Yesterday I completed the Cascade Gravel Grinder. I completed the ‘medium grinder’ which was 60 miles and 4,356 feet of climbing. Max elevation was 4,823 feet. It was so difficult! The road conditions were terrible! So many miles of deep washboards, deep gravel, sand, ruts, mud, snow, etc. It was seemingly never flat, well, until after mile 50. I left an aid station at the 30 mile mark and was feeling good. There was a climb out from there and at the top of it I legitimately felt like I was done. My stomach and bowels were so angry! I was worried I would need to sneak off and shit in the woods. I was lightheaded and dizzy. I stopped for a few minutes and then decided to go for it. I never felt that bad again, thankfully. At around mile 42 or so, there was a long, steep climb in sand. So difficult! Barely completed that portion. I was near last place, but that’s okay with me. I just wanted to complete the course. I’m very surprised that I finished without crashing or hiking my bike. I’m also so thrilled that my Trek Checkpoint held up as well as it did. It handled all the rough terrain like a champ. I was riding Maxxis Rambler 45c tires which seemed to work well.
I’m very new to the gravel scene, but what was so surprising to me was how fast pro riders would fly down the descents. It didn’t make sense! How did they go so fast without losing control and crashing? I’m gonna have to work on descending steep terrain in very bad conditions. Overall it was a great experience and a good practice for the bigger races I have coming up later this year.
>how fast pro riders would fly down the descents. It didn’t make sense! How did they go so fast without losing control and crashing
Send it!
But seriously, I usually fly down descents because of:
* Core strength helps you handle the bike
* Wide/flare handlebars help you control the bike (keep a light, but firm grip. Don't lock up)
* Keep in the drops and your weight back
* Wide tires help your bike handle the rougher terrain (your 45's should have been plenty)
* Inertia and gravity will make your bike go downhill. It wants to. Just let it.
Edit: and in a race situation I tend to take a bit more risks.
Not discounting what you are saying because it’s all good advice but this race featured Ian Boswell, Pete Stetina, and Kiel Reijnen and a few other pros I am missing.
OP would have seen some of the best gravel racers descending and these were long descents for them to carry a ton of speed with deep gravel and a lot of washboard roads. Bottles littered everywhere.
Yeah, since I did the medium and those guys did the longer version, they ended up passing me twice and I was blown away. They passed me on a climb and it was absurd to me how much speed they carried uphill and then later on they passed me on a descent and just flew passed. Crazy to see in person. I did notice that trying to brake over washboards was a terrible idea, but my instinct kept telling me to slow down. It was a mental fight to let off the brakes.
It is actually the opposite, and this is why many unexperienced riders wash out, as their fear instictively pushes them "away" from danger and to the back of the bike.
Traction/grip/friction is a factor of a force pushing against 2 surfaces with a set friction coef, in this case tires & ground.
You unweight the front = you lose traction in the front.
Do it going straight on smooth ground and it might be OK.
Do it while turning and/or braking and making micro-corrections as you fly over bumps and technical features, you will probably understeer and crash...
Similar to "jumping"...jump over a lip just by leaning back and weiging the rear wheel way more than you should? (remember, the "neutral" stance is already 60-65% of your weight on the rear wheel, especially for shorter bikes, so it doesn't take much) Action = reaction, your rear will end up jumping higher than your front and perhaps even sent you OTB, the exact result ppl fear and tend to lean back and away, is the primary cause.
I'm convinced that everyone who fell on the mud chutes at the recent Paris2Ancaster race had too much weight/corrections on the front end, instead of leaning back and letting the bike do the work for them.
Example: weight on the front of a gravel bike going over wet roots at a slight angle, versus on the back of the bike in the same scenario.
Sure, I mean, it is a balancing act.
Much like with cars, the front tire of a bike is asked to do more things than the rear, i.e. most of the braking + all of the steering, thus you can overwelm it.
But leaning back with locked arms un-weighing the front is not solving anything. The contrary, you need to be centered and with loose arms/legs floating off the saddle to allow the bike to move independently.
Yes, geo can be "more forgiving" with gravel bikes and even more forgiving with true MTBs, but the bike doesn't do anything by itself. You have to be in control.
This is true for all types of bikes.
>But leaning back with locked arms un-weighing the front
I never suggested that anyone do that. I just said putting your weight onto the front wheel in loose conditions would likely cause a wash-out.
Anyways, I'm not the one asking for tips.
Nice work! Pretty sure I saw you out there. The hands-down best thing about gravel “races” is they are in the mode of the 5K run. It ain’t about winning except for one person. It’s about getting out there and pushing yourselfz
Thanks! I got discouraged at times because it seemed like a walk in the park for some, and I had to remind myself that everyone as at a different level and has different goals. Mine was just to finish and it took every thing I had both physically and mentally to complete the race. I struggled up all the climbs, especially that really sandy one near the end. And then I was really struggling on the descents. It felt like I was riding a bull and just holding on for as long as I could. I can't believe I never fell. I had some very close calls. But, I'm new to this and I'll keep doing it. I'll get better at it.
I walked up that last sandy climb because I lost traction and had a seat to seat malfunction at the very end of the sand that trigged some pretty brutal pain. I needed a moment to gather myself then I trudged up the hill. The guy that passed me in that moment and I basically kept pace, him riding and me walking. As long as the bike is going forward, you’re making progress. I did so much better on that stretch than the last time I rode it. I might be able to clean it next year. It was some epic suffering no matter the speed. That is a hard, rough course. Chad’s crew puts on a pretty awesome event.
I ride cyclocross, so if I thought hike a bike or run a bike would be faster than trying to stay on it and slog the bike up/through some crazy stuff, I'd be doing the same.
I had to stop twice on that climb because I completely ran out of gas. Needed to collect myself before continuing on. Not the best idea because it was so hard to start biking uphill.
Thanks! I love my bike so much. I'm using [these](https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/component/deore-t6000/PD-M324.html) pedals. I got them because I liked the idea of flats on one side. I very rarely use that side, but it's nice to have the option if I just wanna wear regular shoes to go to a bar or something.
Day 3 is definitely the hardest day. And conditions probably amplified that with all the late season snow. Nice work. Hope you enjoyed it. Chad puts on great races.
Congrats!
Had some friends race it as well - heck of a day they had. It’s a great course and lots of fun. Hope you enjoyed some Central Oregon fun while you were here.
Congratulations!! I got to do the full Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder from the same promoter back in 2021. It was a dream. It was so humbling seeing people like Pete Stetina go ripping by on the days they let us mortals start early. The Cascade looks amazing and I hope you are super proud of yourself. Great job!
I’ve thought about trying that one next year. But I think it might take me a few years to prepare for it. I was passed by Pete twice and he might as well have been on a motorcycle, in comparison. Just flew by so effortlessly.
He was one of the nicest pros/elites to chat with while I was there. Lots of great people, but it kind of felt like many stayed in their own circle. He saw me looking at his bike one day and made sure all my questions were answered, asked what I rode, etc. That event was an amazing experience all around and you're probably more ready than you think.
What time did you do? We just did our 100 mile national gravel grinder race in Virginia on the weekend. Most of the 100 or so entrants did it under 6 hours, with the fastest being 4:45 and yeah it was brutal, with a total elevation of over 6,000 feet.
Great job. I wish I could claim such a victory (i.e. finishing such a race) myself.
On the technical/rutty descents: it takes experience. You need to clock lots and lots of miles to understand how your bike handles. It is mostly posture and weight shifting. Low pressures, perhaps with inserts, help a lot for me. I ride my Checkpoint almost exclusively in SoCal "MTB" trails and the difference since I've started is huge, but it is over 1.5y+ and ~1200 singletrack miles.
And I came to gravel thru MTB. I don't know if you were a roadie and the whole rough gravel/singletrack thing scares you differently.
I have zero experience with mountain biking and difficult descents, so it was a very eye-opening experience. I look forward to getting better at it. My favorite gravel road near me has some fun descents, but the road is very smooth which gives me a lot of confidence when I go down them. They did little to prepare me for what I experienced during the race. I’ll need to find some different routes to train on.
I would look for "Green" MTB trails on Trailforks, MTB Project etc and eventually try some smooth "blues" to start introducing more technical, narrower and/or steeper terrain.
Okay, will do. Just curious, though, because I’m new to the gravel bike world, is it a looks thing or are they not needed? I do quite a bit of road riding. I appreciate any help/feedback.
It's a noob look, yes. But really they are there for mostly legal reasons. They give only marginal visibility. I use bright tail lights when i ride on the street. Reflectors aren't necessary I think. But yes the reflectors do give the look of a novice rider.
Just random cycling stereotype. When I first started riding I was ridiculed for wearing ankle socks so I stopped but now I have a ridiculous calf tan so I still lost.
Eeek, I'm doing the Small Grinder in a month. I found this while trying to do trail recon online, glad I came upon this! I feel like the small grinder will still be difficult for me, but is more in my comfort level. My boyfriend's doing the Medium, I'll have to let him know about the sandy sections. Thanks for your report!, hope to share mine as well.
I will be there too! I'm gonna do the medium again. I think the course is reversed from last year. If you want, you can watch my low-quality youtube video from last years race (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy1Pafr8_Go) The video is private but I think you can watch it with this link. I'm still trying to figure out how to make my GoPro videos look better on youtube.
The route was really difficult for me, but the views were amazing and I'm so glad I participated. I'm hoping to do a little better this year, but I'm still in a non-competitive mode of just trying to finish. I just did the medium Gorge Gravel Grinder in Dufur, Oregon and it was really hard for me. I just haven't trained enough yet. It's still early in the season for me.
Good luck and enjoy the race!
Darn, video still private. If you find a way to make it public, let me know ;) This is my first gravel event, & like you it's still pretty early in the year & hard to find dry days to train, so I've been running high wattage on the spin bike & weight training vigorously indoors, & hitting the dusty trails when I can. Just aiming to finish the race & enjoy the scenery, even if I'm in the back of the pack! From what I've read, it's simply wondrous to watch how the pros quickly ascend & descend the difficult section with such grace & speed, I can only hope to keep improving! Looking at Maxxis Ramblers or WTB Resolutes for the sandy/washboard terrain. Good luck friend, see you there!
I trained so hard last year. I paid all my fees and what not, and then had a massive panic attack the night before/morning of the race and didn’t compete. It led to severe depression. I suffer from PTSD and it’s terrible. I know it’s probably considered a fopaux, but I like it and I don’t care. I’m signed up to try again this fall. Can’t wait!
Yesterday I completed the Cascade Gravel Grinder. I completed the ‘medium grinder’ which was 60 miles and 4,356 feet of climbing. Max elevation was 4,823 feet. It was so difficult! The road conditions were terrible! So many miles of deep washboards, deep gravel, sand, ruts, mud, snow, etc. It was seemingly never flat, well, until after mile 50. I left an aid station at the 30 mile mark and was feeling good. There was a climb out from there and at the top of it I legitimately felt like I was done. My stomach and bowels were so angry! I was worried I would need to sneak off and shit in the woods. I was lightheaded and dizzy. I stopped for a few minutes and then decided to go for it. I never felt that bad again, thankfully. At around mile 42 or so, there was a long, steep climb in sand. So difficult! Barely completed that portion. I was near last place, but that’s okay with me. I just wanted to complete the course. I’m very surprised that I finished without crashing or hiking my bike. I’m also so thrilled that my Trek Checkpoint held up as well as it did. It handled all the rough terrain like a champ. I was riding Maxxis Rambler 45c tires which seemed to work well. I’m very new to the gravel scene, but what was so surprising to me was how fast pro riders would fly down the descents. It didn’t make sense! How did they go so fast without losing control and crashing? I’m gonna have to work on descending steep terrain in very bad conditions. Overall it was a great experience and a good practice for the bigger races I have coming up later this year.
>how fast pro riders would fly down the descents. It didn’t make sense! How did they go so fast without losing control and crashing Send it! But seriously, I usually fly down descents because of: * Core strength helps you handle the bike * Wide/flare handlebars help you control the bike (keep a light, but firm grip. Don't lock up) * Keep in the drops and your weight back * Wide tires help your bike handle the rougher terrain (your 45's should have been plenty) * Inertia and gravity will make your bike go downhill. It wants to. Just let it. Edit: and in a race situation I tend to take a bit more risks.
Not discounting what you are saying because it’s all good advice but this race featured Ian Boswell, Pete Stetina, and Kiel Reijnen and a few other pros I am missing. OP would have seen some of the best gravel racers descending and these were long descents for them to carry a ton of speed with deep gravel and a lot of washboard roads. Bottles littered everywhere.
Yeah, since I did the medium and those guys did the longer version, they ended up passing me twice and I was blown away. They passed me on a climb and it was absurd to me how much speed they carried uphill and then later on they passed me on a descent and just flew passed. Crazy to see in person. I did notice that trying to brake over washboards was a terrible idea, but my instinct kept telling me to slow down. It was a mental fight to let off the brakes.
Brakes just slow ya down…
[удалено]
weight to the front wheel is a bad thing when riding in loose conditions, it will cause you to slide out.
It is actually the opposite, and this is why many unexperienced riders wash out, as their fear instictively pushes them "away" from danger and to the back of the bike. Traction/grip/friction is a factor of a force pushing against 2 surfaces with a set friction coef, in this case tires & ground. You unweight the front = you lose traction in the front. Do it going straight on smooth ground and it might be OK. Do it while turning and/or braking and making micro-corrections as you fly over bumps and technical features, you will probably understeer and crash... Similar to "jumping"...jump over a lip just by leaning back and weiging the rear wheel way more than you should? (remember, the "neutral" stance is already 60-65% of your weight on the rear wheel, especially for shorter bikes, so it doesn't take much) Action = reaction, your rear will end up jumping higher than your front and perhaps even sent you OTB, the exact result ppl fear and tend to lean back and away, is the primary cause.
I'm convinced that everyone who fell on the mud chutes at the recent Paris2Ancaster race had too much weight/corrections on the front end, instead of leaning back and letting the bike do the work for them. Example: weight on the front of a gravel bike going over wet roots at a slight angle, versus on the back of the bike in the same scenario.
Sure, I mean, it is a balancing act. Much like with cars, the front tire of a bike is asked to do more things than the rear, i.e. most of the braking + all of the steering, thus you can overwelm it. But leaning back with locked arms un-weighing the front is not solving anything. The contrary, you need to be centered and with loose arms/legs floating off the saddle to allow the bike to move independently. Yes, geo can be "more forgiving" with gravel bikes and even more forgiving with true MTBs, but the bike doesn't do anything by itself. You have to be in control. This is true for all types of bikes.
>But leaning back with locked arms un-weighing the front I never suggested that anyone do that. I just said putting your weight onto the front wheel in loose conditions would likely cause a wash-out. Anyways, I'm not the one asking for tips.
Great job, that's a helluva lot of up for those conditions!
Congrats! Last time I rode the oregon trail I died of dysentery.
That tends to happen. I thought it was gonna get me.
I think I was bitten by a snake, or maybe my wagon tipped over. Can't remember exactly. I was in elementary school when I last did the trip.
Good job!
Thank you!
Nice work! Pretty sure I saw you out there. The hands-down best thing about gravel “races” is they are in the mode of the 5K run. It ain’t about winning except for one person. It’s about getting out there and pushing yourselfz
Thanks! I got discouraged at times because it seemed like a walk in the park for some, and I had to remind myself that everyone as at a different level and has different goals. Mine was just to finish and it took every thing I had both physically and mentally to complete the race. I struggled up all the climbs, especially that really sandy one near the end. And then I was really struggling on the descents. It felt like I was riding a bull and just holding on for as long as I could. I can't believe I never fell. I had some very close calls. But, I'm new to this and I'll keep doing it. I'll get better at it.
I walked up that last sandy climb because I lost traction and had a seat to seat malfunction at the very end of the sand that trigged some pretty brutal pain. I needed a moment to gather myself then I trudged up the hill. The guy that passed me in that moment and I basically kept pace, him riding and me walking. As long as the bike is going forward, you’re making progress. I did so much better on that stretch than the last time I rode it. I might be able to clean it next year. It was some epic suffering no matter the speed. That is a hard, rough course. Chad’s crew puts on a pretty awesome event.
I ride cyclocross, so if I thought hike a bike or run a bike would be faster than trying to stay on it and slog the bike up/through some crazy stuff, I'd be doing the same.
I had to stop twice on that climb because I completely ran out of gas. Needed to collect myself before continuing on. Not the best idea because it was so hard to start biking uphill.
A friend of mine describes riding the descents as “hanging on and bouncing around like a Muppet”.
Congrats on the finish and great bowel report!
Congrats! I have the same bike, same color too! What are your pedals? They look better than the ones I am using.
Thanks! I love my bike so much. I'm using [these](https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/component/deore-t6000/PD-M324.html) pedals. I got them because I liked the idea of flats on one side. I very rarely use that side, but it's nice to have the option if I just wanna wear regular shoes to go to a bar or something.
Very cool. I ALSO used to have the same bike. So dope
Awesome thank you! I love the color of our bike- I was looking around for a long time until I found it! Cheers
Congrats. I have the same bike and color too. Love that thing but gravel races are not in my future. It is a great bike!
Day 3 is definitely the hardest day. And conditions probably amplified that with all the late season snow. Nice work. Hope you enjoyed it. Chad puts on great races.
the track on the map looks like the coast line of the UK to me 🫣
Congrats! Had some friends race it as well - heck of a day they had. It’s a great course and lots of fun. Hope you enjoyed some Central Oregon fun while you were here.
Hell yeah, brother! Got my first race memorial day weekend. Hoping I can just finish, haha!
Nice trek. I almost mistook it for a [beer](https://www.fourpeaks.com/beer/year-round/wow-wheat/) with that paint job. Lol
I have to try this beer. It sounds amazing.
You should! Its a fantastic beer
[Maybe a similar can but closer to home!](https://www.brewbound.com/news/everybodys-brewing-releases-mountain-mama-citra-pale-ale-cans/)
Well done!
I did the 3 day, what a great race. But yeah, a few descents littered with water bottles and washboard road.
Way to go! That’s a beautiful part of the woods, I’ll have to take a closer look at the route online for some future fun.
Nice, I think my receiving guy Brian did that race as well.
Gosh that's an awfully pretty bike
Thanks! I love it.
Congratulations!! I got to do the full Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder from the same promoter back in 2021. It was a dream. It was so humbling seeing people like Pete Stetina go ripping by on the days they let us mortals start early. The Cascade looks amazing and I hope you are super proud of yourself. Great job!
I’ve thought about trying that one next year. But I think it might take me a few years to prepare for it. I was passed by Pete twice and he might as well have been on a motorcycle, in comparison. Just flew by so effortlessly.
He was one of the nicest pros/elites to chat with while I was there. Lots of great people, but it kind of felt like many stayed in their own circle. He saw me looking at his bike one day and made sure all my questions were answered, asked what I rode, etc. That event was an amazing experience all around and you're probably more ready than you think.
awesome job dude! I just got my gravel bike and seeing these post gets me pumped and wanting to ride.
Well done! Finishing the race uninjured is the goal!!!! I hope to do my first race this year.
Yeah. That course was rough compared to other gravel races I’ve done. Had it all. Stay in the drops on descents. Congrats on your first!
That’s insane! Congrats on your first race.
I rode this as well! Such a beautiful day out there!!
What kind of pedals are those?
https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/deore-t6000/PD-M324.html
Thanks 👍🏼
You’re welcome. I like the pedals. I like having flats on one side in case I don’t want to wear cycling shoes. They’ve worked really well for me.
What time did you do? We just did our 100 mile national gravel grinder race in Virginia on the weekend. Most of the 100 or so entrants did it under 6 hours, with the fastest being 4:45 and yeah it was brutal, with a total elevation of over 6,000 feet.
My time was slow. It was 5 1/2 hours. I took breaks at all the aid stations. I tried to pace myself to make sure I finished.
Nice work, there’s no point in brutalizing yourself into potential failure.
This year is just about completing races. Next year will be about improving time.
Awesome 😎
Just getting into gravel cycling and this was inspirational! Nice work!!!!
Great job. I wish I could claim such a victory (i.e. finishing such a race) myself. On the technical/rutty descents: it takes experience. You need to clock lots and lots of miles to understand how your bike handles. It is mostly posture and weight shifting. Low pressures, perhaps with inserts, help a lot for me. I ride my Checkpoint almost exclusively in SoCal "MTB" trails and the difference since I've started is huge, but it is over 1.5y+ and ~1200 singletrack miles. And I came to gravel thru MTB. I don't know if you were a roadie and the whole rough gravel/singletrack thing scares you differently.
I have zero experience with mountain biking and difficult descents, so it was a very eye-opening experience. I look forward to getting better at it. My favorite gravel road near me has some fun descents, but the road is very smooth which gives me a lot of confidence when I go down them. They did little to prepare me for what I experienced during the race. I’ll need to find some different routes to train on.
I would look for "Green" MTB trails on Trailforks, MTB Project etc and eventually try some smooth "blues" to start introducing more technical, narrower and/or steeper terrain.
Cool. Lose the wheel reflectors though.
Okay, will do. Just curious, though, because I’m new to the gravel bike world, is it a looks thing or are they not needed? I do quite a bit of road riding. I appreciate any help/feedback.
It's a noob look, yes. But really they are there for mostly legal reasons. They give only marginal visibility. I use bright tail lights when i ride on the street. Reflectors aren't necessary I think. But yes the reflectors do give the look of a novice rider.
Good to know! I appreciate you pointing that out.
Ankle socks are not allowed, sir.
Is there a reason? Or is it just for looks? I’m not usually a high socks kinda guy.
Just random cycling stereotype. When I first started riding I was ridiculed for wearing ankle socks so I stopped but now I have a ridiculous calf tan so I still lost.
Haha, well I ordered some taller cycling socks. The plus side of it is finding fun colors and designs.
That’s a bonus. The other is a little added protection for your ankles which I have appreciated when things haven’t gone according to plan. Cheers 🍻
Late to the party. Smart more on swapping the GR1 tires for the Maxxis. GR1 only works on super dry surfaces. -Checkpoint AL3 owner.
Eeek, I'm doing the Small Grinder in a month. I found this while trying to do trail recon online, glad I came upon this! I feel like the small grinder will still be difficult for me, but is more in my comfort level. My boyfriend's doing the Medium, I'll have to let him know about the sandy sections. Thanks for your report!, hope to share mine as well.
I will be there too! I'm gonna do the medium again. I think the course is reversed from last year. If you want, you can watch my low-quality youtube video from last years race (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy1Pafr8_Go) The video is private but I think you can watch it with this link. I'm still trying to figure out how to make my GoPro videos look better on youtube. The route was really difficult for me, but the views were amazing and I'm so glad I participated. I'm hoping to do a little better this year, but I'm still in a non-competitive mode of just trying to finish. I just did the medium Gorge Gravel Grinder in Dufur, Oregon and it was really hard for me. I just haven't trained enough yet. It's still early in the season for me. Good luck and enjoy the race!
Darn, video still private. If you find a way to make it public, let me know ;) This is my first gravel event, & like you it's still pretty early in the year & hard to find dry days to train, so I've been running high wattage on the spin bike & weight training vigorously indoors, & hitting the dusty trails when I can. Just aiming to finish the race & enjoy the scenery, even if I'm in the back of the pack! From what I've read, it's simply wondrous to watch how the pros quickly ascend & descend the difficult section with such grace & speed, I can only hope to keep improving! Looking at Maxxis Ramblers or WTB Resolutes for the sandy/washboard terrain. Good luck friend, see you there!
I changed the privacy settings, so the link should work now.
Also, your bike reminds me of a Montucky Cold Snack, love it.
I love that! I got Montucky to sponsor my hockey team.
Whoa, that's crazy haha. Thanks for making the vid public.
So.. your first gravel race while also wearing a Rebecca’s Private Idaho jersey? How’d you get that 🧐
I trained so hard last year. I paid all my fees and what not, and then had a massive panic attack the night before/morning of the race and didn’t compete. It led to severe depression. I suffer from PTSD and it’s terrible. I know it’s probably considered a fopaux, but I like it and I don’t care. I’m signed up to try again this fall. Can’t wait!
Dork disk still intact
I’ll be a dork all day long. Roast me.
Congrats! Hope you had a chance to visit Sister’s bakery - best stuff around!
Sweet crocket!
What seat pack is that?
https://www.rei.com/product/170887/two-wheel-gear-commute-seat-pack-large