I did the 85 miler pre-covid and enjoyed it (besides the protracted HAB section).
Here’s a good recap from this year.
In the quad cities Iowa area.
Video of the shorter distance, last race of this series
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Hey, to any/all who did the Iceman yesterday … how was it? It looked like picture perfect weather up there.
Was pumped to see Alexey win, although can’t believe that guy who was leading crashed in the final turn. Ugh for him …
Was hoping to see Paige Onweller win the women’s race for the full #Michiganpeloton podium sweep … but she finished an outstanding 4th given she’s pretty transparent about her struggle with the mountain bike.
Hey @IvyAudrain … welcome as an honorary member to the Midwest corner of the board 
I’m guessing you didn’t have the day out there you were hoping for, not sure if you had a mechanical or some other trouble. It was cool to see you on the start list … what did you think of the event?
Congrats to all who pinned on a number and toed the line🤘
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Weather was about perfect, and the course was fast.
There was way more single track this year than previous years, some of it was tight and twisty but overall very smooth and nothing technical. It was fun to ride but hard to pass from wave 12 and the pace took a large hit in the middle of the course.
Alexey hustles at the expo and seemed there through the whole thing with Willie, and hung around the podium for photos. I hung out a few corners before the finish and got a few photos of people coming in, and joked about sneaking in a fireball hand up for Ivy but I should have actually done that 
. Lespy also crashed at the same spot in the final corner and missed out on a podium chance.
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It was perfect conditions. Took my first swing at the Pro / Cat1 race and my word the beginning was a shit show. There were 3 crashes directly in front of me within the first 12 minutes I think. The first one came as we exited the tarmac at the airport and switched to the two track, another crash was right as we entered the real two track before the first single track section.
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Sweet, thanks for the video. My goal is to complete the series next year although I’ll be at the other end of the race than you. Looks like a cool course though.
I plan to be in the longer distance next year and the same is true for most of the top 5 in that video. The next group was 5 min back. You would do pretty well around 4wkg I think, motivation for training this winter.
Anybody here into fat bike?
Can we add those events in, or is that a separate thread?
Offering this as a jumping off point. Curious if there are events that people like in the MN or WI area.
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Thanks for reminding me to list my fat bike on FB to get rid of… 
Haha yep, I’ll see you at the other end … Or the post ride beers. But I want to do the long routes also. They’re all 100k right?
Both/all/crashes. Ugh. Its okay, once I decided the race was over and I should just enjoy the ride, I stopped at every aid station to drink beer and fireball with the volunteers and it was amazing. Even made friends with the moto officials following and they took a shot WITH ME AT THE LAST AID STATION LOL.
Amazing event, best vibes and unbelievably organized by an amazing team. a must-do for sure!
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Glad to hear you enjoyed the vibes … sorry for all the ‘troubles’
@batwood14, @MI-XC and @Power13 - what is your opinions on trying to run a Grand Prix 5000 AS TR in a 35 (assumes it blows out to 40 actual) for races of the likes;
-Barry Roubaix
-Melting Mann
-Cow Pie Classic
Lets assume conditions are “okay” and you have the mindset of a slick on corners.
I would defer to the others as I haven’t actually raced those events yet……that said, from my understanding of those who have done BR, it would seem to be a reasonable option.
But definitely weight the others’ opinions higher than mine due to their experience. 
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Been pondering this as well. Does it really blow out to 40s? I hadn’t heard this before. 35 panaracers GKs eventually balloon out to 38 on my 21 ID rims. This would be a deal breaker for me if 5000s go beyond this.
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I usually run 35s in the Barry Roubaix, but I always check the weather and if it looks like there is going to be a lot of rain in the few days leading up to the race, I will switch to 40s. The reason for this is the rain creates a lot of potholes on the BR roads and the extra cushion makes a difference.
I’m not sure, however, I would ever run a slick in the BR … even a minimal tread like on the Schwalbe G-One R’s (not to be confused with the G-One RS’s) is useful. You’re going to want a little grip when you hit a patch of sand.
As you know, without MTB tires, Sager Rd. is a roll of the dice, so I try not to plan my whole race tire choice around that 1 mile section.
I can’t speak to the other two races because I’ve never done them.
As an aside, I have and will continue to run slicks in the Rough Road 100 … but it’s not very sandy or hilly and is, like, only 50% gravel anyway.
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The rims I use have a 30mm ID and make quick work of blowing tires way wider.
My responses assume you’re mixing it up and racing, not just going for your best time.
No. You can obviously, but it’s not the ideal tire, you won’t be competitive and you’ll lose any group you’re in during certain sections. You don’t need extra speed on the flats and pavement, you need to make it through key sections and still be with the group or you’ll be chasing.
-Barry: about the best of the 3 races to have a slicker tire as long as it’s dry. However, you’ll struggle on some of the steep pitches and the sandier sections. Also, it will be the sketchiest of the 3 races based on other riders, so I’d want some traction to be able to maneuver and brake. Unless you’re one of the strongest in the group you’ll likely get dropped.
-Melting Mann: It had a lot more single track this year. If this the theme going forward, along with the most likely poor conditions, a gravel bike is not it especially slicks. Again, you can finish the race, but you won’t be competing. This is the worst race of the 3 for slicks. A hardtail MTB on something like Aspens is probably the best bike.
-Cow Pie: Slicks are fine until you go off road into the farms. You will get dropped for sure. There are MTB sections and some very sketchy downhills. I race Cat 1 XCO and MTB 100s and I thought Cow Pie had some scary off road sections. People were taken out by ambulance from that section and someone crashed right in front of me in our group.
Now, if you just want to complete and not compete, than yeah, just rock what you got. Otherwise, choose the right tool for the job.
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Hey @MI-XC … or anyone — have you ever done the Rode to Hell race?
This is a phenomenal response and I appreciate you taking the time to type it up and I am sure it will help other readers in the future.
I have done all (3) races and I have been using the Cinturato H tires for all of them and honestly I have never had any issues with them in any conditions. I honestly have never changed from these tires even in complete slop/mud races.
I asked the question as I am just looking for the next evolution of advantage for racing - I typically finish in the front group or right behind the front group at these races (not a contender anymore, but grit it out).
I did Barry fall fondo on my Fat bike this year and at almost the same power level came within 12-mins of my barry race time. I will admit I absolutely slayed Sager during the fondo on the fat bike with PR’s across the board for that section. The fat bike had less than ideal gearing for the race and group organizations was suffering.
so what tires are you @batwood14, @Power13, @MI-XC running and do you keep it consistent for the entire season?
I preached the Cinturato’s for a long time, still have not found a reason not to use them but maybe im just old and set in my way. They are beyond wore out now so its time for a new set of something for next season. The Terra Speed or honestly try a Raceking as my top contender for next season if I wanted to try something new.
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