Gravel Ride of the Week: Rocktown Rambler
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Gravel racing comes with its fair share of ups and downs, but it also has a way of teaching us valuable life lessons. In the case of the Rocktown Rambler, my lesson of the day was not to turn down the pace and throw in the towel after an unexpected setback. When things seem hard, you’ve gotta put your head down, push through, and get it done. In the latest Gravel Ride of the Week, I was squarely reminded of this lesson as I overcame some technical difficulties during the race. It was an action-packed event right from the get-go and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the breakdown of this highly entertaining and drama-filled ride. Let’s get into it!
The Rocktown Rambler, a gravel race presented by Rocktown Bikes in Harrisonburg, is an event that I’ve been looking forward to for some time. The event had to be cancelled in 2020, but on this beautiful fall day in Sept 2021, we finally got the chance to line up for the first edition of the race. The venue for the Rocktown Rambler was the outdoor enthusiast’s playground of the Bryce Resort in Basye, VA. Known for its skiing, golfing and mountain biking, this location is also positioned closely to some truly amazing Virginia gravel roads. The course promised to deliver a solid challenge to all those who were willing to take on this mountainous region. Racers had the option to do either the 25-mile, one lap route or double it up for 50 miles of all-out racing. I was entered for the full event and with a few big hitters lining up at the start, this race was definitely going to be even harder.
The race started with an easy neutral roll-out from the Bryce Resort, but it didn't take long for the action to start. As soon as we turned out of the resort, the first climb of the day awaited. Just over a mile in distance and with an average gradient of 7.5%, this uphill effort was sure to shape the race right from the get-go.
It's not often that the race is won or lost within the first mile of an event, but at the Rocktown Rambler, it was. Jeremiah Bishop, Ben Wright and Christopher Hardee shot up that first climb at an incredible pace, securing the top 3 podium spots (in that order) with this impressive display of power.
This left the rest of us scrambling for the minor placings. There were a few valiant efforts to catch up with the lead group, but the damage had been done. After regrouping with a few other riders at the top of the first climb, the race was on for 4th place. However, the real excitement of the day was still ahead as we made our way onto the first gravel of the race. On a fast and bumpy gravel downhill the rider in front of me lost his water bottle in a washboard section. I glanced down and noticed that my GoPro had fallen off my wrist. Eeek! I couldn't leave it in the dirt, so I pulled off to the side, flung my bike around and channeled my inner Chris Froome as I ran up that mountain. You must see these moves for yourself, so be sure to check out the video that goes along with this post.
This stunt triggered my Garmin's emergency feature to send a text message to Christin, notifying her that I had been in an accident. Since I was too busy running up a mountain, I didn't cancel the prompt in time, leaving her worried sick that I was in trouble. Fortunately, the only trouble I was in, was the big effort now required to get back to that group.
I was not going to give up! I gave it all I had and kept pushing the pace. I used each small rise in the road as an opportunity to attack. With one rider at a time, I pulled closer to the group up the road. Digging deeper than I have ever gone, I slowly clawed my way back. Mentally I kept myself in the game and continuous positive self-talk and statements like “This is where you dig deep” and “This is where you don’t give up” helped me propel myself forward. It worked! I managed to get back to that group. I burnt a ton of matches by doing so, but it was a very rewarding feeling getting back into that bunch. This exercise of chasing back into the group really drove home the lesson that in gravel racing, as with life, you never quit. You never know what you’ll miss out on if you don’t give it a proper shot.
Once back in the bunch, the race certainly didn’t get any easier. The second half of the race loop contained one of the most challenging climbs of the race. After making it up to the top, we headed onto a section of the course that I’d ridden earlier this year, during my TransVA Bikepacking trip. During that trip, I was heading in the opposite direction, which fortunately meant that the outrageously steep 18% climb that I had to ascend with all my bikepacking gear back in May, was now one super fast downhill. After reaching the valley below, only one part of the course stood between us and the second lap - a highly entertaining section of single track. This route simply had a bit of everything mixed in!
The second lap was far less eventful as I got dropped by the group on the same steep uphill where Jeremiah and the leading group raced away from us earlier. This left me on my own for most of the second lap until the last part where I joined up with two super strong 50+ riders who helped me get to the finish. That late in the race, the earlier efforts to chase back had me solidly drained and I could only cruise to the finish line to wrap up this action-filled race.
A massive well done to all the riders in both the 25- and 50-mile races who completed this challenging course. A big congratulations also goes out to Kelly Paduch and her team for pulling off a successful first edition of the Rocktown Rambler. Personally, despite the added challenges that come with vlogging a race, I persevered to finish the race and, in the process, proved to myself that there is more in the tank than what I think. Who knows what I could have done if the GoPro didn’t set me back? I guess I’ll just have to return to Bryce Resort in the future to find out. Until then… enjoy your ride!
- Wiehan
