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GRAVEL CYCLING
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GRAVEL RACING AND
ADVENTURE BIKEPACKING
NICK LEGAN
Copyright © 2017 by Nick Legan
All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or photocopy or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations within critical articles and reviews.
3002 Sterling Circle, Suite 100Boulder, CO 80301–2338 USA VeloPress is the leading publisher of books on endurance sports. Focused on cycling, triathlon, running, swimming, and nutrition/diet, VeloPress books help athletes achieve their goals of going faster and farther. Preview books and contact us at velopress.com.
Distributed in the United States and Canada by Ingram Publisher Services
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataLegan, Nick, author.Gravel cycling: the complete guide to gravel racing and adventure bikepacking / Nick Legan.Boulder, Colorado: VeloPress, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.LCCN 2017021191 | ISBN 9781937715700 (alk. paper)LCSH: Cycling. | Bicycle racing. | Gravel roads—Recreational use.LCC GV1041 .L435 2017 | DDC 796.6—dc23
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
17 18 19 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Getting Started
1Race Prep
9 One-Day Domestic Events
21One-Day International Events
93Multiday Adventures
139
1
3
4
5
2
Outfitting Your Bike
207 Bikepacking Gear for Multiday Adventures
233 Building Your Gravel Dream Machine
259 Epilogue
275 Resources
277 Index
279 Acknowledgments
285 About the Author
287
6
8
7
GRAVEL GRINDERS
Great Otway Gravel GrindForrest, Victoria, AustraliaFebruary
PAGE 94
La Gravel66Pyrénées-Orientales, FranceMarch
PAGE 100
Dirty ReiverKielder Castle, United KingdomApril
PAGE 106
Pirinexus 360 ChallengeGirona, Catalonia, SpainJune
PAGE 112
La ResistanceTalloires, FranceSeptember
PAGE 118
Gravel FondoBlack Forest, GermanyOctober
PAGE 126
Gravel RocFréjus, FranceOctober
PAGE 134
Grasshopper Adventure SeriesSonoma County, CAJanuary–June
PAGE 22
Land RunStillwater, OKMarch
PAGE 28
Barry-RoubaixHastings, MIApril
PAGE 34
Trans IowaGrinnell, IAApril
PAGE 40
AlmanzoSpring Valley, MNMay
PAGE 46
Dirty KanzaEmporia, KSMay or June
PAGE 52
DOMESTIC
INTERNATIONAL2
27
8 9
1011
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
1
1
1
1
2
2
7
73
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
6
7
8
9
10
11
Crusher in the TusharBeaver, UTJuly
PAGE 58
Gravel WorldsLincoln, NEAugust
PAGE 66
Deerfield Dirt Road RandonnéeDeerfield, MAAugust
PAGE 72
Rebecca’s Private IdahoKetchum, IDSeptember
PAGE 78
GrinduroQuincy, CAOctober
PAGE 84
GRAVEL GRINDERS
Great Otway Gravel GrindForrest, Victoria, AustraliaFebruary
PAGE 94
La Gravel66Pyrénées-Orientales, FranceMarch
PAGE 100
Dirty ReiverKielder Castle, United KingdomApril
PAGE 106
Pirinexus 360 ChallengeGirona, Catalonia, SpainJune
PAGE 112
La ResistanceTalloires, FranceSeptember
PAGE 118
Gravel FondoBlack Forest, GermanyOctober
PAGE 126
Gravel RocFréjus, FranceOctober
PAGE 134
Grasshopper Adventure SeriesSonoma County, CAJanuary–June
PAGE 22
Land RunStillwater, OKMarch
PAGE 28
Barry-RoubaixHastings, MIApril
PAGE 34
Trans IowaGrinnell, IAApril
PAGE 40
AlmanzoSpring Valley, MNMay
PAGE 46
Dirty KanzaEmporia, KSMay or June
PAGE 52
DOMESTIC
INTERNATIONAL2
27
8 9
1011
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
1
1
1
1
2
2
7
73
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
6
7
8
9
10
11
Crusher in the TusharBeaver, UTJuly
PAGE 58
Gravel WorldsLincoln, NEAugust
PAGE 66
Deerfield Dirt Road RandonnéeDeerfield, MAAugust
PAGE 72
Rebecca’s Private IdahoKetchum, IDSeptember
PAGE 78
GrinduroQuincy, CAOctober
PAGE 84
Great Divide Mountain Bike RouteBan�, AB to Antelope Wells, NM | 2,768 miles
PAGE 142
Denali HighwayPaxson, AK to Cantwell, AK | 135 miles
PAGE 158
Trans North CaliforniaReno, NV to Mendocino, CA | 400 miles
PAGE 164
Oregon OutbackKlamath Falls, OR to the Deschutes River | 364 miles
PAGE 170
Katy TrailClinton, MO to Machens, MO | 237 miles
PAGE 176
Great Allegheny Passage and C&O TowpathPittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C. | 335 miles
PAGE 182
AK
WA
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
WI
IL IN OH
KY
TN
MS AL GA
FL
SC
NC
VAWV
PA
MD DE
NJ
CT
MA
VTNH
ME
RINY
MI
MO
AR
LA
UT
CO
AZ
NM
OR
ADVENTURE BIKEPACKING ALBERTA
1
2
Colorado TrailWaterton Canyon, CO to Durango, CO | 525 miles
PAGE 190
Arizona TrailSierra Vista, AZ to Kaibab Plateau, AZ | 739 miles
PAGE 198
SINGLETRACK MULTIDAY ROUTES
MULTIDAY ROUTES
2
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
1
1
4
5
6
3
Great Divide Mountain Bike RouteBan�, AB to Antelope Wells, NM | 2,768 miles
PAGE 142
Denali HighwayPaxson, AK to Cantwell, AK | 135 miles
PAGE 158
Trans North CaliforniaReno, NV to Mendocino, CA | 400 miles
PAGE 164
Oregon OutbackKlamath Falls, OR to the Deschutes River | 364 miles
PAGE 170
Katy TrailClinton, MO to Machens, MO | 237 miles
PAGE 176
Great Allegheny Passage and C&O TowpathPittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C. | 335 miles
PAGE 182
AK
WA
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
WI
IL IN OH
KY
TN
MS AL GA
FL
SC
NC
VAWV
PA
MD DE
NJ
CT
MA
VTNH
ME
RINY
MI
MO
AR
LA
UT
CO
AZ
NM
OR
ADVENTURE BIKEPACKING ALBERTA
1
2
Colorado TrailWaterton Canyon, CO to Durango, CO | 525 miles
PAGE 190
Arizona TrailSierra Vista, AZ to Kaibab Plateau, AZ | 739 miles
PAGE 198
SINGLETRACK MULTIDAY ROUTES
MULTIDAY ROUTES
2
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
1
1
4
5
6
3
Attaching your number plate makes it official. This one’s from the Crusher in the Tushar.
1
GETTING STARTED
Paused at the side of what few would consider a road, the morning sun still low on the horizon, I was struck by the beauty of the setting I had just entered. Rolling green hills covered in tall grass were bisected by a narrow brown path of dirt and gravel. Clusters of cows dotted the land, while small white clouds floated through a brightening blue sky. The humid air carried a sweetness that would soon burn off in the Midwest’s intense summer heat. An ant-like procession of multicolored Lycra-clad cyclists labored their way out of view ahead. Looking back, hundreds more bobbing cyclists made their way in my direction. As they approached me, they called out to ask if I needed anything.
Returning my bottle to the cage after a swig of water, my eyes fell on the number plate attached to my handlebars. This served as a helpful reminder that despite the idyllic setting and friendly nature of the other cyclists nearby, I was in a race, my first gravel race. My first double century, or 200-mile ride, in fact. Somewhere in the beautifully brutal Flint Hills of Kansas, a couple hours into the 2011 Dirty Kanza 200, I fell in love with gravel racing.
In the ensuing years, having made my way to other events around the United States, the love affair has only grown more intense. I’m certainly not alone, and that’s the whole point. In searching for your own limits at gravel events, you find a family
1
2 GRAVEL CYCLING
of people seeking untapped abilities. The shared suffering of trudging through miles of mud and hours of chilly progress against headwinds brings cyclists together.
And just as social media makes discovering new gravel events easier, it also makes staying connected with your new gravel brothers and sisters more convenient. Online, just as at the starting line or when out on nearly forgotten dirt roads, the gravel community supports its members, inspiring them to gather repeatedly for new adventures, new terrain, new vistas. It is a self-perpetuating circle of curiosity, preparation, testing, dissecting, and trying again.
For those who prefer solitude to competition, gravel roads offer escape from the increasingly busy paved roads around the world. Cyclists are discovering that riding on dirt lanes and gravel roads is the calmest form of cycling, a way to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. Jim Cummins, the founder of the Dirty Kanza 200, embraces the term gravel grinder, but for a different reason than you might think. It’s not because the ride is a grind—not at all. It’s because going out and riding gravel allows him to leave the grind of daily life behind.
Bikepacking offers even more joys, a long-form escape into a world you may not have seen before. Imagine extending your gravel ride with some nights under the stars, and you will discover a joyous time in nature—self-supported, self-reliant, and richly fulfilling.
For new cyclists, riding gravel and solitary dirt roads is a natural solution to the problems of road riding or mountain biking. Traffic on paved roads scares many new cyclists, and the absence of a safe shoulder or the threatening presence of a gutter strewn with broken glass and debris can be paralyzing. The technical skills required for mountain biking are also an impediment for many. Riding gravel and dirt roads, on the other hand, offers a quiet cycling experience with only a minimal amount of cycling prowess required.
The remoteness of gravel roads also helps produce better cyclists, riders with a sense of self-reliance. Many gravel races reinforce this by requiring competitors to self-support using convenience stores found along the race route. This is a far cry from the world of Tour de France racing, where a team car is ready at a moment’s notice to deliver food, clothing, even a spare bike if needed. In contrast, gravel race promoters borrow race rules from the roots of mountain bike racing, where making it to the finish line requires fitness and self-reliance, as well as thoughtful riding to preserve your bicycle. In addition to making the organization of an event a much simpler affair, this approach creates cyclists who are unlikely to find themselves marooned by mechanical or nutritional problems.
In short, gravel riding has a lot to offer to cyclists of any ilk. A full day exploring farm roads or mountainous miners’ paths
GETTING STARTED 3
Bailey Newbrey and Allison Zmuda kick up dust as they power through an early morning section of Dirty Kanza.
4 GRAVEL CYCLING
Fast-rolling tires are the way to go for Almanzo, held in Spring Valley, Minnesota, every May.
GETTING STARTED 5
will bring highs and lows, flat tires and new friends. These roads are much more than a venue for cycling. They serve as romantic reminders of bygone eras while also inspiring an adventurous future for the sport.
Where did gravel riding come from?Gravel cycling is the original form of cycling. Modern gravel riders are simply rediscovering the sport’s roots. When bicycles first became popular in the mid-19th century, almost all roads worldwide were dirt. Although asphalt roads existed as early as 615 B.C.E. in Babylon, they didn’t become common outside of city centers until the 20th century. In the United States, much of the impetus to pave roads came from the League of American Wheelmen (now known as the League of American Bicyclists). Formed in 1880, the group advocated for improving road conditions, and its efforts led to the creation of the National Highway System.
Fortunately for modern gravel riders, the league was not 100 percent successful. The U.S. Department of Transportation, in a 2013 report, noted that nearly 1.4 million miles of the country’s 4 million miles of public roads are unpaved. With well over a quarter of our public roads made of dirt and gravel, opportunities abound.
As with many organic developments, the modern incarnation of gravel riding was simply a matter of cyclists in rural areas
taking advantage of the miles and miles of remote farm and mountain roads they had on hand. A pragmatic sense of using what you have at your disposal is the very heart of gravel riding. Seeking out unpaved routes allows riders to avoid increasingly busy paved roads, where many only find anxiety and motorists intent on texting. Depending on your location, riding gravel also bypasses the need to build a trail network, which mountain biking often requires.
What is a gravel bike?Simply put, a gravel bike is a bicycle that you ride on gravel. This definition is intentionally vague because riders all over the world enjoy riding dirt and gravel on bicycles as different as lightweight carbon-fiber road race bikes and heavy-duty dual-suspension mountain bikes. Because surfaces and terrain differ so greatly, what’s best for you in your area can require a bit of experimentation. As you’ll see in this book’s photos, the diversity of bicycles used for gravel riding is startling and inventive.
In many cases, buying a new bike is not required. At the same time, a new steed may serve your needs better than what you currently own and add to your on-bike fun. Later, we’ll explore how to upgrade your current bicycle for gravel as well as give you a quick primer on what to look for if you decide to pull the trigger on a new bike. Rest assured, though, that a big investment is not needed. The only requirement for gravel
6 GRAVEL CYCLING
biking is your willingness to take on new adventures.
What skills do you need to go gravel riding?A bonus to gravel riding is that it doesn’t require a high level of rider skill like mountain biking does. It has a low barrier of entry to a good time aboard a bike in a beautiful rural setting.
That’s not to say that gravel biking doesn’t require attentive and careful riding, especially when cornering. But you can easily achieve those skills, and thanks to the quiet nature of most gravel and dirt roads, the classroom setting is not harried. Small bobbles don’t put you in a lane of constant traffic or careening off a narrow trail into rocks and trees.
Riding on loose surfaces can be unnerving at first. But with some instruction and a bit of practice, riding on gravel will raise your skill level across the board, with those skills then translating to road and mountain biking. Much like a road rider on the lookout for glass and potholes, a good gravel cyclist is continually scanning ahead, looking for the smoothest path, wary of deep patches of loose gravel, and aware of what little traffic may be approaching. We become students of roads, judging if standing over a rise is a good idea or if it will result in a spinning rear wheel. We memorize the location of washboard sections and revel in mastering particularly rough roads.
Because most dirt and gravel roads are maintained annually by state and county agencies, we get to experience them anew after additional gravel is laid or grading work is completed. Rain, snow, wind, and traffic also continually evolve a gravel road’s surface. All this rewards the attentive rider and provides subtly different roads week by week, keeping the riding fresh for riders who have limited access to gravel roads.
Give it a goWith a strong emphasis on fun, gravel may be the shining light in cycling’s future. It mostly bypasses interactions with motorists and sidesteps the access issues associated with mountain biking. Riding gravel doesn’t require special equipment or a high skill level. With so many opportunities to ride gravel and so few impediments to giving it a try, there’s no reason for the growth of gravel cycling to slow.
Our next chapter contains an introduction to gravel racing, but bear in mind that you don’t need to compete to ride gravel. Cycling as a sport has a strong tradition in competition, a tradition that sometimes overshadows the simple pleasures of freedom and exploration that riding a bike can deliver.
Make no excuses for how you ride, be it fast or slow, long or short. Just ride.
GETTING STARTED 7
Pavement, dirt, singletrack: California’s Grinduro features a little bit of everything.
279
Index
Note: Illustrations in italics; events/routes in bold.
accessories, 14, 213, 217, 237, 241, 242 bikepacking, 222, 223, 224, 233, 264 electronic, 255 gravel bike, 216, 220–221
Adventure Cycling Association, 140, 142, 152, 176, 204, 205, 260
adventure riding, 221–223, 259, 275 multiday, 139, 141
Advocate Cycles Hayduke 27.5+, Colorado Trail and, 260
aerobars, 19, 51, 223, 235, 235, 237aerodynamics, 51, 216, 235Almanzo 100, 46–51Aloksak, 19Alpkit, 224, 237Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), 134Anything Cages, 219, 246Apidura, 224, 241Aquamira, 253Aquatabs, 253Arizona Trail, (AZT), 153, 189, 198–203equipment recommendations for, 239–240Avid, pads from, 230
backpacking, 221, 243, 247backpacks, 216, 240, 244, 245
bags, 257, 262 bento box-style, 223, 241 bikepacking, 221, 222, 222, 223, 224,
240 drop, 12, 17, 28 frame, 240, 241, 246, 264 handlebar, 241 rear, 264 saddle, 140 sleeping, 248, 250, 251, 251, 257 soft, 240 tube, 241, 260Banjo Brothers, 19Barcheck, Aaron, 270Barry-Roubaix, 34–39Basinger, Pete, 152batteries, 40, 150, 241, 242, 253, 255, 257 charging, 270bead seat diameter, 210Bedrock Bags, 241, 266Beltchenko, Neil, 190, 198, 262Bergman, Adam, 50Big Agnes, 245, 247, 248bike fit, importance of, 208, 213bike setup, planning, 10, 246bike washing, 13, 14BikeOvernights.org, 205bikepacking, 140, 217, 218, 220, 221, 236, 237,
245, 250, 255–256, 262, 266, 268, 273
accessories for, 222, 223, 224, 233, 264 joys of, 2 setup for, 10, 246bikepacking bikes, 236–237, 262Birzman, 229Bishop, Chris, 260bivy sacks, 247–248, 247, 257Black Diamond, 247Black Sheep, 260Blackburn, 224, 228, 241BMC Roadmachine, 213Boatman, Jeff, 221bolts, 221, 231, 257 checking, 12–13Bontrager, 226Borah Gear, 248Boucher, Jason, 218brake pads, 12, 14, 230, 239, 257, 273brake rotors, 235, 273brakes, 233, 235, 238 adjusting, 230 caliper, 230, 236 cantilever, 220, 230, 236 disc, 230, 230, 236, 273 hydraulic, 230, 230, 270, 273 maintaining, 230–231 mechanical, 230, 273Bridgestone Bicycles, 148brushes, 14, 32, 257
280 INDEX
CamelBak, 253Caminade, 100Camo Wanderlust bags, 262Campagnolo, parts from, 229, 268Cane Creek Thudbuster, 239Cannondale Slate, 27Cantal, Jordi, 112, 117CO2 cartridges, 12, 226, 228, 228Carman, Nicholas, 153, 262Carousel Design Works, 221cassettes, 229, 230, 231, 233, 235, 270Cassidy, Butch, 58chainrings, 229, 230, 231, 233, 235, 238chains, 235, 257, 270 cleaning, 13, 14Chumba Stella 29er, 262Clement, 39, 45, 125, 226, 227, 270clothing, 11, 12, 221, 222, 233, 250 repairing, 257cogs, pie-plate-size, 229Colorado Trail, (CT), 189, 190–197 equipment recommendations for,
239–240, 260Compass Bon Jon Pass, 227computers, 14, 18, 19, 213cooking, 251, 254–257Crawford, Miguel, 22, 27Crazy Guy on a Bike, 205Crusher in the Tushar, 58–65cue sheets, 18, 19, 34, 40, 44, 51, 52, 58, 66Cummins, Jim, 2, 57, 275Curiak, Mike, 149, 152, 217cyclocross, 220, 236cyclocross bikes, 24 gravel riding and, 207 tires for, 210, 212
daily rides, checklist for, 231Dains, LeLan, 275Deane, Ali, 99Deerfield Dirt Road Radonnée, 72–77degreasers, using, 13dehydration, problems with, 204, 216DeLorme, 205, 242, 257Denali Highway, 158–163 equipment recommendations for, 239derailleurs, 229, 230, 231, 235, 273Dial, Roman, 245Dirty Kanza, 1, 2, 15, 52–57, 71, 78, 228, 275Dirty Reiver, 106–111District Bicycles, 28drivetrains, 213, 229, 230, 260, 266, 268,
270, 272, 273 cleaning, 12, 13 mountain bike, 238
Effetto Mariposa, 226energy gels, 126, 224Enlightened Equipment, 251ENO, 250Enve Gravel Road (GRD), 270Epic Designs, 245Ergon, 239Errington, Paul, 106, 111Esbit, 254European Tyre and Rim Technical
Organisation (ETRTO), 210
Farnsworth, Philo T., 58fastpacking, 247fatbikes, 217, 220, 244 gravel riding and, 207female riders, tips for, 154Fenix, 241
filtering, 252–253, 252fire-making kits, 257first-aid kits, 257flats, 10, 150–151, 224, 226, 228food, 12, 15, 16, 93, 223, 231, 257 carrying, 216, 224 dehydrated, 255forks (bike) carbon, 264 suspension, 238, 239, 262frames carbon fiber, 260 components for, 264–272 TIG-welded, 260framesets, stock, 259Frankenbike, 268fueling, 216, 223, 224Fuller, Steve, 45
Garmin, 18, 51, 241, 242Gates Carbon Drive, 272GDMBR. See Great Divide Mountain Bike
Routegearing, 233, 266 mountain, 272–273 setting up, 229Geiss, Stephan, 126, 133Genuine Innovations, 229Gevenalle, 273Giant Defy, 213Gleason, Greg, 44Godfrey, Corey, 71Gordon, Bruce, 226, 236, 237Gordon Rock ’n Road, 227, 236, 237GPS units, 18, 19, 106, 152, 231, 237, 241,
242, 242, 257
INDEX 281
GPX files, 18, 19, 28, 34, 52, 58, 66, 106Grasshopper Adventure Series, 22–27gravel bikes, 233 building, 259–273 described, 214–216 tires for, 210, 212Gravel Fondo, 126–133gravel racing, 6, 9, 10, 11, 215, 275 popularity of, 93 rules of, 13, 15gravel riding, 2, 5, 259, 275 bikes for, 207 discovering, 9 race-distance, 10 skills for, 6Gravel Roc, 134–137Gravel Worlds, 66–71Great Allegheny Passage and C&O
Towpath, 182–188 equipment recommendations for, 239Great Divide, 44, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 189,
237, 240, 270Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
(GDMBR), 140, 142–147, 148, 151, 152, 204
equipment recommendations for, 238–239Great Otway Gravel Grind, 94–99Grinduro, 84–91GU Energy Labs, 15, 17Gypsy by Trade, 262
Hall, Mike, 151, 152hammocks, 248, 250handlebars, 208, 216, 221, 241, 246 aero, 223, 235, 235, 237 drop, 237, 272–273 fiber, 231
flared drop, 237 loop, 237, 262Hauswald, Yuri, 15, 57helmets, 11, 12, 51Hennessy, 250Hockman, Eric, 260Holyland Challenge, 153hub wires, dynamo, 242Hutchinson, 226hydration, 71, 198 focusing on, 12, 16, 216, 222 packs, 223 planning, 10 race day, 15–18hygiene, 257
Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, 140Iditasport Extreme, 148IMBA, 260Indian Pacific Wheel Race, 152international events, one-day, 93
Jacks R Better, 251Jetboil, 254, 255Johnson, Mike, 45, 275Johnson, Whit, 262Jones, 241Jones, Jeff, 237Jones Loop handlebars, 236, 237, 262JPaks, 241, 260
Kabush, Geoff, 27Kammok, 250Katadyn, 253Katy Trail, 176–181, 182 equipment recommendations for, 239King, Basil, 10
King, Ted, 27King Ridge Dirt Supreme, 22knives, 257 pocket, 255–256, 255Koziatek, Stan, 224–225
La Gravel66: 100–105La Resistance, 118–125Land Run, 28–33League of American Wheelmen
(League of American Bicyclists), 5Lee, Matthew, 152Lewis and Clark Route, 176Lezyne, 18, 228, 229lights, 237, 241, 242, 257Loctite Blue 242: 13Loctite Green 290: 13lubrication, 12, 13, 14 chain, 231
Maffett, Sam, 99maps, 19, 52, 231, 257Maxxis Rekon, 266McCoy, Michael “Mac,” 142, 204, 205Meiser, Joe, 217–220, 218Meriwether Cycles, 262MilesGear, 248Miller, Meredith, 83minimum maintenance road (MMR),
217, 275Montbell Breeze Dry Tec Sleeping Bag
Cover, 247Montezuma’s Revenge, 243Moots, 260Morgan, Justin, 27Morris, Austin, 33
282 INDEX
Morris, Scott, 244Mosaic, 260Mosaic Cycles GT-1, 270Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, Stamstad
and, 148mountain bikes, 213 gravel riding and, 207 tires for, 212Mountain Laurel Designs, 248MSR, 248, 253, 254MSW, 229MTBR, 244mud scrappers, 231Muir, Ross, 125multiday routes, 140–141, 157, 189 checklist for, 257 equipment recommendations for, 239 planning, 204–205
National Highway System, 5navigation, 18, 19, 21, 242NEMO, 247, 248, 251nesting pots, 255New Mexico Offroad Runner, 266Nishiki, 243North American Handmade Bicycle Show,
270Norwil, Pat, 149Nuclear Sunrise, 241nutrition, 21, 32, 71 planning, 10, 17 pre-race, 12 race day, 15–18
Old Caz, 22, 27On-One, 237
Orange Seal Endurance, 226Oregon Outback, 170–175 equipment recommendations for, 239Ortlieb, 241Osmo Nutrition, 17Otway Odyssey, 94outfitting, bike, 207–231Oveja Negra, 241Oveja Negro, 266
Palmer, 244Panaracer GravelKing SK, 227panniers, 140, 240, 244Parsons, Eric, 218, 221, 243–246Paul Component, pads from, 230pedals, 208, 213, 231 flat, 240Penn Cycle and Fitness, 46People for Bikes, 260Petersen, Grant, 233Pinion, 272Pirate Cycling League, 66Pirinexus 360 Challenge, 112–117Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, 182Planet Bike, 229planning, 204, 204–205Plite, Rick, 34, 39plus mountain bikes, tires for, 212plus off-road touring bikes, tires for, 212Porcelain Rocket, 241, 264, 266Porcelain Rocket Mr. Fusion, 262, 266Portable Aqua, 253Potts, Steve, 260Primus, 254Princeton, 241pumps, 231, 270
Quality Bicycle Products, 217quilts, down/synthetic, 250–251
Race Across America, 268race days, 11, 13 planning for, 15–18Race Face, 266Rebecca’s Private Idaho, 15, 78–83Refsnider, Kurt, 198, 268REI, 247Reimer, Mike, 218Renouf, Sylvain, 100, 105repair kits, on-bike, 12, 257Revelate Designs, 218, 221, 223, 224, 241,
243–246, 268Ride with GPS, 19, 205rim diameters, 210, 211, 212rim strips, 226 installing, 225, 225rims mountain bike, 210 road, 210 size, 210 tire width and, 211, 212, 228Ritchey, 237, 239Rivendell, 233road bikes, 213 gravel riding and, 207 tires for, 212Rohloff, 272rolling diameter, 210rolling resistance, 224Roy, Matt, 77Rusch, Rebecca, 15, 78, 83Ryan, Ira, 217–221
INDEX 283
saddles, 14, 140, 150, 208, 213, 216, 222, 223, 229, 237, 259
Salomone, Frédéric, 137 Salsa, 241Salsa Cowbell, 237Salsa Cowchipper, 237Salsa Cutthroat, 220, 221, 237Salsa Cycles, 217–220Salsa Fargo, 218, 219, 221, 237Salsa Nickless cage, 222Salsa Redpoint 27.5: 268Salsa Vaya, 221Salsa Warbird, 219, 220Salsa Woodchipper, 237Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+, New Mexico
Offroad Runner and, 266Sawyer, 253Schmidt, 241Schwalbe, 226, 227Sea to Summit, 248, 251sealants, 224, 225, 226, 227SealLine, 19shifting bar-end, 273 drop bar, 272 electronic, 268 mechanical, 270Shimano, 241, 266, 268, 270, 272 brakes from, 230 pads from, 230 parts from, 229Shirley, Neil, 71shoes, 208, 231Shot Bloks, 33Silca, 228, 229, 270Skogen, Chris, 46, 50
Skratch Labs, 16, 17SKS, 229Skurka, Andrew, 221sleeping bags, 248, 250, 251, 251, 257Slime, 226Small Fry, 78Snow Peak, 254Snowcat rims, 243, 244Soma, 237SOS button, 242SP, 241Specialized, 213, 227, 264Spectrum Paint Powder Works, 270spork, 255, 255sports drinks, 16, 17Spot, 242Spot Tracker, 164, 257Spring Valley Tourism, 46SRAM, 264, 266, 268, 270, 272 brakes from, 230 parts from, 229Stamstad, John, 142, 148–151, 152Stan’s NoTubes, 226stems, 45, 208, 216, 223, 224, 241, 259, 264,
266, 270SteriPEN, 253Stevenson, Mark, 44stoves, 251, 254, 254, 255Super Skaggs Gravel, 22Super Sweetwater, 22Surly, 217, 241Surly Pugsley, 244Survive Outdoors Longer (SOL), 247suspension, 238, 240, 246, 260, 262Swindlehurst, Burke, 58, 65Syntace, 239
Tangle bags, 221, 223, 244, 245tape, 208, 241, 257tarps, 248–250, 257tents, 242, 257 pyramid, 248, 248 two-person, 247Teravail Cannonball, 227Therm-a-Rest, 245, 251thermal energy, sources of, 251thread-locking compounds, 13tire plug kits, 227, 227tire width, rims and, 211, 212, 228tires, 21, 231, 233 construction of, 227 cyclocross, 228 installing, 225, 225 mini-mountain bike, 227 mountain bike, 224 preferences for, 213 pumping, 225, 225 seating, 225, 225 size of, 210–212, 227 tubeless, 224, 226, 227, 270Titanium Goat, 248Tonsager, Joe, 260Topeak, 228, 266Tour de France, 2, 134, 207, 229Tour Divide, 152, 153, 154, 155, 164, 189, 217,
221, 237, 262 riding, 219, 220Trangia, 254Trans Am Bike Race, 153, 154Trans Iowa, 40–45, 217, 220, 221Trans North California, 164–169 equipment recommendations for, 239tread patterns, 226, 227
284 INDEX
Trek Domane, 213Triple Crown, 189TRP, pads from, 230tubeless tires, 224, 270 installing, 225, 225 tips with, 226–227tubeless valves, 226, 227 installing, 225, 225tubes, 224 spare, 204, 226, 231 tubeless, 226–227tune-ups, pre-race, 12–1324 Hours of Adrenalin, 24324 Hours of Canaan, 148Tyvek, 250
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), 66, 215
valve cores, unscrewing, 225, 225Vargo, 254, 255Velcro, 19, 228, 240, 262Vittoria, 226Wahoo, 18waste, burying, 257water, 15, 231 boiling, 253 carrying, 214, 216 filtering, 252–253 sports drinks and, 16 treating, 252–253, 252, 257water bottle cages, 222, 223, 240, 262, 268water bottles, 213, 222, 262 covering, 223water filters, 252–253, 252water purifiers, 252, 253, 253
wheels aero, 216 large-diameter, 238 sizes, 210–212Wicks, Barry, 91Wilcox, Lael, 153–155Wintle, Bobby, 28, 32Wintle, Crystal, 28Wolf Tooth Tanpan, 272Woodring, Mackenzie, 34, 39Wren, Tyler, 65WTB, 219, 227
Zinn, Lennard, 231ZPacks, 248, 250
287
About the Author
Born in Indiana, Nicholas Legan found cycling at an early age through the Boy Scouts and was racing by the age of 13, his parents lovingly shuttling him to races around the Midwest. Legan studied French and journalism at Indiana University and spent his junior year in the south of France. After a move to Colorado, he grabbed an opportunity to work as a mechanic for professional road racing teams. He traveled the world for the next seven years, working all three Grand Tours, the world cycling championships, and the 2008 Olympics. He then traded his wrenches for a laptop and began a career as a cycling journalist. He served as the technical editor for VeloNews and currently holds the same position with Adventure Cyclist while also freelancing for several additional cycling publications. Nick lives with his wife, Kristen, and their dog, Coriander, in Longmont, Colorado, a gateway to exceptional gravel.
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NICK LEGAN'S road racing career began at age 13, but these days his heart beats for the glory of gravel racing and the fun of bikepacking. As the gear and technical editor for Adventure Cyclist, his pursuit of stories has helped him discover adventure rides around the world. He’s a frequent gravel competitor and a ride-hardened veteran of the 2,768-mile Great Divide Route.
