“It’s an amazing time, out on the Flint Hills, sun and wind white gravel and dirt, and even occasionally another cyclist, more so in the first 50 miles, less so out in the second half. It’s a solo effort from Eskridge to the end, no chatting or pacing, save for the stop at the convenience store where 5 or 6 of us are drinking cold coke and eating ice cream and trying to get started to hurry up and get going. Everybody hurts.

I’m assuming even the fast people hurt, they just hurt faster.

Gravel Ride for Maisie’s Pride (while kind of a funny name) is an excellent event. The organizer is enthusiastic and the support is perfectly adequate – you wouldn’t want more in a real gravel grinder. The route is spectacular – while the overall spectacle is admittedly a little more subdued than the more famous Flint Hills gravel extravaganza – the roads really aren’t any less brilliant.”

-See ya in 2018, Uncle Dudley.