Hi @Coach_Theia, I wanted to share this link with you but didn’t know which conversation to use, so I created one. Please move it to wherever should go.
Are folks starting to get into gravel? Do you use mountain bike or is this another opportunity to get to the optimal number of bikes one should own (N+1)? Check out this link… they are based in Colorado.
http://gravelbikeadventures.com/
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I love gravel or dirt riding. I finally got a gravel bike after abusing my road bike for long enough. I wasn’t sure whether to get a gravel bike or a newer mtn bike, but I prefer the road position so went with gravel. I did end up getting a new mtn bike too later on 
My ultimate goal is distance riding, I guess the new term is bikepacking, but just to take off on the bike and not have any roads hold me back.
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That sounds awesome @bikechick666! Do you have any “locations” picked out yet?
Not really. I ended up riding my mtn bike most of the time since I found a great group of women that ride here. Gravel seems to be pretty broken up unless I go out to the desert, which I’d like to do this winter. There’s a great route that has a race every year - Stagecoach 400. There’s also a really nice route in southern AZ called El Camino del Diablo. I’d also really like to do some of the Baja Divide, which is why I ended up getting a new “fat” mtn bike.
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I love gravel riding! I have a Felt AR I got 4 years ago. It’s a cross-type bike but I have it set up for gravel and love it. I feel like I am kind of spoiled with the roads out here in Minnesota since they are mostly well maintained farm roads. Nonetheless they still manage to present some challenges. If you haven’t tried gravel before, do give it a go @Marmen21! I found it a bit scary at first, but quickly fell in love.
Those bikepacking trips look awesome @bikechick666!
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@Stefanie got me into gravel riding in MN and it is great! I think we met just about every cow that lives in that state 
I just moved to Colorado myself and haven’t had a chance to explore any gravel out here yet. I had signed up for SBT gravel in Steamboat but ended up moving too close to the event, so I didn’t ride it. It looks like there are some great areas to ride in CO though!
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@meganherzog Don’t forget all the alpacas and the place you can learn the flying trapeze 
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Me me! Our paced roads in my area are garbage because it’s very agricultural. Got so tired of being beaten up on my carbon bike with skinny tires that I bought a proper gravel bike. Actually haven’t ridden it on unpaved roads yet 
and know there will be a learning curve, but my hubby and I are tossing around a summer Colorado trip to try out some of the amazing gravel roads around Moots (err…Steamboat Springs 
). Will follow this new thread with interest wherever it lands!
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@hollybw I used to ride my road bike in Annadel before I got a mtn bike, try it out.
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Gravel is indeed growing, and more and more events are popping up. I love riding on gravel. I have a gravel bike with disc breaks and Di2 that I use for gravel and cyclocross (for cross I recently changed the setup to a 1x, which is one ring in the front and a bigger cassette in the back with a chain holder so that bad boy doesn’t fall off anymore). That’s the fun part- if you get a gravel bike you can also try cross!
We have an amazing trail near my house that we can ride for 100 miles out and back. Only problem is… it floods all the time. One day of rain and the thing is flooded.
We have a few gravel races in the area and Michigan has a lot of gravel events and even a gravel series that I would love to go to sometime when the kids’ and dogs’ madness subsides.
So many events are catering to women too, offering discounts and/or additional spots.
@dfriestedt loves all-things gravel and this year he will be back to race BWR and Dirty Kanza.
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Related posts:
SBT GRVL - Steamboat Gravel Race
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I’ve not done this one but I have heard it’s pretty epic
Day Across Minnesota, affectionately known as DAMn
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I think it is in our wheelhouse
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Anyone coming out west for the Belgium Waffle Ride? If things go well, I might try the Wafer ride, the shorter version.
@dfriestedt will be there. That’s a fun event! Have you done it @bikechick666?
I haven’t yet. Friends are doing it this year, so I was thinking about it, BUT it’s one month before my ride from SF to LA (AIDS LifeCycle). Not sure how much I want to beat myself up that close to the ride.
I love gravel riding! I have participated in events like Rasputitsa and Rooted in Vermont. We have a ride called Greasy Joes which is more like a mountain bike ride on cross bikes. I have also participated in a great event the past 2 years called the Nutmeg Nor’easter in Connecticut. There are so many gravel rides and events near me. My favorite riding is riding gravel bike through the woods on single track, double track, dirt roads and regular roads.
I also like that gravel doesn’t take itself too seriously, and isn’t just about racing. I like the challenge and the ability to see different places, as well as use my handling skills.
This year, I’m doing a ride in Vermont called the Ranger, redoing another event in Massachusetts called the Mix Tape.
My husband, Rick, loves it too. We ride gravel almost every weekend from spring through fall. Since we started riding gravel 3 years ago, we rode much less road and mountain biking.
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