As you can see in the crappy picture below, I sent my postcard in for entry to the Almonzo 100. This is a big deal to me. Last spring as I was digging around in he webosphere I came across a blog entry referring to this hundred mile sufferfest on gravel roads in southern Minnesota. I thought to myself, what the hell is this? Why would anyone want to do this, what's wrong with pavement, or dirt for that matter? Having grown up in or near the country gravel roads elicit a special sort of anxiety. It makes your stuff dirty, it's always rough, it chips paint, it's dusty or it's muddy. The reasons to NOT seek these roads out and to find a better way from A to B goes on and on. All very practical reasons. This practical concern didn't last long, I read a few more related blogs, Googled a bit more and became increasingly intrigued by the challenge and what the event really was. It seemed real to me. I was attracted to it for what is wasn't. I know, cliche right? Well, I'm sick of shelling out a hundred or more bucks just to register and go home with a shitty bag of useless crap. But even more I was in to how the race was born and what it stands for. This is a race for riders, not for uppity elites. Sure, it's competitive but in the right way, the fun way.
A free 100 mile gravel race. Unsupported, rain or shine, ride what you brought. I can't wait...
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