THE LITESPEED TOSCANO RACES (AND SURVIVES A HUGE CRASH AT) MID SOUTH GRAVEL
The Mid South is one of those races that's been on my bucket list for years. The event has a unique vibe that is both eccentric and inviting. With fast terrain, endless rollers, and the chance of legendary mud, the course seems tailor-made to my talents and physiology. After years of missing out, I finally found both the time and the funds to make the journey to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to compete in my first-ever Mid South.
This was the first race of my gravel season and my main tune-up race before UNBOUND Gravel at the end of May. After training hard over the last few months, my confidence was sky-high. That is, until I was brought back down to earth (literally) when I crashed hard only 21 miles into the race. Fortunately, my trusty Litespeed Toscano shrugged off the impact, and after I reset, it helped me grind through to the finish. Check out my full video recap below:
Setting Up My Toscano for Mid South Gravel
Over the past few months, I've been laser-focused on training, and I didn't haven't given my bike set-up the sort of thought I normally do. A large part of that is just how dialed my bike feels right now. I've put in close to 5,000 miles on my bike now, and it feels like an extension of my body. Really, the only thing I had to change before the race was the tires.
Of course, tires are the most important component when it comes to setting up a gravel bike for a particular event. Mid South is known for high speeds, and the terrain itself isn't very rough or technical compared to other events (e.g., UNBOUND or Big Sugar). With that in mind, I chose something fast: the Schwalbe G-One RS.
However, I did decide to choose the 50mm version of this tire, rather than something skinnier. At this point in my racing life (I'm rapidly aging and riddled with lingering injuries), I don't think I will ever choose a tire option smaller than the maximum size my bike can fit. I simply enjoy the extra comfort, traction, and confidence wider tires provide too much.
Inflated to the proper pressures (~28-29 PSI for me), these tires still felt extremely fast and efficient, and I definitely appreciated the extra cushion late in the race when I was fatigued and trying to navigate some rough and loose gravel surfaces. The extra flat protection is always a nice bonus, too.
And what about my gravel suspension fork? Sure, it's a bit heavier than a rigid fork, but again, my aging and injury-riddled body loves the extra comfort, control, and confidence. When the terrain gets smooth and fast (or it turns to pavement), I barely even notice any disadvantage compared to a rigid set-up. So, for me, I'm probably just going to keep the suspension fork on for every event in the future and never worry about it again. Ultimately, I also think having suspension did reduce some of the violence of my eventual crash.
This Crash Is Why I Chose a Titanium Gravel Bike
If you race enough, crashes are bound to happen. In the best case, a crash is innocuous and annoying. In the worst cases, it's race or season-ending. Mine fell somewhere in between.
A pro rider crashing after hitting the exact same mud hole I hit during the Pro Men's event. Credit: Jon Goettl
At mile 21, there was a deep mud hole in the road, filled with water. Those who had pre-ridden the course were aware of the danger here. This hole was too deep to ride through. I had no clue about this, so I charged straight into this hole at full speed, and it felt a lot like riding straight into a curb. I instantly flipped over the bars, tomahawking my bike over me, landing on my back, and ejecting my bottles and gels all over the road.
You can watch my recap video above to witness my reactions after the crash. Here, let's talk about the bike.
First off, I bottomed out my suspension fork harder than I ever have before. I like to believe that having a suspension fork saved me from more serious injury by absorbing some of the shock and reducing the momentum with which I was thrown forward. I have no way to prove this, but aside from some missing skin on my elbows and knees, I'm uninjured.
Other riders who hit this mud hole were not so lucky. (I'm sending all my healing vibes to Bryce, who suffered a broken collar bone and concussion!) Luck is likely the bigger component. I got launched into the softest, muddiest part of the road. But after this, I'm definitely never going to feel as confident on a rigid bike as I do on my bike with suspension.
As for the bike itself, my Toscano survived the crash like a champ. My levers were bent inward, and my saddle was pointing straight down. I was able to fix my controls and saddle with my multi-tool and get riding again with relatively little fuss. Beyond that, there's really nothing worth reporting.
Check out the image above, and you'll see the remnants of a "Race Metal" sticker on my top tube (a few letters fell off). I'm a believer. As an amateur who needs a gravel bike to last years, crashes like this are the exact reason I bought a titanium gravel bike. I've broken many bike frames in violent crashes. I've broken a few frames in incredibly innocuous ways, too (it tipped over at the coffee shop!). With a titanium frame, though, I could launch it into the stratosphere and let it crash into a jagged talus field without a second thought.
When I get home, I'm going to wash all the glorious red mud off my bike, straighten out and retorque all the controls, and get right back to training. Overall, my experience at Mid South was incredibly fun, and it only reinforced the love I have for my beautiful Toscano. I'll see you all in the next one!
