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I got a bit boxed in and lost the draft at the finish, but I was able to secure 13th overall and 1st in my age group.
Uncle John’s Dirty Ride is a gravel race across the flat, fast, dirt roads of Gratiot County, Michigan. Utilizing the Uncle John’s Cider Mill grounds as the start/finish, the course traverses through the wooded Saginaw/Gratiot Game Area and farm backroads lined with10 foot high cornfields. 99% of the course is on dirt roads. This race took place on September 10th, 2023, in St. John's, MI.
I raced the 56 mile route as part of the Michigan Gravel Race Series (MGRS) the "Long" course. I had really low expectations for this race since I had just raced the day before (Lord of the Springs) on my mountain bike and had a crash that left me with a big bruise on my left thigh. Also, yesterdays race didn't go well and my power felt flat. So for this race my goal was to just sit in the pack and try to stay with the front group as long as possible.
I felt horrible in the morning, but by the time the race started I was feeling a bit better. Since there was only a bit over 400 feet elevation gain over the 56 miles, I planned to draft my way to the finish line. There were some difficult parts but a large group stayed together until the end. There was however a group of 7 guys that got off the front at around mile 30 which I missed. Going into the finish we had a group of about 30. I was able to move up in the group and sprint with a reduced group at the end. Super happy with the result and this was my best gravel finish to date!