Gravel Ride of the Week: Gravista
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Beautiful. Blueridge Mountains. Buena Vista. Bike race. Brutal! The latest Gravel Ride of the Week was one for the books, a ride where I set a personal record for the biggest climb I’ve ever ascended and accumulated my largest amount of elevation gain for a single ride. Up massive mountain passes and down technical loose gravel descents, the Gravista race tested me on all levels. Sporting the tagline, ‘gravel with a view,’ this ride is surely one that you’ll want to check out. Let’s get started to see how it all played out.
Christin and I set off to Buena Vista, just outside of Lexington, on the Friday before the event to set up camp at Glen Maury Park, the start venue for this race. This was our first time camping out before a bike race, and I quickly learned that I’ll have to arrive with some extra energy to allow for the set up and tear down that comes with camping in a tent, especially if you prefer to glamp-out, like us. Really, we prepped all week leading up to our maiden camp excursion and that in and of itself left us exhausted, so much so that we're still recovering. It didn't help that this was by far the most challenging ride I've done, to date.
Okay, let's get to the ride. A massive kudos goes to race director Cynthia Frazier, who has been planning out her first gravel event for the last 2 years. Gravista was supposed to have its debut last year, but like the rest of the racing calendar, it was cancelled for 2020. She did a smashing job managing all the logistics. Race day was as smooth as can be and the attention to detail really shined. The community vibe was something special to remember. The race drew 164 riders willing to spend a hot and humid day suffering up mountain passes. Notably, the ages ranged from 12 to 71.
The race offered two route options, the Savage 60 and Worthy 30. I was brave (stupid) enough to go for the 60-mile option, which climbed 8,250 ft (2515m). The race set off from the campsite with a 2-mile neutral rollout through the town as we headed toward the mountains. Race with a view? Yep, those mountains sure were gorgeous, but climbing up and over them by bike is nothing short of brutal. I tried my hardest to stay up with the front runners, which included the likes of Jeremiah Bishop, for as long as possible. In the end, they dropped me 20-minutes up the first climb. But at least that easy rollout was fun! This route made me think of a boxer throwing a combination left-right-left set of punches, since we had to wrap up the day with a 3, 2 and one more 3-mile climb, after already completing a 5 and 10-mile ascent. Did I say brutal? And if you think the downhills would have been a chance to catch my breath, well, these gravel roads were loose and chunky, meaning that you had to maintain full focus all the way down the fast descents. You wanna see me suffer up (and down) the climbs? Watch the video! It surely was one tough ride, but wow, the view from the top made it all worthwhile.
When you cycle an intense event like that, you'll need to fuel your body. In this regard, riders were well cared for. There were three aid stations in the mountains and riders were treated with a post-ride fresh, wood oven baked pizza and beer from Salerno. Hats off to the pit master who did a stellar job in front of that fire all day. And a massive thank you to all the volunteers who made this day possible.
Congratulations to all the category winners, you made climbing up Blue Ridge Mountains look easy. Maybe if I'd known there'd be those rad straw hats as a podium prize, I might have high-tailed it up those climbs with a little more spunk. One of the performances of the day has to be the ride that Chris Lane did aboard his single speed bike. I was absolutely blown away at how strong he was up and over these climbs.
Personal highlights from the day included, well, finishing. But my greatest takeaway from the day was all the positive feedback and support I received from fellow riders for the videos we create here at Mountain Road. Many thanks so everyone who said hi. It means the world to us. Our next adventure into the mountains will be at GRUSK. If you're planning to be there, come say hi!
- Wiehan
