Ep. 179 ~ The Midsouth Experience, w/ Patrick & Natalie

It's Midsouth Week! At least here at Bikes or Death headquarters ;). This week, we are going back in time and reliving Midsouth through the lens of Patrick and Natalie's experience. Whether you’re Midsouth curious or you got hit with those post-race blues and are feeling like a little Midsouth 2024 nostalgia, this episode is for you! So charge your headlights and grab your chamois butter because you’re invited along for the journey as Natalie and I experience our first ever Midsouth. From the Midsouth beer release party at The Iron Monk, to the expo show, and all the way through 100 miles of Oklahoma dirt roads, we're mic'd up and taking you along for the ride!

For me, Midsouth has been a bucket list item for many years. Unfortunately, I'm usually busy preparing for the East Texas Showdown as it traditionally takes place the week after Midsouth. However, this year, I made sure to get my ETS prep done early so I could enjoy a weekend on the famed red dirt gravel roads that have catapulted Midsouth into the upper echelon of the gravel racing circuit. As an event director myself, I was both personally and professionally interested in taking part in this event. Not only was I excited to spend the day riding bikes, but I was also counting port-a-potties, taking notes at the pre-race meeting, and marveling at the well-orchestrated machine that is Midsouth. In their 14^th consecutive year, Midsouth puts on one hell of an event, and I was eager to learn from their expertise.  

Natalie had her own goals. This would be her first proper century, but it wasn't her first time riding 100 miles. In September of last year she and I participated in the Ozark Rando, a 120 mile randonneur in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. We recorded that experience as well and you can go back and listen if you haven't already. We spent 22 hours making our way through the Arkansas backcountry, rolled in DFL a solid 7 hours after the official cutoff time, and learned so much from that experience. One thing we learned is that it may have been a little ambitious for Natalie’s first century +20 miles. The Midsouth was an opportunity for her to take on her second ever 100 mile ride on a more approachable course. Midsouth still boasts a lot of climbing, but it's only half the elevation gain of the Ozark Rando. So for Natalie, this was a chance to reclaim some of the confidence that was lost in the hills of Arkansas and find the joy in long distance cycling efforts. Her goal for Midsouth was just to finish it, and ideally not as DFL this time. For Midsouth our plan was to prioritize time on the bike and focus on maintaining momentum throughout the day.

Listen to today's episode for a peek into the Midsouth experience and follow along with us as we race to not be DFL. For the record, there is absolutely nothing wrong with DFL. We are very proud to hold that title in the 2023 Ozark Rando but for Midsouth, we wanted to let someone else enjoy the honor.  

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