This week we are taking a peak over the proverbial cycling fence to see what’s going on in the world of gravel racing. We’ve seen Ted King, Payson McElveen, Lachlan Morton, and many other gravel racers dip their toes into the bikepacking waters. Now it’s our turn to take a peak into their world.
After coming on the podcast to tell us all about Wisconsin Bikepacking & Gravel, Shane Hitz invited me out to experience the Red Granite Grinder for myself. The RGG is a mixed terrain gravel race that starts/finishes in Wausau, WI. One very unique feature about this route is the 20+ special land access options that are available only during this race. Shane has been busy chasing down land owners and managers to make this route a reality and by all accounts his efforts have paid off.
Todays episode is four segments that are about 30 minutes each. First up is Chris Shotz who is a lifelong resident and local cycling legend with lots of stories about the history of the area. Next we hear from the male and female first place finishes of the 144 mile route, Matti Rowe and Maria Statz. Rounding out the episode we check back in with race director Shane to get his reflections as the fourth iteration of the RGG comes to a close.
Personally, I was enamored by the people, beauty, and remoteness of the area. Thanks for everyone who made it possible to be there and treated me so well while I was there. I hope to see you all down the road another time.
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