-to-play race scene. With events like the Fargo Marathon setting you back a cool hundred-dollar bill to toe the line on race day.

I've completed one-hundred mile races similar to the Alamonzo in the past. However I still consider myself relatively green compared to many of my fellow gravel counterparts. Making rookie mistakes like missing turns, running out of water or in this case not dressing appropriately.

I'd been so focused on the mileage itself I forgot to check the weather, which was setting up to be quite a doozy. Forty degrees, heavy rains throughout the day, winds from the east at twenty-five.

Even though I'd left the best gear for the job at home, I did have my youth, the mileage and a water "resistant" yellow jacket. Resistant meaning, special care had been taken while designing the garment to increase its permeability to the elements to gain a greater breathability for the rider. In layman’s terms, if it rained at all, I'd be wet in about five minutes.

I needed a new plan. I needed to find a way to stay dry for the remaining eight hours I planned to be on the bike after the race began, or I'd find myself 50 miles from home, wet, cold and SOL.

I made a stop at the local Kwik Mart and picked up some grocery bags with the intent to tear them into smaller pieces to line my riding shorts and tights in an effort to protect my joints, butt and legs from the rain. I was also able to scrounge up a large, black garbage bag from the custodial closet located at the camp where my friends and I were saying. I'd keep it in my pack as a sort of emergency shelter should I need it.

I know the bags I'd been able to gather couldn't make up for my lack in preparation but I hoped they would at least give me a chance to avoid hypothermia and finish the race.

The following day, myself and two hundred other riders waited patiently in the rain for the race to start. Despite my best efforts the night before, I was wet before the gun went off.

Twenty miles in I felt surprisingly good. Even though I was wet, the Kwik Mart bags blocked the wind for the most part and kept in some of my body heat. My hands were cold but I was able to practice fine motor skills like using my GPS or adjusting the zippers on my pack.

Staying warm had been my only focus since I'd arrived in Spring Valley and the surprising sensation of warmth left me dull to other important aspects of the ride, like where I was going.

I'd been blindly riding with a similar group the entire race, assuming those in front of me knew where they were going. Rookie mistake. While comparing the directions I was given to the mileage I'd ridden, it became painfully obvious to me the group was lost. Because I hadn't been paying attention, I didn't know where we'd gone off track or how long ago we'd done so.

I would now have to stop, re-orient myself and turn around. I took the big, black garbage bag out of my pack, pulled it over my head and got to work.

Soon after I decided to stop, another group of riders who had made the same mistake picked me up and together we rode back towards the course.

It felt good to find friends in the middle of nowhere, but even the short time I had spent finding the way, cost me valuable body heat. Despite the garbage bag I'd stolen the night before, the rain seemed to chill me to the bone.

I pedaled harder, momentary pulling ahead of the group in an attempt to warm myself, but was unsuccessful. The plastic bags that had once kept me warm had failed and now held forty degree rain water against my skin and in my shoes. My hands turned into what felt more like claws, requiring a fist instead of a finger to shift my bike.

How had I been so stupid? I became frustrated with myself, swearing loudly into the wind and rain. My race was over.

When the group finally made it back on course, I decided, teeth chattering, to give up and ride back to Spring Valley the short way instead of continuing for another 80 miles.

Despite my youth and training, overconfidence and a lack of equipment (which I left sitting at home because I'd be "fine") ultimately allowed the rain to defeat me in just twenty-three miles.

It was a tough pill to swallow but there was a Surly beer truck set up in Spring Valley when I arrived, which helped. It'd be a long trip back to Fargo but the heat in my van was cranked all the way up.

On they way out of town I made another stop at the Kwik Mart, this time to fill up with gas and pick up a postcard. I'll be back next year and I'll make sure to bring a rain jacket.

Recently in:

MayFargo MarathonNow - May 20Youth run Thursday, 5K Friday night, 10K, half and full marathon, entertainment along route on Saturday. fargomarathon.comKids to Park DayMay 20Bring the kids to Theault Farm in Fargo for crafts,…

By John Showalter john.d.showalter@gmail.comHuman rights is a subject that often comes up in the media. One has only to tune in to any of the major news broadcasters to hear heated debate and discussion regarding the treatment of…

Event by Moorhead Parks & Recreation and Swing Barrel Brewing Company, LLCW. H. Davy Memorial Park, 1st Ave & 8th St N, MoorheadTuesday, June 27, 5:30-8pmThe Gina Powers Band + Petting ZooHeather & Thistle Pipes and DrumsArt…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comOur opinion: Keep your chins up, class of 2023As the school year draws to a close, this seems to be the time of year when most editors offer up their best advice to the most recent graduating…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comCan Someone Tell Me Why Sneakers Sell for $1.5 to $2.2 Million a Pair? It has to be something other than quality. I shop for used books in thrift stores because I have discovered thick books given…

We are looking for 55-gallon plastic food grade barrels, do you have ideas or connections?We use these barrels to teach our resilient yard workshop series including Make Your Own Rain Barrel and Make Your Own Compost Tumbler. If…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comSpring has finally sprung. It’s time to bounce out of the house and try a few new places to eat. Let’s explore what restaurants are trending on the Fargo-Moorhead Eats Facebook page. With nearly…

Event information provided by Morgan Thompson, Marketing and Sales Associate, FARGODOMEMThompson@fargodome.comIt’s the official kickoff of summer, and the return of the best BBQ around and look who’s going to be there! Getting…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comWriter-director Nicole Holofcener leans in – all the way in – to the sturdy milieu of the well-heeled, narcissist-inhabited, New York-based comedy landscape dominated for so many decades by…

Hjemkomst Center 202 1st Ave N, Moorhead  April 25, 3:30-7:30pmPaint a rock, make a stranger smile and be a part of the movement! Keep your rock or add it to the pile to be labeled, sealed and…

By Eric Dallmanericd@hpr1.comWe recently watched “The PROM” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and it was an experience that left a lasting impact on us. The story, a heartwarming yet familiar one, follows a group of Broadway stars…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comSpring is here (mostly), and our area is buzzing with people eager to get back out and about -- many newly vaccinated and feeling a bit safer. Partnering with Jade Events, Fargo Brewing is just…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

By Traci Sethre  traci.sethre@gmail.comAn integral piece of fencing is your mask. Its integrity keeps you safe. It’s typically painted black to hide your face…

By Ken and Alice Christiansonsubmit@hpr1.com HB 1332 is currently before the North Dakota legislature. The bill proposes to permit social workers to use a discredited treatment method to convert the sexual orientation of gay and…