UnPaved Big Lick 2024

This was the second year of the Big Lick at UnPAved, and my first time riding UnPAved. Riding from Lewisburg Pa, I rode 197.4 miles, 16877 feet of climbing. The route was excellent, it was a mix of smooth fast gravel, pavement, and some rough chunky sections. The hills were steep and challenging. 

We departed from the fall festival at 2:30pm. There were 13 participants this year, UnPaved is a large event but most ride 120, 90, or 30 miles, not many people wanted to ride 200 miles through the night. The pack stayed together for the first few miles of rail trail. I stayed in the back and saved my energy. When we got into the hills the pace ramped up. The front group broke to 8, then 5. I made the choice to slow up and began climbing at my own pace. 

Another rider, Andrew Luciano, also dropped back and we rode together and talked about bike events. We still managed to catch up to the front three riders. And rode as a pack of five for a bit. But climbing the steep hills two riders went off the front. I rode with Jesse Harodetsky and Andrew for a little while. 

We got to one of the toughest sections of “road,” 3.7 miles, 1080 feet of extra chunky gravel. I wished I had put lower gearing on my bike. It was a grind to get up and I burned a match. At the top I needed to slow to jam a poptart in my mouth. I watched Andrew and Jesse ride off, and I was on my own. 

I was disappointed to be dropped again, but I was a little happy to be on my own. I could go at my own pace, eat snacks. I didn’t see another rider until the bag drop at mile 85.  But, Jesse was done and I continued to ride on my own for the rest of the ride. 

The drop bags were a fun way to resupply. I loaded a bunch of snacks, poptarts, gummies, rice crispy treats, Skratch high carb, and redbull. It was 47 degrees and I was cold. I put on my arm and leg warmers, my Gravel Boston Sportful vest, and some warm socks. The photographer took pictures of me, and I chatted with a race organizer. He said we were “going too fast”. 

It was cold in the valleys, but I got hot climbing and there was warm air in the higher elevations. I would pull down my arm warmers when climbing and pull them up going down hill. Descending mountain gravel at night is sketchy and fun. I kept my speed under control and played it safe. I still had to do a few bunny hops over rocks and chunks. 

The second bag drop was at mile about mile 125. Nobody was there, just our supplies on a picnic table. I refilled my bottles and prepped my snack. Another rider pulled into the camp ground, but passed me and continued into the park. I thought I was caught, but it must have been a camper. I hopped on my bike and left, a few hundred yards down the road I realized I left all my snacks on the table. I turned around, I needed that food. I ate a Snickers at the table before setting off again. 

The route looked like it flattened out  in the second half, but that was wrong. There were some very steep and rough hills. I used my lowest gear and did a lot of grinding.  My energy was low, but I managed to make my way up every hill without stopping or walking. 

Getting closer and closer to the end, I was able to get my power back up and the hills felt easier. It began to spit a very light rain. I stayed dry and warm enough. The roads were very wet, and I was happy I missed the rain. I wanted to finish before sunrise, so I put my head down and locked into the aero bars. I was able to finish strong and smashed apart the final 9 miles of rail trail. I averaged over 20 mph for the final 10 miles. 

I pulled into the finish area at 7:16am, 16 hours and 46 minutes after I started riding. 15:46 moving and one hour stopped. I was greeted by Bree, some of the event organizers, a photographer, and riders who were just starting their ride. The event finish wasn’t set up yet. I was handed a glass and a whoopie pie, and told I was the second finisher.  

It was a tough course, a challenging day, and it was fun. This is a new event and I can't wait to see how it evolves. Maybe I will be back next year.