The Oregon Trail has been on my bucket list for a few years now, and my first time at the race did not disappoint. Coming away with 3 stage wins and the overall title certainly helped with that, but I think even if I hadn't done particularly well, it would have been a pretty special week on the bike between the beautiful route, camp life, and hanging out all day with bike friends.

Thankfully I didn't have to test that theory though! With good form, I managed to put together a week of racing with almost no issues outside of a small stage 1 crash. After grabbing the GC lead by a couple of minutes on Stage 2 and more or less maintaining that lead through the first 4 of 5 stages, I knew fellow Canuck, Cory Wallace, would do his best to make my life miserable and take the jersey on the mountaintop finishing Stage 5. But as the cliche goes, the best defence is a good offence, so I went on the offensive about halfway through the stage. Cory kept things frighteningly close for much of the stage and I probably spent 3/4 of my time out front questioning my decision-making skills, but I finally managed to start pulling away on the final climb to secure both the stage win and overall. 

I'm happy to take the win at the "Grand Tour of Gravel" and excited to see what the hard work done out on The Oregon Trail does for my fitness in coming races!

Bike Setup

- Revolt Advanced Pro in the short setting

- Challenge Getaway 45c tires for the sandy Stage 1 (24/26psi) and Getaway 40c and inserts for Stages 2-5 (34/36psi)

- Easton EC90AX Wheels (which held true despite some very solid rock hits)

- EC90 SL cranks with 47/32 Front Ring and 10-33 Cassette

- Dark Speed Works Top Tube bag to fill with candy each day

The Oregon Trail has been on my bucket list for a few years now, and my first time at the race did not disappoint. Coming away with 3 stage wins and the overall title certainly helped with that, but I think even if I hadn't done particularly well, it would have been a pretty special week on the bike between the beautiful route, camp life, and hanging out all day with bike friends.

Thankfully I didn't have to test that theory though! With good form, I managed to put together a week of racing with almost no issues outside of a small stage 1 crash. After grabbing the GC lead by a couple of minutes on Stage 2 and more or less maintaining that lead through the first 4 of 5 stages, I knew fellow Canuck, Cory Wallace, would do his best to make my life miserable and take the jersey on the mountaintop finishing Stage 5. But as the cliche goes, the best defence is a good offence, so I went on the offensive about halfway through the stage. Cory kept things frighteningly close for much of the stage and I probably spent 3/4 of my time out front questioning my decision-making skills, but I finally managed to start pulling away on the final climb to secure both the stage win and overall. 

I'm happy to take the win at the "Grand Tour of Gravel" and excited to see what the hard work done out on The Oregon Trail does for my fitness in coming races!

Bike Setup

- Revolt Advanced Pro in the short setting

- Challenge Getaway 45c tires for the sandy Stage 1 (24/26psi) and Getaway 40c and inserts for Stages 2-5 (34/36psi)

- Easton EC90AX Wheels (which held true despite some very solid rock hits)

- EC90 SL cranks with 47/32 Front Ring and 10-33 Cassette

- Dark Speed Works Top Tube bag to fill with candy each day