Racing The Gralloch

The Gralloch gravel race, located in Gatehouse of Fleet, has quickly become one of the most popular gravel weekends in the UK and might just be the best. It doubles up as a possible qualifying opportunity for the Gravel World Championships later on this year, so I headed up to attempt to qualify. This is how it went.

The route: The Gralloch course profile & conditions

The Gralloch is tough. There is no denying that. The course is brutal. To paint the picture, the first 12km is nearly all uphill, right out of the blocks. From here, you descend rough gravel tracks before you’re treated to a brief rest with a few kilometres of smooth tarmac, to catch your breath before you dive back onto the gravel. For the next 80km, the course dips and dives through the Galloway Forest, taking in its sights before you finally return to the tarmac for the last 10km stretch to the finish line.

This year, the 110km course was extremely dry and dusty, and even though you climb just over 1,700m, the course was running extremely quick this year. So fast, in fact, that I averaged nearly 32 km/h!

My gravel bike setup for The Gralloch

Not only is The Gralloch deemed extremely physically tough, it is also extremely tough on your equipment. Sharp, dagger-like rocks line the course and the wrong gravel bike setup could make or break your race. With that in mind, you want a setup that is not only fast but also durable enought to get you to that finish line.

The bike I was riding was the superlight Ribble Gravel SL, a bike that flies up the climbs yet is astonishingly agile and stable on the descents. I’ve ridden this bike on everything from Ultra gravel events to muddy cyclocross races and it has always excelled, no matter what the conditions or the terrain. For The Gralloch, I was running the SRAM Force AXS groupset with a 44 tooth chainring on the front and a 10-44 cassette on the rear.

The wheelset I was running was Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel Aero, engineered to be the fastest and most versatile gravel race wheelset on the market. The wheels are aerodynamic, to save you precious energy, but again are extremely stable, to give you the confidence you need in crosswinds or descents. They have an extremely wide internal width, optimised for 40 to 45mm tyres.

Once again at this year's edition of The Gralloch, punctures were a common theme, but thanks to my Pirelli Cinturato RCs, I escaped this problem. I was running the RCs in a 45mm setup, along with tyre inserts, to help protect my rims from all of the rocks and other hazards out on course.

In terms of kit, aerodynamics is key! Saving as many watts as possible translates to more speed, with less energy expenditure. With that in mind, I used the brand new Sportful Fast Not Fun gravel-specific skinsuit. With two convenient cargo pockets to store gels and a race fit, it really helps to redefine your limits.

The final thing was insurance. I have heard some horror stories of mechanicals suffered during this event, acting as the perfect reminder of why I never train or race without insurance. You never know when a crash or rock might crack your rim or cause something worse to occur. 

Nutrition & strategy on race day

Ninety grams of carbs an hour is my magic number. It’s something I’ve mixed up a lot in training, to find out what works best for me, and this is it. Little and often is also key. I've found an energy gel, every 15 minutes, is the perfect gravel race nutrition strategy. 

What it's like racing in a UCI Gravel World Series event

Standing on the start line, I had one goal. Qualify for the World Champs. I was quietly confident I could achieve this in my 19-34 category, but with gravel racing, anything can happen. One overcooked corner, one puncture or even one too few energy gels and your race can be over, just like that. When the ball is in your court, people look at you, watching your every move, and there is no hiding from it.

With the first 12km being nearly all uphill, I wanted to set a pace hard enough to dispatch enough riders, but not so many that no one would be left to work together with me. The first climb starts off very steep, so there is little advantage in following someone's wheel. I knew I wanted to be on the front to set the pace to my liking. Gradually increasing the pace, the front group slowly got smaller and smaller, and as we crested the first climb there were around 30 to 40 riders left.

The next 20km were fast and flowy, and with there still being a big group at the front, I could surf the wheels and save my energy. Lost bottles, punctures and dropped chains were a common occurrence, so even though the pace wasn’t crazily spicy, it was crucial to stay switched on. I’ve raced The Gralloch UCI gravel race before and knew a technical, narrow section was fast approaching as we hit the 40km mark. Moving up through the group, I used my cyclocross skills to my advantage, pushing the pace through this narrow section to go clear. With it being such a narrow few kilometres, the hope was that not many would have seen me slip off the front.

With 70km still to go, pacing was going to be crucial. I knew that this later part of the race would suit a group better than a solo rider, thanks to the wider, smoother gravel tracks, so I had to go all in to establish a gap. The elite race had started five minutes in front of us, so it was at this point that I started to see riders in the distance who had been dropped, which made for great motivation to help the kilometres tick by.

It was also crucial to stay on top of my fueling strategy, so that I wouldn’t run out of steam towards the end of the race. A lot of people find it unusual that I don’t have a power meter and ride completely off of feel. I’ve done this for the past two years and find it really beneficial for situations such as this and knowing what your body can and cannot handle. I do think power meters are extremely useful for training and also to compare performances, but personally, during races, I like to go off of feel.

Passing the 25km to go checkpoint, I had no idea what the situation was on the gravel, how many riders were behind me or how close they were. For all I knew, there could have been 100 riders 20 seconds behind me, chasing me down. With that in mind, I kept the chain as tight as possible, choosing my lines carefully so as not to have any problems with the loose rocks out on course, which could easily have caused me to slice a tyre or, even worse, crash.

Luckily I put down a smooth, safe ride and exited the gravel onto the final 10km road stretch to the finish. I knew I had won if I could just carry on at this pace. By this point, the hills had really opened up, allowing me to finally see a few kilometres back to check no one was on my tail and could potentially cause me heartbreak right at the end.

Five kilometres to go soon turned to one, and before I knew it, the finish gantry was in sight and that moment of knowing you’ve won hit me. Not only had I won, but I had also guaranteed myself a spot at the Gravel World Championships later on this year.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day out, and to win solo after a nearly 70km attack is the best feeling and the best way to win. A huge thank you goes out to each and every one of the brands and people who support me in helping me to chase results such as this. They provide the perfect testimony to the equipment I’m using. I guess it’s time to start planning the Gravel Worlds!

Tips for racing The Gralloch

If this blog has inspired you to tackle the best UK gravel race next year, or you would like to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships next year, then these are some top tips I have from winning this year's 19 to 34-year-old category!

• Train to be able to race full gas for 110km. Not doing so was a mistake I saw a lot of people make, and although they had been doing lots of easy endurance rides, this is not the same as a full gas 3.5 hour race. For reference, my average heart rate was 164 bpm!
• Get a gravel specific bike. Now, this may seem obvious, but a gravel bike is going to be far more comfortable as well as faster than a CX or mountain bike.
• Upgrade your wheels and tyres. As mentioned, the gravel at The Gralloch is relentless, so you'll want a set of wheels and tyres that are specifically designed for gravel riding and racing to help you tackle this. 
• Insure your bike and accessories. If you’re going to do one thing then make sure it is this, so you can focus on the racing knowing someone's got your back in case sh*t hits the fan.
• Wear something comfortable. A long day in the saddle can be made to feel even longer without the correct kit. Get yourself a gravel-specific skinsuit with cargo pockets to store all of your fuel.
• Don’t try anything new on race day, a saying you’ve likely heard before. Make sure to try out everything you will be doing on race day, including your fuelling strategy. Energy gels vs. energy chews, for instance, and how many grams of carbohydrates an hour. These are all things to find out before the big day.
• Practice training for warmer conditions and make any necessary adjustments. This year's edition was close to 25 degrees, yet some riders only took one litre of water with them. Personally, I drank nearly four litres throughout the race, and I had practiced riding in full winter kit on warmer days to try to replicate these warmer conditions.
• Practice your gravel skills. Cornering on gravel is very different to cornering on the road, so practice ahead of time. Some tips include looking through the corner to the exit, as well as doing your braking before you get to the corner.
• Enjoy it. I think this might be the most important point. Gravel racing is meant to be fun, so take in the views, the fast descents and relish the tough climbs.

I hope this blog inspires you to tackle your first ever gravel race, and hopefully these top tips for racing will help you to do so with confidence.