RidingGravel.com and Mountain Bike Radio founder and 303 partner Ben Welnak originally started the AntiEpic Gravel Grinder, and this year (due to his move to North Dakota) handed the reigns over to the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, which took place on Saturday under blue skies.
Here is the RMCC’s description of the event and some background:
The AntiEpic Gravel Grinder was created by gravel aficionado and ridinggravel.com founder, Ben Welnak, in 2012. This event rapidly gained popularity in Colorado as many Front Range riders used it as preparation for the DK200, which is still considered the “grand daddy” of endurance gravel events. The AntiEpic gravel grinder explores some of the rural dirt and gravel roads to the east of Monument and Castle Rock. Not surprisingly, these serene prairie roads are some of Colorado’s lesser traveled thoroughfares. The AntiEpic is not classic, “epic” Colorado riding…..hence the name! There are no epic high altitude climbs or jaw-dropping alpine vistas, which is what Colorado is best known for. In spite of this fact, the AntiEpic course is never short on beautiful, panoramic views of Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains to the west. And the AntiEpic course instills participants with a different appreciation for the beauty of riding in rural eastern Colorado.
According to the RMCC recap, one-third of this year’s short course participants were women! Sounds like it was a great day:
The RMCC took the reigns of the 2016 AntiEpic Gravel Grinder, an event founded by ridinggravel.com founder, Ben Welnak, in 2012. Two courses were offered to this year’s participants: an epic 176-mile long course with 10,000+ feet of climbing and a mini-epic 76-mile course with 5,800+ feet of climbing. Both courses start and end in Monument, CO (elevation 7,000 feet), traveling north through the Greenland Open Space and returning along the northern perimeter of the Black Forest. During the return route to Monument, participants are tested by a constant barrage of steep rollers as riders. The long-course riders have the added bonus of riding 100 extra miles on the peaceful ranching roads to the northeast of the Greenland Open Space to the town of Deer Trail before making the long journey home. In spite of its name, the AntiEpic Gravel Grinder is never short on beautiful Colorado scenery, including tranquil prairie vistas, picturesque mesas, and tantalizing dirt roads that disappear over every horizon. Throughout the day, participants also have striking views of the snow-capped Pikes Peak to the southwest. This year’s event had 14 brave-hearted long course riders and 21 mini-AntiEpic riders. Congratulations to all of this year’s participants!
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