BaseCamper Nathan Trachta shared his experience at the 2024 FoCo Fondo in Colorado.
Fondos are interesting because you have all types participating: those for fun, families, and those pushing themselves and even those trying to podium (not my focus). For me, it's about pushing myself and if possible improving my performance. The 32-mile gravel event (about half gravel, half road, a little over 1200 foot gain with major climbs). To get to/from the event, they encouraged doing carbon neutral, so I decided to ride the 7.5 miles to/from my hotel to warm up and cool down.
As for the event, my focus was to challenge myself vs last year, and while I started toward the back (hey, I got there with 10-15 minutes to spare), I moved up the line as I could thru the street in, and once I hit the gravel, the fun began!
I won't bore you with the race but simply say I did better than last year! Actual results: gun time of 1:56:02 finishing 90/510, 69/283 males, and 14/62 in the over 60 age group. What I was proudest of, though, was the race split. They take a snap with 5 miles to go, and between the split and the finish, I improved my position and pace, which is great, since you've done most of the climbing and burned as hot as you have.
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