GRAVEL ALLIANCE: Q&A with Katherine Moore
Posted By Gravel Union
On 6 February 2020
Rider Name:
Katherine Moore
Location:
Bristol, UK
Tell us what your local gravel riding is like:
It’s really mixed, we have the Mendips to the South, the Wessex Downs to the East, Cotswolds to the North and South Wales just over the Severn. These all have incredible off-road riding, but to be totally truthful I do spend a lot of time riding gravel within the city limits of Bristol. We have so many parks, woods and linking paths and I love showing my friends these hidden gems on our regular weekend rides from “Business As Usual” in the centre.
Gravel bike:
Mercredi custom steel bike
Last event ridden:
The Trailhead in Shrewsbury’s ‘Gone Gravelling’, a big gravel group ride in the Shropshire Hills.
Favourite Gravel Ride:
An impossible question! The incredible atmosphere and achievement at the 2018 Dirty Kanza 200, the late season sunshine and challenging trails of the Second City Divide bikepacking route and my first bikepacking race earlier this year, the Catalunya Trail. Honestly too many to choose from!
What events do you want to do in 2020?
More like what don’t I want to do?! There are a few events in the UK I’d like to try, especially the Yorkshire Dales 300 which looks grippy, and the Dirty Reiver which I’ve heard so much about. I’m definitely looking for a target bikepacking event and would love to return stateside for some more US gravel! Besides that, I think there’s a lot of Eastern Europe that I’d like to explore more.
650 or 700c?
700c, although I do run 650B on my gravel bike to MTB conversion so I can get some chunkier rubber in there.
Mechanical or Electronic Gears?
Electronic - I’m lucky enough to have them on my first gravel bike and I’m never going back!
Favourite mid ride snack?
I make some mean mini jacket potatoes, made from roasted new potatoes then sliced in half with a sliver of cheddar or stilton. Perfect on long rides when you get sick of sweet treats. Tunnocks come in a close second.
What do you see as the future of gravel riding?
More of the same, I hope. The beauty of ‘gravel’ is that it doesn’t have the same history as road cycling which is burdened with rules and sexism. It’s totally inclusive and everyone is welcome, everything goes! I think it’ll be an important way to get more people active on bikes whilst avoiding increasingly dangerous roads and that local gravel communities will grow, although very different to traditional cycling clubs.