Mena crosses the Divide

I’m the type of person who doesn’t look at a course route before race day (unless I’m required to navigate it myself, like at The Crusher). Some other racers go and ride the course early to prepare, and most people probably have the foresight to at least glance over the Strava map. For me, each turn, landmark, and hill come as a surprise—for better or worse. On The Divide course, this meant that I was surprised for the entire three hours I was riding. I knew from the race description and the 2021 Gravel Scholar Luis’s blog post that I should expect a hilly course. I also knew from overhearing some people at the start that the course would be sandy, although this was a race day revelation. Otherwise, I didn’t know how hilly, how sandy, or what else to expect along the way. I’d recommend this strategy if you get psyched out at what’s to come or if you enjoy scavenger hunts.

There were quite a few pleasant surprises, mostly consisting of animals and scenic views. The course passed by an Amish farm, where I got to see horses, all dressed up to pull their buggies, and several cow fields. If you’ve been following along with my adventures and Instagram posts, you’ll know that my favorite part of rides is making friends with the local farm animals and calling out “hi cows”! The majority of the course snaked through forests and seasonal roads, and one of my favorite segments was sandwiched on both sides by ponds completely covered with blooming lily pads. I wish I would have stopped to take some more photos along the way, but I was determined to avoid dilly-dallying on the clock.

The course was also a constant barrage of hills from beginning to end. We started the race by climbing a hill and we were still climbing in the last mile of the course. As someone with quite a bit of animosity toward hills, this made The Divide the most challenging course I’ve completed this season. However, I gritted my teeth (don’t tell my dentist—jk I don’t have one) and churned myself to the top of each hill at the speed of butter. Jokes aside, the whole experience was actually a testimony to my improvement over the season, which started with struggling along the mostly flat course of Dirty 30 and getting destroyed by “Ivan the Terrible”. This time I didn’t have to get off and walk up any of the hills and I was able to ride through most of the sand, as well. However, if you are planning on this race next year, ye be warned: some of the sand was so deep that even the fastest riders and fat bikers had to get off and walk. Luckily, you can start training this winter in the snow!

Although the race was difficult, I was pleased and impressed with my progress and performance. I’m proud that I finished the course with a similar average speed as my other races and kept a positive attitude in the face of the challenge, even riding solo the whole time. I decided not to take any water or Gatorade from the aid stations this time, since I already had my water bottles, but I did get a welcome bag of ice! I’m not sure what I was meant to do with it—put it in my water bottle? Nurse my unexpectedly aching knee? Did I end up putting it in my bra to melt cold water all over me? Perhaps. That’s between me and the country roads.

As usual, all of the riders I encountered on the ride were very friendly, including the many fast 50-milers who were lapping me! My sole regret is that I didn’t bring along a lasso to hitch a ride on them as they passed! Maybe I could have kept up with their pace on Erin’s new e-bike. 🙂

Overall, would I recommend this race to a friend? Sure wouldn’t… unless they love suffering! Lucky for the race directors, lots of cyclists love pushing themselves to the brink and taking on the toughest of challenges. There will be riders lined up and down the metaphorical block to test their strength, endurance, and technical skills for years to come. We’ll have to see whether the memories of each hill have faded enough for me to sign up again next year! More likely, I’ll be focused on the prospect of smooth, flat gravel and cider at Uncle John’s Dirty Ride in 2023.

In the meantime, it turns out that I am one of those cyclists who loves suffering! Erin convinced us to sign up for the Watermoo, a 111-mile race in the series with a water crossing, although she now admits that we may have been a bit overly enthusiastic and ambitious at the time. Another challenge for my positive mental attitude coming up, that I hope to accomplish against all odds! To be completely honest, my longest ride so far has been around 52 miles, so we’ll see whether I can even sit in my bike seat for 10+ hours to pedal the 111. Stay tuned to see whether I’ll cruise across the finish line with the help of some cow sightings and Hammer Nutrition, or whether I’ll phone a friend to peel my body off of the dirt and set it gently into an ice bath! Either way, I’m excited to finish up my season as the gravel scholar and write about how much of a joy it has been! Until then – keep pedaling, my friends!