The Rodeo Journal – Page 7 – Rodeo Adventure Labs, LLC

Unbound: The Gloopy Glamour of Gravel

When you’ve been living in a place for ages, it’s easy to overlook its charm. Growing up just a couple of hours outside Emporia and spending most of my life in Kansas, I couldn’t fathom why people would travel from far and wide to race on seemingly dull and unchanging roads. But then, amid a grueling nearly 25-hour journey, a realization hit me like a lightning bolt. As I pedaled along the ridge, the undulating emerald hills stretched for miles while ominous thunderclouds loomed above—a quintessential Kansas storm rolling in to welcome me back. There was nothing to do but smile and hope it wasn’t too harsh. Soon, a refreshing 30-minute drizzle came to my rescue, and I found myself grateful for the momentary respite from the heat and electrified by the surrounding beauty.

A Change Of Plans: Trans Virginia 565

Written, shot, and ridden By Benjamin Carpenter

Changing plans is an enevitable element of life I find myself in constant confrontation with be it the weather, my body, my family or my work life. It’s a constant flux, and maybe probably for good reason. Change keeps me on my toes, and constantly adapting, but the same is true about bikepackng, or any long ride that covers many miles in a prolonged amount of time. Dealing with change and adapting is how I flourish.

Benjamin Carpenter Bikepacking Gravel Bike

Lucas’ Unbound 200 singlespeed winning TD4

Lucas Clarke’s Unbound 200 single speed ride had us speechless, and the numbers tell the story impressively:

1st place Singlespeed 200miles.

Fastest 200 mile singlespeed time in the history of Unbound.

First singlespeed to break twelve hours.

FIRST athlete / bike, period, through the mud to the first timing point.

Adventure Cycling Gravel Bike Gravel Racing Rodeo Labs Singlespeed traildonkey

Luke Hall’s Unbound XL podium TD4 Build

Update: Luke took his bike to 2nd overall at this year’s XL, and we couldn’t be more proud of him and his ride!

Elizabeth Wilcox Photo. Luke Hall Unbound 2023 finish.

This year, I will be going back to Unbound to race the 350 mile XL. I chose the XL because I have history racing ultras out of Emporia, Kansas and I think the format of less than 24 hour ultras is pretty exciting. It requires a ton of focus and persistence. Last year, I was signed up for the XL and made it through 185 miles. A couple of weeks before the race I had to get stitches on my elbow and was on a wide variety of antibiotics. It really messed with my stomach and I wasn’t able to eat like I wanted. I’ve put in a lot of work this season getting prepared, both physically and mentally. I think I have a pretty strong chance at the top step. My bike setup is second to none and one of my favorite, unique builds.

Cycling Gravel Bike Rodeo Labs traildonkey Ultra Distance Cycling Unbound XL

The weight of grief: while riding I become weightless.

This is the second of Brynn’s series about the forces in life that took them away from the bike, and brought them back.

Cycling Seasons of life

The Rodeo Newsletter, Volume 1

Hey there dear reader! Please let me to (re)introduce myself. My name is Stephen Fitzgerald, and I’m the Intern In Chief around here at Rodeo, which means that I sweep the stairs, ride the Donkeys, wipe the counters, and also try to run the whole operation on the side, with the help of six or seven other rad humans.

It’s been on my mind since about 2020 to start doing regular newsletter updates, and since exactly that moment that I first thought of the idea, I’ve also been putting it off. Until today! Today I’m doing the thing.

Back to the bike, Chapter 1: Just Trying to get through

My name is Brynn- I am a travel nurse, an adventurer, and endlessly curious. To balance the stress of working in the hospital, I seek solace in the outdoors- hiking, rock climbing, and of course, cycling. Over the course of the pandemic however, my desire to ride my bike almost disappeared. Motivation was difficult to find and the idea of finding new routes, people to ride with, or dealing with a mechanical seemed insurmountable. While this story is about bikes, it is also just a story about me, learning to cope as a nurse in this world. It is a story that illustrates what I lost in myself and what I have come to find again, through the lens of finding my way back to the saddle. It is a story of loss, fear, and grief, but also a story of hope, growth and finding joy again. And of course, a return to the bike as a way of healing.

Chris’ Switch-Up Flaanimal Titanium

Flaanimal 5 Titanium switch-up gravel bike

@chrismagnotta is one of the original five riders who said “sure I’m in” when the Rodeo team started in 2014. Since then he’s done innumerable questionable things on his Donkey, such as Leadville 100, Unbound 200, White Rim, Slickrock, etc etc. so when he decided it was time for a new Flaanimal Ti he asked “should I go flat bar or drop bar?”

We responded “Why not both?”

Adventure Colorado Gravel Bike hydraulic couplers Mountain Biking Rodeo Labs

Podcast: From Waffles to GRVL

Welcome to the Rodeo Labs Race Director Round Up! Over the next few weeks, as the gravel race “season” gets underway, we have decided to take on a mini-series focusing on gravel racing through the collective eyes of gravel race directors from across the country. Race directors are both the tastemakers and the police of the nebulous concept of “the spirit of gravel.” While race directors have a fantastic platform to voice their perspective for their own races, that voice is often limited to those narrow confines. The goal here is to use our podcast, as a small journalistically minded outlet with no skin in the game, to give them a collective platform to share their interpretations of the state of the sport.

Copper on Carbon Campagnolo TD4

From time to time we have the opportunity to build extra special bikes here at Rodeo Labs. The Rat Rod Ridge Supply Flaanimal was a favorite, as was the TD4 switch-up bike, and many others.

When Campagnolo invited us to create a special build for their Sea Otter booth this year, we readily accepted the challenge, and we knew that we needed to create something truly unique and eye catching. Off to work we went!