Gravel Ride of the Week: Dirty Kitten Gralley Cat
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What a super fun event! There is no need to beat around the bush when it comes to the latest Gravel Ride of the Week. The Dirty Kitten’s Gralley Cat event goes onto my list of must-do gravel races. This ride offered something truly unique, which made for a highly entertaining day out on the bike, one that had me feeling like a kid playing a giant board-game, as I zipped around the beautiful Locust Hill Preserve farmlands. Let’s dive into the details of how this day played out to see why it was such a special event.
For the latest Gravel Ride of the Week, we travelled to Rapidan, Virginia, only a few miles away from the historic town of Culpeper. Here, situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll find the Locust Hill Preserve, a privately-owned working farm that stretches over 5000 acres. While this property contains miles of gravel roads, it’s usually off-limits to cyclists throughout the year, apart from two very specific days on the gravel calendar: the Dirty Kitten Gralley Cat (DKGC) and Dirty Kitten Gravel Race (DKGR). While the DKGR runs each year in July, this year saw the addition of their very first spring event, the DKGC.
The July DKGR event will be in it’s third year in 2021 (after a modified gravel grinder format had to be adopted during 2020) and follows the traditional gravel race format. The Gralley Cat event, on the other hand, followed a completely different approach and provided participants with a format that made riding a bike feel like one big game of strategy and navigation. Here’s how it worked...
Instead of following a set course around the property, participants were given a map, containing the names of all the inner roads throughout the farm (cleverly assigned by the organizers). Additionally, “street name” signs were posted at all intersections on the course to allow riders to navigate around the property without the need for a GPS device. There was only one public gravel road included on this course, but aside from this peaceful river road, riders could cruise around on the day without the worry of any traffic. The aim of the “game” was to visit all the checkpoints that were scattered throughout the property. Six checkpoints were set out for the short course riders, with an additional six checkpoints for the long course riders. There was the option to enter this event as a solo rider, a duo team or even as a group of riders, for the maximum amount of socializing (or bickering over directions), while on the bike.
The real fun came when picking out the most appropriate route to follow, to link up the various checkpoints, since the order did not matter. With no set sequence, it became a true “build-your-own-adventure” gravel event, where riders could race from one point to the next in any way they desired. Freedom to explore the property as you please - how neat is that?! There was, however, one mandatory checkpoint that needed to be visited after collecting playing cards from the first six checkpoints. This checkpoint, named the Kitten Crusher, sat on top of a very steep hill, forcing riders to head through the most challenging part of the property. Short course riders collected their finisher card here, to take to the finish line, while the long course riders were presented with instructions on how to collect items from their next set of checkpoints. Long course riders had to complete their second round, head back up the grueling Kitten Crusher climb once again and only then receive the go-ahead to proceed to the finish line.
Riders with a competitive nature could look for the shortest and fastest ways to hook up the checkpoints, while others, interested in the scenery and having a leisurely ride, could easily opt to follow a more roundabout journey through the course. This event was all about creating the type of ride that aligned with your personal objectives on the day. One couple jokingly mentioned at the start that this was their first day away from their kids in a year, so they intended to take the longest possible route that they could find between checkpoints - I hope they made it to the end!
The closed course and the format of the event meant that it was very accessible for anyone to enjoy a fun day on the bike. It was great seeing lots of youngsters out on the course, including a 7-year-old who was riding the short course event with his dad. It's events like Gralley Cat that will surely help create the passion for riding and spark the next generation of top talent. I find this very encouraging to see indeed! If this event format sounds appealing, then be sure to check out my highlights video to see just how much fun it was. I might have hollered "Woohoo" one too many times in this video, but it really was that enjoyable!
Overall, I cannot praise the event organizers, Alex and Chris, enough for how well they pulled off this event. The careful and detailed planning really showed, and it all came together to create a truly unique event, one that I'm sure others will surely be keen to try out. Part adventure race, part strategy board game, part playing outside on your bike, part competitive bike race, this event had something to keep everyone entertained. I've added this one to my list of events that need to be done each year and I look forward to being back at the Locust Hill Preserve for the Dirty Kitten Gravel Race soon. Until then, let’s all be sure to ride dirty!
- Wiehan
What do you think? Do you like the idea of mixing playful strategy into a race or do you prefer a more direct approach?
