Dirty Reiver, Dirty Kanza, Grinduro and now Gritfest. Gravel is big just now and the number of gravel events just keeps growing. I just had to do one. Billed as a gravel enduro, Gritfest happens in the big and beautiful hills of Mid Wales.
And so it was, this June I found myself and my Cannondale Slate heading across the Irish sea to take part 
in the second ever Gritest weekend. The format is a mix of cyclo sportive and mountain bike enduro with timed sections are effectively a series of mini time trails. There were 3 on day one and 3 on day two. Riders accumulated times going to decide their overall position. The nice thing about this format I discovered is you could roll around the rest of the course at your own pace and chat away or stop to chill to your heart’s content, this really gave a nice chilled friendly vibe to the event and all the better for taking in the stunning views.
Day one was the big one, 1900 vm and 80km. The day dawned bright and hot. There was plenty of tough riding either side of the timed stages, so it wasn’t all plain sailing when you were riding against the clock. In particular, the beast dubbed K2 on the first day which 99% resorted to walking. The scenery was stunning throughout and the gravel prime Welsh grade.
My favourite timed stage on day one was the flowing Lauf True Grit stage with an awesomely quick descent to the finish. At the end of day one I headed straight for the bar for a well earned pint and pizza. Some much needed gas in the tank for day two!
The camp was very chilled and beer in hand it was great to catch up with some old friends from Wales I hadn’t seen for years. Evening entertainment includes a team tug of war. I just grunted from the sidelines with a beer. Oh and the live band were good too.
Day two was the ‘easy’ day, just 50km and 1200vm. The sun had gone into hiding but the views were still spectacular and the climbs still punchy and the descents super quick. The final timed stage was a nice contrast. It took in the single track mountain bike trails of Cwm Rhaeadr and brought mtb bike handling skills to the fore. Great fun as was the whole weekend riding and camping. Will defo be back next year….just with a massive rear gear!
Photo Credit- Griftfest & Anthony Pease Photography
By David Dowse
