Just signed up for this race. Seems like a fun event. I like long gravel climbs at elevation.
This uniquely formatted race begins in historic downtown Beaver, Utah the birthplace of famed outlaw “Butch Cassidy” and finishes at Utah’s newest ski and Summer resort, Eagle Point. Featuring a 40/60 split between tarmac and dirt & gravel sectors, the 69.9 mile course accumulates over 10,000 feet of elevation gain and affords riders the opportunity to explore the stunning back country of Utah’s little-known Tushar Mountains and Fishlake National Forest.
Here’s a race report. Seems like a fast and tricky descend in which im destined to lose some time.
Is anybody else going ?. How are you training? Have you done this race in the past, care to share any insights?
Great race! The event is well done and organized nicely. Feed zones are spaced well and have a ton of offerings for re-fueling. Be aware of the weather…I’ve had darn near 100* in the valleys with rain/snow mix up top. Make sure to pack warm clothes and check them in to be delivered at the finish. If you need them you will be grateful. The descent is fast and loose on the switchbacks. The race is not won going down so error on the cautious side. A lot of bottles get ejected on the descent so make sure you have good tight cages. Try to get in a pace line after the gravel descent. It will help a ton through the paved area. The main climb gets all the press, but you have to climb to get to it and climb after it as well. There is a nice little steep section to the finish. Just enough to cook already cooked legs:) Enjoy the day, take in the beauty, and good luck!
I’m in again for the third time. I’ve done it on a mtb and a gravel bike. Besides the decent, I think it’s overall faster on a gravel bike so long as you have the gearing for the climb (and as the poster above mentioned, enough left in the legs to climb some more after the climb). It was really hot down in the valley last year and even tho there were aid stations, I saw a few riders run out of water between them (I had a camelback and bottle). It’s a really cool event and the town of Beaver is really nice, the locals seem to like having the event there.
They have a pretty good write up on the website about bike, tire and gearing choices. There’s a lot of 10-12% gradients but not much worse than that.
Weather will always be interesting there, and can vary a lot on the course from chilly at start to hot in the valley. One year we had hailstones.
I used a 34-34 twice and last year 38-36 for my easiest gears. Most riders have the big pie plates in the rear, but I have been ok. It really depends on your climbing fitness. Nothing is crazy steep, it’s just the duration. Having said that I just got the new Sram Force Xplr rear mech so I’ll change things up this year from a 38 front 10-36 rear to a 42 front 10-44 rear. Excited to see how it goes!
Anyone able to follow the race as it’s in-progress? I know it just kicked off 45 mins ago. I tried using the Athlinks link on the website for the race and it took me to the 2021 race results.
