I’d consider this my first successful gravel bike race.
My first three gravel races – The Heywood 2024, Granny’s Gravel Grinder 2025, & The Heywood 2025 – all led to a bonk or severe drop in pace towards the end of each ride.
For my first ever gravel race, I had 1 bottle of water on me and a couple of Clif bars. Because I had no idea what I was doing for fueling, I bonked HARD with ~10 miles to go. I was, literally, unable to move my legs anymore and pulled over to the side of the gravel road while riders passed me. Thankfully, some good Samaritans stopped offered help to me. I received water for my bottle from one couple (which I chugged on the stop, and they refilled for me before they took off) and some energy jellybeans from another man willing to offer assistance. The massive headwind and slight uphill for that final stretch into Northfield where I bonked did not help my case, but I crossed the finish line happy to be done.
My 2025 Heywood wasn’t as bad, but the suck was real when finishing with very chilled feet and legs that did not want to keep pedaling through the cold. We started the race out HOT, which burned a few matches I could have used towards the end. It was another learning experience in cold riding preparation & race fueling.
For Granny’s 2025, I knew I needed much more water compared to my 2024 races, and I tried to incorporate fuel from gels at every hour. I faded too much towards the end, unable to keep up with a group of riders I should have been able to keep pace with. I gave it my best, but it was a learning experience once again.
This year, for Granny’s 2026, my friend Jack and I started towards the back of the pack. I was a significant contributor to pushing the pace for the first 30 miles, leading the pack out ~50% of the ride up to the 30-mile aid station. After the aid station, I dropped Jack, and with ~8-10 miles remaining my group of ~4-5 riders dropped me. That said, I didn’t completely bonk. A couple matches had been burned too early, and my legs didn’t quite have the pace I had been pushing for 80% of the race. With that, I PB’d my cycling 30-mile & 50-mile efforts (with a Sprint to Chase’s Grandma’s House Strava section PR), which I am very proud of. All this taking into account my right Achilles tendinopathy issues that just developed in March.
Coming up, I have The Heywood 30 miles, which I am greatly looking forward to riding with my Dad. It’s our second gravel ride together, and the longest one yet. Never a bad day riding gravel with your pops!
Riley Martin 