The following is a true story, only the names have been changed, to protect the guilty.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Fiddlin' 50

The third week of August was the inaugural  Fiddlin' 50 up in Balkan Township MN in the heart of the iron range. The  Fiddlin' was much like other gravel grinders in the state.....Free, Unsupported, and Scenic. What appealed to me most, was the location, I have not done any riding or back road exploring in the area, so I was excited for this race.
I camped on the side of the road....A little scary when your by yourself.

Staging

Start line.....17 or 18 riders
  I also like doing these kind of races in their first years when it's all fresh and new and the turn out is smaller. The fact that it wasn't a hundred miles was also appealing, 50-60 miles is a good workout that doesn't take all day and leaves a little "in the tank" for when you want to hangout afterwords and not be completely annihilated.
I wanted to punish myself a little by riding the Krampus

Barn ....obviously 

Sand ...perfect for a mid-fat bike. Lucky for me there where quite a few places like this.
  The pot luck at the finish was also a nice touch and a gracious gesture by the race directors/hosts to set everything up at their house.   Thank you Susan and Scott, for sharing the great route that I most likely would never put together or experience on my own......too bad the mud hole road was dry.
Although mostly flat, the route had lots of pretty scenery. 

professional 

Welcoming committee about a mile from the finish 
 Big thanks to the volunteers for all the help. It was great meeting some new friendly people, and last, but certainly not least....It was awesome to finally meet you Joboo and your friendly family, hopefully we can get together and do some riding in the near future.      D. Rider..............Out 

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