Welcome!

Where Are We Going?

You're probably here because you've signed up for Unbound Gravel.  You may also be interested in other events like Unbound, SBT GRVL, Gravel Worlds, etc.).  My focus is on Unbound, because that's the event that's I'm most passionate about (and have the most experience with).  But what I hope is that what I talk about here will be helpful for anyone who wants to ride their bike for any distance on dirt/gravel/mixed terrain.

Who Am I?

I'm a recently-middle-aged guy who lives in Colorado.  I've been riding on dirt roads for a long time, because I grew up on one.  I did my first "gravel race" over a decade ago: The Anti-Epic in 2012, at which I fueled wrong and had to get a ride back to the start after finally calling it off at about 100 miles.  Since then I've started and sometimes finished a number of 150+ mile rides, including seven DK/Unbound events.  I've finished four of those as of 2021 and I hope to finish a fifth in 2022.
I'm not fast.  My fastest DK finishing time was 18:04.  My slowest was 20:08.  Maybe you're faster than me.  Maybe you're slower.  That's okay, because riding bikes is fun, and unless you're a professional cyclist (or a retired one), you're probably not out to "win."  I don't know what your goals are, but they're probably personal, like mine.  I want to finish Unbound in 18 hours or less.  I hope that you'll find something here that helps you accomplish your goals.

What Will You Find Here?

I'll write about gear, training, and planning, broadly speaking.

Everyone Is Welcome Here

My goal is to inform, inspire, and connect people who want to ride their bikes on gravel/dirt roads/mixed terrain/etc.  Despite the intro, I hope that you'll find something helpful no matter your experience with biking.  You may be new to riding on gravel.  You may be interested in signing up for an event (or you've signed up and you want some tips).  Maybe you're new to riding bikes in general.

Bikes are for everyone.  I believe that bikes can be a source of joy and excitement, no matter who you are. There's a lot of dumb gatekeeping and body shaming and sexism and racism when it comes to biking.  I don't like that and I'll do my best to keep it in mind when I'm writing.
Location: Colorado, USA

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