Brief history of my Gravel life

Let’s go back to 1991 when I graduated high school and bought my first mountain bike. That started the decade of mountain biking that was the wild wild west of bicycle design. It was a great decade to experience all the different designs and ideas that everyone had for a better full suspension bicycle. Pretty much if designers could find a place to fit a shock on the bike then it was produced. I remember my first front suspension had maybe just a tad over 1” of travel and it was glorious. I am digressing quickly into a whole other post.……focus, focus.

All this to say that Mountain biking in the 90’s was very similar to gravel biking today. Fire roads, singletrack, and asphalt. The only difference is that today’s gravel bikes are much more capable than what I was riding in 1991. Faster, larger wheels, lighter frame, better shifting and the list goes on and on. I was late coming to the gravel side only purchasing a gravel bike this past spring (You can read my review of my Litespeed Ultimate Gravel), but with a background rooted in mountain biking the transition was not as hard for me as some who may just be a dedicated roadie. I spend most of my time on the road so there is no doubt that I lose some technical skill, but I’m mostly not intimidated by playing in the dirt.

Brief History of Autodrop LTD…..Barry and Erich. Now just Barry

I will give you a little backstory of Barry. I first met him in 2008/09 after we had both recently transplanted to Winston-Salem from different geographic regions. When I first met him he was working at the local bike shop of choice and was a strapping young fella. Since he is still in his 30’s I still consider him a young fella. There was a time when Barry was all about going fast and training for the tour of Battenkill in New York and even some local crit races. Somewhere along the way things took a little detour and he began to focus on the “ride” and began his transition to adventure type riding and more mountain biking. Lucky for us. I should say that his is still fast, he just doesn’t have a regimented training plan like he used to.

He and Erich put on a couple of stunner bike events in the years from 2012-2013. Possibly more. The first one that I remember was a “checkpoint” adventure ride, kind of like a poker run on bicycles. Everyone left from the same point in Winston would could ride as far as time allowed and take photos at checkpoints all over the area for points. The team that collected the most points over their day’s journey was deemed the champion forever. That event was a great success.

My personal favorite was the Doubleshot. This race was a running mass start that was started with the sound of a cannon blast echoing through the valley. You ran about 100 yards to your awaiting mountain bike and raced 2 laps of Moore’s Spring Trails at maximum heart rate. Upon completion of the mountain bike portion you then stumbled around on your tired legs and looked for your road bike in the coral. From there you began a 12 mile loop that finished at the top of Hanging Rock State Park. 12 miles may not sound like much, but after 2 laps in the woods the elevation of those 12 miles caught up with you. I still am not aware of anyone who promotes an event like this one. It was truly unique, but I think the red tape of Hanging Rock State Park helped put an end to this one.

Wake up and Show up

Now that this historic portion is established let’s jump to Handy Mountain Breakdown. When you pull up to Jessup Mill you are greeted with a rural feel. Because it is. Typically you have the option to camp the night before the ride, but as everyone knows 2020 threw a 25mm wrench into everyone’s plans. There is generous parking across the street from the Mill that will allow you to get everything in order for your ride and speak to some old riding buddies that may have been ignored because of COVID. Barry spends the night before the ride getting things in order and making sure things will be easy and efficient at check in. There were breakfast snacks and I think coffee, but most importantly the fire-pit was roaring. It was especially cold in the early morning given that it was the first weekend in October. I DO NOT like cold weather, I tolerate it.

Ride Time

The sky could not have been any more blue to greet us for the ride. Barry had a quick rider meeting before letting us roll out on the course. Typically it is a mass start and has more of a fondo / race feel, but this year you had a window of time to begin your ride due to Covid regulations. Most people generally started around the same time in smaller groups going out in small time gaps. Right off the bat you are pedaling a small paved uphill and quickly take a right onto the first gravel section which has a little bit of everything, short downhill, sharp rutted corner and then a gradual climb back out and onto the asphalt. Everyone was riding soft at first and chatting it up and as always happens at some point it turned fast.

The route is fantastic. The gravel was in absolute great condition. I did not run my gravel tires that day because it had been so dry leading up to the ride. I rode tubeless 32mm Bontrager tires that were slick in the middle and just a tad of grip on the sides. They ended up being perfect for the day, but would have been horrible a horrible choice had the conditions been any different. I took a little risk with this setup because it was basically untested for me.

I have a photo of the entire route profile in the images below so you can reference that for details. Suffice it to say that there is hardly a flat spot to be found on the route. The longest climbs of the day were Peter’s Creek Mountain - (11-16 minutes) and Mitchell’s Mill (12-18 minutes) both of which are steady and have some steep portions. Peter’s Creek is gravel and Mitchell’s Mil is paved.

Due to a road closure the week going into the weekend Barry had to do some quick re-routing. Unfortunately that meant that the queen climb of the route, Squirrel Creek Road, was taken out this year. It’s a doozy of a climb and is a real leg burner.

The hardest section to me was Kibler Valley Road pictured below. 90% gravel.

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Don’t let that little hump in the middle fool you. It’s an exhausting road to me at race pace because there is no resting at all. Constant pedaling. There is a snack station at the turn around point if you have drained yourself physically. The climb out was a steep one to deal with and normally would not have been there if not for unforeseen gravel road construction that took out Squirrel Creek Road climb. Sad Face.

After Kibler Valley Road you are on your way to the end, but don’t be fooled. I hope you have energy stored up. It’s up then down, up then down……gravel down then gravel up, up then down to the finish. That was a nice little treat. Honestly though…..who wants to ride a flat ride? Not me. I loved it.

After the Ride

Barry has created a nice atmosphere after the ride. The fire is going. The food is plenty and everyone just hangs out and chats. In 2019 he had a local bluegrass band show up for entertainment and apparently they were really good. The musical portion is advertised around the area and the locals who have nothing to do with the ride show up and listen too. It’s a great community event. Barry has rounded up quite a few good sponsors over the years and that means some really good raffle prizes. No first, second or third place finish necessary. You ride….you have a chance to win.

Wrap up

If you need an event to keep you motivated throughout the year put this one on your list. You will not be disappointed. If you are……then that’s your own fault.

October 30th, 2021 - Edition 4

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