One Tuff Experience: The 2023 Mammoth Tuff Gravel Weekend
Words by Graham Johnson / Photos by Jake Orness
Almost every year since I was a child I’ve spent a portion of my summer and fall living in the gorgeous mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, California. My family's summer cabin is nestled above the town of Mammoth in the lakes basin at 9,000 ft elevation and has been the launching pad for a lifetime of epic two wheeled adventures. As of last year this mountain paradise famous for its skiing and mountain biking got its first official gravel event with Mammoth Tuff.
I wavered on signing up for Tuff for a couple months before the event but a chat with the local Gravel Bros finally convinced me to set any concerns of length and volcanic sand aside and just do it. They also suggested signing up for the 70 mile “Tuffer” course over the arduous 107 mile “Tuffest” course. For some reason, this idea had never organically crossed my mind until another cyclist confirmed that it was okay to do the medium course. Thus, I logged in to BikeReg and signed up for my first ever gravel event.
A Few Tips
First off, be aware that you are coming up to some serious elevation. It’s not 10,000 ft Leadville-level elevation, but the start/finish is at roughly 8,200ft. Bearing this in mind, you might want to arrive a few days early and acclimate a bit.
The other really great thing about arriving early is that you can go out and pre ride some of the course. If you’ve never ridden up here the mix of sandy and volcanic soils can be a surprise.
Big tires! 40mm is about as small as you should consider but larger tires here increase your fun exponentially when tackling the sand and pumice. A lot of people opted for 45mm or even 650b rims fitted with all sorts of XL tire set ups.
Lodging. By two or three weeks out, every campsite and hotel room in town had been booked up. Make plans early or you might be staying quite a ways from town. It’ll be beautiful (and still totally worth it) but probably not super convenient.
Friday: Packet Pick Up
Packet pickup at the village was easy and the event area was fun to explore as I saw a few familiar faces and ogled some bikes, tech and components at the tents. The laid back nature of the gravel community really put me in an excellent mood and I was beginning to really look forward to the next day.
Saturday: Race Day
I rolled into the village early with my coffee and Morning Glory muffin from Stellar Brew. I watched people begin their warm ups and eventually joined them to get the legs moving. Finally it was time to line up.
Mammoth Tuff(er)
A neutral car led us down the main drag and we soon turned onto Sawmill Cutoff Rd where we would hit the dirt. The truck pulled off and the pack of almost 200 riders took off. I knew I wanted to try and be with the front group so I notched up my pace heading up the first climb. I managed to catch them just as they crested the top and promptly watched them disappear at the bottom of the descent when an aggressive patch of washboard bounced my chain off. Back to chasing.
The next portion of the Tuffer course features a very sandy bit of rolling terrain where I got the fast group back in sight. I lost them again down a fast sector of degrading, paved and not-so-paved road that was part of historic old highway 395. The pace on this section simply intimidated me as potholes, sand and other land mines seemingly appeared out of nowhere between the intermingled beams of sunlight peaking between the pines. I played it safe and wagered I’d reconnect on the next short climb.
My plan worked out and I managed to reconnect with the front group. After settling into an easy pace on a flat dirt road for a few miles I jumped into a doomed two-man breakaway that lasted for 15 miles. We were caught at the bottom of a paved 3-mile climb and eased back into the pace of the group hoping to save some legs for later.
At this point we were a little more than halfway through the race and almost at our first aid station. A five mile dirty descent led us to our oasis and most of our group refueled as we marveled at the epic backdrop to our suffering. One rider simply turned around (this was an out-and-back portion of the route) and rode back up the hill never to be seen again. He would go on to win by 8 minutes.
Why Tire Choice Matters at Tuff
The climb back up from the aid station was by far the hardest part of the race. This stretch of road had been regraded and then scraped which is to say, there were sandy sections everywhere. I had been concerned with my tire choice of 40mm Pirelli Cinturatos after pre-riding parts of the course and despite not having too many issues on the day so far, I began to struggle.
Other riders in my group were primarily on knobbier, larger tires. I watched them plow through and float over sand while I was sinking, slipping and pushing a lot of watts to keep up. My battered legs were also now reminding me of the matches I’d burned earlier. Despite the warning signs of impending leg cramps, I was still with the group 10 miles later when we hit the penultimate climb on Hot Creek Hatchery Rd.
The Final Miles
Two riders attacked the group with about 10 miles to go and I spun up to catch them. At least I tried to. Staring into the breathtaking backdrop of Mount Morrison and Laurel Mountain the hamstring cramps started. I’d spend the next few miles fighting to quell the cramps and sit in the remaining group of 5 but eventually lost that fight with 7 miles to go.
I rode the final miles solo passing riders from the intersecting 42 mile Tuff short course. This portion of the event briefly puts you on Highway 395 which offers a wide shoulder and a really spectacular view of the eastern Sierra. It’s also the final stretch of the race which I was very thankful for at this point.
One last short dirt climb, a rolling portion of forest road and a half mile of paved climbing stood between me and the Cuban food truck at the end of the line. That was nothing. Except that the mile and a half dirt climb is a sandbox from hell and I was now cramping almost every time I tried to remain seated. Not ideal. I slogged my way through and somehow survived rolling across the line for 8th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Post Race Event
The festivities after the race were a blast and it was fun regaling the day with friends and new acquaintances. Dave and Amanda, the people running this amazing event did a great job pulling together 3 great courses, top tier brands to sponsor & support, and tied in land conservation efforts that affect this beautiful ecosystem.
At the expo you could find brands of all things gravel, along with tasty food and the local distillery which riders had drink and food tickets for. Unfortunately in my post race delirium I gave my drink ticket away to a food truck offering canned sodas. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking but I’ll be better prepared for this moment next year. I did end up trying one of their mixed drinks later that evening that featured local mountain honey and can confirm that it was both delicious and strong.
Sunday: Podium Ceremony & Raffle
From what I heard from friends who stuck around, the raffle and podium ceremony is as much fun as the rest of the weekend. Prizes included everything from Hammerhead computer units to Niner bike frames! Next year, I’ll make a point of sticking around.
This year I opted to skip this portion of the event as I was also celebrating my wedding anniversary. I spent my morning hiking from the Mosquito Flats trailhead and eating pie from the Rock Creek Lakes Resort with my wife. I highly recommend this adventure be part of your trip for the fall colors, aspen groves and the aforementioned pie. Just be forewarned that pie starts at 10:30AM and sells out fast.