SBT VRTL San Diego is a FREE gravel experience coming on Sunday, August 16th. In collaboration with SBT GRVL, we invite you to ride one of 4 Southern California courses featuring terrain and altitude inspired by the Steamboat gravel riding experience. With multiple routes to choose from, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation gain, there is a course for everyone. Being a virtual event, riders are encouraged to go solo or with a small group of friends.

How Will it Work?

• Register at SBT GRVL

• Select 1 of the 4 courses from below

• Download the route from Ride with GPS and download their app

• Ride on August 16 solo or social d with a few friends

• Join the Gravelstoke Strava Club to share your experience virtually

• BUBS Naturals will be hosting an aid station on course, providing some properly social distanced support and pre-packaged nutrition.

The Course

At just 85 miles the BLACK Course seems like a reasonable proposition. But don’t underestimate this sub-century grind. Alpine gets hot in mid-August, and so will your brakes as you’ll need to do some descending after climbing 10,000 ft with only the occasional shady spot. This course will be tough, especially with temps projected near 90F.

The BLUE Course will likely be the most popular option, as it was in Steamboat just one year ago. This 65-mile course has all the best gravel, offering just enough suffering for one Sunday. But you’ll still feel the burn. With 7,500 feet of elevation gain you’ll be glad you passed on the Black and jumped on the Azul train.

For those not looking to drink more water than they can ever remember, we offer the RED and GREEN Courses. At 53 and 33 miles respectively, these courses will still offer some of the best gravel sections without going the distance.

The Gravel

The course is roughly a 50/50 mix of dirt to road. Half of the dirt is dreamy-smooth gravel roads, including Viejas Grade and Boulder Creek climbs. The other dirt sections within Crest Eco-Reserve and Cuyamaca are largely a mix of fireroad, double-track and singletrack with the occasional loose, rocky section.

The Equipment

We recommend gravel bikes with tires 38c and up. 40-42c tires are ideal, while 650b x 47mm would be great too. While tread options are largely a personal preference, we wouldn’t recommend slicks. Go with something that offers a decent amount of grip and solid sidewall protection. Tubeless tires and extra tubes are highly recommended.

Low gears will certainly help, as some sections will involve steep terrain. 34-50 chainrings with an 11-32 cassette or 1X equivalents will work great for most participants. 

The Routes

The Ride

As we mentioned above there is no organized element to this, beyond the fact that people will be riding the course on the same date. While some roads on the course are closed to vehicles, the roads and trails are all open to cyclists. Most important is to be safe and careful out there, and try to ride it with at least one friend. If you are looking for a small group to join, there will be a few folks assembling for the Black Course at 5:15 at the Walmart parking lot.

Support

There will be an aid station set up by Bubs Naturals at the top of Viejas Grade from 8AM to Noon with water, hydration mix and bars. That's at mile 20 for the Black and Red courses, and mile 10 for the Blue and Green courses!