If you want into one of the hottest gravel events on the east coast, tonight is the night to register for April 26th’s Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo. Yeah, it has a crazy name, but once registration opens at 12:01 on January 1st, there will be a mad dash to register. Spots probably won’t make it to the morning.
First things first, the name. The Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo is named after the counties it runs through, Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties. The ride starts and finishes in Jenkins Township, between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, in northeastern, PA. The routes explore paved roads, gravel, and trails throughout the counties.
The ride started with less than 20 people heading out to explore the roads or northeastern PA. 2020 marks the 8th year of the ride, and will not disappoint. Organizer Pat Engleman and his merry band of volunteers do an incredible job putting on the event.
There are three options available, 100km, 75 miles, and 100 miles. Whichever option you decide upon, it is going to hurt, with serious climbing for all three routes. The Full Hundo ranges between 7,500-10,000ft of climbing, depending on which GPS you trust. Regardless of the route you choose, it is a timed ride, not a race. There are Strava segments for bragging rights, and the first finisher gets a commemorative hatchet, but there are plenty of prizes from sponsors in the raffle at the end for all riders.
The views and scenery makes it all worth it though. I rode my first LLWH in 2019 and was hooked. It was a particularly punishing ride, due to the wet and cold conditions. Only a handful of the hardest riders were able to complete the Full Hundo. It starts out in a small-town setting and rolls through some road and a short trail section, before heading out of town on the road. It’s not long before you hit your first gravel sections, which are typical NEPA mountain roads, dirt with some rocks. With the wet conditions, it made things a bit sketchy, but totally fun. It doesn’t take long to find your first few climbs either.
At about 35 miles in, my teammate and I pulled the plug with painfully frozen feet and hands. Needless to say, we weren’t prepared for the wet. Instead of taking a vehicle back, we ended up riding to the finish with a small group of riders to finish at 55 miles total. As a group, we blazed our own course, which included road, gravel, and trail, with plenty of climbing and a small boulder-filled decent. Engleman happened to meet us at the bottom of the descent, giving us credit for finding the toughest part of the course, and hinting it could someday make an appearance in the route. It was one of those days that the conditions were so tough, we were hooked on wanting to do it for 2020.
At the end, there is plenty of food and drink waiting for everyone in a warm hall. It didn’t matter how far you went or if you even finished, there was a great sense of camaraderie as everyone shared their experience over a beer as they thawed out.
If you are lucky enough to make it in, you’ll want to bring your toughest gravel set up. Our #ProjectOneBike Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie was set up with the Lauf Grit fork, Astral Wanderlust/White Ind XMR wheelset, and Schwalbe G-One Bite ties. I needed every bit of grip and comfort that I could find with the gravel and trail riding the course has to offer. To round out the bike, I used the frame, top tube, and saddle Backcountry packs from Apidura, Lizardskins DSP 3.2 bar tape, Look X-Track Race Carbon pedals, Velo Angel Saddle, and absoluteBLACK 1x 42 tooth oval ring. For 2020, there will probably be some changes with other items in for review, but the general concept will be the same with my gear choice.
If this sounds like your idea of fun, and trust me, it will be, kiss the person you are with as the ball drops, and get on over to BikeReg to get registered.
http://www.llwh.bike
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year