Happy holidays! Whether you’re finishing out a mileage goal for the year or taking some well-deserved time off the bike, enjoy the good food, friends, and family that make this time of year so special. Hopefully, if you celebrate, you’ll get some biking goodies as well 😉.
But first…
I am quite busy with school, work, training, and racing, (and a podcast), but I will continue this newsletter after my class is over this week and work to develop partnerships with other media platforms if you enjoy this and find it useful!
🔍 Dig Deep
➡️ ICYMI in last week’s edition: the new Singletrack Series, created by professional riders Stephen Davoust, Geoff Kabush, Evelyn Dong, Kaysee Armstrong, and Ryan Standish, will kick off in 2023 with four existing events: The Moab Rocks stage race in Utah in March, GJ Rides and Vibes in Colo. in May, The Back Forty in British Columbia in June, and Downieville Classic in Calif. in July. We spoke to Standish about the origins of the series and his goals for it. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
❓When did this idea come about, and how did the group of you get together?
Standish said the idea came from Davoust. He added…
Obviously with the the Epic Rides Series now just including Whiskey 50 and 24 Hours of Old Pueblo and the Tour of the White Mountains, it is no longer a true series. [Stephen] Davoust said, ‘I just want to race mountain bikes. I want to race real mountain bike races.’
He says that the unique perspectives brought by the team members behind the series have benefited the project.
To have people from different backgrounds and different kinds of eras of mountain biking and to have a few awesome women on the committee to put the series together is sweet.
❓ How did you decide on events?
Standish says his initial intent was to start with more than four races, but he realized that this would be too much for the first year. He says that the key factor in their decision-making was the technicality of each race.
We picked events that have technical mountain biking. You have to be good at riding a bike. In terms of your equipment, you might ride a trail bike. You have to be fit, but you might ride a bike that is better at going downhill because you could potentially win the race on the descent.
Standish says they decided using existing events would be key to the success of the series.
We're just saying, if you do all four of these races, you're part of our series.
❓ What are some key aspects of the series?
Standish says pro rider panels, skills clinics, and giving back to the community will all be part of their overall goal of making an inclusive series.
Each race will include some form of trail work or clean up or something where we are actually involved in the maintenance of local trails. We are hoping to partner with the local trail foundation or organization that takes care of the trails that we get to ride in that area and hopefully, raise money to support them as well. The whole goal of this series is, yes, to have cool mountain bike races that are talked about in the media and attended by pro athletes, but also to incorporate our own dedication to maintaining the local mountain bike and trail community. We want to create a sustainable model for events and have athletes involved who want to be a part of it because they believe in it.
Standish also says the goal of this series is not to be anti-gravel. Instead, it is another option to expand the sport.
The intention is definitely not anti-Life Time or anti-gravel. We just want some real MTB events.
❓ Where do you see the series going in the future?
Standish says the first year will be a learning experience, but he has the goal of adding events on the east coast of North America, such as in North Carolina, Vermont, and Quebec.
🏁 Race News
USA Cycling has announced most of its national championships’ dates and locations for 2023 but has kept us largely in the dark about its MTB and gravel events. What we know:
In a change from previous years, the championships for endurance MTB and gravity MTB will be separate events in mid-July.
Marathon MTB Nationals will be held in Auburn, Ala. in the fall.
Collegiate MTB Nationals will be held Oct. 12-15 at a to-be-announced location.
The dates and location for the first-ever Gravel National Championship will be announced in the coming weeks.
The National Ultra Endurance MTB Race Series (NUE Series) 2023 schedule is live with nine events in its 100-mile Epic Series and ten in its shorter-distance Marathon Series spread across the US. Registration for most events is open, though the Marji Gesick race in Mich. in Sept. has already filled up.
📆 Registration Dates
UNBOUND Gravel 25, 50, 100, and 200, Emporia, Kan. The lottery for these events will be open Jan. 5-20. 🔑 Hack: get your housing early.
Pikes Peak APEX Stage Race, Colorado Springs, Colo. Registration for this Sept. 8-10 MTB event just opened.
Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, Durango, Colo. You can register for this 50-year-old event now. There are gravel, MTB, and yes, road options. Read about its unique history here.
Whiskey Off-Road, Prescott, Ariz. You can register for the 15, 30, or 50-mile options this MTB race offers now.
Crusher in the Tushar, Beaver, Utah. Registration to race all 69.9 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation of this beast opens Jan. 23.
Rebecca’s Private Idaho, Ketchum, Idaho. Registration is now open for this event run by off-road cycling legend Rebecca Rusch.
Gravel Worlds, Lincoln, Neb. Not the UCI Gravel Worlds: the other one. Registration is open, and you don’t need to qualify for this version.
True Grit MTB + Gravel, St. George, Utah. Mountain bike? Gravel? Both? You have all the options when you register for this event (open now).
Gravel Locos, Hico, Texas. Registration is open to race distances from 30 to 150 miles. No lottery entry is required.
Breck Epic, Breckenridge, Colo. Save $100 on registration through the end of the year for this 6-day mountain bike race.
Belgian Waffle Ride. Registration for each of the six events in Ariz., Calif., British Columbia, N.C., Mich., and Kan. is now open and selling out fast.
🔑 Hack: Looking for a race in your area? Check out the Gravel Calendar.
🚵 Professional Racing
The 35 men and 35 women who will compete in the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix have been announced. The riders vying for a piece of the $250,000 prize purse include new domestic and international faces along with defending champions Haley Smith and Keegan Swenson.
Specialized Bicycles has cut its paid global ambassador program. VeloNews reports that about 40 of these digital-content-creating athletes, many of whom were not racers, were let go, while some of the racers were moved to Specialized’s racing setup. The US-based grassroots program, which does not provide any form of monetary compensation, appears to be continuing based on our source, with some of these ambassadors being told they could purchase more bikes this year than in previous years. We have kept this source anonymous to protect their relationship with Specialized.
💡 Today’s Training Tip
Overuse Injury Prevention
Cyclists are no strangers to injuries and overuse issues can be the most frustrating, but are also the easiest to prevent. Here are a few ways to keep yourself from facing these challenges.
💪 Gym Work
Going to the gym is about more than just building strength. Fixing muscle imbalances and developing a durable core will help you ride strongly next year. Check out these cycling-specific programs by Dialed Health.
🧘♀️Mobility Work
Stretching, foam rolling, or doing yoga after your ride and before bed is a great way to unwind and reverse the damage you cause when you spend hours on a bike and at a desk. Here’s one of our go-to routines that can be done in 30-45 minutes.
Foam roll hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes, and pause on tight spots (if you feel a knot, pause there to let it release). Breath to stay relaxed while doing this.
Use a lacrosse or tennis ball to release your glutes and TFL (just between the front and side on the top of your hip). Use it to release each side of your lower back.
Stretch hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, glutes, groin, calves, and TFL (connects to the IT band)
End with child’s pose to bring everything together.
📏 Get a Bike Fit
A bike fit will match your setup to your pedaling mechanics and flexibility. It’s the best money you can spend after a new bike purchase. Get your fit re-assessed each year as your fitness, body, and pedaling style change. This is a good place to start to find a fitter.
🔑 Hack: For travel, get a collapsible foam roller like this one and bring a lacrosse or tennis ball.
Ready to perform ✅.
📍 Check Out This Route
Woodstock to Ascutney Gravel
Location: Woodstock, Vt.
Surface: Gravel
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 36.6 miles
Elevation gain: 3,800 feet
Woodstock is a classic New England town with some of the best gravel riding in the US. This route will take you through covered bridges and past rolling farm fields, barns, and ancient maple trees. Enjoy one of our favorite descents down Town Farm Hill Road on the way to Brownsville before riding back through South Woodstock. Pause for a snack at South Woodstock Country Store before tackling the last few hills back to Woodstock.
❤️ Race Recommendation
Emporia, Kan. is best known for UNBOUND Gravel, but La Grind Stage Race provides a great local atmosphere and a good chance to tune up before the big show a month later. Registration is now open for the 100-mile one-day option on May 6 and the two-day stage race on May 6-7.
🚵 The Story of the New Singletrack Series
Chris,
Thanks for sharing the newsletter. I love the straight talk format and I am sure so will our riders. I see you have lots of info on True Grit Epic and NUE. I also direct unPAved in PA. I'm glad to share any info on that event in October. Let me know how we can help.
Cimarron Chacon
Thanks for putting this together Chris! Great to see a comprehensive news source for the world of gravel and MTB. There is a lot going on with NUE Series. OBRA and High Cascades 100 Director, Mike Ripley will be heading up the NUE newsletter and True Grit RD, Cimarron Chacon, is also playing a more prominent role. NUE is now the longest running MTB ultra race series. Let us know if you would like more info on what is new and happening with NUE. Cheers 👊🏁