Originally Posted by One Wheel

I just found out the US gravel cycling national championships for 2025-26 are pretty much in my backyard (an hour drive, but pfft.) I'm 37, 5'9", 190 lbs, and my best estimate of FTP is 208 watts. I'm riding a 27 lb bike that's pretty well maxed out right now with 35mm tires. Basically no racing experience. I'm obviously going to lose badly if I enter. At this point my first thought is to try to lose 20 more lbs (started at 220 three years ago) while grinding out as many miles over the next 13 months as I can. Maybe worry about a better bike if I come into some unexpected money. What would you do, in my position, to maximize the fun : embarrassment ratio? I don't have an abundance of either time or money, although obviously I'll need to scrape together at least a little of both if I want to do this.