The following is my brief ride report from the Yonder Journal Brovet 03 – The Mythical State of Jefferson – click the link for more from Yonder Journal

After the second Brovet, my riding ego was damaged. I had bonked so pitifully that I almost thought for a second the dudes wouldn’t invite me on another ride. Then I realized, they actually enjoyed giving me shit and wouldn’t let me miss it for the world.

As I was preparing for this ride, I took my time calculating weather, load weight and most importantly, water. In the past, drinking from rivers landed me with a messed up stomach, I knew hydration would be an issue and it’d be hot, so I brought a Sawyer filter for filling my bottles with river water.

I also packed multiple sandwiches, dried fruits, salt tabs, nuts, gels and anything else I could think of (donuts). My bike was dialed and I felt great, I was prepared as much as I could be.

Let’s just put it this way: when someone asked for a necessity on the ride – baby wipes – I had it.

Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated by the route, which was planned by Mike Cherney, a local from those parts, or as some may call them “the State of Jefferson”. Mike was rather cryptic, floating between “I’ve ridden this road” to “I’ve never been to this road, but I think it goes through”.

We kept moving up the undulating roads, down sketchy, washboarded fire roads (I lost all three of my bidons on one descent and one rider, David ruined his wheels) – thanks for retrieving the bidons Moi! Mike kept ensuring us that we were on the right path. All I could taste was a burger. Or some fried chicken. Beer. Bourbon… Finally, home stretch!

In all the times I’ve ridden on big rides, the paths less traveled are always the best. It’s the spirit of the Brovet, in a lot of ways, to get out of your comfort zone and on this ride in particular, I think we all did that.

250 miles is no small feat, but this Brovet gave me back my confidence and courage that I had lost in the previous ride. I still think this is one of my favorite rides to date. Head over to Yonder Journal to read more and to see some incredible photos!