By now you've probably heard of Grinduro, a unique cycling event in Quincy, California which combines elements of your average gravel grinder with enduro-style mountain bike racing. Sounds amazing right?  Well it just so happens that our friends at BadSea Coffee attended the event back in 2016, and ever since dreamt of bringing such awesomeness back home to Southern California. 

Well.. it happened!

On Feb 24, 7:30AM, the friends and frenemies of BadSea rolled up to Rouleur Brewing for a morning of suffering and stoke. First up, everyone gathered inside for a hot cup of fresh BadSea coffee. A perfect start considering the near freezing temps on that particular morning.

With gravel rigs dialed and everyone stocked up on Hammer Nutrition, courtesy of our friend and CX legend Victor Sheldon, the race details were announced.

The style of the event was brilliant, eight timed segments over the course of a near perfect route in North County San Diego. Part gravel road race + MTB style enduro = a seriously fun day on the bike with friends.  The overall winner would have the fastest time over those eight timed segments (each lasting roughly two-to-ten minutes).

The course was no joke, and started out fast and dirty with the punchy climbs and narrow tunnels of Calavera. With a solid warm up, on what turned out to be one of the longest segments of the day, we were rollin' and ready for more. One of our favorite aspects of this event was the easy pace and fun atmosphere between segments. For us, this is what gravel is all about, the friendly banter and chill vibes of riding bikes on dirt.

From there we headed towards one of the more brutal segments, known to many as the "Tower of Terror". Although paved, the 21% grades that approach Double Peak from the north gave many second thoughts about joining this adventure. For those that survived, we descended the Ridgeline trail for a regroup and aid station with some fresh cold brew, courtesy of BadSea.

As the morning rolled on and temps warmed, we linked together some of the best gravel, singletrack and pavement Carlsbad has to offer. From the steep grades of San Marcos tarmac to gnarly descents of Box Canyon, the BadDuro Dudes pieced together something special that day. Overall the timed segments were designed to reward the most well rounded of gravelers.

Eight segments, one crash, and four DNFs later we gathered back at Rouleur for beers, food and prizes. BadDuro! was not just a bike race, it was a well organized event with good friends, great coffee, excellent beer and some well chosen gravel for all to enjoy. We can't wait till next year!

Congrats to podium finishers (1) Ryan Dahl of Wend Performance, (2) Brent Prenzlow of Celo Pacific, and (3) Milwaukee Marc Engelhardt of TASCO Race Team.