Update! Gravel Grovel

The Gravel Grovel, a "turkey burner" of the finest degree, will be opening registration Friday on TrueSport.com , This Southern Indiana gravel, single track, and dirt road event will take place November 27th, 2010, and is in its second year. For a great write up about what you might expect at the Gravel Grovel, check out last years winners blog post about his experiences here. Don't forget to check on the website for the event for updates which I am told will begin soon.

Race Discussion: October Events

The list of October events kicks off with the last of the AGRS series events for the year, The Heck Of The North. The roster is full and the riders will depart on October 2nd for this 102 mile loop out of Duluth, Minnesota.

The Rawland Fall Tour will ride out from Dennison, Minnesota on October 3rd for a leisurely 60 miles through the Sogn Valley at 10am. This is a group ride.

The next event on the calendar for October is on the 10th. It is the 3rd Annual Oceana Cross Country Dirt Tour. This one will roll out of  Montague, Michigan and will have optional loops up to 62 miles of back road goodness.

Next up is a new event out of Omaha, Nebraska called the "North "O!" Rock Road Jackrabbit Hundy" Obviously, a hundred mile race here folks. Should be a good ride. Check it out!

Finally we have another first year event. The Night Nonsense 100 happens on October 23rd at 8pm and will be held entirely in the dark on Iowa gravel out of Iowa City, Iowa. 

News Flash! Achluophobia Gravel Grinder Sept 25th!

 <===Night time gravel riding is a blast! Take it from me and my buddy, (pictured), d.p. !

We've just been tipped off to a new "Guru's Gravel Grinder" ride coming up on September 25th. This one is a night time gravel grinder. Located near Stillwell, Kansas, this will be approximately a 50 mile loop, and will be a casual group ride. For more details see the link here.

Rawland Asks You To Design A Gravel Grinder Bike!

Rawland Cycles Proposed "Snekka" gravel grinder rig.

Rawland Cycles is asking for your opinion on a newly proposed bicycle to fit the gravel grinder mold. Join in on the discussion here where your opinions could shape the next Rawland bicycle, dubbed the "Snekka".

So far, the geometry is being discussed for the bike which will feature steel tubing that will be light and resilient, to absorb road chatter. It will have 700c wheels and those will be stopped by cantilever brakes to allow for mud clearance with light weight and no extra frame re-enforcements necessary.

So, do you have an idea for the "perfect gravel grinder" geometry? Do you have ideas for braze ons, or other details for a frame specifically designed for rough road riding, like tire clearances? Then hit the link and let Sean at Rawland know! This bicycle frame will go on pre-order status soon in time for a February delivery. Here is the discussion schedule and timing proposed for the frame's development and delivery. (From the Rawland blog)...

Schedule For Discussion:

1. Tuesday, September 7, Announcement
2. Wednesday, September 8, Tubing and Wheel Size
3. Thursday, September 9, Brake Configuration
4. Monday, September 13, Geometry
5. Thursday, September 16, Tire Clearance
6. Monday, September 20, Fork
7. Thursday, September 23, Dropouts
8. Monday, September 27, Braze-Ons
9. Thursday, September 30, Color Choices
10. Friday, October 1, Final Design by Rawland and Announcement of Color
11. Friday, October 1, $250 Deposits for pre-order special of $500
12. Wednesday, October 15, Pre-order deadline and Price increase to $600
13. Sunday, October 31, Production begins
14. February, Delivery

We will need to receive approximately 25 deposits by October 15 to start production of the lightweight and streamlined Sogn on the 31^st. This special project will not proceed if we receive less than that. Do spread the word on this exciting endeavor!

News Flash! Sleeping Giant Gravel Grinder This Sunday!

This Sunday, Moots Cycles is sponsoring a gravel grinder called the Sleeping Giant Gravel Grinder. Essentially a circumnavigation of Sleeping Giant Mountain, this will happen Sunday, the 12th of September, and will take in up to 40 miles of "epic gravel roads". If you are in the Northern Colorado area, and are looking for a ride featuring 85% gravel and cowpaths, (!!), then hit the link for more details!

Trans Iowa V7 Announcement

Trans Iowa, (Editor's Note: the event I am involved with along with my co-director, d.p: ), has announced its updated website along with the announcement of a few changes. The event, which is a 300 plus mile, self navigated, self supported competition on Iowa gravel roads, will again be run out of and back into Grinnell, Iowa. The event looks to increase participation for 2011 with a new roster limit and will implement some changes to registration to allow a better chance for "rookies" to get into the seventh edition of this semi-legendary event.

Check into the website and see the news.

In The News: The Oregon Stampede

Editor's Note: From time to time we will post links to mainstream news articles, magazine articles, and other media when the subject matter is directly related to gravel grinding. This section of posts will fall under the "In The News" heading, so you can easily type that into the search box at the top of the column here and find related posts. 

The Oregon Stampede has garnered the attention of the mainstream press in Oregon and this article from Oregon Live.com which is the on-line counterpart to The Oregonian paper. (Warning: This author is quoted!)

The Oregon Stampede details can be seen here.