By Kierstin Kloeckner

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How often do you see adult children enjoying the outdoors with their parents? How often do you see them witness their parents push their limits physically? And how many of them would be able to, or want to for that matter, put on an epic outdoor silent sports event together? In all the years I’ve been a part of the cycling and outdoor communities, I have only seen this a few times. Each time, my jaw drops in half awe, half jealousy.

Raised by a competitive cyclist, I found the experience formed me, good and bad, into who I am today. Even though I admire and respect what my father has accomplished, riding with him had been something I’d never gravitate towards. Putting an event on with him would be unheard of.

Beginnings

Trenton and Joel at the Arrowhead 135. Joel acts as Trenton’s support for this event. Photo credit, Trenton Raygor

When I first met Trenton Raygor, we talked a fair amount about this. My relationship with my dad, he with his. I learned how much of a role Joel, Trenton’s dad, played in both of his events, the Filthy 50 and The DAMn. Many questions raced through my mind on how they made this work—especially since Trenton, as a young man and a punk musician, had a different lifestyle than his father. Each found a way to honor each other. They began to form a relationship that went beyond parent/child, and beyond co-organizers of events.

Most of this was driven through the event organization itself since they had to communicate on a regular basis. Another reason arose in 2004 when Joel was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although he got a clean bill of health from his doctors three years after the diagnosis, they also told him that his unhealthy living habits might kill him. That’s when he pulled his old Trek Antelope out from the rafters and began to ride again.

Soon after his exhausting first ride, he began to ride with Trenton on a regular basis. Gravel happened to become their roads of choice. Hearing this, all I could imagine was a beautiful, arching bridge. One linking not only them to each other, but also to the rest of their family. The warm-fuzzies they instilled in me caused my need to share their work together.

How did the Filthy 50 come to be?

Trenton, front, with Joel immediately behind him, at the 2013 Almanzo water crossing. Photo by Chris Skogen.

“My dad, a few friends, and I rode the 2013 Almanzo 100 together,” Trenton said. “Talk about barely finishing. We beat the cut-off that year by 15 minutes. That day, we talked about some of the roads around Stewartville we enjoyed and how great it would be to introduce those roads to more people. After that, I was out for a gravel ride with my dad and my friend Kevin on part of what would become the first Filthy 50 course. I asked them if they would help put on an event. They said ‘no way,’ but here we are today. A lot of people don’t know this, but Dad has been integral to laying the groundwork year after year for the success of the Filthy 50.”

Joel began cycling back in his thinner days. “While Greg LeMond busied himself winning Le Tour De France,” he said, “I was racing locally on a Reynolds 531 frame with a Campy Super Record group and Mavic sew-ups. Somewhere between there and 2009, I quit riding and lost my fitness. After a medical check-up, and strong encouragement from my physician, I decided to get the bike back out. My neighbor Kevin was actively riding gravel and had an extra bike. He coaxed me out on a gravel ride. The rest is history.”

Immediate Success

In 2013, the Filthy 50’s inaugural year, Trenton capped the race at 300 riders. 209 showed up and 185 crossed the finish line. The DFL rider crossing just three minutes prior to cutoff. “That was one of the most inspiring moments of my race-directing career,” Trenton said.

Joel recalls Trenton texting him when he asked how many had signed up for what had been intended as a small ride out of Stewartville, MN. (Joel’s home town and where Trenton grew up.) Joel said, “I thought we could have a few friends, and friends of friends, over to the house for a post-ride brat and beer, so my initial idea was maybe 50 riders.”

When Trenton texted back stating 174 had already signed up, and then, two days later, 250 had signed up, Joel texted back saying, “Shut this thing down!” since his garage and yard weren’t big enough.

Never did Joel think they would end up seeing 1,000 riders sign up for the 2019 event.

But as 2019 began, Joel and Trenton realized that what once had been home to the Filthy 50 could no longer fit. Space they used for parking became no longer available, especially for 1,000 participants. They had to decide whether to bag the event, or move it. Both wanted to see it continue, so they found a new, welcoming home in the bluff country—Lanesboro, MN.

The F50 and COVID-19

A thousand riders anxious to start the 2019 Filthy 50. Photo by Jake Langmade.

“[COVID-19] is a strange one for me,” Trenton said, “as putting on a gravel ride in the upper Midwest years ago felt like putting on a DIY punk rock basement show in the ’90s. There was really no regulation or control, but people took care of one another. I honestly think that this warmhearted lawlessness is what drew me to both scenes. With the seriousness of a global pandemic, and the size and shape that gravel cycling events have taken, race directors need to think things through—if we truly want to take care of our people. That said, we plan to follow federal, state, and local public health guidelines on events and gatherings. We plan to work closely with city officials to ensure that we are welcome by their communities.

“We plan to provide safety gear and take safety precautions to ensure that any rider who wishes to participate in the Filthy 50 has a safe and enjoyable time. These measures will also ensure the safety of local communities while we give these communities the economic boost they drastically need. This gravel ride all of a sudden seems way less like the mosh pit at that sweaty basement show, but we’re all still gettin’ rowdy in the pit, and we’re all still stopping slamming to pick each other up off the ground.”

The Ties that Bind

Throughout the struggles of event organization, the thread of family still runs throughout these events. About family and the F50, Joel said, “It has been an absolute blast and a rewarding feeling. To not only work with Trenton, but also with my other son, Jackson, my wife, Carol, and the rest of the family. Aside from the enjoyment of the moment, it has created a common bond that unites the family. The event itself is like an annual family reunion.”

A Filthy 50 roadside sign to encourage riders to pick up the pace. Photo courtesy of Jake Langmade.

Trenton said, “[Dad] and I have never really collaborated on something this involved ever before. We hunted a bit together in my teens, but never really built or orchestrated something like this. I had realized that I needed more of a relationship with him following his battle with cancer, and my children being born, but I never would have imagined the roads this would take us down. We talk on the phone a lot. Those conversations are generally about something Filthy-50 related, but now tend to spin in a different, more personal direction, which I enjoy. It has made me realize how the Filthy 50 has improved the overall health of our family. That alone is worth the time and effort it takes to pull off something like the Filthy 50. I think he would agree.”

What Trenton and Joel have created together makes me love their events even more. The thought of a family collaboration, and two adults sharing their cycling passion with each other, wanting to spread that passion to others, especially in times like these, stands out as uniquely special. I’m honored to be on the other side of the start line this year, helping them out, able to witness their event, the fabulous Filthy 50, through a volunteer’s eyes.

You can contact Kierstin about the story at: k2on2wheels@gmail.com

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