Recap: Dust Bowl 100
There may be no more aptly named gravel event: so… much… DUST. Everything was a chalky white by the end of the day. But I still really enjoyed traveling just west of Indianapolis, IN to ride the 82-mile route of the Dust Bowl 100 with my buddy, Tim.
I hadn’t heard of this event until this year and had no idea how popular it is. Despite being only in its third year, they sold out their 800-person field in just 10 days. It was only by luck of finding a transfer that I was able to participate. They’ve also gained a lot of marquee sponsors, namely Zipp. I also didn’t know they build their wheels in Indy, so the partnership makes a ton of sense. And this year they got Indiana basketball legend Reggie Miller to participate and even lead a shakeout ride during the week leading up to the event. Combined with a series of preview rides led by Zipp, on-site camping, and post-race festivities, they’ve really got a wonderful event going, and I imagine they could grow it even more if they wanted. They offer 44, 82, and 100 mile distances, and I was quite surprised that the 100 is by far the most popular.
I got a sense of why the event is so popular leading into it. The pre-race communication was excellent, and they even had a snazzy, 30+ page rider guide with all the info you could possibly need. The race director is energetic and enthusiastic, and everything ran like a well-oiled machine on race day. Better yet, they held spots to ensure solid femaie participation and give back to the local community through charities and supporting the athletic boosters at the local school that hosts the race)
The race is super convenient from Columbus, as it’s just about 10 minutes off of I-70. Upon arriving Friday night to take advantage of the on-site camping (vehicle camping in parking lots and tent camping on the baseball field), I was surprised the camp host was still awake (it was probably 10:45pm) and tremendously friendly. We had a great chat. She also happened to check me in Saturday morning and I also saw her cleaning up trash later in the day. Talk about a super volunteer! I found a quiet spot near the school to park my car and stretched out in the back.
In the morning they had donuts (surprisingly good) and coffee at check-in, along with a nice swag bag. The 100-milers launched first after a rider meeting that highlighted some safety topics and course info. We 82-milers launched several minutes later, followed by the 44-milers. Each group got a lead car to take us through a neutral start and get us out of the very small town of Eminence. Despite not really having any amenities, the community does a nice job of supporting, with businesses giving up their parking lots and residents coming out to cheer (there were many “It’s Miller Time!” signs out for Reggie). Within only a couple miles we hit the first gravel, of which the course is about 60% (it felt like more) overall.
They seem to put more gravel down on the roads here than is commonly done in Ohio, so I think being in the second group on the road was of benefit, as the 100-milers had carved out a more defined set of two-tracks through it. This led to lots of pace lining, which was a bit foreign for me, and slowing/sliding in the corners (so many random 90-degree corners tracking the edges of fields!) and intersections where the gravel was thicker. Aside from the dust, the course is defined by mostly two other things: it’s flat (well, mostly—more on that later) and the scenery is fairly consistent rural agriculture. The entire 82 mile course has only 2500 feet of climbing. When I told a local rider we normally see that much in 1/3 the distance they nearly fell off their bike! And there definitely are not many trees on the route, so it was a tremendous blessing that it only hit the mid-80s despite the time of year! That being said, the course is truly beautiful and does have some unique aspects to break up some of the monotony of the endless fields.
A few historic bridges are sprinkled about the course, including two covered ones on the 100-mile route. There was a neat section that parallels a train track; when looking at race photos it seems some racers apparently got to pass a train loaded with wind turbine parts. At the northernmost part of the 82-mile route were a couple of the most scenic roads (trees!!!) that rolled through a bit of a valley. The course also utilizes a few miles of the Vandalia Rail Trail, which is not like any rail trail I’ve ever experienced. It’s dirt/gravel, and far from groomed. In some areas there are decent sized rocks to navigate, and there were even a few up and down sections through little galleys (maybe little old bridges were gone?). For a bit more adventure, there is the section of jeep trail know as the Burdge Forest, complete with Sasquatch statue adorned with a Dust Bowl t-shirt! This added a nice bit of spice to the course. Finally the last bits of the course do cruelly include the most climbing, though the scenery is better because of it! There is one hill they claim hits 24% (it seemed pretty typical Ohio gradient), but it is quite short. Coming back into the race venue they had a cyclocross style finish winding through the school grounds and including what seemed like a tractor pull track or something. A fun way to end the race, for sure!
So what was my race like? Well, it was a tale of two halves. Like I said there was a lot of pacelining. Tim and I latched onto a solid group of about 8 that had two absolute workhorses plowing along on the front the whole time. Combined with the flat parcours, it meant we had quite the quick start to the day. We had averaged 17mph after 50 miles. All of this was good fun, but apparently I wasn’t eating or drinking enough and about mile 50 I could feel the lights starting to flicker. Then the leg cramps started to set in. Pickle juice to the rescue at the last rest stop (mile 58) kept them from ever fully taking over, but I was on the verge of muscle lock-up a few times in the last 20 miles. About those rest stops: they were tremendously well stocked and had helpful and friendly volunteers. At the midway point SRAM (remember Zipp is title sponsor) was offering neutral mechanical support where I got some much needed chain lube. I asked if the mechanic was taking tips and he said to donate to World Bicycle Relief instead—love it! Intersections were also frequently covered by volunteers, with the small number of major crossings have police presence. Again, it’s a REALLY well run event. But back to my ride. I was definitely on the struggle bus and despite being hauled back to the group a couple times (shout outs to Tim and Bailey, who I had a great time chatting with about her experience moving from Arizona to Indiana and sharing notes on good cycling) I finally lost contact. I told Tim to go on ahead, and spent the rest of the time mostly solo, although a few times I was able to catch a wheel of a speedier 100-mile rider coming past, which really helped. I was quite relieved to hit pavement and know I was close to town. Upon crossing the finish line I was handed an ice cold towel, which really hit the spot.
Post-race festivities included a very legit stage with multiple bands playing, some pretty good barbecue from a local purveyor, and perhaps the best part: shaved ice! Tim had graciously waited for me at the finish and after much needed showers (in the school locker rooms; they also had a bike wash station), we shared war stories of our separate experiences at the end, which hadn’t dampened the overall vibe of the day.
I’d highly recommend this event for anyone looking for something a bit different from most of the Ohio races, perhaps going for their first gravel century, or simply wanting to do much less climbing! It truly is one of the best-run events in which I’ve ever participated. The only drawback is the lack of much of anything in the surrounding area, making it a bit more of a challenge to make a weekend out of it. I suppose spending time in Indy, or exploring gravel in other parts of the state (see my recap of all the great gravel near Bloomington) would be the best way to do it.
Check it out at www.dustbowl100.com