What is it that fuels you?
The weekend before the Fourth saw us in Bozeman, MT for a variety of reasons, one of which was the Hell of the Bozone; the fourth BWR race I’ve participated in. Without doubt, BWR races have been my favorite over the years for their crazy idea of what a bike race should consist of, and the mental game of what bike should you choose to face the challenge. This is the game: ever done singletrack on your road bike? Well, you can choose your gravel bike as long as your don’t mind pedaling the extra tires and weight for the rest of the 85 miles of pavement.
So, while Misti and her kids got out the door early to go see grizzlies and Old Faithful, I took a spin around the course and checked in at Registration to pick up my number and swag bag. If you haven’t been, Bozeman is a very cool place to visit- the crossroads of ranching, skiing, great food, and all outdoors-y-ness in big spaces. It is cooler, fashionably so, than perhaps it needs to be, but it is green and lush and large and very full of life (speaking of which, if you need a break from parched lands and hot, dry winds, go north. Crossing the border into Wyoming will bring great relief, going all the way to Montana will remind you of the days of afternoon monsoons and the deep green of surplus — this year at least.). It is very long up there, wide spaces that take a long time to traverse, hills that aren’t steep but go on forever, 3% grades, where we have gullies, gulches, and arroyos, they have great swaths cut out by glaciers.
When I hit the wall at 97 of the 106 miles of the race, the thing that kept me going through the headwind, up the 1% grade, through the quarter filled housing development on a long exposed ridge, was the Badass Ale waiting for me at the finish line. It’s a trademark of BWR races — they partner with a local brewery to concoct a big, nasty ale that fills every crevice of empty after one of their grueling events. If you look at the photo above, you’ll see three of the bottles, favored trophies well above the buckles and pins that others give out. Yeah, it’s satisfying to have a medal hung around your neck when you cross the muddy line in Kansas, but drinking your trophy (check out how big they are too)… truly worthy.
On the left side of the photo you’ll see what they gave out this year. Yes, it is a koozy. Seriously disappointed, I almost didn’t even want the local, Map Brewing Company beer that came in it.
I pride myself on the depth of my awareness, seeing potential in all things, empathizing with those who are willing to give more than asked while leaving the world a little better than they found it, and appreciating the small gestures that have the larger effect.
This one hurt. And clearly it stuck with me. It has made me question more than just the small details.
What struck me most about this fourth edition of a race I love is how tired it felt- the venue felt depleted, the people seemed unenthused, the course was not overly challenging, the food vendor who was scheduled to provide the free meal after the race, to go along with the beer, didn’t even bother showing up. The guy who is BWR, Michael Marckx, was his usual, always larger than life self, ubiquitously present, personally setting up the flags that marked the bitchin’ singletrack finish. But what was most curious was that I was able to talk to him because there was no one else around.
The gravel bike race scene is a tough, competitive world with a race almost every weekend from February to November, and the pull of sponsor money has changed many dynamics in the last few years. The new, hot race series is called Gravel Earth Series, a direct competitor to BWR and Lifetime (most famously known for Leadville 100 and UNBOUND Gravel). GES is cool because it has races all over the planet (that’s what will be on the agenda next year because, for some reason, I have to taste a bit of everything before officially giving it up).
The main difference between GES, Lifetime, and BWR is that the former two are most definitely run by corporations, and the latter is a labor of one man’s love. For that, BWR should be honored; but if the details aren’t there anymore, how much longer can it expect to last?
There is also the question of why would anyone keep exerting themselves on these things in the first place, whether it be the new shiny one or the tried and true. Is it the sense of accomplishment of having done something difficult? The beer? The medal, or other award? Camaraderie and group energy is always alluring, but perhaps even that is starting to fade (especially as more and more riders plug into their airpods and the art of chatting while racing evaporates).
The reason still eludes me despite my best efforts and midnight musing sessions. I better go one more time around to figure it out. Might just take more than one, maybe two. Or is it three…?
Cheers
