I’ve been riding my road bike quite a bit lately, so I decided to head out for a gravel ride last weekend for the first time in a while.
Guiding a Gravel Ride
To be honest, I had originally thought about just taking the road bike out, but through a turn of events, I ended up riding with four people in total: two friends who wanted to challenge themselves with a gravel ride, Keita from Circles, and myself.
The sense of accomplishment after a tough climb
The paved road leading to the gravel section was almost entirely uphill, and even once we hit the gravel, the first half remained a steady climb. It seemed like these two hadn’t climbed for so long before, and there were moments where they looked exhausted—sometimes even looking like their souls had left their bodies. However, once they finally managed to reach the top, they clearly felt that sense of accomplishment, and I could see the satisfaction on their faces.
The thrill of the descent
The second half was almost entirely downhill. This is the real highlight of the ride, and while it’s easy to get caught up in the fun and want to pick up speed, you can’t get too carried away. We descended cautiously, checking the road conditions instead of just surrendering to the momentum until we reached the finish. Good times go by all too quickly.
It was a ride of just over three hours from start to finish, and I was so relieved to hear them say, “That was fun!”
The two people who joined me were Mr. I, who recently took delivery of his ALL CITY / Super Professional, and...
Mr. O, who just had to have a SALSA CYCLES / Fargo and bought it online.
Beyond just enjoying the ride together, I felt a real sense of kinship knowing they are both the same age as me.
I’m not sure when we’ll be able to ride together next, but after the ride, they came in to pick up some gear for winter riding and make adjustments to their positions. It was clear that their passion for future rides is really growing.
While the hot days are still lingering, the mornings and evenings are cooling down with a crisp breeze—let’s make the most of what is truly the best season for cyclists!
