Wednesday, May 31, 2023

 If you are not busy this weekend and are looking for a good ride to do....

There is a WDB inspired ride that Joe Black is running with Jay Dellis starting in Chaska. More is info on the Twin Cities Westside Gravel Facebook group. Feel free to join!

Here are the details for the ride:

Saturday, June 3rd. 8am.
96.3 mile gravel ride from Chaska to Henderson & back.
Visit the Prince tribute in downtown Henderson.
47.4 mile gravel ride option from Chaska also available.
Roll out from the west end of the Fireman's Park parking lot.
Finish at Schram Haus Brewery.
Plan 8am start for the 96.3 mile option.
If you want to finish and hang out together, start the 47.4 mile option at 10:30am or so. You will finish a half hour before the longer route.
Parking available at a couple areas in Chaska: Fireman's Park parking lot [near Curling Center] or the Schram parking lot.
Plan to gather for a post ride beverage and food at the Schram Haus Brewery.
Routes are created and public on Garmin Connect and RWGPS.
"96.3 mile Gravel Ride - The Prince Pilgrimage"
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/163396262
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42801398
"47.4_mile_Gravel_Ride_from_Chaska"
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/163396039
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43003232
As with all rides, there is no guaranteed support [you are responsible for you]. We make every effort to make sure people have the route and ideally a person to ride with. Make sure you have the route downloaded.
Pace will vary depending on who shows up. Any group over 10 will likely split up into faster [16mph-ish] and slower group [13mph]

Monday, June 15, 2020

2020 WDB Pandemic Edition

Well at least the weather was good to us! I think we all missed the camaraderie and support of our fellow gravel grinders out there, hope we can get back to it as a group start next year.  Thanks to everyone who came out for the ride and congratulations to everyone for finishing the ride!

Here are the results, the classes were just divided up into Men  & Women. The + mileage riders times were based on their average speed over 99 miles with their total ride mileage in the next column


#RiderClassTimeMileage
1Emily FlynnOpen Women6:33
3Sandy MarshallOpen Women6:51
3Jesse StevensOpen Women6:57
1Josh MolnarOpen Men5:02
2Brandon VoltzkeOpen Men5:31
3David WarginOpen Men+5:49122
4Dominick RoccoOpen Men5:52
5Eric SundstromOpen Men5:59
6Mat BoieOpen Men6:00
7Tim KarelsOpen Men6:01
8Zach GoldbergOpen Men6:01
9Danny StormOpen Men6:02
10Jesse RientsOpen Men+6:04112
11Kurtis WilsonOpen Men6:08
12Brent KvittemOpen Men6:08
13Daniel KeifenheimOpen Men6:12
14Scott HippenOpen Men6:19
15Mike CampbellOpen Men6:19
16John BestmanOpen Men6:23
17Matt O'LaughlinOpen Men6:30
18Joe BlackOpen Men6:30
19Prasanna SuryadevarOpen Men6:31
20Charles WolfOpen Men6:33
21Badger KOpen Men6:35
22Timothy HoffardOpen Men6:35
23Ian PriceOpen Men+6:36145
24Andy WagnerOpen Men6:36
25Chris NelsonOpen Men+6:38131
26Joe BellOpen Men6:39
27Ben HeyOpen Men6:43
28Steve MarshallOpen Men6:44
29Chris Van ErtOpen Men6:44
30Dustin GaffkeOpen Men6:45
31Ken EarleyOpen Men6:47
32David PollittOpen Men6:47
33Tom QuinnOpen Men6:48
34Ben OneyOpen Men6:49
35Bryan DoughertyOpen Men6:53
36Danny StevensOpen Men6:55
37Matt StenersonOpen Men6:55
38Harlan SmithOpen Men6:58
39Jay StybaOpen Men7:12
40King GeoffreyOpen Men7:13
41Jason StukelOpen Men7:13
42Justin KremerOpen Men7:18
43Joseph Van KirkOpen Men7:24
44Alex PriceOpen Men+7:36139
45Rohit KumarOpen Men7:40
46Kevin CleeremanOpen Men7:54
47Matt PetersenOpen Men7:57
48John CarlineOpen Men8:03
49Jay DellisOpen Men8:08
50Joe AlbrechtOpen Men8:53
1Cam Evjen75 Men4:41
2Chris Sibley75 Men5:02
3Pete Hall75 Men5:17

Thursday, June 11, 2020

2020 Cue Sheets - GPS - Final Details


The course cue sheets and GPS route links posted below.

Course updates:
The Henderson Single track has been removed.
The gravel in LeSeuer County is freshly graded and pretty soft.
Trail section behind Carver is mostly dry as of yesterday, maybe 30 ft of rideable mud.

Chaska Starters please start and stop Strava at Veteran's Park
LeSueur Starters please start and stop Strava by The Jolly Green Giant

Chaska: Veterans Park's 619 Creek Rd. Chaska, MN (formerly Schimelfenig Park)
LeSueur:  The Jolly Green Giant Peck St. & Main St. LeSueur, MN

The cue sheets have the mileage set for the Chaska start. If you are starting from LeSueur and want to use the cue sheets there are notes on them for the start and continuation out of Chaska.

A 75 mile GPS route has been added as well however you the ride from Henderson to/and around LeSueur which maybe the best part of the route.

Time will be based on moving time. This means if you stop for food, traffic, beer, etc. your result won't be effected.  This is to keep the event more laid back and safe.

If your Strava setting are set to private please change them before riding the event you we can see your ride data.

!!!PLEASE REMEMBER SOCIAL DISTANCING AND BE AWARE OF OTHERS COMFORT ZONES!!!

Links:

Chaska Cue Sheets
Chaska Start GPX
Chaska Start TCX
Chaska Strava Route

LeSeuer Start GPX
LeSeuer Start TCX
LeSeuer Strava Route

Chaska 75mile GPX
Chaska 75mile TCX
Chaska 75 Strava Route

Saturday, June 6, 2020

2020 Route and Event Plan

The Westside Dirty Benjamin felt irrelevant the past couple weeks as we go through the tragedy of the George Floyd murder.  I hope everyone has been getting through these difficult times, are safe, and able to support your family & community. 

We still are planning on having a ride next weekend, here is the plan:

The route is similar to the 2017/2018 versions that runs from Chaska to LeSueur is just shy of 100 miles.  The GPS and Cue sheet files will be posted by Wednesday night, along with more course details.  Link to google map is here

-The timing for the event will run through the Strava app.   
-The ride may be completed anytime Friday 6/12, Saturday 6/13, or Sunday 6/14
-If you are interested in riding in a group consider starting on the hour 7am, 8am, 9am etc.  If you wish to avoid riding in a group consider starting between quarter after - quarter to the hour. 
-No registration in required for this event. 

***PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE'S SOCIAL DISTANCE.  NOT EVERYONE MAYBE AS COMFORTABLE AS YOU ARE***

The start locations are:
Veteran's Park - 619 Creek Rd. Chaska, MN 55318
The Jolly Green Giant Peck St. & Main St. Le Sueur, MN 56058

Timing and Strava fine details:
-The times will be based on moving time.
-There will be a +/- 1 minute time variance that will result in a tie.
-If you have an alias on your Strava account and would like your result posted as your name please send an email to westsidedirtybenjamin@gmail.com
-If you end up riding to the event or add extra miles add a + sign to your ride name, We'd like to give props to those ride a bunch of extra miles (otherwise known as the Royal Benjamin)
-If you don't want to run Strava and want your name on the results page please send an email with a photo of your cycle computer or timing device.  Strava is needed to be enter into the the top 20.


Link to map of route:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/drive?state=%7B%22ids%22%3A%5B%221njjFPQL13LcfB-HGLB15Pm08fkSe0NIK%22%5D%2C%22action%22%3A%22open%22%2C%22userId%22%3A%22114385605428067284752%22%7D&usp=sharing

Friday, April 24, 2020

2020 Update

Here's the Update! As of today, Westside Dirty Benjamin is still planning on a ride this year. Dependent on the guidelines from the CDC and the Governor, at the time of the ride, things may change or be cancelled. Of course, the biggest concern is the health and safety of each rider. With that in mind, the idea is to have a cool, adventurous, gravel course planned that people can safely (from a social distance) enjoy. And, if you wish to have your time entered for the 2020 results, then we will put that together. 

The tentative plan is as follows...
  • 2 or 3 start locations (Carver, LeSueur, and possibly Henderson)
  • The ride may be started at any time on Friday (6/12), Saturday (6/13), or Sunday (6/14)
  • Event timing will require the Strava app. and will be based on 3 to 5 segments, plus overall ride time.
As we know more about safety guidelines we will keep you updated with changes, and or, cancellations. Course details and timing guidelines will be posted around the end of May. 

Thanks everyone for your support and understanding in these crazy times! Stay safe and well! 



Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Version 11

Sorry for the crickets around here.  We are stoked to announce that The Dirty Benjamin will be back in 2020 on Saturday, June 13th with the start location around the Chaska/Carver area.   We will be doing some exploring this spring so be prepared for an awesome ride!

All riders on our current roster do not need to re-register for this year's event.  Registration for new riders will be open on May 1st.  There will not be a rider limit.  Typically the event draws between 100-175 riders depending on the weather.

Stay tuned for more details.

Monday, June 10, 2019

2019 Wrap Up

Thanks everyone for showing up for another year of the Westside Dirty Benjamin and big thanks to Donkey Label for the awesome gear including super fine jerseys for our Men’s and Women’s Champs: Luke Russell and Veronica Hudacek. Also thanks to Molten Speedwax, Mavic, and Podiumwear.

Another hot one but not too bad by Dirty Benjamin standards.The gravel was soft but 108 of 144 starters still found the finish line. We had 3 people who completed their first century by bike on Saturday. Amazing rides by everyone who participated!