Gravel has become an extremely popular form of cycling for many different reasons. Emily and I have been looking at gravel-specific bikes for quite some time and have just recently pulled the trigger on some. If you are looking at getting a gravel bike for the 2022 season, I would highly recommend getting your order in now. The bike industry appears to still be experiencing delay and supply issues as both our bikes will not be in until the beginning of April (Hopefully). A full review on these bikes will be done as soon as we have the ability to ride them let alone see them. As we started looking for races to get registered for it became very clear to us that having gravel bikes would open up so many doors for local racing. One of the biggest negatives about ultra racing for us is having to travel to California, Oregon, Texas, and Utah for most of those styles of ultra-road race events. There just aren't many local races within even eight hours of drive time available. Other reasons that helped in our decision making of gravel bikes are the following:
Safety
Increased Route Availability
Adventure
Gravel riding is just safer. Instead of sharing a highway with semis, trucks, and cars traveling at 55 - 65 mph, we are sharing gravel roads with farmers and significantly less traffic overall. That translates to less probability of being struck by a vehicle.
The number of gravel roads compared to paved roads in our region is significant. Having the ability to ride a new route every single ride is something we won't be used to. Currently, we know exactly what each ride will bring on our limited paved roads almost down to where each bump is. This is one of the biggest perks besides safety for us.
This one speaks for itself. Adventure. South Dakota has quite a few minimum maintenance roads that are screaming to be discovered. I'm hoping that this can someday turn into a local race including many of these roads.
So, without further delay here are each of the races I have registered for. Emily has also registered for many of these as well with different distance goals in mind.
LE GRAND DU NORD 110 MILER
Saturday, May 28th, 2022 Grand Marais, MN
8 - 9 hrs from Madison, SD
Le Grand represents one of the most amazing gravel courses in the United States. Beginning in Grand Marais, Minnesota’s spectacular harbor, the race follows the shores of Lake Superior before climbing to their final destinations. With more than 5500 ft of climbing and a decidedly remote feel, the 110 mile course is beautifully challenging. The event itself lists these different distances. If you are looking to get registered, do it quick! It is selling out quickly.
110 MILE, 54 MILE, & 26 MILE
PINE ISLAND-GRAVEL ODYSSEY 210 MILER Sat June 11, 2022 Spearfish, SD
6 hrs. from Madison, SD
When you think of South Dakota, images of endless prairie and rolling hills may surface in your mind. But nestled in the far West lies one of the best-kept secrets in the nation, the beautiful Black Hills. The Black Hills are far more than endless country roads through a lonely, desolate landscape. They are an oasis surrounded by a vast sea of prairie grasses. Deep in the hills you will find an abundance of ancient pine trees threaded with dirt and gravel roads. These old roads traverse valleys, climb to mountain tops with spectacular vistas, follow babbling brooks, enter into deep canyons, and may give you a glimpse of the abundance of wildlife and wildflowers in the hills. You can come here to explore the deep crevices and secret places or go on your own personal soul-searching journey, in the heart of our nation. I have chosen to register for the 210 Mile Lodgepole Voyage. This should be fun! The race venue officers the following distances.
210 MILE, 110 MILE, 70 MILE, & 45 MILE
August 12th, 2022 Cumming, IA
5 hrs. from Madison, SD
The Tour of Central Iowa is a multi-distance, multi-surface bicycle event that takes place in beautiful rural south-central Iowa. The Mann Powered 380 honors, Joe Mann. Joe was an Iowan and an avid endurance cyclist. The 380-mile route starts early Saturday morning and will include both paved roads and gravel roads. This race will have a 38-hour time limit and allows for support at pre-designated aid stations. This race will be the longest event I have planned for 2022 as of this blog post. Other options include:
100K, 200K, 200K team, 380 mile supported or unsupported.
GARMIN GRAVEL WORLDS THE LONG VOYAGE 300 MILER August 19-20, 2022 Lincoln, NE
4 hrs. from Madison, SD
The Ultimate Challenge for me. The event itself is only one week after the 380 miler in Iowa. Dubbed as the ultimate Nebraska Grass-Roots Gravel challenge! This challenge will push the individual in body, mind, and spirit like few challenges on earth. Over 300 miles of constant rolling hills that will amass over 15,000 ft of elevation on the journey. 100% self-supported, the only oasis riders will find on this voyage will be from public gas stations and water stops provided by the Pirate Cycling League. This is where everything learned will have to be implemented. MANY other options are located on their website (click the link above). It WILL be a great event and a fantastic substitute for those unable to register for Unbound Gravel.
Still being considered is the Race Across Oregon in July. As stated above however this would be a roughly 23 hr drive, require a full crew of 6 people, vehicle rentals, and many other expenses. Something that is just hard to line up. While I would really want to accomplish RAW (Race Across the West) in 2022, I believe it will be great to focus on these fantastic local race options and continue to sharpen the spear for another crack at RAW at a later date. If you have any questions about gravel bikes (Which ones we chose), races, or anything else don't hesitate to reach out! As always, Ride on!
-Mathew Wollmann
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