“Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.” - Roy T. Bennet. The Big Lick 200; a journey filled struggles and uncertainty along with fun and enjoyment.
What:
200 miles of raw gravel, double track, and rural roads within the Susquehanna
River Valley of North-central PA. An
invite only event as part of the unPAved cycling weekend; unPAved being a
weekend of gravel bike riding and racing of various distances along with a
festival and party atmosphere.
Organizer:
GRO Races
Where: Lewisburg,
PA
When: October 6-8, 2023
The current time is around 9pm. I’ve been on the bike since 3am. There are only about 40 miles to go, 160 already done but things are not boding well for me. I’ve been out way longer than expected and still have many more hours to go. The temperatures have plummeted to near freezing. Back pain is making riding a challenge. Mentally and physically I have hit a low point. After a long down hill hypothermia is setting in and I’ve decided to rest for a bit to re-evaluate my life’s decisions. Why? What the f’ am I doing? Am I having fun? I am almost ready to call it quits. I call my husband Joël who is volunteering at the aid station I will be coming to next stating I may need extraction and be ready for me. A message left on the race coordinators phone with the same info is left so ne knows what is potentially going to happen. I wrap myself in my emergency space blanket and use handwarmers for added warmth. I continue contemplating why am I here by myself sitting on the ground in a random ATV parking lot in the middle of Bald Eagle State Forest late on a Sunday night? Maybe it was getting warm, maybe resting for a bit, maybe I just need to have a pitty-party for myself to get it all out…for then it was decided to suck it up, put on my big girl panties and get moving. I stuffed the emergency space blanket and handwarmers under my other clothing layers for added warmth and started walking.
How did I get to this point and how did it end….
First a little about the GRO Racing event known as unPAved. The riding occurring on Sunday, the adventures of event weekend actually started on Friday. unPAved is not just about the riding, it’s about the atmosphere. It’s a festival style weekend where hanging out with friends and family and experiencing what Lewisburg has to offer is highlighted just as much as the cycling. Joël and I arrived Friday night taking part in the pub crawl throughout Lewisburg and attended the SRAM game night at Bull Run Tavern. Maybe I should blame Dave for my slow riding in the Big Lick, it was my forced participation in the roller races at Bull Run that burned me out pre-event…OK, only kidding but worth a try. After a lazy Saturday morning of van camping in the event provided Fairgrounds parking area for campers/vans/RVs it was time to head over to the Lewisburg Fall Festival for registration and checking out what the quaint and historic town has to offer. At registration it was time to socialize, catching up with friends and bike industry colleagues. After registration Joël and I headed over to the old fashioned movie theater in Lewisburg for a race-organized viewing of movie shorts and talks about gravel racing. The pre-race day concluded with dinner with friends at a local Italian restaurant. It was then in bed at 8:30pm for a 2:30am wake-up. Note: everything involving unPAved in Lewisburg is easily accessible by bike and mostly via the bike path.
But still despite the aforementioned awesomeness of unPAved, after reading my event summary you may feel why the f’ ride this? Because this event gets the highest accolades. I've done a ton of crazy races all over North America, Europe, and the Caribbean; many have disappointed, unPAved certainly will not. Come for the event, not just the riding. Ride the 50, 90, 120 miler. My personal input is the race organizers were helpful, friendly, and were there truly for the racers. Event weekend was fun and welcoming. Race swag top notch. Food, drinks, and an after party for all racers. Camping at the race site with hot showers post even compliments of the Miller Center. So many friends, both new and old, out there before, during, and after the race to connect with. All the rider amenities were there as you will learn as you read; this event is all about the riders. The organizers and team behind this event get a 10 out of 10 for what they put on.
Now back to my story. The wake-up alarm sounded. Having clothing in a pile for easy
application and all gear and equipment on my Liv Devote prior to sleep it was a
quick morning routine and just a few minutes ride from the Fairgrounds to the
start. Since Joël needed to be up early
for volunteer duty, he accompanied me during these early morning hours. No
fanfare, no cheers or starting bells. The way the 200 mile event worked was a
“choose your own adventure” format. Race
organizers wanted everyone to be finished my 9pm on Sunday (and to be an
official finisher this had to be adhered too), thus riders could start anytime
Saturday night or Sunday morning which they felt appropriate to be able to
cross the finish line by 9pm. 3am start
gave me 18 hours…based on my previous 200 and 300 mile events with similar
elevation this was ample time. Start
time temperatures were around 50 degrees and dry; I was perfectly dressed with
layers to take off later if needed. I had enough food for 20+ hours of riding
and knew I could fill bottles at aid stations or from springs and creeks. I had a few extra layers and warmer clothes in my Ortlieb Bag along with some emergency cold weather supplies if the weather changed,
especially at elevation. My Lupine light was set at 1000 lumen and with the
extra battery I had packed lighting for 20ish hours as not a concern. As I took my first pedal stroke I knew I
would be back at the start/finish line at the Miller Center later that
evening. Oh how things got complicated.
Please note: my recollection of
the course may not be spot on for distance and when and where things happen.
Moth Man and Sasquatch may have stolen some of my memory while out there but
what you are about to get is the general scheme of things…
Starting out, the first hour or so of riding for the Big Lick was rail trail
and then gentle rolling rural farm roads.
So many cute cows just chilling in the fields to pass by. The course
then turned, as the locals call it “north of 80”; Interstate 80. The real
riding then started. The climbs are long
and the elevation intense and much of the riding is chunky gravel roads and
double track. Note worthy riding was Mile Run Road, Fourth Gap Trail and then
the climb back up over the mountain on Walters Road. I enjoyed all of these,
those that know me understand my love of gnarly trails, but wow did these
technical descents and climbs slow me down and had me wondering if my average
speed would be enough to make the cut-offs and complete the course in the time
allowed.
I was enjoying the trails,
conserving energy for the miles ahead, and taking in all the ride had to offer. After crossing back under 80 there was some
meandering through small towns, parks and forest land. The sun had risen and I
was overall feeling good about the ride thus far. Somewhere during these miles my husband Joël met
me on the course for some cheering and motivation and our dog Clifford joined
me for a few pedal strokes. Bottle fill
via springs and nutrition from what I had packed was right on. I was watching
my average speed and the time of day and was taking note I was going slower
than anticipated, but I also knew once I met-up with the 120 and 90 mile riders
the course became more reasonable so was a little worried but not yet
distraught about the 9pm finish requirement.
More miles of gravel and the
course was now weaving towards one of my favorite mountain biking areas RB
Winter State Park. Following my Garmin Edge
1040 Solar turn-by-turn directions I noticed a turn was missed. But what turn?
I was on a straight gravel road. Back track just a bit and much to my surprise
I missed the turn onto Black Gap Trail. For those that have ridden in Bald
Eagle for Trans-sylvania Epic the bottom half of Black Gap was an Enduro
stage. I love Black Gap on my full
suspension Liv Pique and I love it as part of a mountain bike race but I was hesitant
about it on a gravel bike. Once again; remember I was out there all alone, only
ten others were riding the Big Lick. Spotty
cell phone coverage made for little to no contact with others; if an emergency
occurred I would have to depend on my Spot Tracker to help alert race officials
to my problem. Thus I rode slowly,
cautiously, and I walked a lot. I mean a
lot. I didn’t want to break myself or my
bike. I figured it was better to go slow then to have to be pulled from the
course due to an unfixable issue. But wow did it slow down my average speed. By
the end of the approximately five miles of single track the course then turned
onto gravel roads again and dropped down into the area of RB Winter State Park.
Being back on gravel gave me a
burst of energy and was revived both mentally and physically. I met up with
other Big Lick riders, the top finishing men Stewart, Jesse, and Matt who
started after me were catching and passing me. But we all rode together for a
bit, talked, and compared race notes. It was noted that we should be coming up
to the RB Winter aid station soon…or at least we though. Little did all of us
know we had to leave the course and ride down into the state park for the aid
stop. Well…all of us missed that one.
Made for a creek stop for a water bottle fill for me later. I was also looking forward to some real food
at the aid, which I missed and had to continue on eating just Honey Stinger
items and Nature’s Bakery bars.
More gravel roads, more climbs
and descents followed. The Big Lick
intersected the other race courses so friendly faces and cheers helped raise
the motivation level. What seemed like
hours passed, and maybe it was, and finally an aid station appeared like an
oasis in the distance.
The Ranch was it’s name and being
friendly and helpful along with calorie and hydration filling was it’s name.
There was a 1:30pm cut off for this point, and I rolled in right around that
time. It was something like mile 102 for me and I was over 10 hours in. A good friend Wags was helping at this aid, a
big hug from him brought out some emotion in me and I confided in Wags that I
was uncertain about the ride ahead. At this point I was looking at a 22+ hour
finish and I did not even know if I would be allowed to go on; this would put
me past the 9pm cut off and I would be considered an unofficial entrant. The aid station volunteers rallied for me;
the entire crew cheered for me, gave me hugs, told me I could do it, filled me
with food and water. Wow, thanks for that everyone. So off I pedaled, just under 100 miles to go.
The next part of the course sped
right along because I knew my next stop was Poe Paddy aid which had the people
I was looking forward to seeing all day, Becky and John. As an added boost, EMT
Matt and course designer Brett were at this aid. Many hugs and smiles from John and Becky
boosted my morale along with the fact they fed and hydrated me and replenished
my snacks for later. Discussion with
Brett ensured as I left the aid stop; I knew I was going to be out there way
longer than expected but I was prepared and ready. I rolled out of the Poe
Paddy aid well before the 3:30pm cut off being told I had flat rail trail and
rolling gravel roads ahead of me…well, the 120 riders did but us Big Lick
riders did not. Thinking I was in for
some easy-ish pedaling, I was feeling strong again, and my average speed was
actually increasing; I was starting to rally.
Then came a slap in the face. Milheim-Seigler Pike a rocky “road” up the
mountain for the next few miles. My
mountain bike skills came in handy and I was embracing the challenging and the
fun techy ride; however there was still quite a slew of walking when the going
was really rocky. So much for moving a long a little faster. Oh well, any
movement forward is movement in the right direction.
After that it was time for gravel
roads and rural roads that were both rolling and decent climbs and descents.
Sunset came and went and it was time to turn lights on. The temperatures
started dropping and dropping quickly; more than expected and the miles of descending
in the cold dark forest created moments of utter cold for me; seizing up my
back and giving me a weird brain-freeze effect. Now we get to where this story
started. My body is taxed, I am tired,
one long downhill that I actually had to slow down on due to the cold had me
feeling spent. I’ve plopped myself down
on the ground at an ATV parking lot just before the start of Henstep
Trail.
Now….here we are returning to the opening
paragraph of this blog, this is where we are in this story.
I’ve decided to start walking maybe still contemplating pulling out and
along comes fellow rider Cass approaching from behind. I am so happy to see someone else! What a lift to my spirits this is! Cass and I start riding together and the
friendly conversation helps me forget about the miserable moments I just had.
Then another wonderful thing, Joël and Clifford appear walking on Henstep. Joël was going backwards on the course to
find me; he informs Cass and I that the van is at the end of Henstep. Henstep is a mountain bikers dream…rocky,
gnarly, and huge muddy puddles going on for miles and miles…but I will admit
challenging on a gravel bike after 16ish hours of riding. Slow riding and walking ensues. Cass and I continue together for a bit, but
then my technical skills have me pulling ahead; I inform Cass I am hightailing
it to the van. At the vehicle I refuel
with water and snacks along with leaving a jug of water and snacks for
Cass. Riding with a new friend, seeing
my husband and dog, and getting food and water in my belly has rejuvenated me.
I got this!
- Jess
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