Marley Blonsky recaps her 2023 MidSouth Gravel 100 mile ride.
Unbound Gravel 2022 Recap part 1
This blog covers my training, prep and bike setup. Next up will be the ride experience and thoughts on completing it! This blog does contain affiliate links - when you make a purchase using my link, I receive a very small commission, allowing me to continue to do this work. Thank you for your support.
Well, I did it. I rode my first century. 100 miles. Technically 103 miles. And I honestly can’t wait to do it again.
Absolutely elated at crossing the finish line
I’m shocked that I’m saying those words - but the amount of fun I had riding Unbound Gravel 2022 should be illegal. Sure, I worked incredibly hard and thought about quitting once or twice, but overall, 10/10 day and can’t wait to sign up for my next one. Thankfully, the whole experience was documented by a film crew (more on that later), so we’ll all get to relive it together at some point down the road.
I’m sitting in a laundromat in Saratoga, Wyoming washing my incredibly disgusting (and brand new) All Bodies on Bikes kit as I write this. While I should’ve done it right away (along with washing my bike…which still sits on the back of my car caked in mud), this tiny little town in the middle of nowhere Wyoming is the first chance I’ve had.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…why in the hell did I sign up for a century? If you remember, last year I rode 50 miles at Unbound (link to post) and swore I wasn’t going to do the 100. The 50 is touted as a stepping stone ride for the 100 and to be honest, I kind of hate that messaging. 50 miles is itself an accomplishment and anyone who does it should be damn proud of themselves. Shoot, every ride should be celebrated - not just rides of stupid long distances.
Anyway, something got into me when I was signing up and I clicked the button for the 100. I think it might’ve been the same impulse that bought a plane ticket to Greece for a solo trip a few years ago - I thought I’d outgrown it, but clearly not….
But in all seriousness, I’ve been riding more than ever this year and figured “If not this year, when else?” I almost definitely told all my sponsors that Unbound Gravel 100 was on my list of events for the year…so I couldn’t exactly back out without a very good reason.
Training and Prep
I had grand plans to train. My ass got handed to me pretty hard last year and I didn’t want to show up unprepared this year, especially doing double the distance. Thankfully, Arkansas has tons of amazing gravel routes right out my front door and I got out on them…a little bit.
In the months leading to Unbound, my goal was basically to spend as much time in the saddle as possible, especially in the heat and humidity. I think I went on four outdoor training rides - none of which was longer than 30 miles. I also spent a lot of time on the trainer and I’m so grateful for those long boring miles. After hours riding indoors, the never-ending fields of Kansas were a treat! Turns out moving across the country, keeping a company running (and growing), and keeping two senior dogs alive and happy takes up a lot of time.
So even though I didn’t train as much as I wanted, my riding felt strong, and what I lacked in bike time, I made up for in both mental prep and nutrition prep. A couple of weeks ago I detailed my nutrition plan and I’m happy to report that IT WORKED!! I ate and drank consistently throughout the day. I never felt like I was running out of energy and even though I ran out of water with 10 miles to go to the support station, I still felt pretty dang good!
Here’s what I ended up taking with me on the bike:
2 Liters of Water (in an Apidura Hydration pack)
A ziplock bag of trail mix with peanuts, raisins, m&m’s (regular and peanut butter), Floyd’s of Leadville CBD gummies, and gummy bears
2 Peanut Butter & Jelly Rice Cakes (from the Skratch Labs Cookbook)
4 packs of GU Shot Blocks
22 oz Skratch SuperFue
The Bike
I rode my Cannondale Topstone 4 - an aluminum alloy bike with carbon fork and was overall super happy with it. I have it set up with a 1x11 drivetrain with Shimano GRX parts. For tires I went with the Panaracer GravelKing SK in 700x43 width.
Shimano and Cycling Tips did a fun little feature on my bike - and YouTuber Francis Cade gave some love too!!
Even with all the crazy mud, water crossings, and sharp gravel, I somehow escaped Unbound with zero mechanical issues (on my bike.) I had all sorts of troubles with my shoes/cleats, but more on that later. I don’t want to jinx myself but that bike ran like butter and was absolutely perfect for this ride.
I’m so grateful for Cannondale for sponsoring me, but even more so for giving me their entry-level gravel bike to ride. I never quite feel right riding a $10k bike - it’s not a realistic price point for most of my audience, so having a great experience on a $1500 retail bike feels much more approachable. Even better, the Topstone has a 333lb weight limit, which for a super lightweight bike is pretty dang awesome!
Other Equipment
There were a few other key pieces of equipment that were pretty instrumental in having a successful day.
The first was my hydration pack from Apidura. I have the 2 liter vest in a Large/XL which has pretty decent additional carry capacity in 2 zippered compartments and pockets on the straps. I carried plain water in the vest, along with some extra snacks, ibuprofen, my inhaler, and a small first aid kit.
On my bike I had 3 cargo storage options - The Revelate Feedbag, Apidura Top Tube bag, and a PRO Bike Gear seat bag. Both the Revelate bag and Apidura bag were full of snacks (easy to access, one handed feeding) while the PRO bag had my repair kit, spare tube and multi-tool.
Thankfully I didn’t need to use any of it, but I also carried a hand-pump, tire levers, Dynaplug repair kit, and sunscreen. (Full disclosure - I should’ve used the sunscreen, but ended up too caked in mud for it to be effective. Turns out, mud is a decent sunscreen and I didn’t get burnt!)
For technology, I used the WAHOO ELMNT ROAM bike computer which gave me all the info I needed on the route, speed, and climbing. Perhaps most crucially, I set up custom alerts to remind me to EAT, DRINK, and HAVE A GOOD TIME, each popping up every half hour. Being reminded to HAVE A GOOD TIME while in the middle of a sufferfest of mud definitely provided a good chuckle and kept my spirits up. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded that I chose to do this and this is fun! :)
For most of the day, I also had my cell phone on my handlebars, secured with the Peak Designs universal magnetic phone mount. I’ve seriously never trusted any phone holders until this one - I don’t know what kind of magic they’re using, but my phone has never come close to falling off - even on crazy descents, water crossings, and mud pits. It’s legit.
Ok…that was a lot. More coming soon, I promise. Still processing feelings.
I Did a Cyclocross Race and Came in Dead Last
Lap 1 - already suffering
Last weekend I lined up at my first cyclocross race start line in the Women’s Beginner category, full of nerves, fear and excitement. Aside from half a lap dressed in a Santa suite in Portland a few years ago at the Single Speed World Series, I’ve never attempted cyclocross. For years I’ve stood on the sidelines and cheered on my friends.
I’ve always wanted to get out there and try it. Everyone (literally everyone) who has ever raced cross will tell you “It’s so fun.” “You just race your own race and do your own thing.” “Nobody cares how slow or fast you’re going - they’re all too concerned about their own race.”
Despite this AND all the body positivity and inclusion in cycling work I do, I’ve always been too intimidated to actually get out there myself. I was afraid of the mass start. I was intimidated by the performative aspect of everyone watching and cheering, and the idea that everyone would truly see just how much slower I am than everyone else, and frankly simply feared that I was too fat, too slow, and too unskilled to race cyclocross.
I also didn’t have a bike that would work for cross racing. For those unfamiliar, cyclocross is basically a criterium style race where you take on a variety of terrain and obstacles - from grass to mud to singletrack. An ideal bike is one that you can dismount/remount quickly, pickup easily to run with, and has clearance for knobby tires.
Sure, my Surly Straggler would’ve worked, but I was using that as my do-it-all commuter, touring, city bike, so removing the fenders, racks and accessories was not an option (or at least one that I was willing to do.)
Fast forward to 2021 and I’ve now been blessed with a stable of bicycles which has allowed me to convert my Surly Straggler into a single speed cyclocross bike! (HUGE thanks to competitivecyclist.com - one of my sponsors!
So here’s how the race went, what I learned, and what I’ll do differently next time!
The Surly in all her glory
Race Prep & Practice
In the weeks leading up to the race, I attended a few practice sessions with a local WTFNB (women trans femme non-binary) club called Breakfast Cycling. At these practices, we ran through a number of drills that would come in handy during the race. These included mounting and dismounting my bike, learning how to turn tight corners, how to carry my bike efficiently up hills, and how to start a race.
These practices were so helpful. If you’re looking into starting cyclocross, I highly recommend finding a team or group that runs practices. I was able to learn in a safe environment, ask questions and make mistakes in a supportive environment without the race day pressures.
What I Packed
Turns out, I took a lot of stuff to the race. Most of the stuff I didn’t end up using, but was glad I had it just in case. I’m sure I’ll get this list dialed in as the season goes on, but here’s what I packed:
Change of Clothes (for after the race)
Towel (to sit on in my car)
Water Bottles + Nuun (electrolyte tabs)
Snacks
Camping Chair
Dog Bowl & Leashes
Spare Tubes (even though I’m set up tubeless)
Extra Shoes & Socks
The Actual Race
I carpooled to the race with a teammate and we arrived a few hours early to give ourselves time to register and pre-ride the course. I wish I would’ve had more time to pre-ride the course more, as each lap I got more comfortable with tricky sections which would’ve made the actual race easier.
In our local series, all the women’s categories (except single speed) race together. This means total beginners like myself are on the course at the same time as world tour pros like Heidi Franz. Each category starts 30 seconds apart, with the fastest women starting first, and us taking off a few minutes after them.
From the start, I was in the back of the pack (which truthfully, is where I like to be.) I get nervous when other riders are right on my wheels, so riding my own pace at the back was perfect. I definitely started out way too hard and found myself struggling to breathe and heartrate way too high. I unfortunately forgot my heartrate monitor, but I’m looking forward to wearing it for future races.
Around the middle of the first lap, I eventually found my groove and settled into a sustainable pace for the rest of the race. That definitely included stopping for handups (beer, a cookie and some pickles) but hey! Race your own race!
Cyclocross is a funny sport in that I still don’t really understand how/why/when I’m done. I know I got lapped twice by the leader and at the end of the race there was a sign that said “you are done.” So I stopped riding.
Learnings for Next Time
My next race is coming up on Sunday and I’ll again be in the Beginner Women’s field. The only changes I’ll make for this week are to remember my heart rate monitor, eat more food, and maybe put a bit more air in my tires.
All smiles at the finish line
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