Andrea Cohen - tackling the world one mile at a time
Andrea Cohen started out on the rowing team for the University of Iowa, did a few triathlons, and found she enjoyed the cycling portion much more than the run and swim legs... Friends in Iowa City introduced her to Iowa gravel roads and the rest is history.
She completed her first 100 miles on gravel in 2011. The race was the Gritty Brevet and she was hooked.
She did not own a car when she was delivering for Jimmy Johns a few years back and she still doesn't own a car. She works at World of Bikes and Gravel has become... well... "her thing". She had ridden TransIowa, Chequamegon 100, Dirty Kanza, Cirrem and a host of other gravel and single-track events as well as everyday commuting. Cycling is her lifestyle and in a few short years, she has become one of the most recognized female endurance athletes in Iowa.
More about Andrea
Andrea attended the TransIowa V.11 Clinic in Des Moines on Saturday, Dec 6th. She was part of the panel who discussed endurance and gravel cycling, the bikes, the food, the mindset and other things that are encountered when planning for TransIowa.
Andrea lives in Iowa City and she rode her bicycle that day to Des Moines for the clinic. And yes, she rode gravel all the way.
We wanted to showcase her new blog post titles "Route Planning 101: To the Gravels and Beyond!" where she talks about how she plans her routes. Here is a short excerpt.. Be sure to read the rest here. She keeps up with her blog posts... Be sure to follow her, and follow her you will.
Route Planning 101: To the Gravels and Beyond!
This past weekend I was a part of the TransIowa V.11 Clinic. The clinic
was in Des Moines and since I am still without a car I decided the best
way to get there was by gravel. Makes sense, right? I got a couple of
questions about how I made my route and what roads I took. Realizing
that making routes is one of the trickiest parts of getting out and
riding I am going to share exactly how I crafted my route to Des Moines!
The first step of planning is making sure this is actually a
possibility. I wouldn’t have to cut into any work or fun-time
responsibilities so it was on! I made support plans with a friend who
offered to come get me if I needed and to also take me back home on
Sunday, which made planning for Saturday that much easier. Finally
before I even thought about my route I double-checked my bike and gear
to make sure it was all still there, TransIowa had been at the back of
my mind for nearly 6 months.
Next up is the route. I will typically start browsing a few key
websites to see if anyone else has ever ridden where I am going.
READ MORE...
Kudos to Andrea for laying out these tips. You are an inspiration to many. Ride Safe!