WHEELBASE STAFFERS TAKE ON GRINDURO WALES!…

Wheelbase’s gravel gang head out to one of the UK’s premier gravel biking events…

Whilst Wheelbase may be better known for its road racing team, some staff members prefer to ride gravel roads and rough singletrack on their drop bar bikes. Driven by this, three Wheelbase Lake District staff members joined a South Lakes posse and headed to mid-Wales for Grinduro 2021. Set this year amongst the looming forested Dyfi Valley, Machynlleth was the perfect location for this year’s event. With the Redbull Hardline running in the valley the same weekend, the tone was definitely set for fun times and shreddy riding! Grinduro is an event that puts party first and race second, but don’t let photos of cool guys and gals wearing Hawaiian shirts and sipping beer fool you into thinking it is easy. With four timed stages (plus a bonus hill climb) running in an MTB Enduro format on terrain usually reserved for full-suspension bikes, completing the 40 mile event was far from trivial.

Wheelbase’s Tech Support fella Adam in full flight… (photo courtesy of Dan Monaghan)

Our fears of rain and thunderstorms were alleviated on Saturday morning as we rose bright and early to clear skies and temperatures that were noticeably cooler than the scorching days we had been enjoying in the days preceding the event. Breakfast and coffee was on the house for race day and Kendal-based coffee van Elliot’s were brewing top quality flat whites for bleary eyed graveleurs with American pancakes being served up by the caterers.

The day started with a cruisy ride on the road past the Centre for Alternative Education, before turning off near Corris straight onto a gravel climb for the Zipp hill climb stage. The second stage was a long, undulating hill climb on an open hillside where plenty of ruts and rocks were waiting to catch you off-guard just when you were on the verge of vomiting with exertion. The end of the timed section threw us straight into a steep rocky descent and some exposed singletrack, a taste of things to come. Next up was a feed station put on by the friendly team at Outdoor Provisions who were handing out handmade snack bars and bananas coated in tasty nut butter. This feed station was a great example of how the non-timed transit between stages on Grinduro helped create a fun and friendly atmosphere. Whereas other events tend to be a manic rush just to grab and handful of jelly babies and rush off, people were happy to hang out, chat and check out each other’s bike. The transit to the next stage was a mix of dusty, smooth gravel and mtb trails. Sadly, a rider had a bad get-down on stage three which meant this portion was closed off, so we really hope they are okay.

Wheelbase’s gravel gang enjoyed the mix of fantastic trails and a laidback, sociable vibe at Grinduro Wales…

A final blistering gravel descent back down to ‘Mach’ concluded the morning ride. Meatballs and pasta was served up to riders as we basked in the sun and discussed the morning’s antics whilst waiting to be called up for the afternoon ride. Stage three was a full-gas uphill sprint, where I tried in vain not to get dropped by my compatriots. Once this was out of the way, we traversed up, down and around the open hill side; the stand-out feature being a loose chute that felt at the very limit of what could be descended on a gravel bike.

Wheelbase’s gravel gang discuss the best lines in between stages…

A hellish grassy climb in the now scorching sun paved the way for a wild, white knuckle descent down to the final 4th stage and eventually the finish line. Stage four had been scoped the evening before and there was some trepidation about the rock slabs, tight rooty sections and steep dusty ramps, but caught up in the hype of the event and whisked along by adrenaline, the Wheelbase team and co formed a send-train to race down to the finish.

Despite initial fears of wet weather, riding conditions stayed dry and dusty throughout the weekend…

The format and attitude of Grinduro created a friendly and inclusive vibe, which was really apparent at the awards ceremony. It was great to see all those who were really putting the hammer down get an award. Friend of Wheelbase Emily Wormald just missed out on a spot on the podium, but came an admirable fourth. Wheelbase’s Tech Support Adam came in a respectable 10th. The were some alternative ‘spirit of the event’ awards too with Komoot giving out awards to people who epitomised the attitude of Grinduro, such as the doctor who gave medical support to the poor rider who crashed on stage three, and to someone who had ridden the event despite being very new to cycling. As evening fell a the event’s band the provided the sound track to a great evening of socialising with friendly people. A good time was had all-round! The following morning the nice bunch at Komoot put on a Hangover Ride, which I was reluctantly dragged along on the promise that it would revive me. The ride was of a similar quality, albeit at a slower pace and was a great way to round off the weekend.

Sunday’s Hangover ride gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘Recovery Ride’…

So, should you attend the next Grinduro gravel bike event? Hell yes! Gravel events can be expensive, but Grinduro hosted a proper weekend of super-fun antics along with a proper goody bag, free food and coffee as well as a band and an outstanding route. The event stretched the limits of what’s rideable on a gravel bike and motivated a much discussed question of the perfect bike for the event. An mtb was the common answer, but I think ‘under-biking’ was the theme of the event! I was riding a Cannondale Topstone Carbon shod with semi-slick 35mm tyres which was definitely not the perfect set-up, but was very fun none-the-less. The Kingpin suspension made the bike more compliant than the 35mm tyres would suggest and the OutFront Steering Geometry gave me plenty of confidence in the corners. I was jealous of the plump 650b tyres on Adam’s Trek Crockett, bigger tyres were definitely the better option for Grinduro; I’m already planning my equipment changes for next year!…

 

Written by Jack, Wheelbase Customer Services Team

 

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