After the 2021 Day Across Minnesota (DAMn), I thought I'd been challenged by my last DAMn ride ... but the DAMn has been resurrected!
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| Halfway from SD to WI | Photo credit: Lisa Nelson |
The DAMn
The DAMn is The Day Across Minnesota, a 240-mile bike race from the South Dakota border with Minnesota to the Wisconsin border, with the course on nearly all gravel roads. The race starts at midnight Saturday morning and you have until midnight to get to Wisconsin, 24 hours ... one day! You're allowed three checkpoints with a support crew, you pick where you'll meet, and you're allowed to stop at any stores/businesses along the course, but you only go through three towns, including Red Wing a mile from the finish. The race challenges your endurance and ability to function while sleep deprived. It's a DAMn good time!
Those DAMn Goals
Getting your bike right is a big part of The DAMn. I had planned to build-out a new Salsa Cutthroat early this year as my DAMn rig, but that didn't happen ... and my old Breezer Radar Pro that had carried me on the 2018 & 2019 DAMn has a new home. So the War Rig was going to return to the DAMn course. Going back with my Pugsley, my plan was to chase the course record for fatbikes. The record was set in 2017 (the very first DAMn) by Bal Singh; he finished in 17:26 (finishing at 5:26 PM). That will mean taking 77 minutes off my 2021 DAMn with the Pugsley. I was looking at ways to save time at checkpoints, and limit extra stops. That and I need to keep a higher average speed; I was happy to know that I was starting the 2024 DAMn in what could be my best fitness of any DAMn.
In the days leading up to The DAMn, the forecast was giving me hope for me to get this goal too. The forecast was for high temps to get just above 70°F; and that's great for me, I struggle when the afternoon temps getting up to 90°F, which is typical for my past DAMn rides.
The race directors shared that 413 racers checking in at Buffalo Ridge Resort which is a new DAMn record! 395 brave souls started The DAMn 240 and 18 crazier souls started The Double DAMn 480. That's A LOT of riders rolling out of Gary at midnight! Gary to Morton | Mile 86
The midnight start is always a thrill with fireworks as the starting gun and the short neutral rollout lead by a Gary firetruck. After roughly 3/4 mile on the paved highway, the firetruck stops just past the first gravel road and the riders take a right turn down a narrow gravel road. Two pace lines form, and get behind a slower rider can take a while to find a gap to make a pass. The early miles are always FAST, I was averaging 21 mph and got up to 27+ mph ... in dark of night, on narrow gravel roads, with dozens of riders around you doing the same pace. I know many crashes happen in these earlier hours, so it's important to temper your energy with the knowledge that you're gonna be riding for hours-and-hours ... I'm not going to win the race here, but I could end my race with a crash in the early hours.
Around mile 40, I saw legend Kate Coward on her fatbike. After saying 'hi', I passed her and got a little flame under my saddle. I know she's a strong rider and could finish ahead of me, with my goal of setting the course record, I needed to beat Kate to Hager City to achieve this.
At mile 71 my first headlight crapped out at the worst place, just as I turned onto a pave highway and there was traffic as well as some support crews. I made a quick change for my fresh light. And after turning off the highway, we hit a section of roads I've always found challenging, I'm not sure why, but I just don't enjoy the last 10 miles into Morton. But getting to Morton meant my first checkpoint at the BP gas station, and without too much detail ... I was very happy to have access to plumbing! I rolled into the Morton gas station and it was like a Indy car pitstop. I went into the gas station for ... reasons, and Lisa got my bike turned over, emptied trash, adding fresh snacks, water bottles, and swapping out electronics so when I got back out to her, I was ready to jump back on the bike. I was in and out of the first check point in just over 10 minutes, and I was headed east out of Morton at 5:30 with the first hints of sunrise.
Morton to Henderson | Mile 152
Henderson to Northfield | Mile 200
I rolled into Henderson before 10:00, and continued to surprise myself with how fast the day was going! Henderson was my longest stop of the day, taking 25 minutes, but it was the biggest transition too. I had my cold night layers in my CamelBak and framebag to dump out. Plus I took off my shoe covers, changed from snowboard socks to lighter socks, and removed my wool baselayer too. Additionally, my gut was ready to take on solid food, including one of Lisa's home made oat & peanut balls, and a Fox (flour tortilla with hummus wrapped around a pickle). I slammed a Starbucks espresso can and stowed a mini-Coke in my frame bag. Additionally, I swapped headlights again, traded out my GoPro, and grabbed the power bank to charge both my phone and Garmin. The phone was my first priority since that's how I was broadcasting my live tracks for Lisa to see detailed information on my progress, and the Garmin estimated it had 6-7 hours left.
Leaving Henderson, you get the second challenging climb of the day, still only 225 ft and grades getting close to 10%. In every previous year, this climb has hurt me, but this year, it was no big deal. Another really nice confirmation that I'm doing great with my pacing and fueling.
This part of the day, it's hard to find groups to work with. You get with a couple riders, then someone stops for support or for a nature break. Then you stop for one thing or another and they pass you again. But it was great to be going back and forth with some friends like Matt Hoven, Dana Kromer, and Brandon Eddy.
Northfield to Hager City | Mile 242
We kept the stop quick, another fox wrap, changed hydration packs and fresh water bottles. Plus, I had Lisa grab some ice from the cooler and wrap it up in my neck buff, giving me a very nice cooling effect for a few miles after the check point.
2024 was the year that saw so many DAMn records broken, my joy of setting the fatbike course record, and I was only 20 minutes ahead of Kate Coward's course record for women's fatbike! Another favorite record that was broken: 320 out of 395 DAMn riders finished - 81%! In fact, I think nearly all categories of The DAMn set a new course record in 2024. Maybe the best record broken: the oldest and youngest riders to toe the start line in Gary: 11 years old to 83 years old! I'm friends with John Ingham (the senior of these two), he shared the most heartwarming story about getting to meet Molly's mother (Molly is the 11 year old rider) at the Morton gas station, Here's an excerpt of John's story:
Getting your bike right is a big part of The DAMn. I had planned to build-out a new Salsa Cutthroat early this year as my DAMn rig, but that didn't happen ... and my old Breezer Radar Pro that had carried me on the 2018 & 2019 DAMn has a new home. So the War Rig was going to return to the DAMn course. Going back with my Pugsley, my plan was to chase the course record for fatbikes. The record was set in 2017 (the very first DAMn) by Bal Singh; he finished in 17:26 (finishing at 5:26 PM). That will mean taking 77 minutes off my 2021 DAMn with the Pugsley. I was looking at ways to save time at checkpoints, and limit extra stops. That and I need to keep a higher average speed; I was happy to know that I was starting the 2024 DAMn in what could be my best fitness of any DAMn.
In the days leading up to The DAMn, the forecast was giving me hope for me to get this goal too. The forecast was for high temps to get just above 70°F; and that's great for me, I struggle when the afternoon temps getting up to 90°F, which is typical for my past DAMn rides.
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| Check in at Buffalo Ridge |
Start Line | Gary, SD
Gary is a town of 244 people, and the DAMn brought close to 1,000 people to Gary!
Arriving in Gary brought up so many feelings! The excitement, the nerves, the stress to not forget something critical, and looking for friends around town.
At check in, I was greeted by good friends and race directors: Trenton Raygor, Erik Englund, and Chase Wark. Grabbing my race plate, and swag bag with T-shirt, bike bottle, sticker, and other fun mementoes.
Lisa, my support crew, wife, and best friend, and I settled into our chairs in the grass next to our car. After having a little of Lisa's Italian pasta salad for a late dinner, it was getting dark and we were just relaxing. I think this was the first time I actually caught a small nap in Gary. After dark I was wrapped in wool blank (it was getting cool fast) and I dozed off for 15-20 minutes, it was nice to be relaxed enough to rest before the start.
I had my biggest mechanical of the ride in Gary, as I was lacing up my very old Giro shoes, I broke a lace. LOL! I tied the broken ends together and was good all day long. This will likely be the shoes last ride, they have seen so much and are breaking down... these are the shoes I wore on my first DAMn in 2018! Their replacements had just arrived, but I didn't want to throw an unknown into the mix, so trusty old shoes got one more DAMn ride!
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| Left to right: Me, Arik Van Asten, John Suihkonen, and Dan Eckerson (not including Anthony Williams) | photo credit: Lisa Nelson |
We gathered most of the West River Racing crew for a start line picture, in front of the infamous Alabi. I went into the Alabi for the first time this year, but I went in to use the men's room, and did not get a drink ... my body's not able to do this kinda effort with even a Bud Light in my belly, I'll wait until the finish line for a beer.
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| The DAMn route with elevation profile on top | Screenshot from VeloViewer |
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| Gary firetruck leading out riders | photo credit: Lisa Nelson |
Around mile 35, we hit some sandy gravel sections, nothing as bad as 2021, but it got the big group I was riding with to slow and create two lines on either side of the road, looking for firm footing. I was debating staying the in pack, but really wanted to move faster, so I took those massive tires to ride the centerline of the road between the two lines telling everyone that I brought the fatbike to this party and I'm gonna use it!
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| Riding into the night - I'm in the pink vest with white hydration pack photo credit: Abigail Wark warkscycling |
At mile 71 my first headlight crapped out at the worst place, just as I turned onto a pave highway and there was traffic as well as some support crews. I made a quick change for my fresh light. And after turning off the highway, we hit a section of roads I've always found challenging, I'm not sure why, but I just don't enjoy the last 10 miles into Morton. But getting to Morton meant my first checkpoint at the BP gas station, and without too much detail ... I was very happy to have access to plumbing! I rolled into the Morton gas station and it was like a Indy car pitstop. I went into the gas station for ... reasons, and Lisa got my bike turned over, emptied trash, adding fresh snacks, water bottles, and swapping out electronics so when I got back out to her, I was ready to jump back on the bike. I was in and out of the first check point in just over 10 minutes, and I was headed east out of Morton at 5:30 with the first hints of sunrise.
Morton to Henderson | Mile 152
The first miles out of Morton are chilly after taking a break and the air is at its coolest - down to 45°F in the Minnesota River valley. Even in the very low light before sunrise, this section of the route is beautiful!
The climb out of the Minnesota River valley is the first real climb, with less than 200 ft, it's not massive, but it kicks up to 12% and it's a MMR (Minimal Maintenance Road). I've always loved this climb, every year I've done The DAMn, this is were I get to see the first light of the day, and after the climb, you're riding through gorgeous farm fields.
From here, the roads get a little monotonous, everything is nearly flat, and aside from short sections connecting roads, you're just headed east. On the bright side, the day is still cool and the body is still fresh, making the miles roll past quickly.
At mile 100, I had to make a note on my GoPro that I'd covered the first 100 miles in 6:18; that's my fastest gravel century with any bike ... and I was on a fatbike! I was so happy to see my progress and still feeling great.
As the temps were climbing, I made a stop to remove my wool jersey and vest, as well as my leg warmers. But I was also getting a hot spot on my right foot with the warming weather and wearing wool snowboard socks and shoe covers. I kept thinking about ways to store my shoe covers, but I was low on cargo space and the shoe covers are so dusty I didn't want to mix them with bags with food.
The climb out of the Minnesota River valley is the first real climb, with less than 200 ft, it's not massive, but it kicks up to 12% and it's a MMR (Minimal Maintenance Road). I've always loved this climb, every year I've done The DAMn, this is were I get to see the first light of the day, and after the climb, you're riding through gorgeous farm fields.
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| Riding into the early dawn light | photo credit: Abigail Wark warkscycling |
At mile 100, I had to make a note on my GoPro that I'd covered the first 100 miles in 6:18; that's my fastest gravel century with any bike ... and I was on a fatbike! I was so happy to see my progress and still feeling great.
As the temps were climbing, I made a stop to remove my wool jersey and vest, as well as my leg warmers. But I was also getting a hot spot on my right foot with the warming weather and wearing wool snowboard socks and shoe covers. I kept thinking about ways to store my shoe covers, but I was low on cargo space and the shoe covers are so dusty I didn't want to mix them with bags with food.
Around mile 130, I had a crew of 4-5 riders pass and offer me a pull. I was happy to have a wheel, I'd been riding alone for a while, but this crew was MOVING. I was pushing hard to hold their wheel. I was happy to be with this pack for a section of paved highway without shoulders, these type of roads stress me out, so the additional riders gave me a little more confidence. Even so, we had a truck with large trailer pass us way too close ... that got colorful language flowing from the whole crew.
As I got close to Henderson, Lisa texted if I wanted to be in the shade, I used my Garmin to say "yes". Temps were still cool, around 70°F, but the sun was keeping me very warm. Rolling into Henderson, Lisa was all set up with a table full of everything I could possibly want.
As I got close to Henderson, Lisa texted if I wanted to be in the shade, I used my Garmin to say "yes". Temps were still cool, around 70°F, but the sun was keeping me very warm. Rolling into Henderson, Lisa was all set up with a table full of everything I could possibly want.
Henderson to Northfield | Mile 200
I rolled into Henderson before 10:00, and continued to surprise myself with how fast the day was going! Henderson was my longest stop of the day, taking 25 minutes, but it was the biggest transition too. I had my cold night layers in my CamelBak and framebag to dump out. Plus I took off my shoe covers, changed from snowboard socks to lighter socks, and removed my wool baselayer too. Additionally, my gut was ready to take on solid food, including one of Lisa's home made oat & peanut balls, and a Fox (flour tortilla with hummus wrapped around a pickle). I slammed a Starbucks espresso can and stowed a mini-Coke in my frame bag. Additionally, I swapped headlights again, traded out my GoPro, and grabbed the power bank to charge both my phone and Garmin. The phone was my first priority since that's how I was broadcasting my live tracks for Lisa to see detailed information on my progress, and the Garmin estimated it had 6-7 hours left.
Leaving Henderson, you get the second challenging climb of the day, still only 225 ft and grades getting close to 10%. In every previous year, this climb has hurt me, but this year, it was no big deal. Another really nice confirmation that I'm doing great with my pacing and fueling.
This part of the day, it's hard to find groups to work with. You get with a couple riders, then someone stops for support or for a nature break. Then you stop for one thing or another and they pass you again. But it was great to be going back and forth with some friends like Matt Hoven, Dana Kromer, and Brandon Eddy.
At mile 171, I made another GoPro selfie that I'd covered this distance in under 11:30, I was having a hard time believing how quickly I was covering this ride. I like to watch the ETA on my Garmin, at this point, it was estimating I'd finish around 4:00. I knew that time would slip back because of my last checkpoint and the rolling hills between Cannon Falls and Red Wing would slow my pace. But that was still way faster than my wildest dreams!
As I rolled towards my checkpoint 3, I was doing 20+ mph on a hero gravel (hard packed gravel roads) with the perfect tailwind. Normally, at this point in the day, my legs are shot, the heat of the day is melting me, and I'd be happy to see 15 mph.
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| Lisa has checkpoint 3 ready for me near Northfield | photo credit: Lisa Nelson |
We kept the stop quick, another fox wrap, changed hydration packs and fresh water bottles. Plus, I had Lisa grab some ice from the cooler and wrap it up in my neck buff, giving me a very nice cooling effect for a few miles after the check point.
I didn't get far from up the road when I was hit hard with the sleepies. I'd just had my 3rd check point and slammed a Starbucks Espresso, that and a mini Coke I stashed in my frame bag were doing nothing to wake me up. Funny enough, I decided to turn on some music in my Shokz ... a couple favorite bangers hit and I'm singing along at the top of my lung grinding towards Cannon Falls (I seriously hope no one had to hear that) and that got me outta of it ... go figure!
After crossing Hwy 52, just south of Cannon Falls, there's another notorious hill that has caused me pain in every previous DAMn ride, but this year, I got to the top and quoted Peggy Lee "Is that all there is?" I couldn't have been happier to feel so good this far into the course.
Mile 222 had the best roadside party! There were folks partying on both sides of the road at a farm, offering riders water, food, etc plus cheering us on. It's the right thing at that point in the day! (see video in the thank you section)
The last big decent into Red Wing is on an MMR (Minimal Maintenance Road) was in rough condition. Years past, it's been in much better condition and easy to roll fast; but this year, it was covered in deep marble sized gravel. As tired as I am, and as stressful I find descending, I was grinding my brakes the whole way down that hill ... oof!
The last few miles through Red Wing are a little tricky to navigate, lots of turns close together, then add a brain that hasn't slept for nearly 36 hours. Happily, I got through without missing a turn ... this year.
Rolling across the Mississippi River bridge, I got mad at the wind in my face, after a tailwind all day, a little headwind was unwelcome! And my tired brain figured we were going due east over the river, but the bridge actually going to the northwest, right into that wind that was making all of us happy all day.
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| Trenton's finish line hugs are the best DAMn thing! | photo credit: warkscycling |
Hager City | Finish Line
As I got to the finish line, I was greeted by a wonderfully friendly face of Trenton. After giving me the traditional big hug, I said "I'm gonna take a nap" LOL! But next, Trenton pointed out that I keep stepping up the challenge year-over-year, and asked what I'm gonna do next. I responded that I wasn't sure and asked what he thought, and without missing a beat, Trenton said "DOUBLE DAMN!" I look over at Lisa to see her laughing and head shaking an emphatic NOPE! I'm not saying no to a Double DAMn, but I know that it will be an entirely different challenge and totally different job supporting a 48 hour ride (in addition to all the time/effort before and after the event).
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| Finish Line with my trophy and the hardest earned beer ever! | photo credit: Lisa Nelson |
"It was comforting to meet Molly’s mother and to hear about her daughter. The weight of wanting to finish the DAMn fell away as I realized that someday Molly will finish it for me and her family will be having the kind of adventures I cherish. Still on this day I am committing to training as hard as I can for next year’s DAMn. I want to set a good example as long as I can. But I will be looking forward to the rejuvenation and hope that comes from being with so many stalwart and spirited people."Molly got to the halfway point, 121.4 miles on the DAMn course!
My DAMn history
For reference, here is my personal DAMn history for the six times it's been held:
- 2017: I was too scared to even sign up
- 2018: 20:45:03 on a gravel bike. That gave me 83rd place of 116 finishers (plus 56 DNF)
- 2019: 18:59:00 on a gravel bike. That gave me 57th place of 117 finishers (plus 120 DNF)
- 2020: signed up, but COVID concerns got me to take a raincheck
- 2021: 18:42:49 on a fatbike. That gave me 79th place of 231 finishers (plus 162 DNF)
- 2024: 16:47:33 the fatbike course record! That gave me 126th place of 320 finishers (plus 75 DNF)
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| A new and special recognition for my efforts |
THANK YOU!
Support crew: I couldn't do this without Lisa's help, her dedicated efforts made it possible for me to set the fatbike course record. Prerace, Lisa is helping me get my gear together in addition to making food for me on the race. On race day, she goes just as long as I do without sleep, she needs to navigate dark gravel roads in the dead of night and park out in random places along the route to support me. She gets amazing photos of me and other riders. Lisa greets me with joy at every checkpoint and takes care of me and my bike. Her efforts are an ultra in their own right!
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| Lisa greeting me at the finish line | screengrab from my GoPro |
West River Racing: this club is a great group of supportive riders; my favorite training rides is the WRR Wednesday HILLZ ride ... it's always challenging and fun!
Tonka Cycle & Ski: this bike shop is always there for me and take amazing care of my bikes. I've put over 1,700 miles on The War Rig so far this year and they have kept it running like new!
Super fans: I am humbled by the number of folks that recognize me and call out my name on The DAMn! At the same time, I'm embarred by how bad I am at recognizing others out and about ... plus, I was on a mission. So to anyone that called out to me on course, THANK YOU for you're friendship and support (and sorry if I didn't recognize you)!DAMn Race Directors and Volunteers: Trenton, Erik, and Chase are the best, then they bring their whole families along to help too! Plus countless volunteers along the way.
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| Finish line with Trenton | photo credit: warkscycling |
The communities on the DAMn route: there are THE BEST supporters on the route. Ranging for setting up signs, to a massive party with water, food, beer and more for riders. As I was on a mission, I didn't stop to participate in the festivities, but the cheering was so amazing!
The War Rig
This is my 2015 Surly Pugsley, customized with Salsa Woodchipper handlebars and Gevenalle GX shifters. I'm running Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 26x4 that I 'borrowed' off Lisa's Pugsley (thanks, honey!)
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| The War Rig looking good before the DAMn |
Technology:
Garmin 1040 Solar: it was amazing all day, but to get the 40 hours of battery life, you need to put it in battery save mode, and I forgot that. Happily I figured it out early enough to grab my backup battery at Henderson and boost it up. To those interested about the solar charging of this device, Garmin reported that I gained 34 minutes over this ride. That's not much, but remember the first 6+ hours are in the dark, and then you're riding into sunrise, so it's late in the morning before the solar cells see enough light to charge. Frankly, the solar charging is much more useful on multi-day events, letting the Garmin sit in the sun while you're getting a break on a camping trip.
NiteRider Headlights (x2): my new Lumina Micro 900 didn't last as along as I'd hoped, it died around 4:00AM. There were a couple user errors, the light was angled down too low, and I bumped up the light brightness, and shortened the lights life. As I switched to the older 750, I took a minute to adjust the angle and help me see better with lower brightness. At Morton, Lisa grabbed the 900, charged it up, and handed it back to me in Henderson.
Varia Radar (x2): I have a first generation RTL500 and I got a new RTL515 earlier this year. I started with the new RTL515 without the light on, using the Planet Bike light to be see and save the Varia battery to keep an eye out for vehicles coming up behind me. At Henderson, I swapped out the RTL515 for the old RTL500 to get me to the finish line.
Planet Bike Blinky (x2): These inexpensive lights are so impressive! I had it set to solid from the start line and never had to swap out lights.
GoPro (x2): Like other components above, I swapped my Hero 11 and Hero 8 as the batteries ran out and Lisa charged them up for me driving from one check point to the next. I set my GoPros to record for a set time then automatically shut down, this saves me a ton of battery, cause I often forget and leave it running.
Garmin inReach Mini 2: New for 2024, Trackleaders! Trackleaders is a way for folks to see racers progress along the course. My first race with Trackleaders was the Arrowhead 135, and I purchased the inReach as required equipment for that race. So I only needed to activate the monthly contract and I was good to go. I know many family and friends were enjoying watching my progress from anywhere and everywhere.
Shokz: This are a great headset for hearing music and/or turn-by-turn directions without covering your ears. They are bone conductive, meaning you can hear things around you while still hearing your route information or some tunes to wake you up when the sleepies hit.
knog Binder: this was my helmet light, I didn't use it a ton, but it was good to have one more headlight option with me.
Motorola edge plus 5G: I was surprised that the battery was draining so fast, I had turned off wifi and left it in my jersey pocket, so it should have been done better. But this phone has not had the battery life of pervious models.
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| knog Binder as a helmet light |
- Embark Salted and Coffee Maple - on bike
- Peanut M&Ms - on bike
- Wiley Wallaby licorice - on bike
- Skratch Labs Strawberry Lemonade mix, plus I add sodium citrate cause I'm a salty sweater - on bike
- Mini Cokes both on bike and at checkpoints
- Starbucks canned espresso both on bike and at checkpoints
- The Fox (humus on flour tortilla wrapped around a pickle) - checkpoint snack
- Peanut butter and oats balls - checkpoint snack
- Salty potato chips - checkpoint snack
Bags
- Revelate TANGLE® FRAME BAG
- Revelate GAS TANK
- CamelBak Lobo 100 oz hydration pack
- USWE Outlander 2L hydration pack
- Toolbox, with my multi-tool, patch kits, and other field repair stuff, in the container in the seat tube bottle rack - it's so old and I have no idea what it's called
Additional Media
YouTube: coming soon
Link to MPR article about the 2024 DAMn:
DAMn documentaries on Amazon:
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| See you again next year! | photo credit: warkscycling |
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