Dirty Chain Podcast Episode 57: KOM Cycling Takes on the Belgian Waffle Ride
Between the varied surface types, the 1000+ cycling enthusiasts, and, of course, the delicious waffles, the Belgian Waffle Ride in North Carolina definitely lived up to the hype. What has now become a household name in the American alternative racing scene, the Belgian Waffle Ride started its San Diego version 10 years ago, and has now fully expanded its reach throughout the country with its additions of routes in Utah, Kansas, and North Carolina. For myself, and I’m sure many others, BWR has always been a “bucket list” event and these new added locations helped make this an accessible reality.
The journey to the starting line at Kanuga Park in Hendersonville, NC was over a year in the making. What began as a “guys’ weekend” for my brother’s 40th birthday in 2020 evolved into a family trip when race plans were cancelled and changed and postponed, much like everything was during the pandemic. The extra year should have provided greater preparation physically and mentally, but mostly only added to a growing anxiety through the many unanswerable questions that are so common with these types of events. Which bike do we ride? What tires? What tire pressure? All of which provided months of conversational threads for myself, Brady, and our friend, Tony, as we overanalyzed and second-guessed. Regardless, the three of us packed in tight in the starting corral with several hundred other like-minded individuals ready to take on 95 miles and 9,500 feet of elevation gain on some of North (and South) Carolina’s finest roads. Or should I say “roads”. After the National Anthem played over the loudspeakers and the clock counted down to 7am, the two-wheeled crowd slowly funneled its way through the start/finish banner - a spot we all hoped to see again in the next 5-7 hours or so. But we had some work to do before that…
Listen to the full race experience on Episode 57 of the Dirty Chain Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud or anywhere else you stream your podcasts.
