Kona Super Grassroots rider Emma Kasza-James tackled her first 100+ mile gravel race last week with the Bear 100 in Forest County, Wisconsin. The weather would make for a gruelling course that truly tested riders mettle. As the only rider under 20 in the main event, Emma would cross the line in 6th place in the open women’s field, the youngest rider to complete the full 109 miles!

“With a 5 a.m. wake up call, I started out my morning early so that I could race at 7 a.m.! I was in Laona, WI, for The Bear 100 gravel race. It began with overcast skies and a light drizzle which continued throughout the entirety of the day, slowly soaking all of us racers through and through. As I went through the first half of the race, I was with a large group of 10-15 riders (it varied based on who went ahead and who dropped back) and was with this pack of people until we stopped at the halfway point. After halfway is when the race really started. I was chilly from being wet and the roads were starting to turn into peanut butter consistency which lowered speeds and raised effort significantly. This continued for another 30 or so miles until we hit the single track which was 4-wheeler tracks through the woods. Because of all the rain, the tracks were unrideable and a hike-a-bike was in order. I continued chugging along to the finish line and ended up with 109 miles of greasy mud and sandy grit everywhere!” – Emma Kasza-James