“This ride has been on my list since it began 4 years ago.  I did a ride in Oklahoma in the early 90’s for a few years called the Trail of Tears 100.  It was the memories of that ride that made me decide to make the 9 hour road trip to Stillwater, OK.  I was not to be disappointed.

I arrived at 3pm and everything was in full gear.   District Cycles and Iron Monk Brewing Company had the corner of 6^th and Main bottled up with music, food, beer, test rides, and anything else a gravel hound would ask for.  At the pre ride meeting the word that rang out in my mind were, “As of now, there about 3 mile of hike a bike on the course”  That night it rained for about 3 hours and things changed.  Not sure how much I had to walk as a result.

The morning was tough with mud and a constant fog.  The worst part for me was the down hills.  The climbs were all rideable but with 1-2 inches of mud, the down hills were very sketchy.

As the day progressed and the sun came out the once mud covered road became like concrete making climbs aggressive and the downhills sometimes scary fast.

This was a great day on the bike.  As I made the drive home I thought, Ok cross that one off my list.   Not so much the case as of this writing.  I need  go back and bring a friend.”

-Pete L.