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“Expect the Unexpected”
The MGR is a 650 km gravel route, 4 stages, about 8000 meters of elevation,
some like to call it a disguised mountain bike race with a bit of gravel,
some will argue that this is the spirit of gravel, a limitless exploration of where the bike can take you.
Ripton and Co, who make those nifty stretch riding jorts have just announced the perfect color for those who like less hair metal and more black metal. These black “smoke” jorts look like a nicely worn denim vest and will continue to fade and patina with heavy use. They’re available in cut (pictured) or hemmed, for men and women, at a retail of $89. Best of all, they’re shipping today. Head over to Ripton to see more and if you’re curious about what Spencer thought of them, check out his review in the archives below…
Fred sent in this video recap from a Belgian gravel event called Le Fabuleux which took riders from Limburg to the Ardennes over two, 170km days of riding.
A week ago, 61 contestants battled it out over 4 stages through the Masai Mara wildlife reserve, during the inaugural Migration Gravel Race in Kenya. While an epic adventure in itself, there’s more to this race than meets the eye. The MGR is one of the prongs of the Amani project, aimed at creating more race opportunities for East African cyclists to measure themselves with the best on an international level.
What better way to do so than to bring in the very best? With the attendance of 2021 Unbound-winner Ian Boswell and runner-up Laurens ten Dam (who claimed the victory at MGR), the bar has been set for future editions. Sule Kangangi, Kenyan pro cyclist and coordinator of Amani’s activities in Kenya, and 2021 Unbound winner Ian Boswell share their thoughts on this unique first edition.
After 2020, I wasn’t sure when I’d be back at events documenting bikes, races, and places. So far in 2021, things seem to be picking up steam and this weekend I found myself in Ogden, Utah at the ENVE Builder Round Up Open House and Grodeo gravel race…
This is dedicated to Flinders Island local, passionate cyclist and an inspiration for this story. Guy Ireland suffered a terrible accident this week that has placed him in hospital with severe spinal injuries. Get well soon Mate.
Wahoo‘s newest Frontiers video features Ian Boswell and his win at Unbound Gravel.
“In December of 2019, Ian Boswell announced his retirement from road cycling and his shift in focus to gravel racing. Ian set his route to all things adventure. Riding is fun. Racing should be fun. But it’s hard to remember that when focusing on wins and watts, podiums, and purses. He transitioned away from the status quo to experience the joy of racing again. With a pandemic and training solo, Ian is back into racing with the rest of the world.
In this episode of Frontiers, Ian Boswell shares his story of racing gravel post-pandemic, being back with a group of riders, and experiencing both the comradery and competition once more to become the Unbound King of Gravel…”
Last weekend the town of Emporia, Kansas hosted the world’s largest gravel race, Unbound Gravel. When the event started in 2006, it only offered the milestone 200-mile route. With the growing popularity of gravel racing and in an attempt to make the race more accessible to all cyclists, Unbound Gravel now offers a total of six racecourses. Participants can now choose between 25, 50, 100, 200, and the big, bad 350-mile course. There’s even a High School event! While the 200 is still the marquee distance for the event, Unbound has something for everyone looking to get dusty out in the Flint Hills.
After coming off of an epic 2019 win at Gravel Unbound, Amity Rockwell reflects on the role of cycling in her life and how it has motivated and inspired her to push her personal boundaries.
With either 40 or 60mm travel, a new silhouette with tapered legs, and minimal branding, you could say MRP is “going for it” with their new Baxter gravel fork. Weighing in at 1,420g, the new Baxter clears a 45mm tire in the 40mm travel model or a 50mm tire in the 60mm travel option.
SPECS:
Stanchion Size: 32mm
Travel: 40mm or 60mm
Weight: 1,420 g
Spring: FulFill™ Air
External Adjustments: 3-position compression damping, 20-position rebound damping
Axle-to-crown Length: 430mm* (*40mm model with 45c clearance, +5mm for 50c clearance), 456mm (60mm model)
Steerer Options: Tapered (1.125 – 1.5″)
Offset: 40mm version: 40.5, 44, or 47.5mm, 60mm version: 41.4, 45, or 48.4mm.
Brake Mount: Flat-mount 160 or 180mm
Bottle/Accessory Mounts: 2 (one per leg, 3 lb. [1.36 kg] max load per side)
Tire Clearance: 40mm version 700x45c default (50c optional), 60mm version 700x50c (29×2.00”)
Axle: 12×100 or 12x110mm (Boost)
MSRP: $989.95 USD
Availability: July 2021
For pre-ordering, contact MRP directly.
In a few short years Trinidad, Colorado has gone from a relatively unknown adventure travel destination on the I-25 border with New Mexico to one of most talked about by Front Range gravel cycling enthusiasts. When the Colorado Tourism Office supported Explore Las Animas gravel cycling tourism campaign was launched in 2019 by Backshop Bicycle Travel Supply, an experiential agency, the goal was to make southeastern Colorado a worthy bike destination in tandem with the growing gravel trend. Now, as the Santa Fe Trail celebrates its 200th anniversary, a host of multimedia cycling tourism related content and ride events in 2021 are poised to carry that objective further down the path as Trinidad reclaims its old west mountain trail town heritage by welcoming gravel cyclists to a distinct travel experience on the Colorado-New Mexico border.
Boosting expected summer cycling visitation this year is the new Trinidad-Las Animas County Gravel Adventure Field Guide developed by the City of Trinidad to assist visitors wanting to sample the over 1,600 miles of county roads accessible from downtown. The guidebook is produced in partnership with Backshop Bikes, Beneski Design, and People For Bikes. Its 64 pages highlight the region’s distinct culture and history, and includes 11 curated Ride Spot routes that are downloadable. The guide intentionally fosters an online and offline user experience. This handy jersey pocket sized book not only helps navigate the remote southeastern Colorado terrain, but also helps make a more enjoyable trip by directing visitors to local restaurants, shops, galleries, and museums. Accompanying the guidebook’s release is a Beneski short film shot by Justin Balog detailing its contents in a fun and quirky way.
Warmer weather brings about seasonal demands for your riding kit and 7Mesh has just released new items for the springtime in their gravel lineup for men and women. Included are four new models of neck gaitors, long sleeve Sight Shirts, and the new Elevate Bike Tank Top for women. Head on over to 7Mesh to see all the details of this new drop.
Photo by Nathan Burnside
Update! See our coverage here:
–Wind, Chile, Chonk, and the Monumental Loop: the 2021 Dangerbird in Las Cruces
–Scenes from the 2021 New Mexico Bikepacking Summit and the Dangerbird Grand Depart Rider and Bike Portaits
If you don’t follow Monumental Loop on Instagram, then you might have missed the details for this fall’s Dangerbird race/ride. We’ll be there in attendance to ride/tour the Full Bird. Check out all the details from Matt below and don’t miss the Bikes or Death Podcast interview with him too!
Two years ago Backshop Bikes introduced one of the first gravel cycling tourism efforts in Trinidad, Colorado. The perception was that gravel had already matured to the point where as a category it would evolve towards a destination model akin to mountain biking. If it worked, then suddenly rural drive-by towns had a chance to leverage gravel bikes towards social prosperity. This is why we created the Explore Las Animas campaign in 2019, which included a website with community and route information. Unfortunately, it came down and I’ve been brainstorming on ways to get one back up since…
Our friends at Giro have sponsored a new collective of athletes and brands that stand united in a common goal to introduce new audiences to cycling. Read the full press-release on this group below!
Moksha Patam is a game based on traditional Hindu philosophy. It was designed to teach players the Hindu concepts of Karma and Kama: virtue and desire. The virtues of generosity, faith, and humility are the ladders that carry you up the board, upwards towards enlightenment and to the end of the game. But if you follow the path of vices—lust, anger, murder, and theft—the snakes will pull you back to the beginning of the game. Up and down. Enlightenment and rebirth. Making it to your destination or being pulled back to the start.
In its first year, Dead Man Gravel is the newest race to join the gravel racing circuit. Today, the DMG registration is open for women and BIPOC participants – and general registration opening on March 23rd for everyone else. The event is scheduled for July 31, 2021 in Nederland, Colorado. This unique event strives to be both inclusive – as organizers believe everyone should feel welcome, regardless of experience, race, gender, or sexual identity/orientation – and challenging – as very few other races have as much climbing, technical sections, and sustained elevation.
To strike a balance between challenging and inclusive, Dead Man Gravel will feature three courses: the 66 mile Tungsten loop, the 41 mile Gold loop, and the 25 mile Silver loop, providing three distinct experiences for riders of all levels.
DMG is also partnering with Ride for Racial Justice and Shark Tooth Cycling, two non-profits doing incredible work in bringing new, and typically disadvantaged, athletes into the sport by helping to increase awareness and reduce barriers to entry.
Register today if you’re BIPOC, or female at Dead Man Gravel.
As part of the new Endura Gravel line, dubbed GV500, the Foyle t-shirt is a lightweight, wicking jersey that is woven with stretchy fabric on its sleeves for extra durability and flexibility. The Foyle T has a single zipper side pocket and has a fit described as relaxed, but flap-free fit.
Specs:
Sizes: S,M,L,XL,XXL
Standard Fit
MSRP: $79.99
See the entire GV500 line at Endura.
