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Wow, this is an amazing course! So glad to have friends that were up for sharing this experience.

The GRiT is a gravel race in the Teanaway just behind Cle Elum, WA. It’s billed as an “adventure gravel ride” and in my opinion, it sure lives up to its claim. This course was designed by and the event is promoted by Off-Camber Productions who also promote the MFG Cyclocross Series and the Wednesday Night World Championships Mountain Bike Series.

There are three distances, Medium, Large, and XL. We rode the L course and although it’s just over 45 miles, this was a full day and took us almost five hours at a moderate pace with just a few short stops to take pictures and to check the route at intersections.

At 9:00 AM Greg Kauper, John Phillips, Nikos Mills and I started out on this “lollipop” course.

The hard parts of this course are the three major climbs.

• The first one comes right out of the gate and is heading out on the stick of the lollipop and was super steep so I never had the energy to take my hands off the bars to take a picture. 🙂
• The second one is in the first half of the loop/body of the lollipop and is not quite as steep and is a little smoother (fewer washboard) too.
• The third climb is the return trip on the stick of the lollipop and is the most fun. Assuming you still have the energy to enjoy it of course. And assuming it’s not a really dry day would turn this climb into a giant sandbox. Greg described our conditions as “hero sand” which it really was. It had rained some in the previous days so we had awesome traction and never spun our rear wheels.

The fun parts of this course are:

• The first descent. So good! You head down a short stretch of dirt road and then turn right into the woods. From here to the bottom it’s mostly doubletrack, singletrack, and FUN. You are also in the woods so it’s not quite as exposed as the rest of the course. At the bottom of this descent, you cross a creek which is a good source of water in case you need it. I do recommend filtering.
• The second descent. Even better! Is that possible…?! The first part is steep but then it’s mostly gradual with lots of water bars, tiny creek crossings, eroded trails, and lush green meadows. You really need to pay attention here as some of the dips and bumps are bigger than you think so don’t let it rip.
• The views! If the skies are clear, you can see for miles in every direction.

The dangerous parts of this course are:

• All the water troughs. Be careful as you approach these as some only have a very narrow section of rideable trail that goes around them and some will require you to get off and walk your bike as the transition at the bottom of the trough is too sudden to ride.
• The last descent! Be warned, this is very steep and you’ll be tempted to let go of the brakes on the straight sections but each corner invariable has some washboards and my heart rate spiked more than once when my rear tired locked up as I got air off of a bump. Also, the last part of the descent is paved so you feel like you have ultimate traction but some of the corners are sharp. Watch out.

This is truly a ride for a GoPro. Too bad I left mine at home. 🙁 Here are some of the highlights.

One of the many creeks we crossed.

One of the more aggressive “dips” in the trail.

“Now where does that trail go again…? The route says straight ahead.”

Bike porn.

Getting some water before the last climb.

Singletrack baby! It’s not just for mountain bikes anymore.

Here are all my pictures and videos.

Nutrition

• 2 large bottles each with 1.5 scoops HEED and .5 scoops Endurolytes Extreme Powder
• half a bottle of water
• 1 almond butter and jam sandwich

Gear

• Thesis OB1 AXS
• Gearing – I used a 42/52 low gear and would not want to try this course with anything bigger. I run a 1x drivetrain with a 42-tooth chainring and a 10-52 cassette.
• Tires – I ran 650x48mm Rene Herse Switchback Hill tires at 25 psi and would recommend at least 45mm tires. There were four of us, two others had 650×2.1″ tires and one had 700x38mm tires but 1) our pace was only moderate and 2) this person’s rims are wide and 3) we had perfect conditions/traction. If it’s hot and dry 38mm tires will get swallowed by the sand. Or you’ll flat. Or it will be an incredibly uncomfortable day in the saddle.
• I only carried two large bottles but filled one before the last climb. One of us drank two big bottles and a 70oz reservoir they carried on their back. If it’s hot, bring a filter and perhaps bring a third bottle or pack.
• I almost never take my fenders off but for this ride, I kept bending the front one when I tried to ride over logs. My front tire would clear the log but then the lower part of the fender would catch it and bend back. 🙁 I recommend not using fenders for this ride because of all the obstacles even though it’s nice to keep the mud off. Or just walk your bike over every log.
• Garmin fenix 6 GPS watch

My personal website: https://martin.criminale.com/

Here is my Ride with GPS route.

Rick Heckenlaible and I did a modified version of the GRiT L course yesterday. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front), it’s hard. Hard enough that I punted on going back up and over Cle Elum ridge to get back to the start and instead rode down Teanaway on the pavement with tail firmly between legs which was still difficult due to head winds all the way back to the start. The climbs are harder than my still recovering knee could take which forced me to get off and walk multiple times on the 2 main climbs.

Both Rick and I were riding drop bar, hard tail MTB’s with 2.1″ XC type MTB tires and my gearing is 34-46. Rick’s is well under 1:1 too. I would not have turned down an even smaller front chainring.

There were a wide variety of conditions between really smooth gravel, single track, sandy and muddy sections, multiple dismounts for small creek crossings (feet dry), grassy meadows where the route nearly disappears, rutted erosion channels, erosion control ditches (both the fun catch air type and a LOT of the “I will kill you” over-the-bar type that have a single path around one end).

Tons of great viewpoints to be had everywhere. Really a unique and interesting course.

Hats off to Erik Olson and crew for the route. Here’s the route we did with the modified ending: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/93060282

The Off Camber team and others have been riding the course for the last 5 weeks. Here are some examples of rides and/or segments. Seriously long rides… 🙂

https://www.strava.com/activities/7273377926/overview

https://www.strava.com/activities/7267897780

Hey, we are getting very close to opening registration for the GRiT Epic, and in the meantime we wanted to share some changes.

We’ve cut this down to one day, one race, on Sunday. You can ride your gravel bike or mountain bike on this unrelenting, rugged course. We are calling this Teanaway Adventure Gravel.

We’ve cut the XC race that we had planned to start out of Roslyn on Saturday. Lining up all these permits was giving Erik grey hair (…well, Erik has no hair… maybe it’s aggravating his gout). The Sunday ride offers a great challenge for both gravel riders and mountain bikers alike. Bring your gravel bike or your mountain bike for a taste of Teanaway Adventure Gravel.

Registration opening very soon.

We have opened up pre-reg for the Roslyn XC. There are three courses to choose from and we are exciting to bring back XC racing to Roslyn!

While we still don’t have all our permits/permissions in place, we are really close. So close, in fact, that we are opening up our waitlist so that you can get in line. Once we have a clear line of site on our permits, we will move from waitlist to full registration.

Currently the Webscorer will indicate that the event is full – it is not. Ignore that for now and sign up to get on the waitlist. Once the permits are in place, you will be notified via email and can complete your signup.

Thanks for your understanding as well work through all the complexities of making this weekend happen!

Off camber is currently working really hard to make the GRiT happen. We are pre-releasing information now so that you can plan ahead. Getting all the permits and permissions in place is a huge challenge, but we are pressing ahead full speed.

Because we aren’t 100% permitted yet, we aren’t going to take any money. Doing a bunch of refunds would be too much of a hassle for you and us.

Thanks for your understanding and support as we push our way through

Are you ready for The GRiT? The GRiT EPIC is coming to the Teanaway July 9 & 10, 2022.

Join us for miles of gorgeous MTB & gravel riding, tough climbs, spectacular views on a brand-new course through the Teanaway, an iconic region in the heart of Washington’s Cascade Range.

With numerous courses to choose from, of varying lengths and elevation gain, you are sure to find the right challenge.

We are going to make this a weekend and party to remember. Sponsored by Dru Bru, with plenty of beer, food, camping, and lots of nearby lodging, you should plan to stay the whole weekend.

Mark your calendar. Details & registration coming in May.

Tell your boyfriend–he might just want to join you.

…well this is embarrassing! You found our very first blog post.

I’m not sure why you are wasting your time reading this. Get back outside and ride your bike.