DAMn registration opens tomorrow.
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Well I’m kinda busy that day already, but DAMN!
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Also doing Barry 100. Plus Mohican, Lumberjack, Marji 50 and Iceman. Hoping for a busy year!
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Since most of these are in the mid west I’ll post this here, vice the other “events” threads
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For me this year:
4/20 - Barry Roubaix (Byron Center, MI)
4/27 - Yankee Time Trial (Yankee Springs, MI)
9/7 - Lord of the Springs (Yankee Springs, MI)
11/2 - Iceman Cometh (Kalkaska, MI)
I’m in South Bend, IN and would love to add an Indiana XC race somewhere within 2hrs to the schedule but haven’t found anything I like, any suggestions?
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Check out Dinoseries.com
The Winona Lake and Potato Creek races are pretty close to South Bend.
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I might check those out, I’m in Indiana all the time
Awesome- didn’t know about those. I’ll check those out. Thanks for the rec!
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I plan on doing the Big River gravel series this year in Eastern Iowa. I think people also seem to like the Iowa Gravel Series events also.
Spotted Horse would probably be a good one.
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My daughter has decided to go to Iowa next year, so I expect I’ll become very familiar with a lot of the gravel in the area…hopefully a few events, too.
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Modern gravel cycling is closely linked to the Trans Iowa race, which predates DK and almost all others. The TI race director has a blog where he talks about the history of the race as well as gravel cycling and his life. It’s pretty interesting IMO.
Trans Iowa isn’t happening anymore, but Iowa Wind and Rock is a similar style of race: 340 miles in often crummy spring conditions, no markings, cue sheet navigation, course not disclosed until just before start of race, self supported with only a few checkpoints, strict time cuts regardless of weather, no prizes or any frills, cost free. It’s as much You vs the course as vs competitors.
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In that same area, you may want to consider the following XC races:
May 12, 2024 - Fort Custer Stampede
Oct 5, 2024 - Custer’s Last Stand
5163 Fort Custer Drive, Augusta, MI 49012
@Power13 You are going to dig the IC cycling vibe. Finding a gravel route west to Amana for a mid-ride cafe stop is about as good as it gets. 
Good choice by your daughter 
Go Hawks!
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She is excited….but not a great choice for my bank account since we live in IL. 
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I got FOMO and added Lumberjack. Not sure if I can Lumbercoast, I guess we’ll see how training goes 
I’m eyeing hungry bear as well, but don’t have a mtb or gravel bike…CX rig it is! Or, n+1…
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As a part of my local MTB group, it’s worth sharing our biggest race of the year, the InSayner.
It’s a really burly XCM race that takes place in our little town, Sayner, WI, which is about 2 hours east of the Chequamegon 40 and the American Birkebeiner races.
Last year’s long course was just over 50 miles, which included a lot of rugged snowmobile trails, some logging roads, rolling XC ski trails, and 7 miles of the local Escanaba singletrack course.
This year, we will be including some more really nice flowy singletrack from one of our newest project Musky Mountain.
This is a super grassroots event with a lot of really passionate people who put it on. The riding is excellent and is typically a true challenge, depending on how the spring is each year.
Bring your families and stay for a few days at one of our many, many campsites and ride the 50-mile paved “Heart of Vilas County” trail from Mercer to St. Germain, check out any of our great MTB trailheads (Musky Mountain, Winman, Fern Ridge, Zip Trail, to name a few) and swim in one of Vilas County’s 1,300+ pristine lakes. This is a great place to vacation!! 
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Fellow LAMBO member! Represent!
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The Midwest is the New Black ???
We normally like to start out the new year with a “Midwest Primer” on this thread, but the fun got started a bit early.
However, I saw this article in the WSJ today, and I figured it was time for a hard reset:
Sorry, I can’t really include a link because it’s behind one of the more sophisticated paywalls in digital media. But if you have a WSJ subscription, you should be able to find it.
Some of the more notable, misguided graphics/quotes are included below —
- Sorry, Idaho … you need a better map, or are testing well below the national average in geography. You, too, Colorado and Wyoming(??).
TL;DR Yellowstone is not in the Midwest.
- At least the Idaho Statesman is grounded in cultural/geographical reality.
- Negative. Sorry, Paul - it’s not open to interpretation.
”The geography of the Midwest may simply be more open to interpretation than other regions.
The West Coast, the South and New England have more clear boundaries, says Paul Fehribach”
- The Great Plains identity crisis is not my problem.
Lauck, the Midwest scholar, says the big surprise of the study is that many people stretch the Midwest to the Front Range of the Rockies. “I think this just shows you how weak of an identity the Great Plains has. I never really encountered any real people in the world who say, ‘Yes, I’m a Plainsman.’”
SO LET’S BE CLEAR …
… THIS is the Midwest, with a written overview I’ve included in years past for those interested in both cultural and geographical accuracy.
Lastly and importantly, from a cycling perspective … Unbound (the artist formerly known as the Dirty Kanza) is NOT a Midwest race. And to the West Coast goofballs who created the Belgian Waffle Rides, the ‘BWR - Kansas’ is NOT “The Hell of the Midwest” … they’re from San Diego, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised they don’t know better.
For these two reasons (among others) Kansas is permanently excommunicated from Midwest consideration. Best of luck to you in future endeavors.
Furthermore … the following are all about 86.4% true as far as Midwest racing is concerned:
- Illinois (mostly Chicago) rides crits and cyclocross (which makes me a pilgrim in an unholy land)
- Michigan is the capitol of gravel
- Wisconsin is the home of mountain biking
- Iowa is made of wind. And hard-as-nails riders. You know the crazy person that goes out for an additional hundo after the group ride? They race in Iowa.
- Minnesota is made of ice. And these people seem to ride in anything. And I mean, ANYTHING. You know the crazy person who is never on a trainer and rides outside year round regardless of weather? They race in Minnesota.
- Missouri rides some crits - at least in St. Louis. And I think they get up to some decent mountain biking as well. We never really know what they’re up to. Crazy kids.
- Indiana is getting up to a lot of different things in a lot of different places. And I gotta tell you … I like it. Good job, Hoosiers … I see you.
- Ohio needs to pick their game up a little bit. Or maybe they’re all just going to Michigan to ride. Might be time for a sit down with Ohio.
Other items …
- The Trans-Iowa (RIP) was the most OG of all OG gravel. True story — you used to have to send in a postcard to enter and wait for a response via mail to see if you were accepted.
- In its place, the Barry Roubaix is the granddaddy of gravel races.
- I don’t want to hear any sh*t about The Iceman … it’s awesome. And if you don’t like it, if you think it’s not a MTB race, if you think it’s not long enough, or if you think it’s too cold — stay home. Please.
- If Michigan is the capitol of gravel, the Driftless region is it’s spiritual home. As they say: if you know, you know🤘
Glad I got this off my chest.
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I think I’m more surprised that 6% of people in Illinois and Wisconsin don’t believe they’re Midwest.
Also, the map you show includes Kansas in the Midwest as the official US census. But you’re saying it’s not. I’m just curious, I’ve only ever lived in CA or on the East Coast so I can’t say I’m familiar with what people call the Midwest.
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