Ride Reports: Lakelander Gravel Grinder
Posted By Gravel Union
On 12 December 2019
Event Title:
Lakelander Gravel Grinder
Date:
12 October 2019
Distance:
100 km
Location:
UNESCO Geopark, Belcoo, County Fermanagh
Country:
Northern Ireland
Altitude Gain:
1880m elevation
% of Gravel:
87%
Bike Ridden:
Pinnacle Arkose Alfine 8
Tyre Width:
42c WTB Resolutes
So, you want to be a Gravel rider then? You’ve got the hipster beard, the cool bike and the dishevelled kit that looks like you slept and cycled through Australian outback without washing it once. Well done then. You’re ready. Except you’re not! As relative gravel virgin, the Lakelander Gravel Grinder was my second foray into the world of gravel riding. Last year I tried a small, little known, warm up event called the Dirty Reiver. I thought I was more than ready for a paltry 100km in the wilds of Fermanagh. I couldn’t have been more wrong…
I had recently found myself press-ganged into a loose association of club riders with the unofficial moniker of the Irish Gravel Mafia (IGM). The inaugural LAKELANDER GRAVEL GRINDER took place on the 12th October. Comprised of around 500 riders from all 32 counties in Ireland as well as Isle of Man, Scotland, England, Wales, Asia, North America and beyond. As a local event it was mandatory that the IGM absolutely had to support this endeavour. Failure to do so was punishable by either having to share a bed going ‘top to tails’ with The Beard (Marcus) or sharing a room with Clubmate Ross after a trip to Feargal’s Curry House. I was somewhat familiar with the area having been invited down by a friend to do some cycling near the Lough Erne resort the previous year. Beautiful, peaceful, country roads with epic views and challenging hills to get the heart pumping. My only concern for the day was the weather.
I realise some people read these ride reports for the stats: elevation, distance, speed, gradients etc. I usually don’t pay any attention that stuff…. ok maybe distance. I never have/never will understand elevation. I don’t want to know about length and gradient of hills. If you’ve ever cycled Sa Calobra or Puig Major, then you’ll understand that ignorance is sometimes bliss.
We all opted to do the Big Dog 100km Challenge because anything less would be considered ‘unmanly’ and that’s not to diminish the efforts of those that went for the Little Dog 50km Challenge. Both routes had their share of challenges. We were kindly driven to the event by club mate Rod and linked in with the other disparate members of the Irish Gravel Mafia. We arrived at the event HQ to clear skies and a nip of cold in the air but no rain. The event organisation was superb…rider sign-up, number allocation all went very smoothly. This was the first event I had done with a GPS unit that you carried on the bike and this proved to be a great addition to the event.
As per usual with these events I went into this overly confident without enough training. Expecting something sedate and faux-Reiver I was unpleasantly surprised. A variety of terrain: short, steep, kicker climbs and some very rough, fast but short descents; nothing on the scale of the Dirty Reiver though. However, I was just griping about that fact when we dropped into one fast and scary descent. I dived into it full tilt until I saw that IGM clubmate, Ryan, was doing the same and watched his rear wheel wash out on the loose stones. After that I eased off. As with the Reiver I opted to use my commute bike…a 2016 Pinnacle Arkose Alfine 8. For those that don’t know that’s 8 gears with big gaps between them and most of the weight sitting on your back hub/wheel. It’s not too bad on long gradual climbs but on short steep climbs e.g. 15-20% it will break you. I was feeling fit and fast until around 60km mark when I punctured at the crest of a steep climb (see photo below). I’ve changed a tube on the Alfine 8 wheel many times but not when I was this exhausted and the bike covered in so much dirt. My clubmates all gave me a hand but by the time I got back on the bike my legs were like jelly. It wasn’t until I got to a mechanical station with a track pump and some food that I eventually found my mojo again and was able to complete the event.
We witnessed a huge number of punctures at this event early on - people running tyres too soft, wrong tyres, seasoned roadies riding too aggressively or just plain unlucky. Some sections of the course were mentally taxing; trying to hold the bike steady in smooth ruts gouged from rough gravel on either side. I cannot stress the relief of hitting the few segments of smooth tarmac on the course. The event was well organised; the GPS trackers were a nice touch so my family and friends could follow my progress from home. My only minor quibble about the event is that many of us would’ve liked a sandwich or hot soup at one of the food stops. However, we were all treated to a delicious burger at the end and some complimentary beers from the organisers.
We were bowled over by the hospitality of the hosts and the camaraderie of the riders. Everyone was well behaved and there was a great atmosphere throughout the event. If you’re looking for something a bit different and keen to explore the wilds of Fermanagh this is not to be missed. A sense of humour was mandatory for the day….one of my fellow riders recalled himself cresting the steepest hardest climb of the day, gasping for air to be met by the event photographer snapping him at his most exasperated. “Welcome to Fermanagh!” chirped the photographer.