Gravel bike racing has found a home in Virginia City

On Sept. 27 136 riders from as far away as Nashville and Colorado descended on Virginia City to take part in the Golden Gravel Grinder bike race. Gravel bike racing is the fastest growing sector of bike racing and is a perfect fit for Montana according to event organizer and competitor Scott Kelly. 

“We don't have a lot of single track where people can get out on their mountain bikes, but we have dirt roads everywhere and that makes gravel bike racing perfect for Montana,” he stated at the event which he hosted along with his wife Amy Kelly and a gang of hard working volunteers. 

Gravel bikes are essentially a hybrid between a street bike and a mountain bike with thicker tires than a street bike but not the same knobby treads and suspension that riders use on mountain trails. 

“Once I got a gravel bike I started riding a lot more,” Kelly explained. “I have a lot of options that I can ride from my front door without having to load my mountain bike in the truck and drive to a starting point.”

A lot of people are willing to load up their gravel bikes to travel to these events as evidenced by the collection of bike racks on display in the parking areas of Discovery Park in Virginia City where the race began and ended. The event has grown by 10% or more each year since it began and is becoming a favorite destination for the gravel bike community. 

“A lot of these events are pretty bare bones,” said Amy Kelly as she flipped tortillas she was heating on the grill for the post race taco bar. “There is a big event that ran in Bozeman this year that makes Belgian waffles. In Island Park there was a race that was known for its potato bar. Our thing is tacos.” 

Riders race into the park to a collection of cheers and cowbells as they cross the finish line of the 40 and 85 mile versions of the course. Twenty-two- year-old Troy Fields from Hendersonville, Tenn., smashed the course record for the 85 mile course, known as the Lollipop, by more than 50 minutes according to race officials. His official time was 4:24:06. 

Fields grew up in a mountain biking family before moving on to compete in road racing on the junior USA National team and becoming the youngest rider to sign with professional cycling team Project Echelon. 

Sofie Carlson, who comes from Minnesota by way of Bozeman, set a new women’s record for the 40 mile course called the Stick. She joined the festivities at the finish line to drink beer from Burnt Tree Brewing, which she professes she is also good at.  

“I got into gravel bike riding because I like mountain biking,” said Carlson. “This is a good way for me to stay in shape during the shoulder season. I realized that you can get back on beautiful roads and enjoy a long day.” 

This was Carlson’s first time riding the Golden Gravel Grinder and she was not shy with her feedback about the course and the event.

“The course was beautiful,” she began. “The gravel was packed and there were beautiful views the entire time and this is a great time in the season because of the fall colors. There were a lot of hard climbs, but it was safe and fast moving.” Her time on the 40 mile course was 2:42:39. 

Not everyone participating in the event was focused on course records. There were untimed divisions for riders who just wanted to test themselves on the 40 mile course and there was a 13 mile course as well for more casual riders. There was a youth bike rally set up at Discover Park for kids to show their skills on a mini-course while they waited for the riders to cross the finish line. Ennis town commissioner and cycling enthusiast Cory Hardy took a social approach to the 85 mile course. 

“I knew the volunteers at the aid stations, so I stopped to chat,” he explained before pointing out that the event was just starting to touch its potential. 

“The Belgian Waffle Ride in Bozeman, which is part of a national series, drew something like 700 riders,” he explained. “In Sheridan, Wyo., they have two events each summer and each draws something like 700 riders.” 

While that level of participation feels like a long ways away, the word is getting out about the Golden Gravel Grinder. 

“Everyone in Bozeman knows about it,” said Carlson. With the likes of Fields and Carlson in the lineup, that reputation is starting to spread nationally as well.  More information about the event is available at www.goldengravelgrinder.com.