The 3GR

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

A revamping of the longest running blog header here for the 20th Anniversary Year.

Gravel group rides are a dime-a-dozen these days and are attended by up to 100 riders weekly during the season, in some cases. Group rides are also a featured activity ahead of many of the biggest gravel events as well. Group rides and gravel go together like pie and ice cream these days. But at one time, it was not like that. 

Back at the end of 2011 I had an idea. I needed to get out and ride on gravel roads more, but it always seemed as though my reviewing responsibilities were getting in the way of doing anything on gravel. I'd have to visit Ingawanis Woodlands, or get out in George Wyth State Park to work on 29"er things. I was part of a website that reviewed 29"er bikes and gear back then called "Twentynine Inches" and I also reviewed other gear for a site called "The Cyclistsite". If gravel was to become a part of my riding, I would have to be very intentional about making it happen.
 

The "Wolf Creek Wall" West of Traer, Iowa.

I decided in the Winter of 2011/2012 to start doing a weekly gravel ride. I decided it should be a group ride. I was excited about this gravel thing, and I wanted others in the area to join in the fun. I had already put on seven Trans Iowa events by this time and there were many popular gravel events all around at that time like the Almanzo 100 and Gravel Worlds. There were a ton of smaller "pop-up" type events like the Moonlight Metric, the Farmhouse Classic, and a new format called the Renegade Gentleman's Race that first occurred in 2011. 

I figured it was high-time to do gravel on a weekly basis. So, I announced on this blog that every Saturday morning during the season that I would do a 40-ish mile gravel group ride. I decided that I needed to start the ride in Cedar Falls because I had gotten push-back about starting rides in Waterloo back then. The plan was to end the ride at a coffee shop for some fellowship time. 

A Level B Road South of Traer Iowa.

I was excited, but it seemed as though not many others were as excited as I was. I would get two, maybe three folks to show up for this and almost all were Trans Iowa connected riders. I guess it made sense, but at times this was disheartening. Was it me? Was gravel still seen as taboo for bicycles around here? I did not understand it. But I also did not stop trying. 

This dog ran 3.5 miles with me before something caught her nose and she was gone.

Not every ride was a bummer. There were a lot of good times and I got to know a few folks better. There were down times, like the time I had to move the ride out of Cedar Falls due to their city festival called Sturgis Falls Days. I moved the ride to Traer, Iowa but no one else showed up. I rode anyway and ended up having an excellent adventure that day.

Oh! Yeah, about that name - "3GR". That stood for "Gravel Grinder Group Ride". Three "G's" and an "R". 3GR? Ah...... I thought it was clever!

Anyway, I announced the rides on the blog here and afterward gave a ride report for each one. I did this for three years straight. Then after getting nowhere with participation I let it rest for a year, 2015, before doing a final year of 3GR rides in 2016. I think the most people I ever hosted on a 3GR was maybe ten. Most of the time it was three to four riders. I did a handful of solo 3GR's as well when no one showed up. 

Looking back on the 3GR I would say that it was a pioneering effort. I don't think anyone else in the area picked up on gravel group rides until 2018. And ironically I think those folks thought they were the "first" in the area to do that. Crazy if true, but it doesn't matter....

The point is that the gravel riding thing was always a big deal here on the blog despite my - at that time around 2012 - being known as "That 29"er guy" and anything relating to gravel riding was not very well known about me back then. 

Personally the 3GR was very gratifying in that I got to know several people fairly well through doing that. I got to ride gravel roads which don't exist anymore or that are truncated due to major highway projects since those days. I also got into pretty decent shape a few years there, and it really helped me out in many ways. 

Of course, now a 3GR would be impossible for me to do with having this Saturday morning job at the Collective. That said, I would do a gravel group ride thing again if I could find the time to get that in. My current schedule just doesn't work for getting along with other's times to ride.