Timing it to shift into a new age group? Wise move 
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I recommended PCP2P before, but if it is to be drop bars then come a week later for Lotoja. 202 miles of stories. 
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Boulder Roubaix in 2026.
Firecracker 50
Breck Epic
Big Horn Gravel
Gateway Cup
Gunnison Growler
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My racing age will be 40 in 2027! But more than anything it’s waiting until our daughter turns 4-5 years old. There’s a big threshold for independence around that age that allows our family to operate more smoothly amidst big time allocations for training.
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Really want to do Lotoja. Hope it gets a lot of votes!
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laughs hysterically with the gift of hindsight and experience
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You absolutely should, I was a first timer this year and it was a blast.
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lol, don’t be that parent!
We personally noticed a huge difference around that age with our son. Helped us have a lot more balance and structure.
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Definitely not!! Just highlighting the one constant in parenthood is inconsistency.
But we all find the right balance and it is the best experience in the world. 
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The Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen is still going strong. The 2024 event is actually this coming weekend! Still time to get there and give it a go!!
http://www.dannychew.com/ddinfo.html
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Easy… You have unfinished business in Canada. FYI: I road ST6 last year and will again next. The courses won’t change much and they were super fun. I’ve got any and all beta you’ll need. A bit techy from time to time but mostly all flow and go. Then there is BCBR. I’ve also done that a couple times. Hands down best fun you’ll ever have on a bike. Too bad there are no more ferries though. That really added to the adventure. The folks at Trans Rockies also put on Moab Rocks another 3 days of fun in the sun.
So many races to choose from. Ever done the Gunnison Growler?! Do it! Then there is the Dakota 5-0 in September, also a not-miss-race.
Need more? 
Cheers,
Greg
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+1 to the Growler…
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Thank you. Every time someone talks about this race and how brutal it is, NO ONE ever says its fun on their recap unless they are asked if it was fun.
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Gravel? Rule of 3. Hands down the best big-ish gravel race ive been to.
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This is easy. Come to Au with two bikes. Do a few crits in Sydney and then Canberra to sharpen up, drive down and do 3 Peaks and then catch a plane (or the ferry) to hit up some of the MTB parks in Tassie. If you’re going to travel all the way over here you’d want to maximise the trip.
And bring Nate.
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+1, perfect “gravel” race for someone who likes challenging bike handling. I can’t believe I forgot about that one.
Hard to even call it a gravel race, I think it had ~25 miles of legit single track this year. Personally, I bled time on the single track sections, but still had a decent day smashing the gravel segments. Something for everyone. You’ll see some serious bike skills on display at that race and I think @Jonathan would crush it.
Great vibe/venue and lots of trails to ride if you spend a few days on either side of the race. If there was a negative, I’d say it’s a little “loosely” organized. That has good aspects (the vibe) and some bad also. Everyone I know who did it got off route at some point, it’s not well marked and the GPS nav wasn’t great. That’s cool if you are in party mode, but I could see getting a little peeved if you are racing seriously and miss out on a podium because you got off course. More so than other races, rule of 3 isn’t really about results and serious racing in my opinion. But such a good time, highly recommend.
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Your comment about Iceman got me interested (I’m not making this up). Is this a race that someone with without a lot of skill could do to see if he liked it? I would like to try some new things as I can’t run much anymore so triathlons are no longer possible.
Exactly what I came here to say!
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Lot’s of good suggestions.
If you’re looking to shrink down that list I would definitely scratch
- Levi’s GF
- SBT Gravel
- Leadville
Focusing on gravel I would definitely recommend BWR California (have not done any other) and Crusher In the Tushar (but maybe you’ve done that)
For MTB I can’t recommend more the High Cascades 100.
PCP2P & Breck Epic on my list
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Agree that the course itself is not terribly technical, sand is the biggest obstacle. However, the weather can be a crapshoot, if it rains or snows, it could be 30 miles of misery if you are not confident in slick conditions. It’s very well organized, and they have shuttles and other logistical support for solo riders without support people around.
Super fun vibe though, and when you’re done you get to watch the pro class finish. Kinda hard to top getting to see Geoff kabush in real life charging up the last hill; for this MTB geek it didn’t get much better in my home state!
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