As the late, grizzled Robert Duvall (or a character he portrayed) once said…
Likewise, someday this snow is gonna melt:
And when it does the Spirit of Gravel (or “Spograv”) will soar once again. In the meantime, I’m still riding the PRJCT GRVL bike on days when you can get away without full fenders. One reason I do is that at this point the harsh winter has basically reduced the roads to gravel, but the much more important reason is that tubeless tires are like cartons of pulpy orange juice, and you’ve got to shake them from time to time or else the particles settle and they get too clumpy.
What, you don’t agitate the contents of your refrigerator on a regular basis!?! Next you’ll tell me you don’t have someone come over to flush your toilet while you’re away:
When I go on vacation I have a service come to flush the toilets, shake the cartons, and rotate the wheels of all my bicycles so the tires don’t get flat spots.
But the Spograv isn’t just about riding atop Very Small Rocks:
It’s also about using very small bags:
And eating food from them:
[Did someone mention the term “vagina dentata” the other day…?]
This particular little bag just barely fits the following contents:
- A mini pump
- A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on gluten-free bread*
- A small orange, or “mandarin,” the gravel bike of citrus fruits**
At first I couldn’t even get the sandwich in there, but then I figured out that I had to cut it in half and stack the halves, though I’m hoping eventually somebody starts selling foldable gravel bread:
*[I have to eat gluten free bread because wheat gives me hives. If you want to know what gluten free bread tastes like, just eat a dry kitchen sponge.]
**[Regular oranges are like classic road bikes because they have pits and are tough to peel and you’ve got to work for your enjoyment like you do on a bike with hard, skinny tires and big gears. Mandarins are like gravel bikes because they’re soft and seedless and the skin practically falls right off, and like bikes with wide, low-pressure tires, tiny gears, and hydraulic brakes they’re for woosies with weak hands.]
In any case, you already knew gravel was over when I got a gravel bike, but now it’s really over, because here come the tridorks:
And they make roadies look like Path Less Pedaled subscribers:
But there’s another option gaining traction among triathletes looking to stay safe and sharp: gravel riding. Once viewed as a niche discipline or an off-season diversion, gravel has quietly become a powerful training tool for road triathlon, offering low-traffic environments, long uninterrupted miles, and physiological benefits that translate directly to race day.
Think gravel is about having fun and getting closer to nature? Not for triathletes! They don’t ride bikes, they “execute the workout:”
“I was constantly on edge during weekday rides,” says Darleen McNar of Beaverton, Ore., who now does most of her aerobic volume on gravel. “On gravel, I can settle into effort, focus on fueling, and actually execute the workout.”
And they’ve apparently figured out that gravel riding is even better for building “grinding strength” than taking one of those pole dancing classes:
The concept of “grinding strength” is exactly what makes gravel so valuable for triathletes. The surface naturally dampens speed and rewards steady-force application, encouraging the kind of muscular endurance required for long-course racing.
And let’s not forget it helps build the bike handling skills for which triathletes are justifiably famous:
Improved bike handling and stability
Gravel rewards relaxed upper bodies, smooth torque application, and balance. These are all skills that pay dividends in windy conditions, technical aid-station riding, and late-race fatigue when form starts to unravel.
I’ve never heard the phrase “technical aid-station riding” before, but I assume it means this:
For triathletes, any part of the course that requires changing direction or dismounting is a potential aid station.