8 // The Closing Chapters
Gravel Chat + World Championships
Amongst my many learnings for the year, ‘gravel chat’ has been one of them. What tires are you running? Oh, you’re starting with a hydration pack? I’m going to start with one bottle, half a chewed bar, and I’ll collect my hydration pack at the third feed zone. 42mm tires? No way, I’m running 47s on the front, inner and double sealant, but a slick on the rear. It’s been comical how much time I’ve spent in conversations like these. Whilst driving out to recon the start of Gravel Worlds, I was describing this to my friend Lizzie, who is deep in the World Tour peloton and far from the world of hydration packs, how this is a thing. Within a few minutes of parking, a MAMIL comes up to us, makes small talk about the course, and, almost on cue, asks… so, are you running a hydration pack?
The Gravel World Championships was a huge unknown for many reasons. As a privateer (or pirate, as spell check keeps insisting I adjust to), I emailed Aus Cycling early in the year to state my interest and gauge a timeline for when a team would be selected and what the criteria of selection would be so I could allocate budget and plan with enough time. No criteria were announced, and we were notified only weeks before the event. Similarly, the UCI left a lot to the imagination, making planning a little difficult. The rough course location wasn’t even announced until a week or so before the event. It would be like promoting the road national championships were in ‘Victoria’, and you simply had to do your best to book accommodation and organise travel plans that were hopefully nearby.
Despite the unanimous frustrations towards the organising bodies, I was excited to be in Europe, be a part of this rapidly growing discipline, represent the green and gold & be doing it with two of my closest friends. I had no idea what to expect from the race other than that it was going to be on from the start and that I was not going to be starting with a hydration pack. Over 115 women are fighting to be at the front, with a starting loop that resembles something from a cyclocross race. It was chaos as the peloton went from tarmac to gravel, to tracks through a field, before dropping down into a creek bed that saw several riders cartwheel over the handlebars. There was yelling, elbowing & panic as people desperately tried clawing their way to stay towards the front. The race was already splintering 15 km in, with smaller groups of 5-10 motoring towards the first climb of the day around 40km.
I found myself in a decent-sized group but slipped away on one of the first steeper gravel descents. I didn’t get the opportunity to recon the course past the first 30-40kms and could feel I was lacking confidence with some lingering wrist pain on the unknown steep twists and turns. I pushed on and was determined to keep at it, soak up the experience, atmosphere and incredible course that was unfolding in front of me. I was honestly a little bit relieved I didn’t know the circuits, as I was blissfully unaware of how brutal they were. From steep concrete paths to greasy singletrack, twisty road sections through little villages & some of the most wild terrain I’ve ever ridden my Crux on. I wish the race was fully broadcasted for both the men & women. I just don’t think I can fully articulate how nuts this race was and the course that was stitched together, and it’s a shame the world didn’t get to see what truly unfolded. I crossed the line mid-field, and whilst it was far from a performance of a lifetime, it’s the best I had felt since being sick, I was in one piece & I felt excited to continue building for the closing round of the Grand Prix.
Big Sugar + the Rave
I returned to the US from Europe and was relieved to be let back into the country without question. My VISA was starting to stretch very thin! I had a few days to spare before making the trip to Bentonville, Arkansas. Bentonville is an interesting place, being the founding town of Walmart, and is a very unique pocket of wealth. Thankfully, the Walton family are deeply interested in cycling and have invested significantly in the trails and cycling infrastructure, making this small town in Northern Arkansas an absolute mecca for those who ride.
Unlike some of the events in the LifeTime Grand Prix, Big Sugar Gravel is actually a really enjoyable event. For those who have been following along, you’d know by now that a lot of the events in the series are a collection of some of the longest and most grueling off-road races that the US has to offer. The 100-mile course rolls around the undulating, luscious terrain with a nice mixture of gravel roads and tarmac. I found myself sitting around the top 10 at the halfway point before feeling the dreaded bounce of a flat tire. I let out a little dinosaur cry before quickly getting to work to try and plug the leak. I was using darts for the first time and learnt another hard lesson for the year on equipment choice. I would not recommend these at all... And will stick with rubbery, malleable plugs next time. Once I succumbed to putting in a tube, I found the nut on my valve was almost impossible to remove. I had pretty much accepted that I would be hitchhiking to the finish before Sam, a mechanic from Shimano, kindly stopped and spent a very determined 15-20 minutes with two sticks to try and loosen the thing. I got another 20kms in, at that point, just happy to be riding again, before the tubilito gave out. After fixing that flat, Meg Fisher, para-athlete & all-round legend appeared and we rode together until the end. Her outrageous positivity helped lift my disappointment, and I was grateful to see another side to the event on a gorgeous day in Arkansas.
The much anticipated ‘Gravel Rave’ was a perfect bookend to an incredible year for so many of the Life Time Grand Prix athletes. Everyone within the series has so many stories to tell, and it felt like the whole group could finally exhale and get to know each other outside of having numbers pinned on. Throw a couple of drinks at a group of endurance athletes, a costume theme and a good DJ, and this was the well-needed dance the gravel community needed after a very long season.
Winding up + heading home
I knew I would have mixed feelings about returning back to Australia. There has been so much to reflect on, and whilst I’m truly at peace with everything I’ve seen, achieved and even failed at this year, there is an underlying sadness and hunger for more. It was hard to say goodbye to a community I had worked so hard to find, despite feeling incredibly excited to see my friends and family back home. With the excitement, there’s also a bubbling of anxiety for things that have changed whilst I’ve been away, and I wilt a little when someone has asked me what’s next.
The penciling for ‘what’s next’ has certainly begun, and I feel fortunate to have a few different paths to ponder. I’m trying not to sit with my feelings too long, as I know it’s easy to get swept away in the deepness of our thoughts. I feel proud to have had the courage to take on the year I’ve had, and I’m excited to see where the adventure takes me next!
Thanks to everyone who made this year so epic, especially the brands and people who have given me the resources and support to even try. I’m now back to riding on the left-hand side, being swooped by magpies, beaming at the sight of wallabies with little joey’s poking out of their pouches, and giggling a little when I hear “on your roight”.
UPCOMING RACES:
12 November, Tina Velo 30, New Caledonia
2nd December, Cattleman 100, Omeo
19th January, RADL GRVL, Adelaide
9th-11th February, Snowy MTB Festival, Thredbo
