When gravel racing goes virtual: The Dirty Kitten Strava Challenge
This year (2020) was supposed to be the year for gravel. It was going to be the year that this fast growing sport was going to break from its grassroots status and catapult itself into the main-stream, but then, you-know-what decided to spoil the party. Yep, all of a sudden the very thing that gravel was built on, the community, could no longer be tapped into. Races, group rides, bike packing adventures and just some plain fun out on the bike all started to disappear from calendar. Fortunately, things aren’t all gloomy and people have overcome this crisis in the most interesting of ways.
What I found particularly inspiring throughout all of this is how people never stop coming up with creative problem solving. The cycling industry is most certainly one place where this human characteristic has shown up in a big way. I’ve been amazed at how race organizers and community groups have come up with interesting ways for riders to interact, even when close proximity was not an option. These actions focussed greatly on a shift to an increasingly virtual presence. Zwift rides/races and Strava challenges have been two places in particular where cyclists have been able to continue their involvement in the community, even as real world events got cancelled or postponed.
One example of a race taking on this virtual new reality is the Dirty Kitten gravel race (DKGR) in Virginia. I’ve been entered for the Full Purrito (longest course) race since the first week after entries were opened in February 2020. The DKGR is scheduled to take place on July 25th, 2020 at Locust Hill Farm & Preserve in Rapidan, VA. The racecourse winds through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, over 5000 acres of privately owned land. That sounds like some gravel biking heaven to me! I am still holding thumbs that the race can continue on the scheduled date and that no postponement will be necessary. The Virginia gravel cycling calendar has already seen a bit of a shake-up this year after the Rocktown Rambler (originally scheduled for early May) got pushed back to late September and sadly the Gravista gravel race (set to take place in June) was cancelled altogether. These three races formed part of an unofficial series called the “Virginia Gravel Triple Crown.” We hope to see all three going strong in 2021.
The DKGR organizers have been very active (in a virtual capacity) to ensure that the gravel riding community gets to be a part of this race, no matter the eventual outcome of current global events. They have been running a series of Strava challenges encouraging event entrants to chase after certain time, distance or elevation goals. I wanted to get in on the action and decided to take them up on their latest challenge: The Mini Purrito Copy-Cat Challenge. This challenge calls for entrants to best mimic the short course race by replicating the distance (19.6miles/31.54km) and elevation (1111ft/338m) as closely as possible. They will award some bonus points to riders who can best replicate the actual elevation profile. Since the real route lies on private property, entrants will have to get a bit more creative when it comes to matching this race profile. I decided to head over to the Great Falls and Riverbend parks in Virginia to give it a shot. You can see my attempt at this challenge in my highlights video.
Ultimately, virtual participation isn’t as rewarding as the real thing, but it can still be a lot fun to be a part of community in this new way. I had a blast out on the ride (as you’ll be able to tell from my video) and that is what this new era of virtual participation is all about. Whether we get to ride together or go solo, getting out on a bike and achieving a pre-set goal is all that matters. We, here at Mountain Road, fully support any endeavors that lead to a healthier lifestyle and can appreciate the efforts that go into creating the virtual platforms that allow for this to happen. Virtual race organizers, we thank you!
Let us know in the comment section below what virtual challenges you’ve taken on thus far in 2020.
-Wiehan
