Unbound Gravel 200 - Rider Nine: Brian Hanson
Please note: This blog post has been updated to reflect this event’s current name.
This year Salsa is sending the nine riders down to the 2015 Unbound Gravel 200. Salsa Brand Ambassador Brian Hanson is Rider Six. -Kid
My goal is to finish the Unbound Gravel 200. I don’t care how long it takes or if I’m still riding that following Sunday…I just want to finish. This will be the first time I ride my bike over 100 miles – in a row. I don’t know what will happen or how my body will react past 100 miles. I’m anxious to find out. I’m writing this a little less than two weeks out from the race and finishing Unbound Gravel is always in the back of my mind. I thought about it on the drive in to work, at lunch and in a meeting earlier today. I can tell I’m getting anxious about finishing because I can’t get it out of my head.
I am willing to bet that most of the riders taking the start line will say they didn’t get as much training in as they would like. I would put myself squarely in that same boat. Over the past three months I’ve done four or five 40 to 60-mile gravel rides and one 100-mile race. I am doing 1 to 2-hour mountain bike rides regularly as well. I suspect that riding the Almanzo 100 will prove most beneficial. I learned a lot about what my body needs, and doesn’t need, to ride more than eight hours consecutively. I made some mistakes on that ride that I will learn from and correct for Unbound Gravel. I am without a doubt entering uncharted territory.
My bike will be a Salsa Fargo, without a doubt. Finishing is winning for me and that’s reflected in my bike choice. I chose the Fargo because it’s more upright, can fit larger tires, and it’s bombproof.
I’ve made a few switches for this 200-mile beast of a ride:
-Salsa Regulator Ti seatpost: feels like a suspension post to me. Comfortable. I love it. This post allows me to ride longer.
-50mm-wide tires because I need to be comfortable on my bike. While they might be a little heavier and offer up a little more rolling resistance, they provide the comfort I need to keep my body functioning over triple digit mileage.
-Double-wrapped Salsa Woodchipper handlebar: double wrapping the bar really paid off during my training because I had no hand issues this spring. I had some numbing issues in the past so I’m excited that I found what seems to be a solution for numb hands on long gravel rides.
-Low gearing on the Fargo: I will need those low mountain gears on the hills. I will not be attacking hills with any kind of speed in the race. An all-day pace – that’s the key for me - and low gearing helps me keep that pace.
-Hydration: I ran four water bottles for the Almanzo, two in the main triangle and two on the Firestarter fork. I will run five water bottles for Unbound Gravel.
Wish me luck as I test my limits at this year's Unbound Gravel 200.
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Click here to see Rider One: Steve Yore
Click here to see Rider Two: Tim Ek
Click here to see Rider Three: Andrea Cohen
Click here to see Rider Four and Rider Five: Jay & Tracey Petervary
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