Bob's story: Farmer's Daughter Gravel Grinder

BaseCamp athlete Bob Cuccaro shared his experience at the 2026 Farmer's Daughter Gravel Grinder bike ride in New York.

The stars were aligned around 5 boro tour. Great event, the Monday after....I started sneezing, and then the wheezing and fever...ugh! All the preparation for two tough events back to back, and then I got sick. It turned out to be a blessing. Working with Greg, I went into recovery mode...and guess what? Fitness didn't disappear. We reevaluated and decided to do the Grand Daughter ride instead.

Heat made it harder to get into the swing of massive hydration and salt replenishment, but all the training has paid compounding dividends with experience. Proper fueling and letting my lungs dictate the effort made the course more enjoyable to the point I would love to repeat it next year. I modestly pushed myself since still in recovery from the upper respiratory and used the event to get the Seigla on some gravel and ultimately the baby Rift ride. As for performance, I hit many PRs without trying. Not sure if it is all the training and work, or the benefit of a new bike. :) I met a few BaseCampers at the event for a brief moment, since they all were flying past me. I recommend the Grand Daughter ride if you want some moderate climbing without being punished.