07/29/2022
was a true viking adventure. An event we definitely
underestimated!
On our recon ride we got our first taste of how rough the Rift roads were going to be. A double track through a farmer's property was bouncing us all over the place. It couldn't be that hard all day could it?!?
Race day we lucked out with some gorgeous weather. Our worries about riding 200km in freezing rain fell away and we got ourselves ready to go.
For the event we rode as two groups. There was me - trying to race as a "pro". And John, Holly, Marc and Geoff doing a proper Sans Chaine day. I was nervous and almost bailed on my pro attempt. Once the event started though I was caught up in the moment and away we went!
I was really happy with my ride. I made the front split of 15 riders - knowing from our recon ride to run the second water crossing was key 😜. The effort was a big one though and I knew I couldn't keep up that pace for 200km. I backed off the pace and settled in for a long day.
The Rift was different from other events. Unlike typical gravel that can be almost as good as a paved road, the roads were rough, rough, rough all day. Loose lava gravel with big rocks strewn about dragged against the tires, with very little chance of benefiting from a draft. This was an event that required you to push on the pedals and concentrate from start to finish. By the end of the day, as Holly said, Unbound was looking like it had been a ride on a bike path.
As we rode deeper into the event, and further up the sides of Hekla, the terrain around us was gorgeous.
The adventure continued with some Icelandic Viking snow crossings. It was funny as our group came up on the snow. Some tried to ride it, and just like being on slick mud their front wheels washed out and spilled them into the snow.
I lucked out and ended up riding with two riders from Iceland. They knew the course and I followed their pacing on the increasingly steep climbs. At 100km though things went sideways. Four tube changes later and my day was done.
At the finish we enjoyed a beer, soggy pasta and potatoes. The sun was shining. Despite the worst we'd all finished our day!
