Grab some gravel

GRAVEL BIKING, GROWING IN POPULARITY, SUITS THE VALLEY’S TERRAIN

BY ANN MCCREARY

Gravel biking has been growing in popularity among cyclists nationwide in recent years, but here in the Methow Valley people have been grooving on gravel for a long time.

That’s because the opportunities for gravel riding in the Methow Valley are virtually endless.

Gravel biking encompasses more than the name implies. Also called “all-road” biking, it basically means riding anything too rough for a road bike but not as challenging as mountain biking. That makes it ideal for the Methow Valley’s varied riding terrain, said Julie Muyllaert, co-owner of Methow Cycle & Sport in Winthrop.

“When you start looking at gravel, that opens up hundreds and hundreds of miles of surfaces to ride on. All-road bikes are really capable on multiple types of surfaces — chip seal, U.S. Forest Service roads, light trails like the Community Trail or Rex Derr Trail. You can go places and see things and get away from the traffic and the crowds, and have a great experience,” Muyllaert said.

Gravel or all-road biking is accessible to more people than mountain biking, which can require g reater technical skills. And in a place like the Methow Valley, with limited pavement for road bikes, it expands the world of riding opportunities.

“Think of all the places you ski in the Rendezvous in the winter. They’re all Forest Service roads, and you can take your gravel bike there in the summer. You can ride Finley Canyon, Balky Hill, Pipestone Canyon, or up to Black Pine Lake,” Muyllaert said.

Where to gear up

• Cascades Outdoor Store, 222 Riverside Ave., Winthrop, 996-3480.

• Goat’s Beard Mountain Supplies, 50 Lost River Road, Mazama, 996-2515.

• Methow Cycle & Sport, 29 State Route 20 in Winthrop, 996-3645.

• Winthrop Mountain Sports, 257 Riverside Ave., Winthrop, 996-2886.

You could even ride from the Methow Valley to the Canadian border, she said. “It’s up to your imagination. It could be endless.”

Methow Cycle & Sport got into developing bikes for gravel riding well over a decade ago, when the shop began retrofitting cyclocross bikes “and made the gearing as good as possible for our terrain,” Muyllaert said.

The result was a version of gravel bikes that have evolved as “a hybrid between an old-style touring bike and cyclocross bikes,” she said.

Gravel bikes are stable on dirt roads, with gearing that’s easier than a road bike for climbing hills, Muyllaert said. “The gearing splits the difference between mountain bikes and road bikes,” she said. The bikes have lightweight and compact frames like road bikes, with wider tires.

“We haven’t sold a traditional road bike in years,” Muyllaert said. “When people are upgrading or replacing an old bike, they’re often getting a gravel bike instead of a road bike.”

Gravel riders in the Methow Valley can enjoy events this summer geared to the sport, including an Introduction to Gravel Riding clinic offered by Methow Cycle & Sport on May 10. See the related article on biking events for details. For people who seek roads or singletrack, the Methow Valley has plenty to offer, from lightly traveled pavement to rugged, high-elevation trails.

The expansive mountain biking network at Sun Mountain alone has more than 50 miles of single and double track trails from easy to difficult.

Riding through the seasons in the valley rewards cyclists with meadows of colorful sunflowers and lupine in spring, long, warm summer days, and brilliant foliage and sharp light of autumn.

Cyclists can find maps, trail guides and gear at many locations in the valley, and refresh themselves after a ride with food and beverages at the valley’s selection of restaurants, pubs and bakeries.