Back in 2024, I had a stack of events that turned out to be a mixed bag. I always enjoyed doing my annual Frozen Apple Ride because it’s deliberately hard and deliberately too early in the season for anyone to feel like it’s a reasonable route. The goal, as always, is not to take ourselves too seriously and just enjoy the day.
I finally rode the fabled Rasputitsa, unfortunately marred by my crippling, uncontrolled anxiety. (Thank you, Karen, for sticking with me) But also, unfortunately, marred by its own success. You can read about it here; the TL;DR is … I expected a significantly more inclusive, non-race-focused event than it turned out to be. (When the Finish Festival is completely torn down by the time you finish, that’s a sign)
A few weeks later, I rode LuLackaWyCo, another storied gravel ride that was a complete 180 from my Raspitutsa experience (although still featuring crippling, uncontrolled anxiety). You can read about that event here; the TL;DR is that the event was super grassroots, even after so many years, and celebrated ordinary cyclists doing bonkers things. Yes, there was a race component, but the non-racers were led out by the founder. Class.
This year’s back-to-backs were SBT GVL and Ned Gravel, two events I signed up for once we knew we’d be back in Colorado. While my SBT GVL experience lacked the homegrown community vibe, Ned Gravel delivered in spades.
Let’s start with Nederland, Colorado – a funky small mountain town known for it’s hippie, chill vibe and Frozen Dead Guy Days. Where Steamboat Springs feels polished and wealthy, Nederland has somehow avoided gentrification and looks like a true small mountain town. There was no shortage of travelers and wanderers around the town. Sitting at 8,235′ above sea level and surrounded by several Wilderness areas and National Parks, Nederland is a fantastic place to start many outdoor adventures.
Ned Gravel features four courses – the 50 and 73 being race-oriented with time cutoffs, while the 10 and 20 milers hit the highlights without spending the whole day on the bike. Everything I heard about the event focused on inclusivity and community, with several people raving about the courses. I originally signed up for the 50 miler, but as the event drew closer, the realities of hard climbing at elevation felt Real – and I dropped to the 20 mi course.
With the drop to the 20 miler, I decided my Cutthroat would be overkill and selected my around-town bike, Hildegard the Surly Ogre, as my bike of choice. My Surly is beefier, heavier, and sports a 24-pack rack and half-basket out front.
In other words, the perfect bike for a ride that I didn’t want to take too seriously.
The weather out in Colorado has been brutally hot lately (low-to-mid-90s most days), so I was thrilled to be in the mountains, where it would be decidedly cooler. The 10 and 20 milers started at 8am under blue skies and upper-60s for temps (almost perfect). Most riders were on their drop-bar gravel bikes, with a few people on mountain bikes. I didn’t see anyone else on a “regular” bike like mine, much less with a basket out front.
In short order, we were climbing up the Peak to Peak highway to our first side road. Once again, there were cyclists for as far as the eye could see, which is always a cool sight. As we turned onto Ridge Rd, riders started dispersing. With 4 hills over 20 miles, and each hill about 3 miles long, I decided to dial back my efforts and just enjoy the ride. Hildegard isn’t the most nimble bike in the garage, but she’s strong and stable. Before I knew it, the road was tipping back down with stunning views of the mountains peeking through.
The course resumed climbing up the Peak to Peak Highway to our next dirt road (and still more climbing). It’s starting to feel really hot out, and I’m questioning if leaving my other attire option, a Dead Kennedys muscle shirt, back in my car was a smart choice. Fortunately, the next climb featured some fairly regular shade – which isn’t a given in Colorado! The aid station was at the top, but I rolled straight through. I had plenty of water and snacks for the whole ride.
The 4-mile descent back down the Peak to Peak Highway was amazing and refreshing; a wonderful respite from the climb!
The course then sent us towards the Caribou Ranch Open Space for another 3-mile climb – this time with minimal shade. I ended up pushing my bike up the last half of the steepest part of the climb to give myself a break from pedaling my strong and sturdy bike up all the hills. At one point, I stopped in the shade to cool off and drink water when another rider called out, “You should have your dog in that front basket!” Which – super adorbs but not for my dogs.
Continuing on, the course then turns into a wonderfully gentle climb on two-track before taking a turn to head downhill back into town. Brilliantly, the organizers placed the race’s finish-line touchpads 1 mile outside of town to prevent people from racing through town. Once past those, I slowed to just soak in the last bits of forest before getting back on pavement.
Upon crossing the final touchpads under the arch, the MC called out, “You are a Champ. There are some people who are just born to ride bikes – and that’s demonstrated by that young lady right there.” In that moment, my choice to bring a heavy steel bike with a basket to the ride was worth every moment where I thought “oh man, my Cutthroat would be much easier to ride up the hills on this course.”
Overall Verdict: Ned Gravel is exactly what my soul needed to restore faith in larger events (over 700 people registered).
Where the ranchers outside Steamboat had signs indicating they don’t care for the gravel bike race, it felt like the whole town of Nederland was out cheering everyone on. Families were out by the road ringing cowbells, kids were screaming “good job!” to everyone that rode by, and the stoke was high. I didn’t see any race litter (although to be fair, I wasn’t on the longer routes, so I have no idea … but the longer rides went out much earlier than I did and rode the same roads to start).
THIS is what I mean by preferring grassroots, local events over massive productions. The only thing that would have made this event better would be riding it with friends. Maybe next year.
See you out there!
wife. mother. awesome girl. 