Race Report: Ride On Jeremy's Ride (ROJR) 2022
I decided I wanted one more challenge for myself before calling it a wrap on “serious” riding for the year, so rather last minute I decided to try out the Ride On Jeremy’s Ride 65-miler (there is also a 110-mile option, as well as a team version of the 65-mile). The ride takes is organized by the Ride On bike shop in Wooster, and benefits the family of Jeremy Grimm, a cyclist who was hit and killed by a vehicle in 2017.
The ride starts and ends at the shop, which is right in downtown Wooster and an easy drive from Columbus. The historic downtown area is right nearby and looks ripe for exploring if you want to make a weekend of it. They were setting up a farmer’s market when I rolled in.
It was quite cold—below 40—for the 8am start. The shop was open, though, and actually had great facilities for changing and getting ready. I’m not sure what the building used to be, but it has what seems to be an old locker room in the back. Jeremy’s family were present at the rider’s meeting and it was shared that his daughter is heading off to college next year. It’s a nice feeling knowing some of your race fees are going to help someone achieve their dreams.
The race started with a 5-mile neutral rollout. We passed through a very interested marshy area south of town. Later parts of the route when through the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area, but this initial area doesn’t seem to be part of it. With the cold temps the mist rising off the water was especially beautiful in the early morning light.
At five miles we stopped and everyone was able to shed layers that the lead car would take back to the shop—a nice touch for such a chilly morning. After that the three respective groups—110, 65 solo, 65 team—were sent off in waves. The team option sounds quite fun if you can get your friends together. There are “challenges” along the way to get time bonuses, such as counting the number of chickens on a farm along the route.
Within the first mile after the restart we hit gravel, and it was the gnarliest section of the day. Valley Road appears to have been long abandoned by the local municipalities and is devolving into a jeep trail. The organizers said they had to clear a lot of downed trees from a summer storm in order to make it passable. I’m glad they did, because it was a blast to ride! There are “potholes” the entire width of the road, rocks, and some water holes. The largest of those we’d been warned about in pre-race emails and I had prepared with plastic bags to keep my feet dry and extra socks just in case. Luckily neither were needed, as the water had receded enough that there was a 6-in dry strip to one side. Still, the heads up was appreciated (the ride overall had a nice emphasis on safety). Valley Road then changes to pavement, before going back to “normal” gravel along another beautiful marshy wildlife area. it was definitely the highlight of the route, so kudos to the route planners for including it twice!
As we headed south there was a good mix of pavement and gravel (organizers said 25 of 65 miles are gravel overall) and the hills began in earnest. The hills were typical Ohio—short and steep! You would fly down the backside only to immediately lose all speed up the face of the next rise and then hammer your way to the top. It was very challenging! The scenery was absolutely top notch, though! It reminded me of the Charm routes, which isn’t surprising, since they’re not far away. The vistas were spectacular from the top of the climbs, the fall colors were starting to pop and were emphasized by the bright sunshine we were blessed with, and if you like seeing Amish life, there was plenty of that to be seen. Other interesting sights along the way: an oil tank that was on fire (it seemed under control, like maybe a way to get old oil out?) and a 200 yard section of gravel road where the locals had hung little ghosts in the trees above!
As the route turned back north, the percentage of gravel lowered significantly but the percentage of hills did not! I’d say the middle third of the route is by far the hardest and wore me down so that the last third was a real struggle. From about the halfway mark I was struggling with cramps—stomach, leg, even triceps! I hadn’t done a race all year, so trying to go hard was taking it’s toll, but the scenery and the challenge meant I still had a great time! The joy of finding salt and vinegar chips and Nuun tablets at the last rest stop (self-serve cooler on the side of the road at a beautiful vista) helped too!
I had a great time meeting other riders on the course. A huge thank you to Matt from Gahanna, Caleb from Dayton, and Karl from Akron for joining me in the (not so) party pace club and sharing the load with me all day!
The shop had a really nice after-party setup in the shop with tables amongst the bikes and merch racks for everyone to take a load off and talk about the ride. The cooler full of massive chunks of BBQ chicken made me laugh out loud, and hit the spot after a hard day in the saddle. Some great desserts (pumpkin cake!) and beer didn’t hurt either. All in all the event was nicely run and the route really was great, even if not tons and tons of gravel. It being for a good cause is just another reason to consider putting it on your calendar for next year.
