Need something to motivate me for the first half of the year and contemplating the Gralloch. Who’s done it and was it worth the time, effort and money?
Never done a ride that length, so that’s one concern but would also probably end up doing it solo, so I’m not really interested in the beer tent/ event village side of it.
If not this, anything else I should look at?
Grand Old Dukes in Aberfoyle? They do a 100km and a 180km course, lots of climbing in the 180km course which broke me last year!
I'm less drawn to the Gralloch as it sounds quite intense although I guess if you let tge fast boys go it just becomes another sportive. I think Glorious Gravel do the same course as part of their Wild Goat event later in the year?
I'm doing The Gralloch. Doing the big race on the Saturday but there's also a sportive on the same route on the Sunday if you don't fancy the racing element. I haven't done it, or any gravel race before but I've raced 50 or more enduros over the years and really miss racing. My mate has entered with me and he did it a few years ago. Said it's the best event he's ever done
There's also the GrAlba series which has a few rounds and includes other technically standalone events in the series like the Muc n Mac fest at Innerleithen
GRALBASERIES.COM I've done the Gralloch a few times. It's a great course. Quite rough, chunky gravel in places so wide tyres are recommended. I've seen lots of people puncture. Loosing bottles on the rougher sections is also common so make sure your bottle cage is secure or use a hydration pack.
I've done it the last couple of years, it's a great event and course. The weather has been superb too which helped! It's a proper race and very competitive, especially the start. I think they do a sportive on the Sunday on the same course so I'd probably look at that if you're not into racing it.
I was the definitely the sportive on the Sunday I was looking at.
The weather has been superb too which helped!
I usually have a habit of jinxing any event I enter, so it might not be this year, if I do it.
@OP - are you looking at Scottish/Northern events specifically?
@OP - are you looking at Scottish/Northern events specifically?
Yes, live in NE Scotland near Carnoustie, so even the Gralloch is 3-3.5 hour drive south for me.
I’m doing the Gralloch this year first sportive in many years looking forward to it. I also have a s****y new Stigmata. All the gear no idea 🤣
Yes, live in NE Scotland near Carnoustie, so even the Gralloch is 3-3.5 hour drive south for me.
Do you know the guys from Trilogy.cc in Dundee? They did a gravel audax last year in April called 'The Law'. I was ill in the week leading up to it but rode the route a couple of weeks later, it was excellent but very hilly!
I've done it a few times. The race is definitely a race but away from the front it seems a lot more relaxed. Its set off as age groups so you do get the older racers (Nick Craig 😉 ) coming past you. Can be good to get a wheel to sit on if it happens at the right time.
It's a lovely route. I went up to ride it before the event and it is very pretty.
Don't know if the Alba series will be running this year, a series of gravel events in Scotland. Could be worth a look. I hear good things about Dukes weekender/Gravelfoyle or whatever it is now called. There were some shorter events in the Tween Valley that I remember. Also the Muc and Mack gets a good review from people I know who did it. Most are likely less serious than the Gralloch.
A few club mates have travelled up from Derby more than once, they really rate it. A couple of them are up at the pointy end in their age categories, a couple are happy to have fun at the back.
I've entered the Glorious Gravel version of it in June. This one:
GLORIOUSGRAVEL.COM It's "only" 129km.
Galloway Forest seems to be becoming a bit of a home for gravel race and ride events.
Galloway Forest seems to be becoming a bit of a home for gravel race and ride events.
It’s been my back door riding area since the age of 18 back in 91, first time I did the entire forest road route was wi mates back in 93, I would’ve been on my Marin pine mountain, fully rigid of course.
kirkcudbright-glengap-laurieston-raiders road-clatteringshaws-loch Dee-glentrool-newton stewart-clatteringshaws-gatehouse viaduct-Carrick-kirkcudbright - we used to set off in the morning with a seat pack/tube/cool tool/patches and a pump.
According to our avocet bike computers it usually worked out to be around a 100mile day depending on the routes/paths we took
Simple days on simple bikes but still full of good memories, these days I can only get my kicks driving the car up to clatteringshaws.
Enjoy the route if you enter, it’s worth the drive and effort to get here
"Cool Tool", now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time!
So did anyone do it today? I had an "eventful" day but still really enjoyed it. It's really become a huge event!
Didn’t head across despite living in kirkcudbright but I hear my cousin’s daughter came first in the 19-34 UCI category with a time just under 4hrs, well done Rebecca
I did. 4h02m. Slow puncture which cost me a bit of faff time at about 80km and getting under 4h. Wasn't really going in with many expectations this year so pleasantly surprised with that. Think this is the third one I've done but done a few other events by these guys over the years. Think I'll take a break now from the Gralloch as there are plenty of other options out there to go and do. Always clashes with Boltby Bash.
I didn't think much of the camping. I arrived late Friday evening so ended up in the carpark field with a significant walk to showers and water. Big queue for the five toilets in the morning. Given how much camping was they need to do better in my opinion.
That said the course is excellent and the event is otherwise well run. The event village was better this year and it was nice to wander round an look at bikes. Not quite Ardrock but one of the better event villages out there. In the 40-45 cat but it was good to see the elites attracting some big names. Hopefully it will continue to be successful - Its good to see areas of the bike industry doing well. If you want to race gravel then I think this is a "must do" event. It is huge with top quality racing.
I did the race yesterday and had a nightmare. No mechanicals or crashes but right from the first mile I was struggling with cramp and I've no idea why. I fuelled and hydrated perfectly in the run up, I'd ridden the course before and was doing plenty of training rides at my planned race pace and distance with no issues. Twice I was off the bike on the ground screaming in pain because of horrific cramp. Every single time I stood up on the pedals to try and put some power down, my thighs were cramping up instantly and horrendously. The two times I was off the bike cost me 25 minutes and the rest of the time I had to spin the legs with virtually no power. I was aiming for about 4hr45 and ended up doing 5hr45 which was disappointing but the reason I entered was to keep me motivated over winter so from that perspective it was good but I'm frustrated about how the day went given I did nothing different in terms of bike setup or nutrition. It is what it is though and I was really happy to cross the finish line as I didn't think I was going to make it. Overall it was a really good event, race village was good. I reckon I'll be back next year to shake off some demons
I saw the times of the Elite races and the pointy end. I mean, that's not far off road race speeds, it's insane! Nick Craig won his age category - obviously! 😉
A mate had an absolute disaster, 4 punctures ending with a long walk back. But I saw various people I follow on Strava doing decent rides, it does look fun. I'll have a proper look at it when I do the GG version in July and see if I can think about some training for 2027. It definitely looks like the sort of thing you need to "train" for, I'm not sure I could get away with winging it - at least, not without suffering.
I saw the times of the Elite races and the pointy end. I mean, that's not far off road race speeds, it's insane!
I had a rather humbling moment when a motorbike pulled alongside me and told me the women elites were about to pass me. They started about an hour and a half after me😂
I was around the 70km mark so it wasn't that bad, honest
Punctures still seem to be a major factor, I've invested in the new Panaracer X1+ tyre which basically has an MTB carcass and was described as 'Gralloch-proof' by my buddy who also runs them.
Would be curious to know which tyres were puncturing, was shocked to see a pro athlete running tan-wall Vittorias which are lovely tyres but pretty delicate...
Couldn't believe the speeds I saw people doing, I think some of the fastest were 34-35km/h! Even on road I couldn't touch that sort of pace although presumably there's an element of group riding going on for that sort of pace...
Couldn't believe the speeds I saw people doing, I think some of the fastest were 34-35km/h! Even on road I couldn't touch that sort of pace although presumably there's an element of group riding going on for that sort of pace...
It was the Fred Whitton last weekend and I've seen a few videos from people doing sub-6hr rides (the fastest time was 5'23"). For 110 VERY hilly miles, that's unbelievably quick but the tactic seems to be to find a group and absolutely smash the flat bits working together then just pace the hills to your FTP.
Having seen some videos of Unbound, Traka etc, that also seems to play a large part there. Get into a group and just cane it. Aero kit is really beginning to find its place in gravel racing too.
I had a bit of an issue with my rear tyre losing pressure after a last minute wheel swap. But then was right behind someone who lost on one of the fast descent early on in the race. Had to stop and wait with him until the ambulance arrived which pretty much ended any chance of a respectable time. Still really enjoyed the ride and think it's a great course.
Did anyone do the Ultra?
Quite tempted for next year.
Watching a vid about it now but unsurprisingly it seems to be dominated by punctures, really really curious what tyres and pressures people are running, presumably in the ultra they're not racing hard and drafting so presumably aren't smashing over sharp rocks willy-nilly...
Did anyone do the Ultra?
Quite tempted for next year.
I've watched quite a few YouTube videos of folk who committed to the Ultra, living in the Galloway area I used to head off bike packing and explore all those roads they used from down here in kirkcudbright up to and around Loch Doon and it seemed to very well organised with feed and water stations.
If I could cycle I'd be signed up for sure.
Seems like a good choice of route and well done to those who completed it
really curious what tyres and pressures people are running
I've definitely seen some very weird numbers mentioned in the videos I've watched. People running low 20s PSI. That's the kind of pressures I ran on my 170mm travel bike in soaking wet enduro races. I'm not sure why anyone feels the need to go that low in a gravel race. I (at 79kg) ran 38 rear, 32 front on 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tyres and had zero issues with grip or punctures. I was pushing 50km/h+ on the downs so I wasnt holding back.
I've definitely seen some very weird numbers mentioned in the videos I've watched. People running low 20s PSI.
I was hoping it was something like this! I went past a line of folks with punctured tubeless at last year's Grand Old Dukes, just after a fairly obviously rough rocky bit. I wondered if either they just had too much faith in their set ups, or were trying crazy low pressures or something.
I have sliced tyres twice now on chunky patches of infill, so am now running the new Panaracer X1+ which is apparently more like an MTB casing, fingers crossed!
For pressures I used to run mid to high 20's on my compass pass tyres and WTB tyres (40mm) all ran tubeless, being 68/69 kg I could get away with such pressures on the fire roads and never once suffered a puncture but at no point could my pace be considered "race pace" , I was a happy bimbler but could regularly hit 40mph-45mph+ on some of my fav downhills.
I know/knew the fire roads and surfaces like I know the roads in kirkcudbright so could temper my enthusiasm
A couple of pals did it on Sunday, said it was quite busy for the first 10 miles, they were taking it easy, people were flying past them on the uphills, then they'd catch and pass them going downhill, as there were long queues either side of the fire road, in the car wheel tracks, behind slow riders, and few of them wanted to ride the rougher section in the middle. They went past in the middle, and it was fine, obviously more loose rocks around the centre line, but they are used to off road riding, and didnt suffer any punctures or offs. They did report a lot of people did not have decent bike riding skills, and some couldnt even fix a puncture - they pulled into one of the feeds, and two people asked them to help out with punctures.
Double post
