From the Field: Reading the Terrain of Gravel
From the Field: Reading the Terrain of Gravel
Words: Dillon Osleger
Strade Bianchi's white shale roads, Kansas' flint hills, the sandstone and granite of Tahoe's Sierra Nevada. All of these regions host races under the umbrella of the "gravel" label, yet their respective courses favor differing gear choices relative to the local history, geology and climate. In both a literal and figurative sense, our connection with the ground is decided by our personal understanding and relationship with place.
My tire and wheel choice is often derived from research into the geology and topography of a course. Rough, steep terrain like that found around my home in the Sierra Nevada sees me reach for aluminum AX wheels and knobby 40c tires. Undulating roads, graded with fine gravel such as those in Steamboat, CO (SBT GRVL) or Sun Valley, Idaho (RPI) have me mounting 30s to carbon and sometimes even aero wheels.
Through time I have watched the winner of races such as Lost & Found 100 come in on a hardtail mountain bike, an adapted road bike, and finally modern gravel rigs. These victories aided as much by fitness as by thoughtful gear choices and weather conditions. Whether racing, ripping urban single track, or getting lost in forests and farmland, we are interacting with environments and cultures past and present. While deciding on tires, nutrition, kit, or pressures, we are inherently reading the environment to rationalize our choices. As we consider these decisions over time, we are building a catalog of understanding and appreciation.
Beyond the Bike
If I could share a single takeaway from all the courses I have studied and all the miles I have pedaled, it would be to seize the opportunity to see beyond the bike. Hidden among the topography lines and aid station markers are hints to geology, culture and climate past.
Forest Service roads along the west coast of North America access watersheds and timber meadows originally used for homesteads. The Rocky Mountains and the Southwest host road networks are derived from a history of mining. The Southern Appalachia, the Ozarks, and New England are rich in a history of agriculture. The width, sinuosity and material of the roads that drives our gear choice, all decided by the needs of those generations ago.
Gear Choices
Whether planning future gravel adventures or looking back at fond memories of those past, scrutinize your gear choices. Were they adequate at the time or did you wish for more speed or comfort? Were you sunburned as a result of less tree cover than expected on roads along ridge lines? Were you as excited about seeing the crumbling cabin at mile 30 as you were the finish line at mile 100? A short google search on the geology or history of the place can connect these experiences with the place. By using these relationships going forward, we might all be a bit more prepared and, maybe, a bit more connected.
Words: Dillon Osleger
Strade Bianchi's white shale roads, Kansas' flint hills, the sandstone and granite of Tahoe's Sierra Nevada. All of these regions host races under the umbrella of the "gravel" label, yet their respective courses favor differing gear choices relative to the local history, geology and climate. In both a literal and figurative sense, our connection with the ground is decided by our personal understanding and relationship with place.
My tire and wheel choice is often derived from research into the geology and topography of a course. Rough, steep terrain like that found around my home in the Sierra Nevada sees me reach for aluminum AX wheels and knobby 40c tires. Undulating roads, graded with fine gravel such as those in Steamboat, CO (SBT GRVL) or Sun Valley, Idaho (RPI) have me mounting 30s to carbon and sometimes even aero wheels.
Through time I have watched the winner of races such as Lost & Found 100 come in on a hardtail mountain bike, an adapted road bike, and finally modern gravel rigs. These victories aided as much by fitness as by thoughtful gear choices and weather conditions. Whether racing, ripping urban single track, or getting lost in forests and farmland, we are interacting with environments and cultures past and present. While deciding on tires, nutrition, kit, or pressures, we are inherently reading the environment to rationalize our choices. As we consider these decisions over time, we are building a catalog of understanding and appreciation.
Beyond the Bike
If I could share a single takeaway from all the courses I have studied and all the miles I have pedaled, it would be to seize the opportunity to see beyond the bike. Hidden among the topography lines and aid station markers are hints to geology, culture and climate past.
Forest Service roads along the west coast of North America access watersheds and timber meadows originally used for homesteads. The Rocky Mountains and the Southwest host road networks are derived from a history of mining. The Southern Appalachia, the Ozarks, and New England are rich in a history of agriculture. The width, sinuosity and material of the roads that drives our gear choice, all decided by the needs of those generations ago.
Gear Choices
Whether planning future gravel adventures or looking back at fond memories of those past, scrutinize your gear choices. Were they adequate at the time or did you wish for more speed or comfort? Were you sunburned as a result of less tree cover than expected on roads along ridge lines? Were you as excited about seeing the crumbling cabin at mile 30 as you were the finish line at mile 100? A short google search on the geology or history of the place can connect these experiences with the place. By using these relationships going forward, we might all be a bit more prepared and, maybe, a bit more connected.