# Texas Chainring Massacre



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

A race to benefit Kaiden Brenndoerfer, a young kid with a brain tumor. I say "race" because the first finisher of the 114 mile course won $750, but it's not a USAC sanctioned event. 

Here's the long route:
https://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=100848

I elected to do the shorter 74 mile route:
https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/roanoke/972127320105440961

Both courses have lots and lots of gravel roads. Most riders were on road or cx bikes, with a few 29ers and mtbs and at least one guy on a fixie.

I'd guess 75 riders at the start. Including the namesake of the "Big Pig" racing team.









The start was in a gravel parking lot, leading directly onto about a mile of the most potholed, rutted, bombed-out dirt road I've seen in a long time. Naturally I gunned it from the front, wanted to get some separation. This plan worked, so that by the time we hit pavement, maybe a mile into the race, there were ~15 roadies with a big gap to the rest of the field. We quickly got organized and started rolling along. 


















This group pretty much stayed together with a flat here and there and an occasional splits / regroups on the hills and crosswinds and gravel sections, till there were about 10 of us left as we got past the town of Krum to where my 74 mile route split off. I was feeling good, but know some of those guys are super strong so I opted to stick to my plan and not go long with them. 

So, turned with one other guy back South, with nobody in sight behind us. 




































It was a long way back, but a bit of tailwind helped and the roads were awesome, pretty, empty, nice riding with the occasional stretch of smooth asphalt. We felt like we earned those.




























We eventually caught 2 riders who had taken the 62 mile cutoff. One of them was walking up a hill, the other was looking strong and rode with us.


















The routes were marked with paint arrows... had to pay attention and we missed one turn but got lucky when the organizer happened to see us blow it.









There were a couple of tricky stream crossings, this was the wettest. I pedaled this while verbally abusing my compadre for walking it... with a cx bike.









We got back in sight of the condo/office tower of Texas Motor Speedway so I knew we were within a few miles of the finish. I was still feeling good, but out of food and water. The 2 other guys were clearly in "conserve" mode and had been talking about stopping at a store... except there were no stores. So at a dogleg railroad crossing I hit the gas and rolled in alone. 









No prize for me but it was a lot of fun to go fast on these roads.









Oh, and free beer and burgers. 









Then we walked back out the bombed-out road to wait for the winner of the 114 mile to come in. 









He was kind of tired. I think I would be too.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Great stuff...Were you north of TMS out Justin way?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Dave Hickey said:


> Great stuff...Were you north of TMS out Justin way?


yep, started at the paintball place East of TMS, passed thru Justin Northbound


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Awesome..*

Man, that looks so cool! How many miles of dirt/gravel roads?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Mosovich said:


> Man, that looks so cool! How many miles of dirt/gravel roads?


not sure, but it felt like more than half.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It is hard to find more fun than a road bike on dirt!


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Gravel grinding! I love that type of riding.

Singlecross


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## -dustin (Jan 11, 2009)

saw the kid who walked his bike across the water crossing at DAP...he seemed pretty beat up. My ass is hurting today.

only picture i got:


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## |3iker (Jan 12, 2010)

You rode on those rough stuff with your roadbikes? Wow....


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

more pix here, none of me but a good one of Dustin. 

http://www.shootric.net/p460773064/e24af48e2#h375850ba


that gravel truck somehow tipped over in the ~3 minutes between the lead group going by and the next group. I remember passing it, just sitting there upright, then hearing later about it turning over. strange.


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