Does this mean I'm famous?

Yes - I am bored. The taper to Gravel Worlds this weekend means I'm not riding much this week. It is for the best so I can ideally be at my best during the race, but it sure does lead to me being stir crazy! Of course, I can get work done for my actual job (which I have done a lot of), work on research (which I have also done), etc, but my restless legs can only take so much of that. I got an e-mail yesterday that my subscription to Road Bike Action Magazine (which for convenience I'll call RBAM) is available, which came as a surprise to me since I don't recall actually subscribing to RBAM. I suspect it is the result of my involvement with Dirty Kanza, Gravel Worlds, etc since the folks at RBAM are also involved with those events and may even sponsor one or both. Needless to say, I have spent some time today reading the most recent edition of the magazine. It involves recaps of Dirty Kanza from the people at the magazine, and several photos from the event.

First of all, my apologies to the folks at RBAM if this practice is not allowed, but I had to share. Please feel free to ask me to cease and desist and I'll be happy to oblige! The photo above is a screen shot of the contents page. It contains a really awesome picture of the lead group from DK. Your first thought, as it should be, is likely "wow!" It is a great depiction of some of the beautiful views one gets to see when riding DK. Frankly, it is difficult to soak it all in during the race itself since there is so much going on, but every once in a while you catch some truly spectacular views. Your second thought might be something like this. "That dude near the back of the group on the right looks awfully familiar!" Well, that would be because it is yours truly in the blue helmet. I'm pretty sure this makes me famous since I made an appearance in what I believe is a well-circulated cycling magazine! Or maybe it doesn't make me famous at all. Better yet, definitely not. But it is fun to see myself hiding in that group.

Forgive the lack of quality in the second picture, but I wanted it to be explicitly clear who I am in this photo. It's kind of a big deal! It didn't always work out this way, but that was my favored area to be in the group. Some might say "you should have been doing work", to which I would reply that I assure you I did my fair share. But when there are about a dozen crazy fast former pros in the group you aren't going to see my doing them any favors!

Gravel Worlds is t-minus 2 days away, and the weather is forecasted to be insanely amazing for an August day in Nebraska. The current high/low is a mind-blowing 74/51. I never would have guessed that cool weather clothing might be useful for my Gravel Worlds warm-up that morning, but I will have a vest and some knee warmers just in case! There is a good chance of storms on Friday night, which could soften the gravel up a bit and make for a muddy section at about mile 125, but I think it all sounds pretty manageable at this point. I suspect I'll be a bit chilly at the start since I won't want to take those cool weather clothes along all day, but I'll survive. Hopefully I'll post a recap in the very near future - ideally with a new jersey!