The Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder was the brainchild of Capital Region cyclists Andy Ruiz and Jon Stillman, who mapped out this incredibly challenging event that stretches for 65 miles across the hills and valleys of Columbia County, NY, climbing over 6,000 feet in the process. I have now ridden this event four times and have yet to finish. The closest I came was last year, 2019, when I completed 43 miles. In 2018 I was able to shoot the ride for Andy and Jon with the help of a moto and driver. The other years I have carried my trusty Panasonic Lumix ZS-50 and shot what I could as I rode. The event has been postponed along with every other spring cycling event because of the pandemic, but hopefully will be held later this season for the sixth time.