Gravel Battle of Sumter Forest - Race Recap

 

After two opportunities pre-riding the Battle of Sumter Forest race course, I felt comfortable with course itself as it was a good mix of gravel and road. You do a few miles of gravel and then a few miles of road - rinse and repeat for 72 miles. Although there are a few technical areas (and a river crossing, a few steep hills and a tight rocky turn), I felt like my current gravel-biking abilities were suitable for this event.

Taking things waaayy back to my very first gravel ride....it was not too long ago - January 19th, 2021. I can count with my fingers of all of the times I've rode on off-road since then (total newbie here - only about ten times). It wasn't until a few weeks ago that Karel decided it was time to retire my makeshift Ventum NS1 gravel bike (and return it back to my road bike - which is what it was designed to be) and purchase a real gravel bike frame. After sourcing all of the parts from all over the US, I took my 'real' gravel bike (Cervelo Aspero - size 48) out on Tuesday for it's maiden voyage in Dupont Forest. I had to get used to the new shifting set-up and we made a few adjustments to my position on the bike (saddle) but after a sketchy start (a fresh layer of loose gravel was distributed on the ground just as we started riding), I started to feel more comfortable on my new gravel bike. 

While I am no pro, I registered myself in the pro category of women - This would only impact the results as we had a mass start (all pro men, pro women and anyone riding the long course). But I felt a tremendous amount of nerves going into the event. There was a lot of hype about the pro women field as there were so many incredibly strong and talented road and off-road cyclists registered. With equal pay for both the men and women (which is not typical in many cycling events), this brought more pro women to the event. Plus, Ben and Boyd of Southeast gravel are just plain awesome so their presence alone brings along good people who love bikes. 

We woke up around 5:30am, packed up the car and headed to the race venue (~51 miles away) around 7am (with a quick Campy drop-off at my mom's house). When we arrived to the race venue around 7:45am, you could feel the energy. With nearly 400 cyclists registered for either the long or short course, there was a lot of energy in the air that people were itching to race. I think more than the race itself, an event brings a community together - a community of like-minded individuals who love to ride bikes. It was great to see some familiar faces and to see so many people who just love to ride off road. It was great to see so many female riders there as well. 

After warming up on the last few miles of the race course, which included riding through a corn field, onto gravel and then a pitchy climb to the finish (an area that we hadn't ridden before because it's on an active shooting range), we gathered at the race start of the Clinton House Plantation around 8:45am for a few last minute words by Ben. 

When the event started, it felt like any other bike race. It was fast, a bit chaotic as everyone got organized into a tight pack and you could feel the excitement and nervous energy. Because there were several pro women racing teams (and individual) riders, I had hoped to stay close to them but I was not as skillful moving through the field on the road. I tried to move up when I could but I was just trying to stay safe. Karel made it look so easy as he slithered his way through the field, near the front of the pack. 

Photo: Southeast Gravel

Although the first few miles were fast, I'm used to that from bike events. But what I didn't expect was the intensity of the group when we hit the first section of gravel (around mile 6). The pace didn't slow down - if anything, it got faster. Because this was all very new to me, I had no idea what to expect. When I reached the gravel section, it was so dusty that I could barely see anything. This freaked me out a bit and I found myself slowing down to stay safe. Karel later told me (after the race) that he had hoped that I would be safe and not try to race it as he had no idea that it would be so fast and packed to start the race. As a reference, Karel was near the front and for the first 6 mile section of gravel, his group average 23.9 mph! His HR was in the mid 160's and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the race. For the next 50 miles, Karel's group averaged 21.5 mph! Karel got dropped from a few groups but also found himself yo-yo-ing his way back on. Because of Karel's bike racing (and lifetime of riding) experience, this gravel race felt much like a road race for him. There was a crash on the gravel sometime in the first 10 miles but I think everyone that crashed there finished. 

As for me, once the field started to disintegrate, I jumped onto a smaller group of guys. This felt much more manageable for me - although I was still a bit uncomfortable with the intensity on the gravel. Once we reached the first road section, I felt much better as I was able to stay on the wheel ahead of me. The first section went by fast (looking back, I was averaging 21 mph). Although I felt like I was the last female in the pack and everyone was way ahead of me, it got a bit of a boost when another group came up and there were a few pro ladies in that group. I found myself a bit nervous as the roads seemed to have a bit more loose gravel than what I was used to on this course so I had to be extra careful and attentive on the hillier sections, especially when there's holes, sand and rocks to dodge - all while riding in a group. 

Once I went past the railroad crossing (which occurred after a downhill), I was just riding along (famous last words) until I found myself rolling into a deep hole (more like a crater) on a pavement-like crossing. The hole caught me by surprise and it was too late for me to do anything as I don't have the skills to bunny hop holes yet and my reaction times are a work-in-progress. When my front wheel hit the hole at 21 mph, the force of my body weight on the handlebars caused them to rotate forward. Thankfully, the hoods on my handlebars allow for great gripping. My body slipped forward as my hands stayed on the handlebars so I was trying to navigate my bike while laying on the top tube with handlebars (and brakes) near the front wheel. I did the best I could to try to keep my bike upright but after a lot of swerving, I finally hit the deck. 

I was really shook up from the fall and I had cut my left hip and knee. Thankfully, it wasn't worse. 
After collecting myself and getting up, I tried to adjust my handlebars but they were pretty stuck in that downward position. I managed to put them back up by pressing all my weight on the drops of the bars. I inspected the bike, texted Karel what happened (knowing that he probably wouldn't see the text until the finish) and then got back on my bike. 

At this point, I had a bunch of thoughts going through my head. Quitting, taking the shorter route, never riding gravel again. All of these negative thoughts crept in my head - I'm not good enough, what an embarrassment for me to be out here, I am not having fun I just want to go home, etc. For the next ten miles, I really fought through some negative thoughts and emotions. When I entered the turn off for the short course, I decided to continue what I started. I still found myself with low morale but when George Hincapie and his son Enzo came rolling by with two other guys, I jumped on their train and found myself feeling better (hey, this is pretty cool to ride with our local cycling legend). Thankfully, when I jumped on, we were about to head on a long pavement section which was perfect to get a nice pull (and not work on my own) but also to help me get through my funk. I stayed with George's group for several miles until Enzo had a flat - so I kept rolling. There were a few other groups here and there to hang with so I felt like I was never alone until the last section of the race. 

Since I had two bottles on my bike of sport nutrition along with a Camelback of 1.5L of sport drink, I didn't need to make any stops. After the river crossing and the technical and challenging segment that followed, I made a quick stop to text Karel where I was as I had failed to tell him that I was ok and I was continuing on (I probably shouldn't have left the text as "I crashed and my handlebars aren't working"). 

The last gravel segment was a bit lonely but I was actually relieved to just ride by myself. I was still fighting some emotions as I rode the last 8 miles of gravel by myself. Two riders came up behind me on the pavement section and it was nice to have some company for the last few miles. Once I hit the cornfield and knew I was just a few minutes away from the finish, I was so relieved to see Karel. 

Karel had a lot of fun but he said it was crazy - his first gravel race felt more like a road race. Karel finished 3rd in his AG (40-49) and missed the first spot by just a few seconds as he was outsprinted. Karel had nothing left as he cramped near the end. I finished 17th pro and 23rd overall female. I didn't feel like I was racing after my crash but I never gave up. When I felt safe, I pushed it and I continued to stay focused and do my best with each gravel section. 

When I finished, I was relieved to be back at our car to assess my wounds. They looked a lot worse than they really were so after cleaning them up, it wasn't anything too serious - just some road rash. I've seen a lot worse - especially from Karel's crit bike racing days. My right pec was (and still is) really sore and makes it hard to take in a deep breath, cough, sniff, laugh or move my body quickly. 

It took me a bit of time to sort through all of the emotions that I felt over the past 72 miles. Rather than making excuses or saying something silly that I would later regret, I just stayed quite to work through my thoughts. Karel was very supportive and kind and knew exactly what to say. 

After being around the other riders and hearing so many post race stories, I started to feel a bit more accomplished of my completion of my first gravel race. 

I think we all like to stay in a place of comfort. For any stretch of the comfort zone brings worry, doubt and fear. It can be scary to try something new. Perhaps it's a lack of skills, not having the right gear or equipment or being afraid of the unknown - all valid reasons to be a bit tentative to try something for the first time. But I do believe that we often keep ourselves in a place of safety for fear of comparison, not meeting self expectations or bruising our ego. Being a beginner at something is hard, especially when you see other people who make something look so effortless, simple and easy. Being a beginner means knowing that you have a long road ahead of you, filled with a lot of work, trying, failing and practicing. It can be hard to be a beginner when you believe success only comes to those who are fast. 

Although it's uncomfortable in many ways - physically, mentally and emotionally - I own my beginners status. 

I look forward to the unpaved road ahead of me and what obstacles I will overcome with each day that I refuse to give up. 

Race results
Marni - 4:01
Karel - 3:16