One of my local bike shops, Outpost Richmond, has been leading the way [in Richmond] in growing the popularity of gravel riding. In fact, the shop's proprietor, Braden Govoni, has ushered in several cycling-esque fads to the area since I met him when we both worked at Rowlett's Bicycles. Back then, he was deeply involved with track bikes, creating the Sprint Club series. Since that time Braden has actually started TWO shops in the area, eventually finding his niche with the grocery/bike shop on the south-side of town.
In keeping with the community-oriented style of his brand, Braden created the Dirtbags 100 - a group ride highlighting as much off-pavement as possible, meandering through city and state parks just south of the city. His partner in crime for creating the route, Emily Monroe, also shares the unique ability to find off-the-beaten-path ways of linking sections of our city together. Check out her instagram to find photos of her adventures, usually with her two dogs riding along in panniers.
Knowing the kind of rides Emily and Braden are capable of stringing together, I was eagerly awaiting this installment. I downloaded the GPX file the night before and strapped my Bar Mitts on in preparation for the cold, windy ride ahead.
The next morning I met the group of roughly twenty riders at Outpost and we set southward around 9am. The route took us through Forest Hill Park, Ancarrow's Landing, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Dutch Gap Historical Park, & Pocahontas State Park. The best aspect of the ride, though, was the way the parks were linked, using frontage roads and neighborhood "cuts" to zigzag through industrial and residential areas.
At the halfway point, we broke for lunch and I assessed my condition - zero muscle cramps and little more than a sore saddle. I decided to stay with the pack and finish out the ride. The massive group separated into smaller segments and we each made our way through the remaining miles, finishing at Outpost where Braden congratulated us each with a slice of pizza and a high-five.
The ride was magnificent and I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the next installment - hopefully featuring a new route through another set of overlooked destinations.
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