On March 28 Nate Williams and I lined up with 700 others at the start of the Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race. This is just the second year for this event and it is already the third largest bicycle race in Michigan. The fact that this is the first race of the year and it appeals to roadies, mountain bikers and cyclocross racers alike has made it very popular. That and the promoter, Rick Plite, always puts on fun races with a laid back atmosphere.The elite race was 65 miles of dirt roads, rough two-track and a few miles of paved roads with 4,400 feet of climbing (that's a lot for Michigan). The start was a neutral roll out from a state park on Gun Lake under the escort of the Barry County sheriff. The key point in the race is a section of unmaintained, sandy fire road about five miles into the course. I made sure to come into this section at the front of the pack so I could pick my own lines through the sand pits and ruts. The majority of the racers were riding cyclocross bikes and narrow 'cross tires. After training on dirt roads for the past few winters I have come to the conclusion that wider tires are much faster on anything rougher that pavement. So, this year I rode a 29" wheel mountain bike with 1.9" wide tires. This gave me a big advantage on this section of road, so I took the lead and kept a high pace and when we exited the woods there were only two other riders with me; Mike Anderson and Tristan Schouten.
We kept the pace up and quickly had over a minute lead. Near the end of the first of two 32 mile laps Tristan flatted and was out of the race. Mike and I pushed on and when we entered the two-track section at the start of the second lap I took advantage of my mountain bike, lifted the pace and was able to open up a big gap. I was feeling good so I committed and rode the last 30 miles solo for the win, finishing 2:18 ahead of second place.
The Barry-Roubaix is a unique event and a lot of fun. It is only going to get bigger and better in the coming years. I'm looking forward to coming back next year to try and bring home the gravel trophy again! Check out the photos and results here.
