Gravel Ride of the Week: Gaps & Hollows
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Here. We. Go! The 2022 gravel racing season has officially kicked off here at Mountain Road Ride and we can't wait to share all the action with you throughout the next few months. To kick off the season we headed to the Stokesville campground just outside of Harrisonburg, VA for the third event in their gravel series, the Gaps and Hollows race. Wow, what a route! This was an action-packed affair right from the get-go and with incredible mountain views throughout the valley floor, along with breathtaking overlook sights at the top of two major climbs, this one had no shortage of entertainment along the way. You certainly don't want to miss this Gravel Ride of the Week video! Follow along to see more from this challenging event.
It was so great to be back at the Stokesville Campground for the Gaps & Hollows race. During the 2021 season, I competed in the Stokesville Strade and Little Switzerland races, but missed out on the final event in the series. This year I made sure to be there and used it as a leg-tester to gauge my fitness after the winter months. Winter was, however, still in the air for this one, as we were greeted with light flurries upon our arrival at the campground. Thankfully the dark clouds hovering over the Shenandoah Mountain moved away from us, leaving some crisp and windy conditions for us to endure on the day.
The 130km/80-mile route set out for the Gaps and Hollows event took riders along the Shenandoah valley as it rolled through small towns like Churchville and Swoope. Just outside of Swoope we even rode right past Joel Salatin's Polyface farm, a pioneering farmer who has supplied Mountain Road with meat on many occasions.
The main attractions of this event came in the form of two massive gravel climbs up Troxel Gap and Hite Hollow, which the online event notes accurately described with words like "solid" and "soul crushing". Yep, that turned out to be very true! All that climbing was thankfully rewarded with some amazing views, not only from the top of the climbs, but also along the base of the mountains, as we made our return to the Stokesville campground. A short final stretch of gravel through the George Washington National Forest rounded off this route perfectly.
The intimidating route profile meant that fewer participants signed up for this final event in the series, but with the likes of Kerry Werner, Total Civil Construction and District Taco racers on the start line, it was in no way going to be a Sunday cruise through the countryside. The route presented an interesting conundrum for the riders when it came to the choice of bike setup. Given that a large portion of the ride consisted of paved roads, one might easily lean towards a slimmed road tire. The challenge would, however, come when climbing, and especially descending, the two major gravel climbs. The chunky downhill following the Hite Hollow climb resulted in several issues for those who chose to underbike. Mountain bikes might even have been the best choice on that super technical descent. That said, once up and over the climbs, the route once again returned to a fast-flowing surface better suited to slick tires. Use a fast road setup and risk flatting on the descents or drag a heavier gravel tire over long sections of paved road? It's this sort of strategic decision-making that gives gravel racing a completely different dimension to traditional road racing, and I have to admit, I love it!
In the end I finished a whole hour behind the winner on the day, Kerry Werner, but feel very satisfied with my overall performance on the day. The winter training miles have paid their dividends and I managed to make it through this ride without completely emptying the tank. There really were some incredible performances on this day and a massive well done goes out to everyone who finished, raced, or just flat survived this super challenging ride. The next few months are loaded with new and exciting upcoming gravel events and I'm really looking forward to share all the highlights from these adventures! Stay tuned...
-Wiehan
