Hitting the local scene

  You know how things become pretty mundane when you are close to them?  In 2009 a local group started a gravel race which went right past my house (almost anyway).  It's called the Barry Roubaix.  I scoffed when it started.  It was proposed as a "killer gravel race" and drew a bunch of people in funny clothes on 29ers to attack the challenging gravel roads of Barry County Michigan.  "Oh Please!"  I said.   Those are the roads my son and I used on a regular basis to go to school, the store, the movies, etc.  How exciting could they be?  Well, I got busy and forgot about it.  Life got in the way of living, my house burned down when I was gone, I decided to move, personal life interfered and here we are 4 years later and the

Barry Roubaix has become the largest gravel race in the country.

  I still don't really get it.  I went to Minnesota this year to a bike ride sponsored by  a Rivendell dealer and felt that the route of the Almanso 100 was truly challenging for a gravel ride.

I'm going out to test the Barry Roubaix course on my own to see how it compares.  I'm just curious, it's a beautiful weekend, and I have nothing to do.  I will be going with camping gear and invited a couple of people but you know what I heard: " Oh, Yeah, that sounds great but...."