10/21/2013 11:52:00 AM Bicyclists enjoy the "Filthy 50"
More than 200 riders took part in the first-ever Filthy 50 gravel bicycle race that started and finished in Stewartville on Sunday, Oct. 13. Ben McCoy of the BT Bicycling Club, who finished 84th, loved the event. “It was incredibly well- organized and the turnout was fantastic,” McCoy said. “And frankly, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, and the fall colors were coming into full effect.”
Editor
On a beautiful Sunday morning, Oct. 13, more than 200 riders lined up near Fareway for the start of Stewartville's first-ever Filthy 50 gravel bicycle race.
Monika Sattler, one of those riders, finished 12th overall and first among women racers with a time of 2 hours, 44 minutes and 10 seconds.
In a blog she wrote after the race, Sattler said that she prepared for the event by loading up on carbohydrates the day before.
"However, instead of apple pie, I found this delicious walnut-cranberry bread from Whole Foods," she wrote.
Sattler and the other riders kicked up plenty of dust from the gravel roads they traversed.
"For the first 30 miles I was staring as far as the wheel in front of me, my tongue collecting the dust and my legs in huge argument with (their) biggest enemy -- namely lactate," Sattler said.
With five miles to go, Sattler said that the gravel under her bicycle felt more pronounced than normal. She wondered if she had a flat tire.
"After a few miles it became too apparent," she wrote. "I had a leak in my front tire. How inconvenient! Even more inconvenient for the wheel, because I am not going to stop!"
When she hit the pavement for the last three miles of the race, she was riding her bicycle's rim.
"No air in the tire," she wrote. "Nothing. Nada. Null."
It's strenuous to ride uphill on a flat tire, she wrote.
"The constant banging of the metal against the tarmac attracted some attention on the way to the finish line," she wrote. "But it's all good. My HED wheels don't even have a scratch."
Sattler congratulated her fellow riders and thanked Trenton Raygor, organizer of the race, for a phenomenal event.
"With (Raygor's) entire family, neighbors and great sponsors as support, the race was a well-organized event and suited every kind of rider," she wrote. "A 50-miler is the perfect distance for newcomers to try out gravel racing and for veterans to change up the pace."
Drew Wilson was the first overall finisher, winning the race with a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 43 seconds. Pat Lemieux was second in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 50 seconds.
Ben McCoy of the BT Bicycling Club finished 84th in a time of 3 hours, 25 minutes and 19 seconds.
McCoy, writing in a blog after the race, described the event as "awesome."
"It was incredibly well-organized and the turnout was fantastic," McCoy wrote. "And frankly, we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, and the fall colors were coming into full effect."
McCoy's quads cramped up during the race, and even though he struggled to reach the finish line, he was encouraged by the cheers he heard from those who had finished before his group did.
"But that's the experience we ride for -- people that love riding their bikes showing love to others that ride bikes, regardless of skill level," he wrote. "When it's all said and done, gravel racing is all about fun, friends and fellowship. And the Filthy 50 delivered in spades."
Article Comment Submission Form
Please feel free to submit your comments. You may remain anonymous. Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it.
Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.
