Saddle Slingers (& friends) Ride the Rapha Prestige

Written by Contender Bicycles, on August 16, 2022

Meet the Saddle Slingers. They are the women of Contender who use gravel events and training an accessible way to physically and mentally push themselves further on the bike than they ever have. The Saddle Slingers goal is to encourage others to get on the bike and remember that riding is less about being the first across the finish and more about the journey along the way. If you haven't, check out who the Saddle Slingers are! You won't regret it.

See the ride on Strava.

The Saddle Slingers didn’t disappear forever. In fact, they just participated in the Rapha Prestige event, a 90 mile ride in Park City. They were joined by coworkers and friends: Jeremy, a bicycle repair phenom, and Ivan, the man behind our Contender Custom Builds. Jeremy and Ivan share a love for slightly grueling and very satisfying gravel rides. From the sounds of it, the mantra of this ride should have been “Only 10 more miles”, a delusion of reality. The ride was difficult, the temps were high, and some tears may have been shed. Ultimately, all four of our folks made it through, and have given us the gift of photos to tell the tale. Here you have it, the Rapha Prestige via photo.

LET'S GET INTO IT

Getting the ole steed ready for the event. Last second prep! Pumping tires, checking air pressure, lubing chains, checking brakes and shifting, all the good things.

Getting ready for the event! First feel of the PC morning weather: crisp.

The sun before the ride was perfect as it was rising. Great photo op.

Sunrise lighting makes for some good aesthetic pre-ride photos.

Morning sun was too good (a common theme here).

KJ and Ivan riding, first hill of the day…kidding, this is just getting out at the start of the ride.

Jeremy getting to the top (actual top, false summits suck) of the first climb.

Ivan at Jordanelle State Park, still smiling as he tends to do. This was when Jeremy and Ivan started telling us (Madi and KJ) they only had 20 miles left, but really there were like 35.

This butterfly friend was flying around us at the aid station and then decided to join us for about a mile of our ride. What a luxurious ride.

Ivan riding through Jordanelle State Park. Very beautiful. The park, I mean. But also Ivan.

Madi, smiling through the pain in Provo Canyon. Less of a smile, more of a grimace.

Butterfly pal, again.

Ivan’s steed, so sick, so cool, he LOVES his bikes.

Madi waiting patiently for the sprinkler to come back around to cool off.

We <3 mid-climb mechanicals…

WE GOT BUTTERFLIES FROM ALL THE BUTTERFLIES!

Getting ready to descend on the highway. Doing so through construction is not ideal. After our last big ascent, and we were all really excited to be done climbing (or so we thought, we still had about 1000 feet left).