Heading to San Diego in the morning to guest coach at the San Diego Canoe/Kayak Team's Sunburn Camp. I'm looking forward to this opportunity. In the first place, skiing in Minnesota really stinks right now. It's been 35-45 for the past 2 weeks, so real snow no longer exists, and even the manmade snow is ice balls and dirt. It's been too damp to enjoy riding, so it's really time to head to the Left Coast.
In the second place, I get to work with (and learn from) some of my favorite coaches. The chance to learn team boats (2 and 4 person sprint kayak) from Olympic Coach Jerzy Dziadkowiec is simply awesome (in the true meaning of this overused word.)
Rolling into town as a junior invited coach will be interesting too. Beyond the daily schedule, I've little idea of responsibilities, but whatever I do will be just fine. The reason for holding the camp is to give elite junior paddlers another opportunity to gain experience, practice starts, and paddle with athletes not on their own team.
So I'll try to take pictures and maybe a post or two from the road.
Enjoy the holidays! Be safe in whatever you may do.
~marsh
Coach
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Recruiting volunteers for events - Event Management 101
I volunteered to be a corner marshal for the first time in 1981. It was a low key 10K, and I mostly stood on a corner and clapped as the athletes went by. In 1993, I volunteered for the US Cycling Team Trials sponsored by Self Magazine. I worked corners, stopped traffic, collected traffic cones, and generally spent a handful of days working the event. Over the next couple of years, I did more events with Northwest Classics, as corner marshal, crew boss, and tactical race director. There were a number of really great volunteers that made this group work - volunteer coordinators, construction managers, hospitality and catering managers, and others who just liked to be involved. These formed the core of a group that expanded to dozens or hundreds depending on the event. And in being part of this group, I learned a few keys that I've relied on ever since to run successful events.Core cadre - No promoter can do it all on their own. And while part of being a promoter is that since it's all on your shoulders, you want to maintain control, the reality is that to do so means you are spread too thin. Details get missed, jobs are left undone, and snap decisions replace critical thinking.
A good event relies on a core crew of trusted decision makers who can handle most of the routine, *consulting* when needed, and engaging the promoter when necessary. This core cadre should be there for a couple of reasons - loyal to you as friends or colleagues, and engaged because they want to contribute to the event(s) for some altruistic reason.
Identifying and developing these key individuals, and nurturing them is key to long term success. Having these key managers build their own teams of volunteers that *they* trust is equally important.
Recruit lots of volunteers - Every event promoter who has done more than one event has a list of people who volunteered the first time (and you keep growing the list). One of the hardest things to do is to get those 'professional volunteers' who just love to work events and are always up for another one. MOST people aren't that dedicated or willing. It's important to offer the opportunity to everyone, but not *ask* the same folks to do the same thing every time. After a while, those ready volunteers will start avoiding your phone call and looking for reasons to be 'out of town' on event day. The secret is to over-recruit, even if you can't use them all at the current event.
Don't over staff - The contradiction to the above is that too many volunteers is almost as bad as not enough. People who give their time want to be valued. If they take the time to show up, they generally want to be doing something useful - even if it's standing on a corner at the far end of civilization. Having 5 people on a corner that doesn't need but two means that those 5 are less likely to come back next time. It's OK to say 'next time' - and if you do it right, they'll look forward to your call.
Rotate jobs - Keep track of what people do at your events. If they were corner marshals one time, *ask* them if they'd like to work construction the next. Or if it's really all corner marshals, offer returning volunteers their choice of corners first. You may be surprised where they'd like to work, and they will almost certainly be glad you asked.
Identify and promote leaders - key volunteers burn out too! One of the secrets to maintaining the core cadre is to have them constantly watching for and training their replacements. It doesn't matter the position, everyone is replaceable, and often seem to disappear at the least opportune moment. One of my trusted core decided to move to Montana 3 weeks before a big event. Unforeseen, but since their lieutenant was on board, it was relatively easy to transfer their tasks to a new person.
Thank volunteers - Above all else, make sure your volunteers are appreciated. Just giving them a t-shirt isn't enough. Personal thanks, a thank you email, something to tell them that they are appreciated. For big events, build in a volunteer meal - that opportunity to share war stories, hear how the event went, and see the 'big picture' will do wonders for the volunteer's engagement "next time".
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Road Foods of RAGBRAI
Continuing comments from the world that is RAGBRAI.
Over the years, we've developed a list of the regular food vendors you see year in and year out. Some are good, some are great, and some are things you just can't do every day. While the big vendors aren't actually a formal part of the organization, they are a part of RAGBRAI life on the road. I'm still not sure whether the 'regular' vendors get 'tipped' by the organizers about the route, or if they just hit the road as soon as the route is announced to secure their spots in pass-through or overnight towns, and along the route each day. These tents, grills and trucks pack it up every day, reload their provisions and move 50-75 miles down the road to do it again. No 'chains', no pre-packaged, no mixes. It's fresh, real, and fairly priced.
Some of our favorites, listed here somewhat in the order that they appear along the route each day.
Farm Boys - usually within the first 5-10 miles of the day. Breakfast burritos, coffee, pancakes - basically a full service breakfast. The food is good, but the lines are generally 100 deep (or more) at 6:30 in the morning. I can't imagine what they are like at 8:00. This is *the* place to get a cure for the hangover you earned the night before.
Service club breakfast - in the first town or two along the route there is almost always a Rotary, Lions, VFW, or fire hall that's serving breakfast. Usually a much shorter line than Farm Boys, just without the name.
Almost every town will have numerous vendors, both local and part of the 'traveling circus' doing everything from pop and water to full service meals. Most bars will have a special, gas stations and groceries overstock, and Hy-Vee runs specials, brings in *pallets* of ice, beer, water, tons of bananas, dinner specials, lunch specials, special specials. We love Hy-Vee.
Mr. Pork Chop - I've honestly never stopped for Mr Pork Chop. The idea of having a 10 or 12 ounce pork chop sit on my stomach at 10:00 in the morning has never even remotely appealed to me. I'll rely on friends with good taste in pork, and more of a cast iron stomach to tell me he does a really good job - cooked right, not undercooked, juicy and tender. According to my taster friend, 'a helluva lot better than porkchop on a stick at the State Fair'. Mr Pork Chop can usually be found somewhere around the halfway point of the ride, plus or minus about 20 miles. Easy to spot - they'll put out signs at 5 miles and 1 mile out, and there is always a smoke cloud coming off the grill. Real fire, real food.
Tender Tom's Turkey - Another one that I can't honestly evaluate. Tender Tom's Turkey legs are a staple, always a line, and well regarded by a couple of carnivores that I call friends. Mind you they think beer is PBR or Grain Belt, and haven't really discovered craft brewing as a lifestyle.
Church lady pie - word spreads through town about who has the best pie, best cinnamon rolls, and best sloppy joes (or Maid Rites). I'll often have pie for a mid-ride stop, or if it's really hot, maybe a smoothie.
Smoothies - the hardest choice is deciding between vendors. There is almost always a smoothie vendor, maybe 3 in any town along the route. It's just a matter of walking past, figuring out who is using a mixture of fruit you like. Mostly, it's going to be bananas, OJ, frozen strawberries, and pineapple (fresh or frozen) and maybe some berries of some kind. And if it's warm, there will be a line.
Pastafaria - (retired, gone, not forgotten, dammit) - Our favorite stop along the route. I would plan lunch on the longer days for Pastafaria. They had two choices, penne with pesto, or penne with arrabbiatta (spicy red). A full paper boat of their stuff would get you home. I keep hope that someone will fill this void - good food for riding, Flying Spaghetti Monsters
Farm stands - all along the route, there are dozens of farm kids out selling gatorade, powerade, water, bananas, homemade cookes, powerbars - basically anything that might sell. Pick the right location and product mix, and an enterprising 4H'er can pull in a thousand bucks or more. Pick the wrong one, and it can be a looooong day. The best stands are just at the crest of the hill, and toward the end of a long section in between towns. The ones you feel the most sorry for are the ones halfway down a hill, or just before/after a town. Have a nice lawn? Shade? Chairs? A petting zoo? Friendly Golden Retrievers? Antique farm machinery? People will come, Ray. People will come.
And then there's Beekman's. What bike ride would be complete without ice cream. And what could possibly be better than ice cream that's made in churns powered by a STEAM ENGINE??? And it's really, really good ice cream. I can't do (or afford) Beekman's every day, but on the longer days, when the wind is blowing in your face and the road isn't smooth, it's a real treat.
Over the years, we've developed a list of the regular food vendors you see year in and year out. Some are good, some are great, and some are things you just can't do every day. While the big vendors aren't actually a formal part of the organization, they are a part of RAGBRAI life on the road. I'm still not sure whether the 'regular' vendors get 'tipped' by the organizers about the route, or if they just hit the road as soon as the route is announced to secure their spots in pass-through or overnight towns, and along the route each day. These tents, grills and trucks pack it up every day, reload their provisions and move 50-75 miles down the road to do it again. No 'chains', no pre-packaged, no mixes. It's fresh, real, and fairly priced.
Some of our favorites, listed here somewhat in the order that they appear along the route each day.
Farm Boys - usually within the first 5-10 miles of the day. Breakfast burritos, coffee, pancakes - basically a full service breakfast. The food is good, but the lines are generally 100 deep (or more) at 6:30 in the morning. I can't imagine what they are like at 8:00. This is *the* place to get a cure for the hangover you earned the night before.
Service club breakfast - in the first town or two along the route there is almost always a Rotary, Lions, VFW, or fire hall that's serving breakfast. Usually a much shorter line than Farm Boys, just without the name.
Almost every town will have numerous vendors, both local and part of the 'traveling circus' doing everything from pop and water to full service meals. Most bars will have a special, gas stations and groceries overstock, and Hy-Vee runs specials, brings in *pallets* of ice, beer, water, tons of bananas, dinner specials, lunch specials, special specials. We love Hy-Vee.
Mr. Pork Chop - I've honestly never stopped for Mr Pork Chop. The idea of having a 10 or 12 ounce pork chop sit on my stomach at 10:00 in the morning has never even remotely appealed to me. I'll rely on friends with good taste in pork, and more of a cast iron stomach to tell me he does a really good job - cooked right, not undercooked, juicy and tender. According to my taster friend, 'a helluva lot better than porkchop on a stick at the State Fair'. Mr Pork Chop can usually be found somewhere around the halfway point of the ride, plus or minus about 20 miles. Easy to spot - they'll put out signs at 5 miles and 1 mile out, and there is always a smoke cloud coming off the grill. Real fire, real food.
Tender Tom's Turkey - Another one that I can't honestly evaluate. Tender Tom's Turkey legs are a staple, always a line, and well regarded by a couple of carnivores that I call friends. Mind you they think beer is PBR or Grain Belt, and haven't really discovered craft brewing as a lifestyle.
Church lady pie - word spreads through town about who has the best pie, best cinnamon rolls, and best sloppy joes (or Maid Rites). I'll often have pie for a mid-ride stop, or if it's really hot, maybe a smoothie.
Smoothies - the hardest choice is deciding between vendors. There is almost always a smoothie vendor, maybe 3 in any town along the route. It's just a matter of walking past, figuring out who is using a mixture of fruit you like. Mostly, it's going to be bananas, OJ, frozen strawberries, and pineapple (fresh or frozen) and maybe some berries of some kind. And if it's warm, there will be a line.
Pastafaria - (retired, gone, not forgotten, dammit) - Our favorite stop along the route. I would plan lunch on the longer days for Pastafaria. They had two choices, penne with pesto, or penne with arrabbiatta (spicy red). A full paper boat of their stuff would get you home. I keep hope that someone will fill this void - good food for riding, Flying Spaghetti MonstersFarm stands - all along the route, there are dozens of farm kids out selling gatorade, powerade, water, bananas, homemade cookes, powerbars - basically anything that might sell. Pick the right location and product mix, and an enterprising 4H'er can pull in a thousand bucks or more. Pick the wrong one, and it can be a looooong day. The best stands are just at the crest of the hill, and toward the end of a long section in between towns. The ones you feel the most sorry for are the ones halfway down a hill, or just before/after a town. Have a nice lawn? Shade? Chairs? A petting zoo? Friendly Golden Retrievers? Antique farm machinery? People will come, Ray. People will come.
And then there's Beekman's. What bike ride would be complete without ice cream. And what could possibly be better than ice cream that's made in churns powered by a STEAM ENGINE??? And it's really, really good ice cream. I can't do (or afford) Beekman's every day, but on the longer days, when the wind is blowing in your face and the road isn't smooth, it's a real treat.
 |
| Such a creative anachronism. Note the solar panel mounted on the engine. |
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Great Rides - RAGBRAI
Volumes have been written about RAGBRAI - the Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, so I'll omit most of the hyperbole about the event. In short, it's an experience, not a ride. There are only a couple of one day rides in the country (or the world for that matter) with anything approaching 10,000 riders on the road for 50mi/80k. Doing this for 7 straight days? Only one place in the world - Iowa. RAGBRAI is a week long series of one-day rides starting on the western border of Iowa (tradition is to dip your tire in the Missouri river) and finishes on the eastern border with a tire dip in the Mississippi. In between, the ride passes through numerous small towns a day, overnighting at stops that typically are 40-70 miles apart. Riding the road with that many people deserves another separate article, and I'll take that on in an upcoming post.
I often refer to RAGBRAI as going on a week-long ride with 15,000 of my closest personal friends. Other phrases I've heard: "spring break for adults", "went to a party and a bike ride broke out", and lots of others. RAGBRAI acquired a certain reputation for rowdy, drunken, naked partying in the early days, when beer and other enticements were plentiful, and the overnight campgrounds were something out of Woodstock. Things have calmed down over time - probably partially due to some of the participants growing up, or growing into middle age.
I don't know that RAGBRAI could happen in any other state in America. A large part of what makes the entire week work is that there is a town of some description every 5-10 miles on every route, every year. This is the likely the only place in the country that has enough small towns and smaller highways to make it work. A large part of the charm of the week is the ride through these small towns.
So what does a town of 250-500 people need to do to get ready for RAGBRAI? Apparently quite a bit. The organizers have meetings for the local government, the business people, volunteers, the church ladies, and particularly food and beverage people. Even in Iowa there are rules about what 'homemade' means when you are serving 10-15,000. In nearly every town, not only will smart local restaurants figure out something to bring out to the street for 'quick food', but the churches, civic clubs, scouts, choirs, 4H - just about anyone who can will sell pop, pie, burgers, breakfast, ice cream... And in every town, the bars will have some kind of entertainment - and definitely a 'happy hour'. Most RAGBRAI riders spend 50 bucks a day or more on food, drinks and entertainment, and while most of this is in the overnight towns, the waypoint towns do well too.
The overnight towns are nothing short of amazing. Take a town of 5,000 and add 20,000 overnight 'guests' into the city limits. Figure out where to put up tent cities for 15,000 of these. And find volunteers who are willing to let around 5,000 stay in their backyards and basements. Organize the churches and VFWs to put on dinner for a few thousand, find a place for the traveling food circus (think state fair food vendors on wheels) to set up each day. And make sure every establishment that serves food is prepared to be inundated. The smart restaurants will create a RAGBRAI special menu serving a pasta buffet, sloppy joes, or something else that they can do in volume and keep the prices reasonable (and make a much better profit than on their average night). Make sure they have extra staff on call, and maybe even use paper plates and plastic silverware instead of their normal china. Pizza Ranch, a popular chain in Iowa, keeps their buffet line running full tilt. Local Subways bring in extra staff. And for the true mom&pop places, they make a calculated decision to play or take the day off. (Mostly they play).
We've had some great meals at RAGBRAI, and some epic waits. Rule 1: Eat early. If you can't eat early, leave town. The wait will be shorter in a town somewhere nearby. The longest wait was the day we didn't head out to eat until nearly 5:00. Bad move. The lines were already long, and the best looking place was a Mexican joint that looked big enough to handle the traffic. We_were_wrong...
5:00 - queue up in line
6:00 - finally make it to the point we could give our name for a table
7:00 - get table
7:15 - snag bus bucket and bar rag, bus our own table
7:30 - realize there are about 1/4 the number of staff needed to support. Snag menus, figure out order, snag waiter. Promises he'll come get our order.
8:00 - Still no waiter. Grab 'Mom' - owner's somewhat older mother - who took our order.
8:45 - More wait/bus staff arrive. Called in family from out of town who came to help after they finished their shift
9:15 - food arrives. Absolutely starving. Food was good. Chips were good. Looking for anything left over. Eat someone's leftover tortilla and more chips.
9:50 - Everyone is done, pay tab, leave good tip. head back to campsite. Line is still out door. Mama looks happy but exhausted. Owner looks shell shocked.
Another meal in a smaller town:
4:00 - queue up for dinner
4:30 - wait staff already looks fried
5:00 - realize they are not prepared for RAGBRAI. Empty tables, not seating until they are clean, nobody to clean tables. Waiter taking orders, dishwasher coming out to clear tables. Owner cooking by himself.
6:00 - finally get table. Owner comes out to wipe half the menu off board (the best half, at that). Too late to change plans.
6:30 - food comes out. Most orders wrong. Decide to make do.
7:30 - finally get bill. Owner is closing up. Out of food. Bill is wrong. Sort out and leave. Cheezy tip. Feel bad for owner. Wish he'd planned better.
The difference - the Mexican place had planned for food, but understaffed. They managed to regroup and ad-lib. The 'family' spot didn't plan, didn't staff, and had obviously never seen their tables turn over with all tables full. And ran out of food. They'll probably go on a holiday if RAGBRAI ever returns there as an overnight.
And finally, all that food creates a sanitation issue. Even if there were enough toilets available, 20,000 people added to a 5,000 person town would overwhelm even the most optimistically designed waste water treatment system. So they bring in portable toilets. I could do a whole article on branding these ubiquitous green, grey and olive boxes. So every morning, approximately 1/2 of the hundreds of Kybos are emptied, loaded on flatbed semis, and moved to the next day's waypoints and overnight towns. Note - semis. Many semis. Hundreds of kybos scattered around the campgrounds, near the food circus, near the stage area. Hundreds of them.
Only in Iowa. Can't wait to do it again this year!
I often refer to RAGBRAI as going on a week-long ride with 15,000 of my closest personal friends. Other phrases I've heard: "spring break for adults", "went to a party and a bike ride broke out", and lots of others. RAGBRAI acquired a certain reputation for rowdy, drunken, naked partying in the early days, when beer and other enticements were plentiful, and the overnight campgrounds were something out of Woodstock. Things have calmed down over time - probably partially due to some of the participants growing up, or growing into middle age.
I don't know that RAGBRAI could happen in any other state in America. A large part of what makes the entire week work is that there is a town of some description every 5-10 miles on every route, every year. This is the likely the only place in the country that has enough small towns and smaller highways to make it work. A large part of the charm of the week is the ride through these small towns.
So what does a town of 250-500 people need to do to get ready for RAGBRAI? Apparently quite a bit. The organizers have meetings for the local government, the business people, volunteers, the church ladies, and particularly food and beverage people. Even in Iowa there are rules about what 'homemade' means when you are serving 10-15,000. In nearly every town, not only will smart local restaurants figure out something to bring out to the street for 'quick food', but the churches, civic clubs, scouts, choirs, 4H - just about anyone who can will sell pop, pie, burgers, breakfast, ice cream... And in every town, the bars will have some kind of entertainment - and definitely a 'happy hour'. Most RAGBRAI riders spend 50 bucks a day or more on food, drinks and entertainment, and while most of this is in the overnight towns, the waypoint towns do well too.
The overnight towns are nothing short of amazing. Take a town of 5,000 and add 20,000 overnight 'guests' into the city limits. Figure out where to put up tent cities for 15,000 of these. And find volunteers who are willing to let around 5,000 stay in their backyards and basements. Organize the churches and VFWs to put on dinner for a few thousand, find a place for the traveling food circus (think state fair food vendors on wheels) to set up each day. And make sure every establishment that serves food is prepared to be inundated. The smart restaurants will create a RAGBRAI special menu serving a pasta buffet, sloppy joes, or something else that they can do in volume and keep the prices reasonable (and make a much better profit than on their average night). Make sure they have extra staff on call, and maybe even use paper plates and plastic silverware instead of their normal china. Pizza Ranch, a popular chain in Iowa, keeps their buffet line running full tilt. Local Subways bring in extra staff. And for the true mom&pop places, they make a calculated decision to play or take the day off. (Mostly they play). We've had some great meals at RAGBRAI, and some epic waits. Rule 1: Eat early. If you can't eat early, leave town. The wait will be shorter in a town somewhere nearby. The longest wait was the day we didn't head out to eat until nearly 5:00. Bad move. The lines were already long, and the best looking place was a Mexican joint that looked big enough to handle the traffic. We_were_wrong...
5:00 - queue up in line
6:00 - finally make it to the point we could give our name for a table
7:00 - get table
7:15 - snag bus bucket and bar rag, bus our own table
7:30 - realize there are about 1/4 the number of staff needed to support. Snag menus, figure out order, snag waiter. Promises he'll come get our order.
8:00 - Still no waiter. Grab 'Mom' - owner's somewhat older mother - who took our order.
8:45 - More wait/bus staff arrive. Called in family from out of town who came to help after they finished their shift
9:15 - food arrives. Absolutely starving. Food was good. Chips were good. Looking for anything left over. Eat someone's leftover tortilla and more chips.
9:50 - Everyone is done, pay tab, leave good tip. head back to campsite. Line is still out door. Mama looks happy but exhausted. Owner looks shell shocked.
Another meal in a smaller town:
4:00 - queue up for dinner
4:30 - wait staff already looks fried
5:00 - realize they are not prepared for RAGBRAI. Empty tables, not seating until they are clean, nobody to clean tables. Waiter taking orders, dishwasher coming out to clear tables. Owner cooking by himself.
6:00 - finally get table. Owner comes out to wipe half the menu off board (the best half, at that). Too late to change plans.
6:30 - food comes out. Most orders wrong. Decide to make do.
7:30 - finally get bill. Owner is closing up. Out of food. Bill is wrong. Sort out and leave. Cheezy tip. Feel bad for owner. Wish he'd planned better.
The difference - the Mexican place had planned for food, but understaffed. They managed to regroup and ad-lib. The 'family' spot didn't plan, didn't staff, and had obviously never seen their tables turn over with all tables full. And ran out of food. They'll probably go on a holiday if RAGBRAI ever returns there as an overnight.
And finally, all that food creates a sanitation issue. Even if there were enough toilets available, 20,000 people added to a 5,000 person town would overwhelm even the most optimistically designed waste water treatment system. So they bring in portable toilets. I could do a whole article on branding these ubiquitous green, grey and olive boxes. So every morning, approximately 1/2 of the hundreds of Kybos are emptied, loaded on flatbed semis, and moved to the next day's waypoints and overnight towns. Note - semis. Many semis. Hundreds of kybos scattered around the campgrounds, near the food circus, near the stage area. Hundreds of them.
Only in Iowa. Can't wait to do it again this year!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Favorite rides - NIMROD
This is the first of a series of my favorite rides.
Unfortunately, there are no pictures for most of the rides. Most took place in the 1980s or 1990s, before the advent of digital photography - and I didn't pack a 35mm camera along for them. The good news is that they all still exist, the pavement is still good, and the traffic light. But - unless you are in the west, they do require a bit of driving.
At least in the 80s, Cascade Bike Club (I think) sponsored - and that may be overstating the case - a ride called RAMROD. RAMROD stood for "Ride Around Mt Rainier One Day. It's an epic ride, a true beat down covering roughly 195 miles and around 13,000 feet of climbing. Only the truly dedicated will attempt this one, and not nearly everyone finishes. Weather can be a real decider in this event, and the saving grace is that sundown in Seattle in June is nearly 10:00 pm.
And then there was my club. Most of our members were more seasoned business type people - I was one of the young ones at 29 or thereabouts. We decided to do the same route, but called it NIMROD (Not Interested...). The goal was to ride from Enumclaw to Paradise Lodge, overnight there and finish out the next day with the extra climb up to the Sunrise visitor's center and back to Enumclaw. (204 mi, 16,000 vertical)
Truly an epic trip. We started around 7:00 AM, working our way south and east along the park roads. Light traffic, few log trucks on the weekend, and our ever so wonderful support driver in her station wagon with food and water every few miles. The scenery through the Douglas Fir, hemlock and cedar trees is breathtaking. Beautiful glacial fed streams, and an occasional glimpse of the glaciers themselves. It's interesting to note that once you get close to the mountain, you can't actually *see* the mountain. At somewhere around 65 miles in, the group stopped for 'pie'. Not being the brightest bulb on the string that day, I decided to grab a bar and press on up the road. Which was beautiful, and the day was beautiful, and I was riding well and easy and, and well hello there, Mr. Bonk... I've bonked before and since - it happens, but this was ugly. I was 30 minutes or so in front of the group, and absolutely no food. I polished off the last of my water, and continued to crawl up the road. And about a mile later, a family was sitting at a roadside table enjoying a WATERMELON!!! With absolutely no shame, I asked if I could possibly bum a slice of their melon. And thankfully they realized I was harmless and not only gave me all the melon I wanted, but refilled my water bottle and sent me on my way. Awesome people. Tastiest watermelon I've ever eaten!
A few miles further along, I made it to the Paradise parking lot, and only a couple of minutes after that was joined by the lead riders in our group. We had a total of about 30 riders along for the trip, so we continued to trickle in for a while. While waiting, we had a chance to make friends with the world's best fed marmots who hang out around the parking lot cadging handouts from the tourists. They aren't quite tame, but will definitely eat out of your hand.
Paradise Lodge is one of the wonderful National Park lodges built by the WPA in the 1930s, and it's held up pretty well. Low on creature comforts, small bedrooms, shared baths (at least at the time) but well maintained. And the dinner service was anything but ski resort fast food. At this point, I couldn't even begin to tell you what I had, but it was certainly good. Servers in traditional black pants, white shirts and ties. Linen and china, wine poured at the table. Special for a bunch of bikers in shorts and polo shirts, to be sure.
After a beer and a good night's sleep, we got up early enough to watch the sunrise, which is amazing, by the way. A good breakfast (not a buffet) and it was time to put on arm warmers, tuck in a newspaper, say goodbye to Paradise Lodge and head down the mountain.
Descending off Paradise gives you a pretty good feeling for some of the tamer descents in the Alps. Long straight roads at 8-12% grade, tight switchbacks, and really nice pavement. The road is closed all winter, so the normal freeze-thaw-beatdown cycle doesn't occur. The road stays snow covered until it's warm enough to melt and stay melted, so the pavement is, well, pristine. On a couple of stretches, I was able to glance down at the computer and see 60+, and later confirm 64 as a max speed. Faster than I've ever gone on a bike, before or since. The weather was beautiful for a second day in the row and after a very rapid descent, we had a long climb back up to Chinook Pass.
Chinook Pass is home to a group of the most agressive, gregarious and notorious Camp Robber Jays. As we shared a snack, the birds would land on your hands, head, bike or anywhere that might enable them to steal a bite of your food. Utterly fearless, and just so darn cute.
A quick descent of Chinook Pass, followed by another long (14mi, 3000' vertical) climb to the 6200' high point of the trip at Sunrise visitor's center for lunch. About a mile from the summit, I heard that horrid phttt, phttt, phttt sound coming from my front wheel. A flat... I changed the tire (sewup) and finished the climb. I'll have to admit that on the way back, I really, really watched my speed and the corners on the descent back down! Back on Highway 410, and a long hard ride for the last 40 back to Enumclaw and a much looked forward to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
If you go, be prepared to bail if the weather doesn't look good. There are lots of rides in Western Washington that can be done in the rain, but Paradise is not one to recommend. Hypothermia is a real danger, and snow is not out of the question. Plus, 100 miles in the rain is just plain miserable.
If you can, divert to Cle Elum or Yakima and ride on the 'dry side'. I love the ride from Yakima up to Cle Elum via the Yakima River canyon. Only 90 miles east of Seattle across the summit of the Cascades, and the weather is totally different on the 'dry side'.
Bring a light jacket or arm warmers (and maybe knee warmers) for early morning. Any good road bike will do, but make sure your brakes and tires are in good shape. You'll be at 40+ for extended periods of time regardless of route. There are/were several small cafes along the route, but be sure to bring enough food to carry you 50+ miles if one is closed. There is really no support of any kind out there in the wild.
I rode this on a steel framed Trek 770 with a 42x25 as the low gear.
Unfortunately, there are no pictures for most of the rides. Most took place in the 1980s or 1990s, before the advent of digital photography - and I didn't pack a 35mm camera along for them. The good news is that they all still exist, the pavement is still good, and the traffic light. But - unless you are in the west, they do require a bit of driving.
At least in the 80s, Cascade Bike Club (I think) sponsored - and that may be overstating the case - a ride called RAMROD. RAMROD stood for "Ride Around Mt Rainier One Day. It's an epic ride, a true beat down covering roughly 195 miles and around 13,000 feet of climbing. Only the truly dedicated will attempt this one, and not nearly everyone finishes. Weather can be a real decider in this event, and the saving grace is that sundown in Seattle in June is nearly 10:00 pm.
And then there was my club. Most of our members were more seasoned business type people - I was one of the young ones at 29 or thereabouts. We decided to do the same route, but called it NIMROD (Not Interested...). The goal was to ride from Enumclaw to Paradise Lodge, overnight there and finish out the next day with the extra climb up to the Sunrise visitor's center and back to Enumclaw. (204 mi, 16,000 vertical)
Truly an epic trip. We started around 7:00 AM, working our way south and east along the park roads. Light traffic, few log trucks on the weekend, and our ever so wonderful support driver in her station wagon with food and water every few miles. The scenery through the Douglas Fir, hemlock and cedar trees is breathtaking. Beautiful glacial fed streams, and an occasional glimpse of the glaciers themselves. It's interesting to note that once you get close to the mountain, you can't actually *see* the mountain. At somewhere around 65 miles in, the group stopped for 'pie'. Not being the brightest bulb on the string that day, I decided to grab a bar and press on up the road. Which was beautiful, and the day was beautiful, and I was riding well and easy and, and well hello there, Mr. Bonk... I've bonked before and since - it happens, but this was ugly. I was 30 minutes or so in front of the group, and absolutely no food. I polished off the last of my water, and continued to crawl up the road. And about a mile later, a family was sitting at a roadside table enjoying a WATERMELON!!! With absolutely no shame, I asked if I could possibly bum a slice of their melon. And thankfully they realized I was harmless and not only gave me all the melon I wanted, but refilled my water bottle and sent me on my way. Awesome people. Tastiest watermelon I've ever eaten!
A few miles further along, I made it to the Paradise parking lot, and only a couple of minutes after that was joined by the lead riders in our group. We had a total of about 30 riders along for the trip, so we continued to trickle in for a while. While waiting, we had a chance to make friends with the world's best fed marmots who hang out around the parking lot cadging handouts from the tourists. They aren't quite tame, but will definitely eat out of your hand.
Paradise Lodge is one of the wonderful National Park lodges built by the WPA in the 1930s, and it's held up pretty well. Low on creature comforts, small bedrooms, shared baths (at least at the time) but well maintained. And the dinner service was anything but ski resort fast food. At this point, I couldn't even begin to tell you what I had, but it was certainly good. Servers in traditional black pants, white shirts and ties. Linen and china, wine poured at the table. Special for a bunch of bikers in shorts and polo shirts, to be sure.
After a beer and a good night's sleep, we got up early enough to watch the sunrise, which is amazing, by the way. A good breakfast (not a buffet) and it was time to put on arm warmers, tuck in a newspaper, say goodbye to Paradise Lodge and head down the mountain.
Descending off Paradise gives you a pretty good feeling for some of the tamer descents in the Alps. Long straight roads at 8-12% grade, tight switchbacks, and really nice pavement. The road is closed all winter, so the normal freeze-thaw-beatdown cycle doesn't occur. The road stays snow covered until it's warm enough to melt and stay melted, so the pavement is, well, pristine. On a couple of stretches, I was able to glance down at the computer and see 60+, and later confirm 64 as a max speed. Faster than I've ever gone on a bike, before or since. The weather was beautiful for a second day in the row and after a very rapid descent, we had a long climb back up to Chinook Pass.
Chinook Pass is home to a group of the most agressive, gregarious and notorious Camp Robber Jays. As we shared a snack, the birds would land on your hands, head, bike or anywhere that might enable them to steal a bite of your food. Utterly fearless, and just so darn cute.
A quick descent of Chinook Pass, followed by another long (14mi, 3000' vertical) climb to the 6200' high point of the trip at Sunrise visitor's center for lunch. About a mile from the summit, I heard that horrid phttt, phttt, phttt sound coming from my front wheel. A flat... I changed the tire (sewup) and finished the climb. I'll have to admit that on the way back, I really, really watched my speed and the corners on the descent back down! Back on Highway 410, and a long hard ride for the last 40 back to Enumclaw and a much looked forward to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
If you go, be prepared to bail if the weather doesn't look good. There are lots of rides in Western Washington that can be done in the rain, but Paradise is not one to recommend. Hypothermia is a real danger, and snow is not out of the question. Plus, 100 miles in the rain is just plain miserable.
If you can, divert to Cle Elum or Yakima and ride on the 'dry side'. I love the ride from Yakima up to Cle Elum via the Yakima River canyon. Only 90 miles east of Seattle across the summit of the Cascades, and the weather is totally different on the 'dry side'.
Bring a light jacket or arm warmers (and maybe knee warmers) for early morning. Any good road bike will do, but make sure your brakes and tires are in good shape. You'll be at 40+ for extended periods of time regardless of route. There are/were several small cafes along the route, but be sure to bring enough food to carry you 50+ miles if one is closed. There is really no support of any kind out there in the wild.
I rode this on a steel framed Trek 770 with a 42x25 as the low gear.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Leaving the pavement behind
If you grew up riding a bike on unpaved country roads, riding BMX or mountain bikes, then you are probably confused by all the fuss about gravel. After all, it's not nearly as gnarly as hitting a triple jump on a pump track. And if the only way to get to Jimmy's farm two sections over was to get on your bike and ride - what's the fuss?
Shockingly, a lot of the folks interested in trying gravel have never ridden the stuff! And so for those pavement only riders, gravel riding can seem something mysterious, and perhaps a little forbidden or even dangerous. Hopefully we'll take a little of the mystery out, and help you get ready for your first few rides.
Just like pavement, there are all sorts of gravel roads, from freshly dumped beds of 1/2-1" size granite (usually reserved for underlayment before pavement) down to limestone or granite dust that packs down hard and smooth. We rode a recently repaired section of the Minnesota Valley Trail that was smoother and harder than any pavement in town. Probably won't stay that way, but it was smooooth.
'Gravel' also encompasses all manner of dirt roads, roads that the state no longer paves, farm "B-roads" (barely a road?) that are only used at planting and harvest time, 'two track' forest roads, and a whole lot of well maintained gravel that is left unpaved but heavily traveled by cars, tractors, pig haulers, turkey trucks and harvesters. Rounding a corner in farm country and coming face to face with a combine that is 10' wider than the road is always entertaining! A good gravel bike can take you places that you'd really rather not ride a full suspension mountain bike, too. Long headwind rides get pretty numbing on an upright position - which is why we have drop bars and hoods as an option!
Actually learning to ride gravel isn't hard, it's just a matter of progression. For your first rides, find a packet limestone path (like many of the state trails in Wisconsin and a few in Minnesota). You can ride your road bike, hybrid bike, mountain bike or whatever. Get used to how the bike feels. Learn to focus on what's coming in 50 feet and 50 yards ahead, not right in front of your wheel. what you see in front of your wheel will already be under your tire by the time you react. On bumpy roads - like washboard, the best technique is to 'float' slightly off the seat (transfer your weight to your feet as you pedal so you push your butt slightly off the seat) as you see even small bumps. You'll find even this slight bit of suspension will make your ride much more pleasant and cut down on pinch flats.
Next, find a dirt parking lot or baseball diamond at the local park. Practice riding turns on this. Make up slalom games, practice sudden stops and some 'fast' turns. Get used to the feel. Learn to corner with your bike in different angles, and positions. Practice really slow riding. Ride on the grass. Note- in certain regions, be careful with grass. I was in Oklahoma last fall, and learned the hard way about the burrs in a lot of the municipal grass! Two flats, and absolutely ruined a set of tires. Darn goatheads.
Riding gravel takes a bit more energy than an equivalent road ride. Rolling resistance from the surface and knobbier tires, and loose gravel contribute to this energy consumption. I also find that I'm better off dropping my cadence a bit and pedaling in a slightly harder gear. This makes it much easier to float off the seat as mentioned above, and unless all out top speed is needed, is a little easier on energy consumption.. Also, I'm constantly looking at the road for the firmest/smoothest line. Don't be afraid to move back and forth across the road (with an eye on other riders and any traffic). Use common sense, but look for the harder packed surfaces.
One safety note - cars and trucks DO NOT expect riders to be out on 'their' roads. I've rarely had an issue on this, but the place you do not want to be is on the wrong side of the road nearing the crest of a hill or in a blind turn. If you can't see the road, the cars can't see you!
Weight distribution is also important, especially when climbing, braking and cornering. Again, try to look out in front of you, being at least peripherally aware of everything around you.
When climbing, if you find your back wheel slipping, you'll need to scoot back on the seat a bit. This is especially true when climbing out of the saddle.
Cornering, you may want to ride with your bike a bit more upright than you would on the road, which means your weight needs to move inside a bit. Stand on the outside pedal (it's down, of course) with your butt off the saddle, and move your nose over the inside brake lever.
And when descending, make sure your weight stays back and on your pedals, not your butt. This will ensure the bike stays 'sprung' and in contact with the road, not bouncing up and down. It's easy to overthink this, but in terms of function, "the front brake is for stopping, the back brake is for steering." Put another way, the rear brake will lock up easiest, and a sliding back end is not exactly what you want to deal with in most cases.
The bottom line - start out on easy surfaces, fun trails and work your way up to the more challenging unsupported rides and routes. Have a great ride!
~mj
Shockingly, a lot of the folks interested in trying gravel have never ridden the stuff! And so for those pavement only riders, gravel riding can seem something mysterious, and perhaps a little forbidden or even dangerous. Hopefully we'll take a little of the mystery out, and help you get ready for your first few rides.
Just like pavement, there are all sorts of gravel roads, from freshly dumped beds of 1/2-1" size granite (usually reserved for underlayment before pavement) down to limestone or granite dust that packs down hard and smooth. We rode a recently repaired section of the Minnesota Valley Trail that was smoother and harder than any pavement in town. Probably won't stay that way, but it was smooooth.
'Gravel' also encompasses all manner of dirt roads, roads that the state no longer paves, farm "B-roads" (barely a road?) that are only used at planting and harvest time, 'two track' forest roads, and a whole lot of well maintained gravel that is left unpaved but heavily traveled by cars, tractors, pig haulers, turkey trucks and harvesters. Rounding a corner in farm country and coming face to face with a combine that is 10' wider than the road is always entertaining! A good gravel bike can take you places that you'd really rather not ride a full suspension mountain bike, too. Long headwind rides get pretty numbing on an upright position - which is why we have drop bars and hoods as an option!
Actually learning to ride gravel isn't hard, it's just a matter of progression. For your first rides, find a packet limestone path (like many of the state trails in Wisconsin and a few in Minnesota). You can ride your road bike, hybrid bike, mountain bike or whatever. Get used to how the bike feels. Learn to focus on what's coming in 50 feet and 50 yards ahead, not right in front of your wheel. what you see in front of your wheel will already be under your tire by the time you react. On bumpy roads - like washboard, the best technique is to 'float' slightly off the seat (transfer your weight to your feet as you pedal so you push your butt slightly off the seat) as you see even small bumps. You'll find even this slight bit of suspension will make your ride much more pleasant and cut down on pinch flats.
Next, find a dirt parking lot or baseball diamond at the local park. Practice riding turns on this. Make up slalom games, practice sudden stops and some 'fast' turns. Get used to the feel. Learn to corner with your bike in different angles, and positions. Practice really slow riding. Ride on the grass. Note- in certain regions, be careful with grass. I was in Oklahoma last fall, and learned the hard way about the burrs in a lot of the municipal grass! Two flats, and absolutely ruined a set of tires. Darn goatheads.
Riding gravel takes a bit more energy than an equivalent road ride. Rolling resistance from the surface and knobbier tires, and loose gravel contribute to this energy consumption. I also find that I'm better off dropping my cadence a bit and pedaling in a slightly harder gear. This makes it much easier to float off the seat as mentioned above, and unless all out top speed is needed, is a little easier on energy consumption.. Also, I'm constantly looking at the road for the firmest/smoothest line. Don't be afraid to move back and forth across the road (with an eye on other riders and any traffic). Use common sense, but look for the harder packed surfaces.
One safety note - cars and trucks DO NOT expect riders to be out on 'their' roads. I've rarely had an issue on this, but the place you do not want to be is on the wrong side of the road nearing the crest of a hill or in a blind turn. If you can't see the road, the cars can't see you!
Weight distribution is also important, especially when climbing, braking and cornering. Again, try to look out in front of you, being at least peripherally aware of everything around you.
When climbing, if you find your back wheel slipping, you'll need to scoot back on the seat a bit. This is especially true when climbing out of the saddle.
Cornering, you may want to ride with your bike a bit more upright than you would on the road, which means your weight needs to move inside a bit. Stand on the outside pedal (it's down, of course) with your butt off the saddle, and move your nose over the inside brake lever.
And when descending, make sure your weight stays back and on your pedals, not your butt. This will ensure the bike stays 'sprung' and in contact with the road, not bouncing up and down. It's easy to overthink this, but in terms of function, "the front brake is for stopping, the back brake is for steering." Put another way, the rear brake will lock up easiest, and a sliding back end is not exactly what you want to deal with in most cases.
The bottom line - start out on easy surfaces, fun trails and work your way up to the more challenging unsupported rides and routes. Have a great ride!
~mj
Friday, December 5, 2014
Test driving gravel bikes
This is sort of a 'part 2' of yesterday's post.
What makes a good gravel bike? Opinions vary, but I'll try to give a few thoughts on what makes one good to me.
Note - even if you fall in love with the very first bike you ride, you owe it to yourself to ride several more. This is a major purchase - you may like every one you ride, but to be sure - one will talk to you.
First and foremost, it's got to fit you. My preference is to have it sized just a little more upright than my 'best fit' for a road bike. Most gravel bikes will be set up with a slightly wider bar which makes the position feel 'right'. You want to make sure you don't have an overlap between your toes and front wheel (toeclip overlap). While this isn't a big deal on the road, I think it's a lot more of an issue on gravel. You are a lot more likely to encounter 'awkward positions' that entail very low speed turns like going up a steep hill and tacking back & forth.
How does the saddle feel? Start out with it dead flat, and adjusted to 1/4" less than your road saddle height (you did bring your own shoes and pedals, right?). Why the difference? Most people find they push back a little bit more, and the extra reach gives better leverage at lower cadence. You may find it better at the same height. I have the same length cranks on both road and gravel, and set my seat about 1/8" lower than road. My bars are about 1/2" closer at the flats, and almost an inch closer at the hoods (different bar).
Run up and down through the gears. How does it shift? Does it feel right to you? If not, ask the shop guys to check it and make sure everything is adjusted well. And do the brakes work without squealing or shuddering? Be careful how hard you grab disc brakes until you get used to them. It's very easy to lock up the brakes even on dry, clean pavement. This will take a bit to get used to the action.
When you test ride, make sure the tires are pumped up to something like 60 psi. I did a test ride, and the very diligent shop guy pumped the tires up to the rated 90 psi and sent me out. I got all the way around the corner before I dropped the pressure to around 50 psi for the rest of the ride. When I got back, the other shop guy apologized for sending me out on such low pressure. I spent a few minutes educating the guys on 'good' gravel riding pressure and why it wasn't the sidewall pressure.
Try to find a sidewalk or some rough, crappy pavement that you'd ordinarily avoid and ride that. You still can't bang into lips, breaks and potholes, but normal breaks in the sidewalk are perfect. You should get a feel for how the bike handles rougher stuff. If you need a reminder, borrow a road bike with properly pumped road tires and ride that first. You'll get the idea.
Next, take it around a few corners, progressively faster. Not criterium fast (if you've ever ridden crits), but see how it feels. Make sure it doesn't 'push' (want to keep going straight) when you corner. This is often where bikes will emit a very Zen-like 'Ommmm.' The right bike will 'flow' around the turn.
And now climb. Climb in the saddle, climb out of the saddle. It's a sad thing, but most bike shops are located on the flats, and away from hills. Try to find *something* to climb. You should feel connected to the bike - not flopping around when you climb, and without a bunch of flex in the bottom bracket. Hint - if you hear the front derailleur rub when you climb, the bottom bracket is flexing.
Finally, try some fast riding. If you can go downhill, make sure it feels OK. Any twitchy feeling? If so, it will feel more pronounced at full speed on gravel. Make *sure* it feels right to *you*. Most things can be fixed. A noodle-ey, twitchy bike on a long downhill is one thing you can't fix. A good bike should feel solid, not bouncing around, and not require tons of steering input to hold it on line.
Make sure you can reach the water bottle without difficulty, that 2 bottles fit, and that you understand how to take off the front wheel, the rear wheel and more importantly put them back on!
Now go ride your new bike!
~mj
What makes a good gravel bike? Opinions vary, but I'll try to give a few thoughts on what makes one good to me.
Note - even if you fall in love with the very first bike you ride, you owe it to yourself to ride several more. This is a major purchase - you may like every one you ride, but to be sure - one will talk to you.
First and foremost, it's got to fit you. My preference is to have it sized just a little more upright than my 'best fit' for a road bike. Most gravel bikes will be set up with a slightly wider bar which makes the position feel 'right'. You want to make sure you don't have an overlap between your toes and front wheel (toeclip overlap). While this isn't a big deal on the road, I think it's a lot more of an issue on gravel. You are a lot more likely to encounter 'awkward positions' that entail very low speed turns like going up a steep hill and tacking back & forth.
How does the saddle feel? Start out with it dead flat, and adjusted to 1/4" less than your road saddle height (you did bring your own shoes and pedals, right?). Why the difference? Most people find they push back a little bit more, and the extra reach gives better leverage at lower cadence. You may find it better at the same height. I have the same length cranks on both road and gravel, and set my seat about 1/8" lower than road. My bars are about 1/2" closer at the flats, and almost an inch closer at the hoods (different bar).
Run up and down through the gears. How does it shift? Does it feel right to you? If not, ask the shop guys to check it and make sure everything is adjusted well. And do the brakes work without squealing or shuddering? Be careful how hard you grab disc brakes until you get used to them. It's very easy to lock up the brakes even on dry, clean pavement. This will take a bit to get used to the action.
Try to find a sidewalk or some rough, crappy pavement that you'd ordinarily avoid and ride that. You still can't bang into lips, breaks and potholes, but normal breaks in the sidewalk are perfect. You should get a feel for how the bike handles rougher stuff. If you need a reminder, borrow a road bike with properly pumped road tires and ride that first. You'll get the idea.
Next, take it around a few corners, progressively faster. Not criterium fast (if you've ever ridden crits), but see how it feels. Make sure it doesn't 'push' (want to keep going straight) when you corner. This is often where bikes will emit a very Zen-like 'Ommmm.' The right bike will 'flow' around the turn.
And now climb. Climb in the saddle, climb out of the saddle. It's a sad thing, but most bike shops are located on the flats, and away from hills. Try to find *something* to climb. You should feel connected to the bike - not flopping around when you climb, and without a bunch of flex in the bottom bracket. Hint - if you hear the front derailleur rub when you climb, the bottom bracket is flexing.
Finally, try some fast riding. If you can go downhill, make sure it feels OK. Any twitchy feeling? If so, it will feel more pronounced at full speed on gravel. Make *sure* it feels right to *you*. Most things can be fixed. A noodle-ey, twitchy bike on a long downhill is one thing you can't fix. A good bike should feel solid, not bouncing around, and not require tons of steering input to hold it on line.
Make sure you can reach the water bottle without difficulty, that 2 bottles fit, and that you understand how to take off the front wheel, the rear wheel and more importantly put them back on!
Now go ride your new bike!
~mj
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Picking out and equipping a new gravel bike
I love my gravel bike. I built it pretty much like I wanted it, but I know not everyone has the time, expertise or desire to build up their own bike. Like every IT project, every bike purchase needs to start with a set of requirements. These can be a little fuzzy, but you do need to have some. And it's OK to recognize that you may not get it perfect. If you haven't ridden a lot of gravel already, I'll almost guarantee that you'll wind up with bike lust again after a year or so simply because you'll know more, skills will have improved, and you'll have a better idea of the type of riding you want to do. It's OK - it's just a tool, you aren't married to the bike. Just get a different one.
I'm a big believer in "just a bike". Too many people go for a bike that has unique handling characteristics, a really cool custom paint job, super relaxed (or twitchy) geometry, or an unusual design (like the Cannondale lefty fork). Unless you are a builder or manufacturer, gravel bikes are TOOLS to be ridden hard, occasionally put a way damp, and a fancy paint job is going to get trashed - or you aren't riding hard enough! Just a bike.
Any old cyclocross bike will do quite well, but most have limits on tire width, have a tall bottom bracket (for clearance, rim brakes and the kind of handling CX requires), and few brazeons.
Picking out your requirements (in order of priority):
The big thing is to go ride at least a handful of bikes. You probably won't be able to ride gravel, but you can often sneak off onto into a park and onto a soccer field or baseball diamond to at least get a feel for 'off pavement'. Ride the bike, ride another bike, ride another bike. One of them will sing to you. PAY ATTENTION!!!
Granted, this is *my* priority list. Your choices may be in a different order or have different criteria. These will give you an idea of what to think about. I am working from the assumption that most people will be on road bikes now. If all you've ever ridden is mountain, the information is still about right, but I'd steer you toward a 29er with 35-38mm tires, flat bars and no suspension.
Where are you going to ride?
If your plan is to just ride on the Wisconsin 'gravel' state trails, you will approach several of these choices differently. On the other hand, if you have dreams of the Dirty Kanza, Land Rush 100, or Rebecca's Private Idaho, you'll want to select on the 'beefier' side of things.
Price point.
Start out by figuring out what you can afford to spend. This is probably the most important criteria, since it will set out components choices, frame materials and other choices. Within a given price point (like $1000, $1500, etc), most bikes will have a very similar group of components. The brands may change, but the quality and weight are very similar. It'll be the minor details that help with your choices.
Brakes
Price point is really going to drive your frame material choice, but within a range, you'll probably have the option of disc or rim brakes. After riding both rim brakes and disc brakes this season, often on back-back days, my jury is in. I have bought my last rim brake bike. Disc stops better, allows more rim choice, better modulation of power, and they stop better.
Tires
Pick your tires based on where you ride. Maybe you'll even want a couple of sets. I have 28mm tires for the road only, and 38mm tires for gravel, plus a set or two in between. If you are spending 1500 and up for a bike, you can afford an extra set of tires for smooth cinder trails and the road if it matters. Otherwise, go with as wide as you can cleanly fit in your frame, and look for something moderately smooth in the middle with knobs out on the edge. Something like a Clement MSO or Challenge Gravel Grinder. And if you can afford them, I'm very partial to Challenge Latex inner tubes. Thinner, lighter, and more puncture resistant.
Wheels
The late Steve Hed designed possibly the ultimate gravel rim - the HED Belgium C2+. The wide rim gives you extra volume, a better ride, lower rolling resistance, and probably folds your laundry while you sleep. In any case, I firmly believe they'll improve the ride, comfort and handling of any bike.
Frame material
Everybody seems to have a preference. I've heard all the 'steel is real', 'buzzy aluminum' and 'harsh carbon' comments, Bah. Steel rusts, aluminum is inexpensive and can be formed to make laterally stiff, vertically compliant frames, and carbon can be tuned to perfection. At lower price points, steel or aluminum dominate, at the upper reaches, expect carbon or titanium. Ti is a great material, but is difficult to form, and expensive. Any buzz from aluminum can be dampened out with good bar tape. A purpose designed 'gravel' frame will have a longer stay and more relaxed fork, which will also smooth out the ride. And yes, I'm in love with my Foundry Auger, and highly recommend it, but there are plenty of other good rides out there.
Drivetrain
At a given price point, you'll get what you get, and unless your price point is <$500, you'll get pretty good. BUT - look for, or talk to your LBS about getting 'cyclocross gearing' or even more custom. 36x46 or 34x44 front rings will give you plenty of top end gears and still allow for a low-low without resorting to that hideous combo known as a triple. In fact, it is possible to set up Shimano Ultegra 10 with an older Shimano XTR 9 speed derailleur and use an 11-36 rear cluster, which will give you a 1:1 ratio on steep climbs. I've only walked once this year, and have climbed numerous 14%+ grades.
Cockpit
Stay with Aluminum stems and bars. Period. Carbon bars are a lot better than they used to be, but they still should be regarded as 'one bounce', and may snap at the worst possible moment after that. I'm really partial to Ritchey WCS stems, tape, and Salsa Cowbell bars. There are any number of other good brands on the market, this happens to be my preference.
Accessories
Bags - start with a seat bag. Banjo Brothers and Revelator both make great bags that expand and provide some level of waterproofing. Add a frame bag for really long rides, and maybe a Bento box if you really want to. For rides under 100 miles, I find that I can fit everything in my tail pack, jersey pockets. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Cages - you want something secure. I'm sold on the Arundel Sport cages. Cheap, light, idiotproof.
Lights - lots of good choices out there. I'm picking up a set of Seca 1700 Enduro. Bright, long life, and easy to mount. Did I mention bright?
And that's a short list of picking out your own gravel bike. See you next spring at the Miesville 56 or maybe the ride formerly known as Almanzo.
~mj
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