Audrey Mace

I started around 8 and finished around 4, temps in 60s and 70s with high humidity and rain off and on all day! Wildcat and North River Rd climbs were in good shape, and I started getting rained on near the end of the climb and onto the Skyway. It was cold up on the Skyway with the rain and wind, but I always appreciate the descent after that long ass climb! Indian Boundary was amazing - the single track was so fun and flowy and it broke the route up nicely! I got rained on up Far Gap, which was a nice climb but pretty brutal near the top. Then it started raining hard and thundering on the Far Gap descent, which is a little sketchy. A few times I had the thought that it would be really bad if something were to happen out there... very remote and no service. And I lost my mind on Miller’s Ridge!! It was done raining but the dirt was so soft that my tires were sticking like Velcro plus the down trees. That was a tough bit but it’s such a cool road. After that, the rest of the route is mainly downhill and pavement/smooth gravel so it makes it all worth it!!

I rode my Litespeed Toscano gravel bike with a 2.0 Race King in the front and 45 Gravel King X1 Plus in the rear, SRAM Red XPLR with 40T chain ring, 10/46 cassette. I drank 1.5L of Skratch high carb, 900 mL bottle of maple syrup, and half a bottle of hydration mix. I didn’t have to stop to refill, but if it was hotter I probably would’ve drank way more. I ate some Skratch GF brownies, guava candy (Bocadillo from Colombia), nutter butter. I definitely should have eaten more!