Gravel Bike Adventure – an amazing run

2026 Little Apple Gravel Race 50K – Race Report

August 9, 2025 – Manhattan, IL – 50K Open Division

Results: 50K Open – Male: TBA

Watch data: 32.21 miles – 2:05:21 – 15.4 mph/ave.

I returned to this local race again for the second time because I had a pretty good time at it last year. I opted for the 50K Open category because that is about my limit of what I can take on a mostly gravel race route.

If you registered early enough, you got your name placed on the race plate. There are also stickers to add flair if you choose to.

The race starts with a slow roll-out, where we are supposed to just easily pace until we get through this little chicane spot on the course, but of course, most people started gunning it right away. I wanted to try to keep up with the main group, but they quickly gapped me. I looked back and saw about a dozen riders in my same predicament, so I figured I would just have to slowly work my way up to catch riders who went out too hard.

The start location. The guy behind me had some interesting pre-race moves. I ordered a new custom Gunners cycling jersey and was pleased it arrived in time for the race.

I opted to use a hydration vest instead of water bottles this year, and it certainly made drinking easier for me, without having to fuss with getting the bottle in and out of the cage. The only downside was that it made my back hot on this warm day.

The race had a 2km detour due to a bridge being out, so my time is a little longer than last year due to the increased distance. I didn’t mind the detour, as it was mostly paved, and I could push a little harder on it than the gravel sections.

Last year I saw two people wipe out, but didn’t see any crashes this year. The usual culprit is going too hard into the turns, and I rode them slowly, thinking that maybe I should practice that more.

I was alone in riding for most of the first 8 miles when I decided to peek behind me to see if anyone was back there, and I was surprised to see that someone was right on my wheel. He was wearing a white t-shirt and riding a mountain bike. He passed me shortly after a bit and said: “Hey, let’s work together for a while.” I was all in on that, but I was thinking that he was greatly overestimating my ability to keep pace with him. I grabbed his wheel and quickly felt the benefit of the draft. We quickly caught a couple of other riders ahead of us and were a group of about five riders for a while. I eventually lost track of him.

The course didn’t offer any surprises, but there’s one section of gravel that is just insanely difficult to ride on. I found some space along the very edge, but I was almost tightroping it, with what seemed like 8 inches of gravel to my right and a big drop-off into a ditch to the left. That mile or so section on Barr Road is miserable.

With about 10km to go, the road climbed, but the gravel was better. I started pushing a little harder, and when I got to the paved road portion, I started getting out of the saddle more to build speed to the end. I turned to look behind me again and found the same white-shirted rider that had been on my wheel before. I kept pushing, and I was able to hold him off at the finish. He rode back to the parking lot with me and told me that he had fallen/crashed. I assumed that he was in front of me. Impressive ride by him, nonetheless.

Back at the truck, I was soaked with sweat. I went and grabbed a couple of waters and downed them quickly. I had sweated a ton and needed to rehydrate. I didn’t stick around for awards because I knew I wouldn’t be in the running in this event. Very strong competition at the race today.

Another fun race for the year, and my second time racing a bike race on gravel. I may have to find some other events to do, because I am enjoying it.

Little Apple Gravel Race 50K – Race Report

August 3, 2025 – Manhattan, IL – 50K Open Division

Results: 50K Open – Male: 24th out of 40, no official time listed

Watch data: 30.68 miles – 1:53:20 – 16.2 mph/ave.

I completed my first bike race today! Well, kinda sorta. Although I’ve raced my bike in numerous triathlons, this was my first cycling-only race, a 50K gravel race on a great day. There were 48 registrants in my division – the Open 50K, with many others doing longer distances, some requiring a license that I lack, and after today, have no desire to obtain one. Those people are in a different league.

I arrived early enough to find a good parking spot under a shady tree and picked up my number placard, which goes on the front of your bike. There was a table next to the pick-up area that had some fun trinkets and a sign near some stickers that said something like Team Dog or Team Cat – Choose wisely. I chose Team Dog and stuck the sticker on my number.

Even the dog thinks this might not be a good idea.

Looking fairly fresh just before the start of the race. Somehow, I missed my friend Jim’s call for a pre-ride group photo, but I still had a chance to get in a shot or two with people I had no idea who they were.

The course is billed as 88% gravel and runs through the farm areas of the southern Chicago area. The start is a neutral roll-out, where there’s no racing and is designed to get the group going without any incidents. A little after a mile, the race is on. I saw Jim and another friend, Dan, just before they started their 100K ride. Dan wished me luck and advised me to “stay between the ditches.” As we got rolling and started racing, we came to the first turn and the first section of gravel, and that is when I saw my first crash. The guy went into the turn a little too hot and wiped out. I was surprised to see him at the finish later on, looking good and in one piece. It looked to be a bad wipeout.

The gravel section is hard enough, but the course started heading uphill and into a headwind. It was at this point that I realized the packs of riders ahead would be tough to catch, and I found myself riding pretty much on my own, which I didn’t mind. This section was about five miles long, and I just kept focused on keeping a good cadence and finding the best line, usually the car tire-packed-down area of the gravel road. There were plenty of bike tire tracks to use as a guide as well.

I was finally catching up with some other riders and caught my friends Chris and Kristin, who had started strong, but I was finally able to pull them in. Chris rode on my wheel for a while, but then I pulled away. We were three Chris’s for a mile or two.

I had ridden the course a little over a week ago and remembered which areas to be cautious in. Someone nicknamed a section of very soft gravel the “Devil’s Gravel,” and that section had some white knuckle moments. Around 23 miles into it, I saw a second rider who had just passed me and another rider go down around a corner. His helmeted head hit the ground hard enough for me to gasp, but the gravel was so soft there that it didn’t seem to phase him. I saw him later on as well, and he advised that he was fine.

Right after the guy went down, I chatted up “Matt” and we started working together to get to the finish, and by together I mean, I got on his wheel and tried to hold on. When we finally got to a paved road again, it was I who took the lead and let him hang on for a while, but he was a little faster going up the hills. As we turned onto the final straight to the finish, we both pushed pretty hard, trying to catch the guy ahead of us. Somehow, I finished ahead of Matt, but I’m not sure if he was happy to let me go, knowing that there really wasn’t anyone challenging us from behind, or was out of gas and had no sprint finish left. Well, I gave it my best effort regardless.

Pretty dirty at the finish.

In all, it was a day of riding hard, being cautious, and enjoying a great race for the first time. I may have to do this one again!

Gravel Bike Adventure: Wauponsee Glacial Trail & Midewin Tallgrass National Prairie

I recently gifted myself a new gravel bike for my birthday this fall and I am enjoying getting on it and exploring some new trails that my triathlon bike could not take me on. What’s a gravel bike? Well, it mostly is a road bike with a couple features that allow it to ride on non-paved trails and other surfaces that a road bike would be ill-advised to ride on. Those features include a little more comfortable upright riding position thanks to a more compact frame, and a wider fork and frame to accommodate wider tires. It is very similar to a cyclocross bike I would think and would handle similar terrain.

So I thought that I would take rides on trails that I normally don’t get to ride on during triathlon training and posts some photos and thoughts about those rides. It’s getting a little late in the season, but hopefully I can hit a few more trails soon.

GRAVEL BIKE ADVENTURE: WAUPONSEE GLACIAL TRAIL & MIDEWIN TALLGRASS NATIONAL PRAIRIE

I have ridden portions of this trail before but not from one end to the other, so I was glad to get all the way to the end of this 22-mile trail on this late November day. Named after an ancient glacial lake, the trail itself is mainly a flat rail-to-trail conversion, although I saw no signs of previous rail usage until the end of the trail near Kankakee.

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Due to some rough trail conditions of the trail located by the Sugar Creek Preserve where I would normally park and begin riding, and the trail closure just south of there to replace an old bridge, today I hopped on the trail near Manhattan and rode it to the end. That was about a two-hour ride total, with a small detour into the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

ZTCN2aFDRkGs8W8CaUlshg — This trail is straight and flat for the most part.

As soon as I turned out of the parking lot I was met by a couple of walkers, one of which was a friend – Rollie! I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him as I see him all of the time on my local trail near home, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to run into him out here.

Riding south I had to shoo away a black cat and a raccoon, and I spooked some crows. I was a little concerned about passing a rider on a horse, but I made enough noise for both of them to notice me before making a cautious pass.

z59oHzslTK+wqA1TY3vuQA — This is an old train trestle bridge over the Kankakee River at the end of the trail in Custer Park.

Turning around at the end of the trail was welcome as it seemed that was a slow and steady gradual uphill climb to this point. Another positive was having the sun now at my back which made what was left of the fall colors a little more vibrant.

About two miles away from where I parked I noticed a side trail of sorts that seemed like it was an actual trail heading into the Midewin National Preserve, so I decided to enter it and explore a little bit in there. Midewin is a huge expanse where the old Joliet Army Ammunition Plant was located back in the days of the Second World War. There are many reminders of the former plant visible from the trail, including bunkers where they stored the TNT that the plant produced. Lots of old roads and an old cemetery that is well cared for.

OkHZb2z3Tx6%4ou4PoBBtg — The type of trail in the prairie reserve.

bHmG9iA0TESGzRwZHcxyUw — A munition bunker was located on the other side of this fence. There was a ladder-type thing there seemingly inviting me to go over to the other side. Do you think I should go over and investigate the bunker?

DuwohDTbRK29picoWWvM7w — Yeah, couldn’t resist going over to take a closer look.

Z89ub2dPQ9K61x4pJ1qZuA — Just off of the Wauponsee trail is this cemetery inside of Midewin. It seemed out of place but is well kept.

I would have explored further into the prairie but I saw a person walking alone up in the distance and then he disappeared, only to reappear as I got closer. He was wearing a trench coat and seemed a little too weird for me, so I decided that I had better play it safe and turn back.

All in all, it was a good ride. The trail is a little boring – straight, not much variety in scenery, but is well maintained and in good shape. I will definitely go back just to explore more in the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.