The article below contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using my links, I get a small commission, which helps me continue to do this work. Read more about my use of affiliate links here.

My event season officially kicked off a couple weeks ago, with MidSouth Gravel in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Heading into the weekend I was feeling a bit wary about my capability to ride 100 miles - my knee is still not back to 100% and my lungs are still clearing themselves after a bout of bronchitis. 

But there is something incredibly special about MidSouth Gravel and spoiler alert, I ended up riding all 100 miles AND taking home the coveted prize of DFL (Dead F*cking Last.) Here’s how it all went down…

I signed up for MidSouth 2023 before my knee surgery (in September 2022.) I figured the 100 mile distance would be a good goal to shoot for - knowing that I could always drop down to either the 50 mile or the 12 mile Inspiration Ride. I did in fact change my distance choice during check-in on Friday, only to be convinced by Event Director Bobby Wintle to for the 100.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Wintle in person, I strongly recommend taking a trip to District Bicycles in Stillwater, Oklahoma to do so.. Bobby is the heart and soul of the bike community in Stillwater, having built a friendly, supportive and adventurous community around him. 

After a rousing Rider Meeting, Bobby had me dang near convinced I could do anything I could put my mind to - so I decided then and there that I’d ride the 100 miler. What could go wrong?

One of my goals for the event season this year is to really take care of my body and to be more intentional with my time during events. I learned the hard way last year that the days before the ride of socializing, spending time at the expo and leading shake down rides was a perfect recipe for emptying my tank before arriving at the start line. To that end, I’ll be doing less shake-down rides, instead hosting community All Bodies on Bikes rides adjacent to the big events. Keep an eye out for more.

I’m proud to say I’m off to a good start this year, limiting my time at the MidSouth Expo while still visiting all my sponsors and friends. I was also lucky enough to be invited to the Skratch Labs house for a delicious dinner on Friday night where I got to enjoy a delicious dinner with some of my cycling heroes, including Meg Fisher and Ellen Noble! This weekend was off to a great start! 

Bike, Food and Hydration Preparation

I rode my Cannondale Topstone 4, the same gravel bike I’ve been on since Unbound Gravel in 2022. This year, I’ve swapped the stock drivetrain for a Shimano 1x11 GRX system, capable of handling steeper hills a bit better. Even with the improved climbing gears, I still walked a couple of hills, being extra careful with my knee.

I also worked with accomplished cycling coach and endurance racer Ernie Lechuga on a bike fit, making small modifications to my fit including lowering my handlebars and shifting my saddle position.  MidSouth would be the first big test of the bike fit and in retrospect, it was a key factor in my success.

Prior to the race, I also added a few more ounces of sealant to both tires. I’ve been running the Panaracer 700 x 43 Gravel King SK tires for all of my gravel rides and knock-on wood, have had zero issues. I love these tires for just about any surface - chunky gravel, smooth tarmac and sloppy singletrack.

The other modification I made to my bike for this race was installing a side-loading bottle cage on the top tube. With my tiny frame (I ride an XS bike), there isn’t room for 2 full-sized water bottles within the triangle, so instead, I have one bottle in the triangle, and one on the top. Both of these bottles get filled with Skratch Hydration Fuel for electrolytes, while my plain water goes on my back in an Apidura hydration vest.

I have no idea how the math works out, but based on all my training rides, I know that I expend roughly the same amount of calories as feet climbed during a ride, with caloric burn slowing throughout the day. For example,  on a typical 30 mile, 3000 ft training ride in Arkansas, I’ll burn between 2800 and 3200 calories, depending on how hard I’m pushing myself. On a 50 mile ride, 3500 foot ride I’ll hit about 5500 calories and last year during Unbound, my Wahoo predicted I burned nearly 8,000 calories. 

I have no idea if this is accurate or not, but I know that it means I need to eat all day long. As I’ve increased my training miles, I’ve also dialed in my on-the-bike nutrition a bit more as well. 

I like a mix of gels, bars, trail mix, and real food on the bike.

This year for MidSouth, I carried the following

• Bag of magic trailmix (peanuts, peanut butter m&m’s, gummy bears, oreos)

• 4 packs Twisted Spoke CBD Energy Chews (use the code Marley for 10% off your purchase at Twisted Spoke)

• 3 packs Skratch Energy Chews

• 2 Skratch Rice Cakes

• 4 GU Energy Gels

• 1 Emergency Burrito (bean and cheese from the day before because I forgot to take it out…definitely still edible if it came down to it.)

I ate almost everything, except the burrito and one pack of Skratch Energy Chews. While on the course, I also ate the following delicacies:

• 2 packs Cheetos

• 3 Clementines

• ½ a non-alcoholic beer from Cloudburst Brewing

• 1 oreo

• 1 Samoa Girl Scout Cookie

• 3 pieces of bacon from the Chamois Butt’r Aid Station

• 1 Cup of Cold Brew Coffee from Aspen Coffee Roasters

• ½ peanut butter and jelly quesadilla

And I think that’s it.

I have my Wahoo Bolt set up to remind me to drink every 20 minutes and to eat every 100 calories. While it’s annoying to get those reminders, I find it’s actually helpful, as otherwise it’s easy to let yourself get hungry. Some of the best advice I ever heard was from Meg Fisher, who said “If you think you’re sad, you need to eat.”

The Actual Ride

You’d think I’d have a ton of details to share about the ride, covering 100 miles and over 14 hours. In truth though, there really isn’t a ton to share.

The important bits:

-My bike rode beautifully. Zero mechanical issues, zero fit issues.

-The course was absolutely magical. If you’ve never ridden in Oklahoma, I recommend making it happen as soon as you can. Rolling red dirt hills punctuated by frequent cow pastures might sound boring, but it’s not. I was genuinely surprised by the amount of oil and gas equipment out there - seemingly every field had an operational oil derrick.

-The rest stops were amazing and stayed open for me! Thank you to all the folks who waited out in the dark and cold - it was a huge mood booster to come around the corner and see lights when I expected to see nothing!

-The single track was probably my favorite part of the course. Challenging yet rideable for the most part, I took my time in this section. By the time I got there, it was pitch black and I had been riding with the Red Dirt Jeep Club as my escort for the previous 30 miles, enjoying the benefit of their insanely bright lights. I took the opportunity of being away from the jeeps to center myself, taking a few minutes with all my lights off to breathe in the chill night air, to look up at the stars, and to count my blessings. I knew that as soon as I got out of the single track, it was a quick shot to Stilwater, where hundreds of people would be waiting for me at the finish line.

The Finish Line

I didn’t realize I was in last place until Mount Butter, about mile 62. I knew I was going slowly, but until that point, hadn’t seen any of the tell-tale jeeps that follow the last rider. The last riders caught me at Mount Butter, and we proceeded to together for the next 15 miles. As the sun set behind us, we yo-yo’d back and forth until mile 77, when he threw in the towel and quit. Now, it was just me and the Red Dirt Jeep Club, slowly making our way back to Stillwater. 

After the guy I was riding with quit, it sunk in that as long as I finished the ride, I would be DFL (Dead F*ing Last.) And honestly, there was never any question of me finishing the ride. 

As each mile ticked by during the ride, I let my mind wander to everything that had led me to this moment. I talked to myself - reminding myself out loud everyone who supported me in making this wild life possible - my sponsors, family and friends, the race organizers, and my fans. I wouldn’t be here if not for everyone who has given me a hug, words of encouragement, or a smile when I was feeling down. With this mindset of gratitude, I rode through the OSU campus, continuing to pick up additions to our rolling parade. 

A cop car with full lights and sirens jolted me out of my peaceful headspace, alerting the finish line that I was on my way. As I rolled down the finish line chute, I heard Bobby Wintle screaming my name, the crowd going crazy, and all I could do was smile and enjoy the first champagne shower of my life.

Read More

Check out the media coverage from MidSouth:

• The Adventure Stache with Payson McElveen

• Bicycling Magazine

• The Radavist