2021 is Not Cancelled: the “Not” Farmers Daughter
We lined up our biggest TBD squad yet for the 2021 edition of the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder, originally slated for May 16. But, as we’ve been accustomed to in COVID times, the race had to be postponed out of an abundance of caution. We were a bunch of sad faces at first. But, knowing we all were vaccinated and given we already had an AirBnB reserved, I suggested, “why not still head up for a weekend of unsupported adventuring?” To my delight, the squad was game. Thus, became our new ride plan (and hashtag) the #NotFarmersDaughter.
Put on by the good folks at Capital Bicycle Racing Club, the FDGG is a deceptively challenging course at only 65 miles. With a sawtooth elevation profile of over 6000ft of climbing, and some of the worst climbs back-loaded, many riders find themselves cramping and walking some of the steeper gravel and singletrack sections, or simply finding it necessary to take a dirt nap.
For our #NotFarmersDaughter route, however, I poached the 2019 edition and made a few tweaks. There were requests to keep it to sub-60 miles, and I wondered about the condition of some of the off-road sections, opting to cull a few out just in case. I wanted to come away from the day with no less friends than I started with.
All photographs by Matthew
A crew of 6 of us met up on Saturday afternoon in Chatham to spin out our legs and get a taste of what the roads would be like, and wow they did not disappoint. Everywhere you looked was WindowsXP Bliss wallpaper perfection - no exaggeration. I slapped together a quick 18 miler route that incorporated one long section of double-track that, in my experience, was notorious for heavy peanut butter mud .I’d culled it from the game-day route, but figured it was worth scouting as pre-game. As it turns out, it was mostly okay, except for one ginormous mud puddle that everyone had to ride through. Some left with more souvenir mud than others.
After our openers, Shane, having just raced MTBs in Connecticut, joined us just in time for an outdoor dinner at Chatham Brewering, where we ate all the food and probably drank too many brews. We then further carbo-loaded with a spread of supermarket ice cream, placed bets on whether Corey would show up in the morning like he said he would, and took turns pre-recovering (?) in a pair of Normatec boots before going to bed excited for the next day.
Yes there was some mud.
And yes the results were predictable.
But no, that didn’t keep us from smiling.
We aimed for a flexible 9AM roll-out and to our delight, Corey made the drive up!
What makes FDGG one of my personal favorite gravel grinders is the smattering of technical singletrack within an otherwise pretty smooth mix of hardpack, gravel & road miles. One longer section goes through a Hand Hollow Conservation Area, a woodsy trail with plenty of rocks, roots, and mudpits, but also a really gorgeous lake, where we took a moment to fix a mechanical and had an impromptu photoshoot.
While we were stoked to have the roads mostly to ourselves, we did miss having the really well stocked food stops that the FDGG is famous for. What makes the area around Chatham so bucolic and serene also makes for a scarcity of retail shops. Things can get dicey real fast on an unsupported ride in this area if one is not prepared. We decided to park a car at mile 24 so we would be able to refill our bottles and grab some snacks. I also planned for us to swing by a deli around mile 41, but neglected to check store hours, so of course, it was closed. But, we didn’t panic (and thankfully had cell service) and found a highway rest stop not too far off our route, where we had the most delicious Doritos, Gatorade, and miscellaneous candy we’d ever eaten. “I want all the orange things.” ~ Lisa.
The highs (?) of gas station nutrition.
The lows of unbelievably steep climbs.
Followed by the highs of flowy trails.
After a tough and wonderful 60 miles, and surprisingly but thankfully no flats or catastrophic mechanicals, we made it back to home base. We took a refreshing dip in the creek behind the house (no leeches!), and packed up to head back to the City. Wow, did we really miss trips like these with good friends! ::cue happy cry:: 2021 is not cancelled and we look forward to much more of this very soon.
Folks signed up for the OG FDGG (now August 15), you are in for a real treat!