DEATH MARCH REVIVAL
Dillan Forsey
10/19/24
Man, what a brutal route! Absolutely gorgeous day though. Nice crisp temps helped keep me cool on the first section of climbs. Some somewhat fresh chunky gravel (near Tumbling Creek area???) really zapped the speed out of me. Started seeing other cyclists out and about around Potato Patch and Mulberry Gap, which lifted the spirits a bit. I opted to keep rolling past Mulberry Gap, although stopping altogether and having a beer sounded very tempting. Kept pushing to the Ranger Station/Hunting Check at the base of the Cowpen descent where I refilled bottles. (Thank you Matt Schweiker for the intel!)
A note on hydration and nutrition. I’ve been running 2x 25oz bottles with Mortal Hydration Salty Margarita and then a 2L hydration bladder with regular Skratch mix. (I sweat out a lot of salts…) I’ve also been using the Rule 28 gravel suite to avoid using a pack. I don’t mind packs, but it’s extra weight and sometimes it feels like it restricts my breathing when doing a lot of climbing. The gravel suites with built in hydration holders looked very silly to me when they came out, but it’s actually been super practical and easy to use for me. For nutrition, I filled up a 500ml flask with Carbs gels and then another 300ml flask with SIS beta fuel gels. I think it was something like 16-18 gels.
I was really nervous about what I’d find at Big Frog, but man, it was amazing. The road all the way up to the trailhead parking is some of the nicest gravel on the entire route. The construction they’ve done up there is incredible. Past the trailhead, it was a bit rougher, but all very rideable in the dry conditions I had. It seems that all the drainage and structural work is complete and they are now just working on the surface? In any case, I had no issues getting through and didn’t see anyone working.
After Big Frog, I was pretty beat and just wanted to get back to the car where I had cider donuts waiting. Gels are efficient, but really depressing if it’s all you’ve had since breakfast. The last few miles were uneventful. Just lost in thoughts about what to eat when the ride was over.
Doing the triple crown all in one month has been tough. (My coach James with Focus Endurance has been hugely helpful in managing this.) But man, it’s so awesome to have ridden these routes and know first hand how incredible all the posted rides are. The FKT times blow my mind. The fact that Matt and Luke rode all of the routes + connections in a weekend seems unfathomable. And I’m especially impressed by the folks who are willing to ride well into the night in order to finish these routes. Tennessee gravel is a really special thing, and the people and routes on this site are a testament to that.