Gravel Riding

Completing the Vermont “Gorey Quarries” and Riding 92 Miles of Vermont Gravel

In October 2022, I decided to challenge myself to a Vermont Gravel Trifecta of my own design. I would attempt to ride a total of 92 miles, climbing nearly 11,000 feet in total over the course of three days during Vermont’s peak fall foliage.

On Friday, October 8, I took a vacation day and drove to Dover, Vermont for Part 2 of the Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club’s Green Mountain Gravel Grab (I skipped Part 1 since it was on a Thursday). It was a 22 mile ride around Southern Vermont with fantastic sweeping views of the green mountains and delightful fall foliage.  The route also contained one of the longest continuous climbs I’ve completed, 7 miles with about 1200 ft of ascent, if I am remembering correctly.

a favorite

A big thanks to MHCC for organizing the Gravel Grab–it was so fun.

Total stats for theMH CC Green Mountain Gravel Grab:

22 miles | 2,890ft

The next day, Jordan and I drove to Poultney, Vermont, for the Gorey Hollows Ramble, a 30 mile ride which included some singletrack mountain bike trails and some gorgeous Vermont Class IV gravel roads. This ride is one of my all-time favorite gravel rides, complete with halfway point craft beer stop. Organized by Poultney Bike Shop Analog Cycles, this ride is steel ATB and flannel shirt friendly. No carbon or spandex in sight here.  And that’s how I like it.

I’m also a very big fan of these views.

mid-ride hydration

 

A Tanglefoot ATB

Gorey Hollows has three distances, the biggest being the 85 mile race with about 13,000 ft of climbing. I opt for the low-key Ramble, the 30 mile party pace jaunt, with “only” about 3,000 ft of climbing.

Total stats for Gorey Hollows Ramble:

30.23 miles | 3,074ft

Following the Gorey Hollows, Jordan and I drove further North to Barre, Vermont, home of the Millstone Trails Mountain Biking Trail System, where we’d be staying the night. The next day I was signed up for The Grindstone Granite 65K, the 40 miles-ish route  through the hills surrounding Barre. The weather this day was cold, wet and foggy, and I was feeling pretty tired from the previous two rides. I knew at any time I could stop and have Jordan come get me if I wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t even tell that many people about my plans to do The Grindstone due to my fear of failure, but decided after passing the junction for the 17 mile bail out route, that I was going for my planned 38 miles. I’m so glad I did, but boy, it was hard. The ride started out on a little bit of pavement, but soon I found myself on some true class-IV-ride-at-your-own-risk roads.

this sign means the good stuff is coming

Eventually I came to “the wall”, a steep ascent with slippery wet leaves and boulders, which would have been virtually impossible for me to ride, even on my mountain bike. I’d be interested to see if anyone actually did ride it! It was a hike-a-bike section for me.

This is known as The Wall

 

One of the amazing views along the 65K route

The Grindstone had everything, chunky class IV, farm roads, hard packed gravel, sweeping views and everything in between.

It was one of the most beautiful and challenging rides I have ever done.

Total Stats for The Grindstone Granite 65K:

39.5 miles | 5,023ft of climbing

Total stats for 3 days:

91.73 miles | 10,987ft of climbing

The post-ride beverages and MAPLE MAC AND CHEESE were fantastic and the hot meal was welcomed due to the cold and wet weather. The organizers and volunteers were friendly and welcoming. It was probably one of my favorite gravel events to date. THANK YOU GREEN MOUNTAIN GRAVEL for organizing such a great gravel ride. I even won a prize for completing the “Gorey Quarries”—which was awarded to anyone who finished The Grindstone, along with another Vermont Gravel event on the previous day, including Gorey Hollows. I won a Green Mountain Gravel hat and a keepsake vial of actual Vermont Gravel. I was so proud! These three events were the highlight of my 2022 gravel riding adventures. Stay tuned to find out what’s in store for 2023!

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