Last month Natalie and I took on the Ozark Rando 120. This is a new event by Ozark Gravel Cyclist and hosted by Experience Fayetteville. As the name suggests, the format of this ride is a Randonneur -a non-competitive long-distance unsupported endurance cycling event.
I used this ride as part of my training for an attempt at the 475 mile Central Texas Showdown Route. I’ve also been really interested in doing a Randonneur ever since Cheech with Crust Bikes came on the podcast. And, I never turn down an opportunity to ride my damn bike in Arkansas!
Natalie on the other hand would be taking on her biggest ride, by a long shot! Previously, her longest ride was 60 miles in Texas with only 1,200’ of climbing. The Ozark Rando boasts over 12,000’ of climbing over 122 miles. For her, this would be a huge physical and mental undertaking. By signing up, she committed to the unknown, and that’s scary.
Spoiler alert: We finished Dead Fucking Last, and I couldn’t be more proud of her and us. As the day unfolded, the miles passed slower and slower, and the finish time goal post kept moving, but we kept riding our damn bikes.
On today’s episode, join Natalie and I as we embark on an epic day (and night) in the Ozarks on our bikes.
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Experience Fayetteville ~ To start planning your next cycling vacation just visit experiencefayetteville.com where you’ll find a large selection of curated routes for every riding style including road, gravel, mountain bike, and urban adventures.
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