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The Rose Mountain Rumble is back for its 5th year, with a handful of gravel options: 100k, 50 miler, 40 miler, and 20 miler. The event is Saturday, August 24, 2019, with 8 am sign-in and rolling start at 9 am. All proceeds to benefit the Piscataquog Land Conservancy’s efforts to conserve the natural and scenic landscapes of the Piscataquog, Souhegan and Nashua River Watersheds. Read more about the PLC.
Visit and sign up at Rose Mountain Rumble.
Brady Lawrence from Seattle was in attendance for Grinduro Scotland, where he made this recap video that really captures the vibes at these races. Who’s going to Japan and California?
It’s a busy week for bike companies to jettison their new and improved models into the consumer market. We reviewed the Trek Checkpoint last year and were amazed at how well this bike checked all the boxes. It really felt like Trek listened to its customers and made the most capable bike they could.
For 2020, the Checkpoint stays relatively the same, solidifying its place in the adventure/gravel/all-road space, yet the paint jobs are much flashier and now with AXS integration, the lines on the bike are even cleaner. Head to Trek to see more details!
Photos and words by Sami Sauri
“Det Store Eventyret” is not like most events where more or less you know what you are getting into. The participants had no clue in advance of where they will be cycling to, on what kind of surface as well as where they will be spending the night! All they were promised in advance was awesome riding, food by the one and only Velochef Henrik Orre and a bed under a roof to spend the night. The organizers aim to surprise and excite the participants and judging by the mood before the start, it is apparent that everyone is eager to find out what the fuss is about!
Ryan and Pablo from Bolt Cutter Bike Works take on the Mustang Gravel Route across the hot and exposed Utah West Desert.
Want to ride in the Pisgah National Forest with the team from Industry Nine? Well, mark your calendars for September 13th. Loose Gravel is a weekend of camping, group rides, beer, music and more, all sponsored and thrown by Industry Nine. The weekend is $60, so buy tickets now and check out more details below.
Words by Jack Watney, photos by Adam Gasson
And now here they are! The most daredevil group of daffy frame builders to ever whirl their wheels in the WACKY RACES. Competing for the title of Grinduro’s wackiest frame builder. The bikes are approaching the starting line.
First, is the TBA GXC driven by Tom Sturdy. Next is paratrooper Will Barcode on the TBA Splat Grav. Flying through the air is the Rad Roamer piloted by Ted James. Maneuvering for position is Andy Carr on the Spoon Customs Fat Tracker and right on his tail is Pi Manson on his Caledonian Carrier.
Sneaking along last is the unmistakable Petor of Dear Susan Bicycles riding his award-winning ‘Mike Rotch’…
“Grav, Grav. And double Grav!”
The Old Growth Classic is coming back to Big Basin Redwoods State Park once again on September 14, 2019! Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) is proud to partner with Ibis Cycles to present the second annual Old Growth Classic. This event is a full weekend experience featuring a 55-mile mixed terrain race, two nights of camping, live music, delicious catered meals, and more summer camp fun. A significant portion of the proceeds will go directly to State Parks.
This year there are two event packages available: Full Weekend Package and Race Day Only Package. The total participation has also increased to 500 racers. Registration opens on Wednesday, July 10, at 7:00pm Pacific, so mark your calendars because this event will sell out quick. Click here to register!
Learn more about Old Growth Classic here: http://oldgrowthclassic.
Register here: https://timeyourrace.
The Skid Lizards are Oregon-based friends with bikes, bags, and jobs. Flies fear them; fish do not. This mission would involve exploring the Metolius River’s length, purity, and gravel – from head to tailwaters and back again.
If you’re looking to get off the beaten pack of European gravel routes and explore one of Central Europe’s most beautiful National Parks, then be sure to check out the Bohemian Border Bash. It takes place on the border between German and the Czech Republic. While the Bohemian Border Bash is not a race, it will provide many challenges as you navigate through sandstone pinnacles, gorges, streams, and winding gravel roads for as far as your eye can see.
Check out the full press-release and more information below and you can register now at the Bohemian Border Bash.
Last year’s Cannondale Topstone review generated quite the buzz over here, so when Cannondale sent me a Topstone Carbon to review, I was intrigued to see what changed between the lower pricepoint aluminum and this new, fancy carbon model. Turns out, a lot! The biggest being an all-new, BallisTec Carbon, Kingpin suspension system which locks the seat stays together with a thru-axle, allowing for dampening on rough terrain. Read on below for more!
Los Angeles’ Pure Cycles have announced their Adventure line of gravel bikes, including the Adventure model (sold out), the Adventure Pro ($899) and an Adventure Apex build ($1099). These entry-level gravel bikes feature 700c x 650b interchangeability, disc brakes, and a geometry tuned for all-road riding. See more at Pure Cycles.
Words by Coach Ronaldo Romance Jr. and photos by Team Brooks
(Gallery Photos are 95% disposable film cams that I handed out to the team. Felt like it captured the inner “race” pretty authentically; and the medium was pretty fun in a “trip to the water park” “safe grad night” sorta way)
Booming Billowing Blooping Blurping Gravel.
Even with DK getting as much coverage as the TDF, I trust the pace of the news these days has left your mind blank of such cognizance once again. That’s good, as my memory of competing in the event 2 years ago has also been selectively erased, perhaps that’s why I reluctantly agreed to participate in this particular edition.
Education First Pro Cycling takes on the Dirty Kanza with a trio of the team’s WorldTour pros deciding to swap the pain cave tarmac for dusty, dirty roads. Best of all, they invited us along for the ride!
This weekend, June 19th – 23rd, is the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder. It’s a point-to-point stage race along the Oregon Trail. For five days and 400 miles, racers and riders will venture into the Cascade Range, get covered in dust, sweat, and then arrive at camp each night, where they can recover and prepare for the next day. If you’re going, we’d love to hear from you, especially if you plan on riding the course and taking photos along the way. Drop a line in the comments and email us.
Y’all tired of Kanza stories yet? Nope? Well good! ENVE was there and they pulled together a great recap video!
A String of Conversations along the Dirty Kanza XL
In the last week of May, Lael Wilcox rode 650 miles from PEARL iZUMi headquarters in Louisville, Colorado to Emporia, Kansas with Dylan Morton. She rested for 2 days before starting the DKXL, a 339 mile self-supported gravel race through the Kansas Flint Hills. This is the second year of the race.
With Lael and Rue’s exceptional DKXL piece up on the site today, I thought the DK200 winner’s bike would make for a nice addition to today’s coverage. Colin Strickland is a friend from when I lived in Texas. He used to crush the road and ‘cross races and now with his new team, Meteor x Giordana with Kevin Girkins, he’s had great success at the Belgian Waffle Ride and the DK200. Allied has an exceptional bike check up on their blog, so if you’re interested in reading about Colin’s setup, the new Allied Able, you should head on over to check it out.
