The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Results & Recap

Congrats and thanks to all the folks who toed the line this year for the second annual The Good Life Gravel Adventure. Grassroots events such as the GLGA are possible because folks like yourself step up to the challenge. We had a very talented and diverse group of riders this year from all over the Midwest. Smiles were abundant throughout the day, no one got lost or hurt, and the weather couldn't have been better. Mission accomplished.

Above are the official results. Take a look and let me know if I have anything listed incorrectly. If you wanna protest...sorry! The results are official. :)

50 riders started the event and 39 finished. The official start time was 6:10 AM so all finish times have been adjusted to reflect ride time. I have received vary reports on total elevation gain from riders who completed the GLGA. The range of elevation gain based on GPS cycling computers is 8100 to 9500 feet. Anyone who completed in the event can attest to hilliness of the course. That's Nebraska!

Thanks again to all the sponsors, riders, volunteers, friends and family members who made this event possible. It's always fun to see folks excited about riding their bike all day. That was definitely the case this past Saturday. Until next year!

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Final reminders

Hey folks! The Second Annual The Good Life Gravel Adventure is here! Saturday August 29, 2009 at 6 AM from the Mopac Trailhead the adventure begins. Here are some final reminders and miscellaneous info.

• Lincolnites, please ride to the Mopac Trailhead or have someone drop you off. I'd like to conserve parking spaces for out of towners.
• All riders, please try to be at the Mopac Trailhead by 5:40 AM. This will allow for enough time to conduct a pre-ride meeting prior to the start. The ride will start at 6 AM sharp.
  
• There will be a sign-in sheet for you to complete prior to the start. Nothing major, just sign your name, jot down your age and a cell number that I can reach you at during the ride (cell phone number in case of an emergency).
• Please bring a white light for the front of your bike and a red tail light. Blinky lights are the minimum.
  
• Please come prepared with tubes, tools, water, food, cue sheet, cell phone, etc.
• Please bring enough money to purchase four Nebraska Powerball Lottery tickets (four dollars) in Valparaiso, Malcolm, Denton and Cortland. Those tickets will be collected at the finish. Any winnings will be split amongst all participants.
  
• Also bring some cash for beverages and food at the convenience stores (checkpoints).
  
• Please obey all traffic laws and stay to the right on the gravel roads. Especially when approaching the crest of a gravel climb! Automobiles have been known to travel very fast on the gravel roads.
• Some dogs will give chase. Do not throw anything at the dogs! Treat them with respect as if they were your dog.
  
• Come prepared to have a good time and most importantly, enjoy yourself!

See you Saturday morning bright and early!

GLGA after party

Yia Yia's

1423 O Street

Lincoln, NE

9pm

Come down after the GLGA for a slice of pizza, the largest beer selection in town, and some post gravel adventure relaxation.

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Cue Sheet

Adobe pdf file of the cue sheet available here thanks to Rafal!

Alright folks, here it is. The cue sheet for the 2009 The Good Life Gravel Adventure. This is only a jpeg image. I don't have capabilities to post this as a Microsoft Word document on blogger. If you would like a copy of the Word document to set up a cue sheet for yourself, send me an email (coreycycle@hotmail.com) with the subject line of "GLGA". I encourage folks to make their own cue sheets, but I will have some available at the start if you choose not to do so. The cue sheets that I will have available will be on 8 1/2 x 11 standard letter paper in a landscape format. You can fold the cue sheet into a tri fold and place in a plastic bag for the event. I will try to make a simple map for the backside of the cue sheet as well.

A tip on reading the cue sheet....if the cue sheet indicates L on 112th St, that means once you reach the intersection with 112th St, you turn left. Continue on that road until the next turn.

As you can see on the map, the longest stretch before an aid station (convenience store) is the first leg at 43 miles to Valparaiso. The next section to Malcolm is only 23 miles. After Malcolm, Denton is only 15 miles away. Cortland is 24 miles away from Denton and the finish is 34 miles from Cortland. The mileages listed are approximate! Bikely estimates the mileage and we noted during our pre-ride that they are very close, but slightly low. A cyclocomputer would be a very useful tool for this event. For example, on Branched Oak Rd you have a 14+ mile stretch. The next turn after getting onto Branched Oak Rd is NW 40th St. Not, I repeat, not N 40th St which you ride by on Branched Oak Rd around mile 8 of the 14 miles prior to reaching NW 40th. Please be attentive at all intersections and look for street signs. There are two intersections on the route that do not have street signs. We have hopefully clearly explained where to turn at those intersections.

Please plan accordingly for water and food. And remember, you must purchase a Nebraska Powerball at the listed convenience store.

Below is a Bikely tool for you to check out the route as well. You can look at a bigger version of the Bikely map if you register for a Bikely account (bikely.com) and look up "GLGA". Now you will notice that the total mileage is 140 which is slightly longer than we had originally intended. The first and last stretches of the event are relatively flat with the bulk of the rollers in the middle. There is a great mix of gravel, Minimum Maintenance Road dirt, a couple very small white rock sections, and minimal pavement. That's all I'm gonna say about the route. You'll have to find out the rest on Saturday!

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Bikely Map

GLGA Final Dry

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Next Saturday!

It's only a week away! The PCL crew is wrapping up the bits of prep work and are test riding the route today. Wish us luck!

I'll have some pics of the checkpoints up on the blog as well as the Bikely.com route and the cue sheet by the end of the evening Sunday. You can format the cue sheets anyway you like. If you don't make your own cue sheet, I'll have some at the start. If you got a GPS unit, go for it!

Some friendly reminders:

• Please try to be at the Mopac Trailhead by 5:40 for necessary pre-event info
• Every rider MUST at the bare minimum have a front white blinky and a rear red blinky light
• Things to bring nclude: cell phone, cash money (bring enough $ for four lottery tickets and also enough to feed yourself throughout the day), food (if you don't wanna eat convenience store food all day), tube(s), multitool, pump, water bottles/hydration pack, ziplock baggie for lottery tickets, compass (hopefully you won't need this)

If it looks like the weather is gonna be bad the day of or leading up to the event, I will post a wet route which bypasses the dirt roads. Trust me, it's for the best if it's wet out.

Look for more updates soon!


Disclaimer: All riders are own their own after leaving the start/finish area. This is a self-supported event. You are responsible for you. Please train accordingly and bring all the necessary gear and equipment.

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Only two weeks away!

Are you ready to ride some sweet Nebraska gravel and dirt roads?

The second annual The Good Life Gravel Adventure is less than two weeks away! The PCL crew has finalized the course. The cue sheets will be posted the week prior to the event. All participants are encouraged to make their own cue sheets (allows you to format to your liking), but I will have cue sheets available at the start if you don't make your own.

As a reminder, we will begin and finish the event at the Mopac Trail Head (84th Street) in Lincoln, Nebraska (same spot as last year). The Mopac Trailhead is located at 600 S 84th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska (use Google Maps to find it!). The Mopac Trailhead has parking and restrooms available. I encourage all locals to ride to the Trailhead as to allow more parking for out of towners. If you have any questions about the start/finish area, please contact me.

The adventure begins on Saturday August 29, 2009 at 6 AM! Please be there at least 15 minutes early so I can get a head count. A neutral roll out will take place down the Mopac Trail.

Riders will ride to the following towns which will serve as checkpoints: Valparaiso, Malcolm, Denton and Cortland. You will be required to purchase Nebraska Powerball Lottery tickets at each of those towns as proof of reaching the checkpoint. All Nebraska Powerball tickets will be collected and verified at the finish line. The tickets will then be pooled and any winnings split amongst the race participants.

All riders are own their own after leaving the start/finish area. This is a self-supported event. You are responsible for you. Please train accordingly and bring all the necessary gear and equipment. Fortunately, most checkpoints will be less than 30 to 40 miles apart. The checkpoints (small town convenience stores) will have ample refreshments for thirsty and hungry riders. Bring some cash along!

This is a FREE event (actually you will need to spend about 4 bucks on Nebraska Lottery tickets). There will be prizes and medals, but most importantly, there will be Gravel Glory.

Please shoot me an email if you are interested in coming to the Adventure. Please use The Good Life Gravel Adventure as the subject line and include your name, age, hometown and category (Open or Single Speed/Fixed). Email me at: coreycycle@hotmail.com

PCL T-shirts!

We've got a few PCL T-shirts available (medium and large sizes) for 10 bucks. 100% cotton with screen printing by Screen Ink. If you want one, you better get one now before they're all gone. Since Lance was seen wearing one, I'm sure the remaining stock will be depleted rather quickly.

The Good Life Gravel Adventure - Updates!

The second annual The Good Life Gravel Adventure is less than a month away! The PCL crew recently completed some recon and we're happy to announce that the course has being finalized! I am currently working on the cue sheet for the event.

NEW IMPORTANT INFO: I will be posting the cue sheet the week prior to the event. All participants are encouraged to make their own cue sheets (allows you to format to your liking). I will have cue sheets available at the start if you don't make your own.

We will begin and finish the event at the Mopac Trail Head (84th Street) in Lincoln, Nebraska (same spot as last year). The Mopac Trailhead is located at 600 S 84th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska (use Google Maps to find it!). The Mopac Trailhead has parking and restrooms available. I encourage all locals to ride to the Trailhead as to allow more parking for out of towners. If you have any questions about the start/finish area, please contact me.

The adventure begins on Saturday August 29, 2009 at 6 AM! Yes, 6 AM!

As a friendly reminder.....riders will be required to purchase Nebraska Powerball Lottery tickets as proof of reaching a checkpoint. All Nebraska Powerball tickets will be collected and verified at the finish line. The tickets will then be pooled and any winnings split amongst the race participants.

All riders are own their own after leaving the start/finish area. This is a self-supported event. You are responsible for you. Please train accordingly and bring all the necessary gear and equipment. Fortunately, most checkpoints will be less than 30 to 40 miles apart. The checkpoints (small town convenience stores) will have ample refreshments for thirsty and hungry riders. Bring some cash along!

This is a FREE event (actually you will need to spend about 4 bucks on Nebraska Lottery tickets). There will be prizes and medals, but most importantly, there will be Gravel Glory.

Please shoot me an email if you are interested in coming to the Adventure. Please use The Good Life Gravel Adventure as the subject line and include your name, age, hometown and category (Open or Single Speed/Fixed). Email me at: coreycycle@hotmail.com