Aid Station Strategy: Maximizing Efficiency at 100-Mile Gravel Markers
You’ve trained for months. Your legs are ready. Your bike is dialed. But at mile 70 of a 100-mile gravel race, when your legs are screaming and your stomach is rebelling, the aid station can make or break your day. Most riders treat aid stations like a buffet. They roll in, stop for 3-5 minutes, […]
How to Race Strong in the Final Hour of Your Gravel Event
You’ve ridden 75 miles. Your legs are screaming. Your stomach is somewhere between “meh” and “please no more gels.” And that rider who was sitting on your wheel for the past two hours just accelerates up the next climb like they haven’t been suffering at all. Welcome to the final quarter of your gravel event. […]
Gravel Racing Strategy: When to Work the Group and When to Draft
by Coach Paul Warloski If you’ve raced gravel, you already know how the early miles usually play out. The front group explodes off the line, the strongest riders disappear up the road, and the rest of us settle into smaller groups trying to hold speed and survive the day. For most racers, success isn’t about […]
Train Smart, Race Strong: Matching Your Training to Your A-Race Profile
The difference between a good race and a breakthrough performance often isn’t talent—it’s training specificity. When a rider crushes gravel nationals or when cyclocross racers dominate technical courses, they’re not just fitter than their competition. They’re specifically prepared for the exact demands of their target event. Here’s the truth: Generic training gets generic results. If […]
Hazel Valley Rally: Fighting Heat, Humidity, and 6,000 Feet of Climbing on the ‘Have Mercy On Me’ Route
by Coach Anthony James The Hazel Valley Rally’s Have Mercy On Me route lives up to its name — 62.5 miles of relentless Ozark gravel, more than 6,000 feet of climbing, and a brutal mix of heat and humidity that tested every ounce of grit I had. What began as a calm 5 a.m. start […]
