Is this the Perfect Gravel Ride?

The nervous energy is palpable.

It’s in the high 40s as we roll out. The sun isn’t quite up, but there is enough light that just blinkies are required for safety. I’m bundled up in my warmers, cold weather gloves and a vest, perfectly dressed for the occasion. Main Street is all but vacant and we take ownership of one of the lanes as we begin our adventure at a friendly pace. Rounding the corner and heading up Cedar Canyon, we are hit with the typical morning down-canyon breeze and the haphazard group falls into a double paceline formation.

The nervous energy transforms into determination.

The idea is rather simple, ride from the Red Rock Bicycle in Cedar to the one in St. George. To make it a bit more interesting, the route takes us up over Kolob, across Smith Mesa, drop the Goulds road and ends by following the Virgin River Trail back into to St. George. It’s 105ish miles, 7200+ feet of climbing with about 40 of it being on dirt roads. There are 17 of us pedaling out for the first edition of Shop to Shop.

I know it was going to be a good one when every single person I mentioned it to said it was going to be a good ride, but I didn’t know it was going to be perfect.

The Climb

The resolve of the team is felt as we round the turn and begin the climb.

I fucking love this thing. And I’m guessing my excitement is felt by the group. I put my head down and begin pedaling knowing full well how it will feel and look. I can’t wait for the sunrise, for the warmth on my back, but mostly for the views.

If you’ve been around me in the past month, I’ve probably babbled on about this climb. I pedaled it for the first time about 5 weeks ago and was blown away. Yes, it’s steep. Yes, it’s long. It is a climb and you will feel it when you get to the top, but like most hard things, it is worth it. The views alone are astounding looking back into Cedar Canyon. It’s also one of the few climbs that you gain that much vert and you can see where you started. There is a constant feeling of accomplishment regardless of where you are.

Thanks to our start time, we were also treated to a bitchin’ sunrise and the views and hues that go along with it. The chilly weather made the sun hitting our backs in spots something special. My pace feels perfect. Karl Jarvis is pedaling along and making me talk while doing it. I keep looking at the views and thinking I should stop and take some photos, but the climb just feels too good to halt. We keep pedaling watching as the valley floor drops below us.

And then we hit the gravel. There’s a couple of pit stops and then the climb continues in more of a rolling fashion with a general upward trend but punctuated by drops.

Bomber Descent

I’m in the drops with my fingers actuating and releasing the brakes attempting to control my speed while also blasting this downhill. We are being treated to the fruits of our labor as the climb has put us at the top of some beautiful pavement that is steep, windy and all downhill. The road is, once again, almost vacant, but the best part is the surrounding area.

Our climb “ends” at Kolob Reservoir where we are able to refill our bottles even though we’ve barely drank anything due to the chilly weather. The gravel also ends there for this particular section. This area is the top of Kolob. If you’re familiar with Zion, this is its little sister. Kolob is the same geological formation, but there is no entrance booth and the road we are about to drop winds its way through private and park land. This means that the views are astounding, absolutely breathtaking, some of the best in the world.

But we were descending.

We pedal away from the spigot excited for this drop. Within seconds, we are in the drops finding our way to the smallest cog in our cassette. Within minutes, those 10 tooth cogs feel like they are giant as we are spun out and can do nothing more to gain speed other than tuck. This is probably a good thing, because we hit over 45 mph without being able to pedal. That’s fast enough for me.

The road isn’t just downhill, it meanders, flattens and twists providing the texture for a glorious descent. Bombing is the appropriate word for it, but it is punctuated by these beautiful turns and each one provides a stunning, unrivaled vista.

Smith Mesa

You could coast down to Virgin and this would be an amazing ride, but we are just getting started.

I grab a handful of brake, just enough to come to a quick stop, but not enough to lose traction. Our turn has arrived and it is a sharp one.

Margaret, of Ride Southern Utah, is at the turn, probably a good thing because we most likely would have blown past it and had to climb back up. At the last minute, she decided she was going to sag, mostly because R2 had decided to to do the ride and wanted support. We come to a stop and she offers us water. I haven’t even touched any of my three bottles I filled at the Reservoir, so we are good to go.

And then Shirley, Josh and Jon catch us. They resupply as we can feel the sun start to bake us and then we begin to climb once again.

Smith Mesa sits just west of what we have come down. We don’t have to regain all of the elevation, but we definitely go up and the first section is steep. I can feel my brain cooking, even contemplated taking off my helmet, but knew I would be dropped faster than a bad habit, so I just kept pedaling. The group I am with is strong and their pace is right at my limit. The only thing keeping me going are the views.

Any time I feel grumpy on a climb, I take a look around. If I can revel in the beauty that surrounds me, it completely changes my attitude and suddenly my legs don’t hurt that much, I remember that I chose to do this thing and the smile returns to my face. The climb up Smith Mesa hurt, but I also loved every minute of it.

The dirt road climbs north and west from the pavement. This gives us views back up what we just came down and the drastically different one of Pine Valley and the many layers leading up to it. As we curve our way around the mesa, the view alternates between the two giving us the motivation to continue the slog. This is a section that I think most people, including myself, underestimated. If you look at the elevation profile for the ride, this mesa looks flat. It is not. It has a steep climb followed by a false flat grade that is continuous until the last few miles. It’s also much longer than most of us anticipated.

All of the grind is all but forgotten, although still felt in our legs, as we drop to Virgin. The last few miles are bomber. Not as long as our last descent, but definitely just as fun. The views are astounding, the road is exposed adding a layer of adrenaline and once again, we find ourselves with nothing to do but tuck and work the brake levers carefully.

Technical Gravel

Working the brakes, I know there is nothing more I can do but try to control the skid. The road is pitched downward, is rocky and loose. I’m navigating the side of the ruts trying to stay above the rocks, but my route is taking me right into a washout. I have two options, attempt to stay above it or hope I can roll through the rocks. I opt for the former. My front wheel makes it passed the washout perfectly, but a small bump and my rear wheel goes sideway and then loses all traction as it slides out. Fortunately, I’m going slow and land in a bush protecting me from the rocks. Other than a sore wrist and some giggles, this wreck just checks my confidence in my worn-out tires’ tread.

Everyone was a bit nervous about this spot. The drop down Goulds. We knew it was rough, steep and going to be a bit of a challenge. As far as I know, I am the only one who went down and it added that piece of technical gravel that this route needed. You can’t have a perfect ride, if you don’t have anything technical.

After the rocky couple of miles, it’s smooth selling straight to the Maverick in Hurricane for a resupply and a trip into the Beer Cave to cool down.

Get us Home Shirl

Our breath swirls around us as we enjoy the close-to-freezing temperature of Maverick’s Beer Cave. We just hang out letting the cold air cool us to the point of being cold and then we walk back out.

At mile 85, we are so close to being done we can feel it. The route takes us down the highway to the Turf Sod road, then Pecan, Washington Dam and finishes with a jaunt on the Virgin River Bike Path. We drop into a paceline with Shirley out front. Personally, I’m feeling the miles but I’m stoked to be where I am. She pulls off hard setting a great pace, but one that I don’t think any of us could match if we were out front. She just pulls and keeps pulling. If you’ve ever ridden with Shirley, you know how strong she is and she demonstrated it as she got us through the paved section.

Tucked in and pedaling, I get in my head. Everything kind of fades and all I am thinking about is pedaling, attempting to hold the wheel in front of me. There is a surge that catches me off guard and I can’t muster the energy to close the sudden gap. I watch as Shirl pulls the group away from me and I am left watching them from a distance.

This last section is all cruiser miles. It’s almost flat, mostly smooth and once on the bike path I felt like I was home.

Unexpected Support

We advertised and expected this to be a self-supported ride. There is water at the Kolob Reservoir, you cross the Virgin and the Maverik in Hurricane is just off course. This makes it possible to do the ride without needing much more than you can carry other than a shuttle to start or finish. As we were getting ready for this ride, a few unexpected folks raised their hands wanting to be involved and provide some sort of support.

I’ve already mentioned Margaret who ended up running sag.

Carl, from Funcle Carl’s Shuttle, agreed to not only shuttle us to and from the start, but then volunteered to follow along providing water when needed and ending up shuttling a few folks to the finish line when the ride was a bit more than they anticipated.

And finally, Monte Lutz and Bonnie Strawser of Utah Mountain Biking Adventures, who volunteered to and put out an ice chest of water for us to refill with in Virgin.

Of course, this entire ride was organized and paid for by Red Rock Bicycle Co. taking care of the shuttle expense and providing the post-ride party.

Huge shout out to them, they made the ride better for everyone.

Is this the perfect gravel ride?

It’s a bold claim, the perfect gravel ride, but I’m making it. This ride has unmatchable views, killer climbs, bomber descents, a dash of technical gravel and cruiser miles to make it perfect. Is it hard? Yes. Can you do it year round? Nope, you’ve got to catch it when there’s no snow across the top and the valleys aren’t too hot. Can you do it self-supported? Absolutely. Will we do it again? 100% this will be happening again in 2023 on the last Sunday of September. Be prepared.

And if you think you have a more perfect route, let me know because if it’s better than this one, I’ll be there as quickly as possible.

Seek discomfort. Embrace Chaos.