level 13
As Andrew describes the Doom course on the Ozark Gravel Cyclists website, it presents a “blend of mountain/gravel bike terrain with hills ready to tear your equipment and mind apart.” Unlike the rolling gravel hills of Kansas and Oklahoma that often turn to peanut butter mud after a steady rain, the gravel roads within the Boston Mountains are hard on equipment in a different way. Sure, the roads were a bit messy on this year’s first day after record-setting rains soaked the area leading up to the event start, but nothing that would stop a drivetrain dead in its tracks.
安德鲁在 Ozark Gravel Cyclists 网站上描述的 Doom 赛道,呈现了一种“山地/砾石自行车地形与即将撕裂你的装备和心灵的丘陵的混合。”与堪萨斯州和俄克拉荷马州那些在连续降雨后常常变成花生酱泥的起伏砾石丘陵不同,波士顿山脉内的砾石道路对装备的考验方式有所不同。当然,今年的第一天,由于创纪录的降雨在活动开始前浸泡了该地区,道路有些混乱,但并没有阻止传动系统完全停止。
Instead, endless amounts of steep, pitchy climbs on varying surfaces lead to inconsistent, rutted descents that almost always end with an engaging creek crossing. Gravel types range from pea-sized creek gravel to basketball-sized “chunder,” as regular riders in the area refer to it. Collectively, this relentless Doom terrain offers a drivetrain no break, with over half of the field regularly scratching from the event, often due to mechanical.
相反,无尽的陡峭、滑溜的爬坡,以及各种表面的变化,导致不稳定的、坑洼的下降,几乎总是以一条引人入胜的小溪穿越结束。砾石类型从豌豆大小的溪流砾石到篮球大小的“呕吐物”(当地常骑者这样称呼它)。总的来说,这种无休止的 Doom 地形为传动系统带来了无休止的挑战,超过一半的参赛者经常在比赛中因机械故障而退出。
This understanding has surely led to a multitude of riders opting for the mechanically simple and reliable singlespeed bike throughout the years, with nine single speed riders toeing the line the next year in 2023. That singlespeed turn-out inspired many, including Onermaa himself, who got his first SS mountain bike shortly thereafter. Prior to the Grand Depart, the 2024 route was pre-ridden mile for mile on this very singlespeed, a practice Andrew has consistently maintained within a month or so of each event. Coincidentally, the 2024 route was the first to include various stretches of backcountry singletrack. This prompts the thought: does the notion of riding with fewer gears make room for more opportunity?
这种理解无疑导致许多骑行者多年来选择机械简单且可靠的单速自行车,到 2023 年,已有九位单速骑行者站在起跑线上。这种单速的参与激发了包括 Onermaa 本人在内的许多人,他不久后得到了他的第一辆单速山地自行车。在大赛出发前,2024 年的路线已经在这条固定的单速自行车上逐英里预骑,Andrew 在每次比赛前大约一个月内一直保持这种做法。巧合的是,2024 年的路线是第一个包括各种乡村单行道的路线。这引发了一个思考:减少档位的想法是否为更多的机会留出了空间?
In a similar light to the Arizona Trail Race and its long history of singlespeed ridership, not to mention those who have won the overall event on a singlespeed, the overarching Doom riding experience caters to the rider carrying less mental weight. Sure, the average rider would prefer their 50-tooth rear cog on a day ride on this terrain, but when you stack up 400 miles of it, the singlespeed experience of just riding your bike instead of constantly thinking about how to ride your bike is something worth an infinite amount to 30 riders on this year’s sign-up sheet. It’s magic to some, and it’s common sense to others. However you cut it up, the singlespeed stoke was alive and well at the start line of this year’s grand depart.
在亚利桑那沙漠小径赛及其单速骑行者的悠久历史以及那些在单速自行车上赢得整体赛事的选手类似的光环下,更不用说那些在单速自行车上赢得整体赛事的选手了,Doom 骑行体验主要面向那些心理负担较轻的骑行者。当然,平均骑行者在这片地形上骑行时更愿意选择 50 齿的后齿轮,但当累积 400 英里的骑行时,单速骑行体验——只需骑自行车而不是不断思考如何骑自行车——对于今年报名表上的 30 名骑行者来说是无价的。对一些人来说这是魔法,对另一些人来说这是常识。无论如何划分,单速骑行热情在今年大出发的起跑线上依然旺盛。
This magic of the singlespeed approach to Doom reaches far and wide, way beyond an unusual concentration of SS junkies, although there was no shortage of those this year. Several folks, like fifth-place singlespeed finisher Nick Gilbert, were simply honoring race director Onermaa’s strong recommendation of riding a hardtail mountain bike with at least 2.25-inch tires, with which his Surly Krampus just happened to be set up singlespeed. Contrary to this happenstance, many other singlespeed riders toed the line under the belief that with a well-executed strategy, there’s absolutely no reason a strong singlespeed rider doesn’t have an opportunity to win the overall, especially in the sloppy conditions that riders encountered on day one.
单速骑行在 Doom 中的这种魔力广泛传播,远远超出了那些不寻常的单速爱好者群体,尽管今年这样的人并不少。一些像第五名单速骑行选手尼克·吉尔伯特的人,只是遵循了赛事总监 Onermaa 强烈推荐的至少使用 2.25 英寸轮胎的硬尾山地车骑行,而他的 Surly Krampus 恰好被设置为单速。与这种偶然情况相反,许多其他单速骑行者站在起跑线上,相信只要策略得当,一个强大的单速骑行者绝对有机会赢得总成绩,尤其是在第一天骑行者遇到的糟糕条件下。
2025年04月25日 01点04分
5
更正:乡村单行道-技术型小径
2025年04月25日 22点04分