Saturday is the MidSouth 100-miler gravel race out of Stillwater, Oklahoma. First national gravel event of the year. I'll be there riding (hardly call 10mph "racing"). I've been to every one of the 14 except 2017 because it was a week after my ablation to correct A-Fib. My cardiologist said "don't do it" very sternly. I've finished about 11 or 12 of them. Rain, mud, mechanicals and a soccer injury intervened on the rest.
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MidSouth became the name of LandRun a few years ago after libs convinced Bobby that Land Run was insensitive to Indians (excuse me, "Native Americans"). These video was made by Salsa cycles a few years ago before the name change. I urged him not to change the name, but alas. Bobby and his wife Crystal started a tiny store front cycle should in Stillwater about 15 years ago. He helped create the gravel bike boom by this race. I entered a week before the first one because he said "you're invited to ride this informal 100 mile race with me and about 70 other friends." Gravel? "Sure, that Peugeot UO8 will do fine. We'll lever these 28mm multipurpose tires on there. It'll be great." I almost made it to the 50 mile mid-race station. Only about 30 people finished that first one. This year there are about 3500 entrants, about 500 are for 50 miles and a few more for a limited fun ride for total newbies or friend of the 100-mile riders.
https://vimeo.com/259737066Comment
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#422.1Editing a commentIs the route a loop or a back and forth? -
Wildbears, it is one big 100+ mile loop. The course, other than the downtown start and finish, is completely different every two years. The organizers feel like if you have "unfinished business" the first year of a course, you can fix that your second (and last) try. There's been 6 different courses over 12 yeas. I have finished every course at least once. I finished today in 10:40 with perfect conditions on the roads and with the weather. That includes a 10-15 minute wait at a water crossing and about a mile of gnarly single track at a local lake's mountain bike course. I suck as a bike handler because I dismounted a number of times so I didn't rack myself. Some friends rode it cleanly. We are all on gravel bikes with no suspension and fairly narrow tires.(Mine are 38's x 700C's).
The winner's time was 4 hours and change!!! Almost 25 mph. Unreal.
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From a previous Mid South
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A Tulip Magnolia at peak elevation, 1082 ft, on a back roads ride 4 days ago. A steady climb and descent. Open farm fields everywhere. The "peak" is between the Hocking River and Walnut Creek valleys.
Last edited by wildbears; 03-17-2024, 02:57 AM.Comment
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Meal on Wheels....
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Just down the road....back in the day. And one more in 2019....
https://www.athensmessenger.com/news...d0186a5fd.html
Last edited by wildbears; 03-25-2024, 04:13 PM.Comment
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Wild,
The linked article was about the re-invigoration of this race. It was a 2019 article. The WuHan Flu panic ensued shortly thereafter. Is the race still happening in 2024? I love these kinds of races. -
They tried to keep it going with another race in 2020 or 2021. That didn't happen and I haven't found anything about future races.
BTW, The cobblestone bricks were fired just up the road in Nelsonville, OH. See Nelsonville Brick Festival, 2024 @ https://athensindependent.com/brickfest23/
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And now they're thinking tire size may not significantly affect rolling resistance on pavement. However, narrow tires with high pressure are still best for ultra smooth indoor tracks.
See: https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com...ake-you-faster
Personal Notes:
My current tire pressures:
Gravel bike (aluminum) with 22mm rims, 37c tires @ 25F/30R.
Road bike (steel/Columbus SL frame tubes) with 19.5mm rims, 25c tires @ 30F/45R.
Pinch flats may be more likely with the same tires on narrower rims. So far none with the road bike as the rims are almost as wide as the tires.Last edited by wildbears; 06-09-2024, 08:27 AM.Comment
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Bears,
I recently did the MidSouth 100 gravel race on a Salsa Cross-Check borrowed from a friend. My Bianchi's Shimano handlebar shifter cratered race week! I ran 40 PSI in the Bontanger(?) 38mm tires, which is the same I run in my Gravel Kings. Both are reasonably supple gumwall casings. I weigh 200 lbs.
Much of this race course was anticipated to be hard-packed Oklahoma red dirt (clay). That it was hard-packed, I will testify. I fell hard at fairly low speed after getting one wheel in a rut and the other wheel in a different rut. LOL I ran 40 lbs to take advantage of the higher speed sections and the eight miles of pavement. Additionally, I was not sure about whether the pressures would decrease during the race. The bike had not been used for several months and we added additional sealant the night before the race. As it was, the front was flat just before the gun, and the bike shop quickly aired it up and added more sealant. No problem during the race. I started near the back of the 100-miler, which was my plan all along.
In hindsight, 34-35 lbs would have been a better choice. Comfort would have been better and stability increased. I was not sure about whether the pressures would decrease during the race.
A borrowed bike with a new seat? Wow. Doing that, I was lucky I could walk after a hundred miles LOL, The seat was different than mine and, of course, fit differently. But, a quart of Butt Butter at the half-way mark prevented serious damage.
The point being, that I agree with your post above. I could have used lower PSI and been fine.Last edited by 955i; 03-27-2024, 09:43 AM.Comment
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Congrats on completing the race!
I've been using puncture resistant tires, that have stiff casings, on my road bikes. For these, my tests show higher pressures, 70-80 psi, result in the best rolling resistance.
I'm thinking of going to more supple tires and TPU tubes on the Campy wheels. These are supposed to have more puncture resistance, including pinch flats, than butyl tubes. Some valve stem issues with the early and the cheaper versions.
I have one wheel set, Bontragers, that can be run tubeless. Maybe give that a try.
I'm only 150 lbs so that allows lower pressures than what you need.Last edited by wildbears; 03-27-2024, 02:07 PM. -
Weighing 150 lbs. has ALL SORTS of advantages on a bicycle! LOL! (195 today, BTW.)
I have an older friend who was a gear guy. He put tubeless on his carbon Roubaix when they first became available 10 years ago, or so. The Schwalbes were stiff, a bit heavy and didn't always seal well at the rim. It didn't take long for tubeless road tires to get better. I think they are really pretty good now. I'm curious enough to consider it, BUT . . .
My theoretical issue vs the tubeless gravel tires is the big difference in air volume. There is so little volume in a 25 x 700c road tire, that by the time the sealant gets to a puncture and seals it up, you most likely will lose significant air pressure. Of course, a quick CO2 charge or a number of pumps on a hand pump should get you going again, if the sealant actually does its work. Of course, modernly, this may be less of an issue. A girl friend just bought a carbon Cannondale Synapse with wide 30 x 700c tires and wheels. 25's BARELY fit the forks and chain stays of my 1990ish Merckx MX-Leader. In 1990 people like you, Bears, were running around on 19's or 21's!Last edited by 955i; 03-31-2024, 01:52 PM. -
My preferred road tire is the damned expensive Continental GP-5000's. They are soft enough, puncture resistant, durable, and by gosh, at least they FEEL fast.
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