Get your gravel on

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Cyclists of all skill levels can join in the Condor Gravel Challenge set for June 7, taking in the beauty of San Benito County’s back roads while helping the sponsor, Visit San Benito, raise money for the Pinnacles National Park Foundation’s Condor Project. 

Inspired by the Condor Classic, a race held in the county 18 years ago, the challenge consists of three courses: two for more experienced gravel cyclists and one for more casual riders, including those with e-bikes.

Visit San Benito’s Irene Davis said she was researching events from the county’s recent past when she discovered the original race. She contacted Waltz Creative’s Kathy Schipper, who had been one of the organizers. 

Schipper told her that Off the Chain bike shop owner Brian Lucas was on the committee that organized the original race and that when Davis contacted him he enthusiastically agreed to help revive it. 

“We started meeting about a year and a half ago,” Davis said. “We wanted to pull something together last fall, but we quickly realized how difficult it was to pull something like this together: planning out the routes, getting permissions, and filing for the permits.”

According to Lucas, gravel riding is currently the fastest-growing sport in the cycling world. While the original race was a road ride, he said, the transformation into a gravel ride, which covers dirt roads as well as paved surfaces, makes it a bit more specialized. 

“You have to have a certain type of bike with bigger tires,” he said, “and a little bit of knobbiness on them. Mountain bike tires are for single-purpose riding off-road. Gravel tires are in between—not as skinny as 10-speeds, but in between the mountain bike and a road bike.”

He said there is also more specialized training, particularly for those who have never ridden a gravel bike.

“You will be riding off-road,” he said. “It is going to be slipperier, so you have to get used to sliding around a little bit. That takes time. Training is different for everyone. Most people just go on long rides to get used to the mileage. They are not really true racers; they just like to ride.”

Eric Martin, who was part of the route-building committee, said one key in preparing for the ride is to “just get out on the bike, do your hours, eat a lot of carbs, and drink a lot of water.” 

The route, he said, highlights the Cienega Road wine country area; Paicines Ranch is one of the focal points.

“They have beautifully maintained fire roads and trails, mostly used for sustainable agriculture, which they opened for this event,” Martin said. “We also go through Eden Rift, with Tuscany-like white-gravel roads, and Hollister Hills. It is a lot of beautiful rural San Benito County landscape.”

The 100km Epic Challenge and the 75km Primal Challenge, both for more experienced riders, include paved and unpaved roads. 

All rides will begin and end at Paicines Ranch, but the shorter challenge includes a “shortcut” along Cienega Road.

They both contain a timed climb early in the route, the Double Trouble, with an elevation gain of 445 meters (1,460 ft) and grades up to 13.3% over a distance of 9.8km (6.1 mi).

“You want it to be challenging,” Martin said, “but you don’t want people to have a horrible time. You balance the elevation gain with how difficult the terrain is. But there are three different distances, so you can bite off the whole ordeal or do the shorter one and not die out there.”

While still not for the novice, the third route, the 50K Cienega Valley Day Tripper, consists of paved roads through the historic wine region with a stop at Eden Rift. It’s easily navigated with less specialized equipment, including e-bikes. 

Besides creating an event that would encourage overnight visitors to the area, Martin said it showcases parts of San Benito County that might be less well-traveled by sports enthusiasts.

“You’re seeing these gravel events pop up across the entire world,” he said, “from Europe and all the way down to South Africa. And now, here in Hollister, I think this will be the first of many more events like this to come.” 

Rider check-in at Paicines Ranch opens at 6 a.m. and the first ride begins at 7 a.m. The race will conclude with a finish-line festival from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring food, drinks, live music, games, and local vendors. There is also a ticketed dinner at the ranch, and the festival is open to all without charge.

Registration for the Condor Gravel Challenge and tickets for the dinner are available through the BikeReg website.

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