This past weekend, we all bundled up and braced ourselves for the Barry Roubaix, a race famed not only for its rolling terrain but also for its ability to throw every kind of weather at you, last year was sunny and super warm! True to form to not have repeat of amazing warm weather, it was cold and windy, but you wouldn’t have known it from the atmosphere and energy our racers brought to the starting line.
With temperatures more suited for a hot chocolate than a hydration mix, and winds that could rival some of Chicago’s breeziest days, our competitors faced a true test of grit. Despite the chill, Saturday turned out to be fantastic for racing. The earlier in the week rain kept the dust down and the gravel just packed enough to make for some fast and furious riding. Dare we say “here gravel”?
Our turnout was nothing short of spectacular with a tough crew of nine girls taking on the 18-mile challenge, not just participating, but really pushing from the start. Twelve boys also tackled the same distance, and Ray took on the 36-mile route, pedaling up “the wall” with the kind of grin that said he knew something we didn’t about beating the cold.
For those not familiar, Barry Roubaix bills itself as the largest gravel road race in the world. With its rolling courses stretching through the rugged and beautiful landscapes of Barry County, it’s like the Paris-Roubaix of the Midwest, but with fewer cobblestones and more potholes. It’s a test of endurance, skill, and just how much your fingers can tolerate before going numb!
Gravel racing, it turns out, is not just an exercise in endurance, but also an enormous amount of fun—kind of like playing bingo with nature. You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s always a thrill finding out. This mix of challenge and unpredictability is what brings us back year after year. I know personally I like it when things get rowdy, its a better story and more fun of an adventure!
As the day wound down, and bikes were loaded up, the stories of the race began to unfold between shivers and laughs. Barry has its own version of the ICEMAN vibes, with 5000+ racers and their families taking over Hastings for the weekend.
We’re already looking forward to next year—with maybe just a few degrees more warmth, if we’re lucky!
18 Mile Tandem
- Coach Andy and Winnie Richardson – 18th
18 Mile Girls Under 13
- Reese Drajka – 1st
- Laila Hubbard – 3rd
- Landree Darnell – 4th
- Sammy Weaver – 5th
- Harper Roberts – 6th
18 Mile Girls 14-18 (lets not loop them in with adults next time and make it more equitable!)
- Sadie James – 10th
- Kaitlyn Tungl – 14th
- Ocean Trierweiler – 18th
- Verity Ippel – 24th
18 Mile Boys Under 13
- Tristan Hubbard – 2nd
- Will Hughes – 4th
- Sawyer Willink – 7th
- Max Clemo – 15th
- Jakob Boer – 16th
- Issac Lilly – 33rd
- Sawyer Weaver – 37th
18 Mile Boys 14-18 (lets not loop them in with adults next time and make it more equitable!)
- Easton Roberts – 12th
- Hudson Roberts – 18th
- Gavin Peters – 30th
36 Mile Boys 14-18
- Ray Muehlenz – 9th