cyclesnack

Looking for information from past riders on the Fools Classic.

How much dirt/gravel to expect?

e5usmc

I know this is an old post but I did the Fools Classic last year (2018). and replying only to provide some info on this ride. To be honest I really didn't know what I was getting into and if I did I probably would not have signed up for it. It was early in the season with little miles in my legs and It was raining that morning but being a grunt and misery is my middle name I showed up and road the course.

I'd say about 25-30% of the course is unpaved gravel/packed dirt. The rain stopped soon after we started but enough to muddy the road and make the unpaved hills a challenge. About 6000' of elevation gain in 72 miles and there are a lot of hills. I was riding my old De Rosa (late 80's bike with campy chorus how classic is that for a classic ride!) I did change the tires to 28mm wide and lowered my gear ratio to accommodate the hills. I would have liked lower gears but the 39 x 28 got me through it. I did lose traction on two unpaved hills and had to walk about 100ft on both, but at least I made it up the unpaved Lodi Hill without dismounting which they said was the toughest hill of the course.

As challenging as it was it was a great way to experience some of Bucks County's gorgeous back country roads. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but if I had others to ride it with I'd do it again. I rode alone and had no cycle computer so every so often when somebody passed me ( yeah I rarely passed anyone) I'd ask them what the mileage was. In a way it was a blessing because looking down at your mileage every 5 min would psych you out. I did finish and although I wasn't the first back I wasn't the last either.