Dirt Road Riding

Nice dirt road

Picture a nice dirt road in the country, wildflowers blooming in the bar ditch, fresh country air, and very few motorists in sight.

Now imagine yourself pedaling down that road enjoying the rural scenery and lack of traffic.

Dirt road cycling events, more commonly known as Gravel Grinders, are rapidly becoming a favorite type of bicycle touring and racing.

This makes sense – unpaved back roads get you off the busy highways away from vehicles and the semi-improved dirt or gravel roads are more pleasant to ride than rough mountain bike trails.

All you need is a good network of unpaved ranch roads, a sturdy bike, some wider-than-normal tires and you’re ready for a great cycling adventure.

Cyclists have been riding unpaved roads since bicycles were first invented - in fact, gravel grinders are a throwback to the early days of cycling when riding was done on unpaved horse-and-buggy routes.

One of the most intriguing early dirt road cycling trips in our region took place in the late 1890s.  San Angelo residents Rhodes Baker and George Allen completed a 12-day, 425-mile bicycle trip that took them from San Angelo to Sonora, Del Rio, across into Mexico and back through Rocksprings to San Angelo.

This ride was undertaken in hot July weather on rough wagon roads, with all of their gear (including fly fishing rods) strapped to their bicycles.

Fast forward to today and events such as the Dirty Kanza 200 in Emporia, Kansas, the Gold Rush Gravel Grinder in South Dakota, the Durango Gravel Grinder in Colorado, and the Appalachia Gravel Grinder Series in the southeastern US are attracting riders who want to do long distance cycling events on dirt roads.

In a generic sense, gravel grinder rides are a hybrid of long course cyclocross races such as the 3-Peaks event in England, mountain bike marathon events, and races that emulate the European spring classics events with courses that go over cobblestones and rural farm roads.

Gravel road cyclists tend to be adventurers who seek out interesting off-the-beaten-path routes away from traffic over terrain that is more fun and challenging to ride than paved roads.

Dirt or gravel roads can be ridden on almost any type of bike if it has a sturdy frame and tires that are somewhat wider than what’s normally used on the road. Some dirt roads can be ridden on normal road bikes with 700 x 28 or larger tires, and sturdy touring or cyclocross bikes with 700 x 30c or larger tires will work well on any unpaved road or even moderate trails.

Mountain bikes will get the job done as well, although they are usually slower on routes that combine paved and unpaved sections.

Some bicycle manufactures such as Kona and Salsa have also started building bikes that are specifically designed for dirt road riding. The design parameters for the dirt-road-specific rigs include a more relaxed and stable geometry, frame clearance for wider tires, road bike wheels and tires that will stand up to rough roads, and disc brakes.

In the San Angelo area, dirt road rides are just starting to garner some attention.  Two routes that have been completed by local cyclists are the Lake Loop around Twin Buttes reservoir and County Roads 411/412 in Irion County.

The Lake Loop route is a combination of pavement and dirt that makes a complete 30 mile circle around Twin Buttes reservoir. It starts and finishes in Middle Concho Park and includes a crossing of Spring Creek at the rocky ford just below White’s Dam. This ride is about 50% dirt and 50% pavement, and is detailed at mapmyride.com/us/san-angelo-tx/twin-buttes-lake-loop-with-dam-crossing-route-18139500.

In Irion County, roads 411 and 412 near Mertzon make up another good gravel road route that follows a 34 mile out-and-back course over dirt roads. This ride starts and finishes at the intersection of CR 411 and Arden Road and goes through some rough oilfield and ranch country with enough hills to make you work up a sweat. This route is posted at mapmyride.com/routes/view/226310267.

West Texas has hundreds of miles of gravel roads waiting to be rediscovered by cyclists, and vacation trips to the high country in places like Colorado and New Mexico will give you even more opportunities to explore back county dirt roads.

My personal favorite is Old Fall River Road in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Although it’s a comparatively short 11-mile section of one-way uphill-only dirt, this gravel route includes switchbacks its way through some of the most beautiful country in the Rockies as it climbs to Fall River Pass at about 11,800 feet above seal level.

Gravel grinding is an adventure waiting to happen, so drag out that map, start looking for rural dirt roads and explore some back-country routes.

Upcoming Events

• July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
• July 18: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• July 27: Goodfellow Traithlon, roadlizards.org
• July 11: Road bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Aug 1: Road Bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Aug 15: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Sept 5: Road Bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Sept 7: Comanche Warrior triathlon, visitbigspring.com/pages/comanchewarriortriathlon