Weekly Newsletter: August 24th-30th, 2026
- Written by Keith Huster
- 5 min read
- Last updated a few seconds ago
This week, Keith raced the 2026 Wasatch All-Road gravel race 🚵, and Lindsey went on a girls' trip to Florida with her mom 🏖️.
Check out our new posts and videos 🆕 🎥 📝
Lindsey Huster
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Final pre-race indoor workouts 😅 🚀
On Wednesday, Keith used his Stages SB20 smart bike and Rouvy subscription to hammer out one last short, high-intensity workout ride on the ROUVY - Salobreña to Guájar Fondón | Spain route.
During this workout, Keith really pushed himself to obtain an average power of 247 watts over the 45-minute ride. That's a really solid performance for Keith! This ride was then immediately followed by a 20-minute cooldown ride to help his muscles recover.
Gallery of Keith's final pre-race training rides on Rouvy
Then, on Thursday, Keith rode at his expected race pace of ~190 watts for a solid hour along the ROUVY - Galle to Mirissa | Sri Lanka route. This final ride was mainly to help flush out any remaining muscle stiffness or cramping that may have resulted from the prior high-intensity training ride.
Final pre-race bike prep 🔧 🚲
Now that Keith's body was race-ready, it was time to shift focus to his bike. Keith had a laundry list of maintenance and repair items to tackle to ensure his bike would be in tip-top shape on race day.
- Replace the rear derailleur cable and housing with a new MTB Shimano Optislick Cable Set.
- Service the GX Eagle rear shifter mechanism.
- Remove, clean, and overhaul the GX Eagle rear derailleur and XO Eagle pulley wheels.
- Check/correct the rear derailleur hanger alignment.
- Remove the XX1 Eagle crankset, clean and regrease the bottom bracket and spindle.
- Thoroughly clean and then lube the GX Eagle chain.
- Replace the worn rear tire with the current front tire.
- Install a brand new Continental Race King 2.2 Protection front tire.
- Clean and service the front and rear Shimano XT brake calipers, pistons, and Shimano XT rotors.
- Install new front and rear Shimano J05a RF brake pads.
- Lube and torque all pivot points.
Gallery of Keith's pre-race bike maintenance tasks
Keith took the bike for a quick set of test laps in our neighborhood to dial in the shifting. Once all the work was done, Keith's bike was riding like new! 🆕 The shifting was smooth and crisp, and the bike was near silent. 🔕
Lindsey went to Florida with her mom 🛫 🏖️
Lindsey has been looking forward to her next beach vacation. This time, she flew to Florida to meet with her mom! She is looking forward to spending a lot of time catching up with her mom and relaxing in the warm Florida sun. She will tell you all about it in next week's newsletter.
Keith raced the 2026 Wasatch All-Road gravel race 🚵 🏅
On Saturday, Keith competed in the 2026 Wasatch All-Road gravel race in Heber City, UT. The race was not at all what Keith had planned for! Utah is known for its hot, dry climate. However, on race day, it was anything but hot and dry. Temperatures dipped into the low 50s°F (10s°C), and it rained on and off throughout the day.
Gallery of a sneak peek at Keith's 2026 Wasatch All-Road gravel race experience
The already challenging course was made that much tougher due to the cold, muddy, wet, and generally sloppy conditions. Climbing was difficult due to lack of traction, and descending was sketchy due to very slick roads. 😱 Keith prevailed, though, and managed to complete the course within a reasonable amount of time!
Upcoming posts and videos 👷 👷♀️️
Keith is continuing to work on posts and videos covering his 2025 Tour Divide experience. Keith will also be sharing a video and blog post from the 2026 Wasatch All-Road gravel race. Lindsey has finished writing the post series covering her "Epic Summer Road Trip from Canada through the American West" with her mom. Subscribe to our blog so that you don't miss out.
We hope that you are enjoying our newsletters. It's full sun and summer heat in Utah now. Do you have any exciting summer vacation plans? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬