Gravel for All
As published in the January/February 2024 issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine.
Around 8:00 am on a warm June morning, 100 starry-eyed cyclists began to trickle into a parking lot by the big red barn in the middle of Winthrop, Washington, 400 miles from my home in Missoula, Montana. Cascade Bicycle Club members had ventured inland from Seattle — many of whom were about to embark on maiden off-pavement voyages — to attend the first gravel-centric Tour ever organized by the group.
Once I arrived at the barn, it didn’t take long to become disoriented by the visual stimulation of colorful jerseys from past Cascade events and the auditory stimulation of unfamiliar acronyms peppered into conversations between riders connecting over which other events they’d attended (STP: Seattle to Portland; RSVP: Ride from Seattle to Vancouver & Party; CTS: Cascade Training Series, to name a few). I felt like I’d dropped into a new world where everyone knew each other and no one spoke in full words.
Sensing my slight incongruity, a woman warmly struck up a conversation as we waited in line for the sign-in table, noting my camera and asking if I was a journalist. Eventually, after some small talk, I prompted her: “What is it about Cascade Bicycle Club that attracts you to events like this?” Her response was simple: “The vibe is good.” And she turned to the small stage where folks were gathering to be welcomed by Cascade’s team of ambassadors.
I nodded in agreement, for I had experienced the good vibe of the group just a week before via Zoom. Cascade had facilitated a pre-event informational session to allow folks to get acquainted with each other and talk about route details, daily schedules, and how to pack and prepare. When it was my turn to introduce myself, I cast my net for an easy place to park overnight in Winthrop so I could sleep in my truck camper. Without missing a beat, Anita Elder offered me a spot at her campsite. Later, I learned that Anita is one of Cascade’s top volunteers and came to the group after a double knee replacement kept her from hiking as much as she’d like. Anita purchased an eBike and became heavily involved in Cascade a few years ago. “Cascade is like a second family to me,” she told me over camp dinner the first night.
Unlike their typical one- or two-day events, Cascade's three-day model brings riders to rural parts of Washington to simulate a low-stakes bike tour — the catch is, participants get to sleep in the same bed (or tent) every night. This is designed to take logistical pressure off beginners so they can simply focus on riding and enjoying a new area of Washington. It’s what we at Adventure Cycling call a hub-and-spoke model. In this case, Winthrop is the hub and the three diverse gravel loops to be ridden over three days are the spokes. Cascade will offer four three-day Tours in 2024 in the scenic Washington locations of Walla Walla, Winthrop, Port Townsend, and Lake Chelan.
Cascade introduced the Winthrop Tour in 2023 to offer their members access to off-pavement adventures, but not without a few extra logistical hurdles. “Once you head into the mountains, you’ll lose cell service immediately,” proclaimed RJ Conn, Cascade’s tours producer, “and we did see a bear just off the road yesterday as we were marking today’s course — you’re going to have an adventure!”
Losing cell service is a pretty normal and welcomed aspect of my day rides around Missoula, so initially this didn’t faze me, although I imagine Seattleites might have been a bit out of their element. Later that day, however, when I arrived at a beautiful oasis of a lunch/aid station punctuating a rough climb into a national forest, I realized a lack of cell service probably made coordinating the five generous aid stations for today’s ride pretty challenging to manage for support staff. Appreciating this effort made the infamous home-pickled dilly beans supplied by superstar volunteer Jean taste even better.
In spite of hurdles that come hand-in-hand with organizing an event in a small mountain town surrounded by picturesque gravel roads, Cascade ran the Winthrop Tour like a well-oiled drivetrain. Lodging is not supplied to participants in an effort to keep event registration fees down. Folks are encouraged to make their own accommodations depending on their preferences (though Cascade does recommend a few options based on the suggestions of locals in the area). For instance, I camped at a nearby state park, while many other participants stayed in Airbnbs or rented small cabins in town. With a centralized meeting spot and predetermined start time, riders are responsible for downloading routes and loading them onto their devices in advance (though Cascade does a great job physically marking courses as well). At the beginning and end of each day, riders are required to sign in at a booth, as well as at lunch stations, to make sure everyone is accounted for. Each day offers a Long Route and a Short Route — but you don’t have to decide which one you’ll take until the second aid station, which is just one more way Cascade sets beginners up for success.
A descent that quickly became my favorite flavor of chunky gravel — the kind you have to dance around to find graceful lines.
Right before the first day’s welcome speech concluded and we were sent out into the woods, Davíd Urbina, Cascade’s rides program manager, reminded us: “Pack out your trash. Don’t just leave it on the road. If someone drives by you really fast, don’t flip them off — we’re visitors here.” Throughout my experience interacting with Cascade staff, it was apparent that they embody the ethos of partnership and community, especially when they venture away from their Seattle bubble. “We really try to work with the communities that we visit and help them economically when we can,” remarked Cascade’s Executive Director Lee Lambert in regards to sourcing the weekend’s lunch sandwiches from several delis around Winthrop.
By the time I mounted my bicycle and set out on the first route of the weekend, I felt indoctrinated into the Cascade family. As most other riders were established Cascade members, their confidence and exuberance quickly drew me into the fold. Partway up the first climb, I found myself riding with Stephanie, who had never ridden off-pavement before. Later in the day at a rest station, she confided to me that descending on gravel was more challenging than pavement, but her hopes weren’t deterred from one day going on a bikepacking trip or bike tour.
“I’ve done a lot of camping, and I’ve done a lot of biking; I just have to put the two together. I’m camping while I’m here for this trip,” she said, making note of her progress toward bicycle travel.
She shared that it wasn’t just her interest in bikepacking that encouraged her to sign up for the Winthrop Tour; it was also a way to get in shape for STP. This supported 200-mile ride in July can either be done in one day or two, with overnight camping at a church/campground. The ride attracts about 5,000 riders annually and is easily Cascade’s largest event.
At a lunch stop, Cascade staff Paul Tolmé, DavÍd Urbina, and Lee Lambert chat with participants before descending back to Winthrop.
As I spoke with more young people on the tour, I learned that Stephanie was far from an anomaly. Sawyer and his wife Kelsey had signed up for the event to meet more people their age in hopes of developing riding partner relationships. “We’re really intimidated by planning our own gravel routes,” said Sawyer. “We signed up for this event to gain more experience on gravel without the headache of planning. We moved to North Bend [from Seattle] for the outdoor access. We just really want to find more people to enjoy it with.”
In fact, all of the young people (and many of the older people) I spoke with said they were excited about the event because they were either curious about eventually going on a bike tour or wanted more experience riding gravel. I found that most riders were drawn to Cascade to either meet new people in their metro area or to gain confidence in riding and route planning. Sawyer also shared that he was planning to ride STP one day.
Cascade's Tour concept is brilliant for folks who are bike-tour-curious — and a great model to consider when planning a trip with someone who’s new to bicycle travel. There were many times when I truly felt like I was on a proper bike tour — the familiarity of pedaling through unfamiliar farmland and forest groves — and other times I was grateful to return to the comfort of my campsite from the night before (like appreciating how not loaded my bicycle was) because I was wiped out from socializing. I noted, too, that if for some reason I didn’t feel like riding on Day Two, the option to skip without derailing anyone else’s adventure was totally on the table.
If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for a turnkey social cycling group to become a part of, Cascade Bicycle Club will welcome you with open arms. They’ll encourage you by example to add some acronyms to your event résumé. And if you live outside of the Seattle area, well, they’ll do the same for you, too.
Ally Mabry is the Art Director of Adventure Cyclist.
