Gravel News Network (GNN)

Gravel News Network (GNN) -  https://gravelnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/ RIDE REPORT: Miesville 56 Gravel Ride (Miesville, MN) -- April 29, 2018 Twelve days ago there was twelve inches of snow stacking up on the roads and fields here in Miesville, fifty miles southeast of Minneapolis. This morning was clear and cool, just shy of 50F (10C) for the 9:00a start time of the Miesville 56 Gravel Ride. About this time, the Wind was kicking its legs over the side of the bed, stretching out its arms to let out a yawn and scratching at its side.  The Wind was waking up to what was going to be a hard day's work of blowing and gusting up across the fields. Miesville's main street is 240th Street E -- a half mile stretch occupied by the city office, town ball field (home of the Miesville Mudhens), Niebur’s Tractor & Equipment Supply, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and its quiet cemetery, the burger place called Kings, the supper club called Wiederholt's, the River Country Co Op, ...

MINNEAPOLIS, United States (GNN, the Gravel News Network) -- Gerasimos G. (longer ride, longer story) The news of the "DAMN" -- the "Day Across Minnesota" -- spread pretty quickly through the gravel riding world of the North.  For me, it was momentarily intriguing and then I recall feeling relieved at some later point that I had missed the registration cutoff and would not be doing this totally insane thing (which I just completed yesterday).  The setup was a 240-mile gravel ride across the entire state of Minnesota (west to east, from SD to WI) in 24hrs.  All one shot, start-to-finish, with each rider receiving four sets of cue sheets containing 60-miles of directions to the next checkpoint --- and if you don't arrive by the cutoff time (6hrs per section) you don't get the cue sheets and you can decide to find your own way to Wisconsin or you can bag it and have your support car drive you home (or wherever they were willing to take you).  But a day...