On April 20 I rode the Dairy Roubaix. This gorgeous self-supporting ride is a mix of gravel and country roads in the very hilly Mississippi River valley that starts and ends at Wyalusing State Park. In its eighth year, the ride offers both a 54 mile and 108 mile route. We did the shorter route and ended up riding 60 miles with 3800 feet of climbing. As a mountain biker new to gravel riding, it was my longest + climb-iest ride ever, with the fastest descending speeds I’ve ever had the joy to experience on a bike. Overall, it was a spectacular day!
While the majority of participants were on gravel bikes, I saw pretty much every variety of bike: road, mountain, hybrid, and even a fat bike. While not officially a race, I got the sense that many riders treat it as such. Both routes are on Strava, and the majority of participants were kitted up and ready to ride. I was ready, too - I was really looking forward to checking out the 11-42 Shimano XT rear cassette I put on my Salsa Warbird (spoiler alert: it did its job!)
Our first descent was a freshly graveled road. People were barreling down it with abandon. I was not so confident, especially after my rear end fishtailed a bit. I found myself questioning my 37mm tubeless set up and wished I had the widest tires possible. Then I reminded myself to relax and treat it as an opportunity to hone my technical skills. A couple of breaths later, and I was in the game. Turns out, that road was an anomaly and the remaining gravel was perfect. And so was the scenery for pretty much the entire ride.
You want bluffs? Got 'em. Little hillside waterfalls? Done. How about a hidden valley with a lush pasture and a winding creek? A field of goats? Pretty barns? It can all be yours to see! Our route wandered up and down the Mississippi valley through wooded hollers and along the river. We were also on regular roads, but it was all countryside. I had a big grin plastered on my face all day - especially on the beautiful rolling downhills. While lovely, there were no opportunities to take pictures because we were going so fast!
Of course, what goes down must come up. I certainly don’t want to undersell the climbing, as there were a number of steep grades and some mile+ long grinders. On some climbs it was all anaerobic “leg day.” In the end, a decent range of gears, fitness, fortitude, and riding with friends definitely made the ride super enjoyable. I may have been one of the last finishers, but I’m cool with that. For this ride, it was not about the miles, but the smiles. :)
