Why do you need a gravel bike in Seoul?

Why do you need a gravel bike in Seoul?

It may sound strange to suggest riding a gravel bike in a city as densely populated as Seoul but technology has advanced to a point that makes them a no brainer for anyone but the most ardent racer.  The city and surrounding area is full of steep hills, bumpy roads and ample opportunities for exploration. You won’t regret riding a gravel bike in Seoul.

Never Ending Hills

Korea is 70% covered in mountains and Seoul is no exception.  The great riding this creates is one of the reasons I fell in love with riding here! However, it required a big change in gearing mindset as I had come from the midwest where the largest local climb was 1km at a 5% gradient.  After moving here, I quickly adopted a compact crankset with a 28 rear cog but the smaller gears on a gravel bike are even better. 

Gravel bike gearing makes it possible to ride at whatever pace I choose in the hilly terrain here. I’ve been racing for 20 years and can't believe I used to climb mountains in a 39x23! It is so much more comfortable to ride with a wide range of gearing and I never feel undergeared on the flats or descents. 

Bumpy Roads 

Most places with cold weather have bumpy roads and Seoul is no exception. With a normal road bike you need to pay careful attention to your lines on the bike path and roads to avoid cracks.  However, one of the things I’m enjoying most about riding a gravel bike around town is that the tires allow you to smoothly and safely blast over bumps and cracks.  This not only improves safety but boosts confidence and allows you to focus on enjoying the ride. 

Occasional single track trails for the adventurous

I’m an adventurous rider always on the lookout for a new road or trail.  The ability to explore new places is one of the main things I find exciting about cycling.  I always found it frustrating to be out on my road bike and see a dirt road or trail off to the side of the road and not be able to follow it due to the limitations of the bike.  The new gravel bikes don’t have this problem and have allowed me to find a lot of great single tracks and forest roads in and around Seoul.  

Seoul and especially the surrounding suburbs are full of nice trails and fire roads to explore.  Having a gravel bike here allows you to easily spice up the normal road rides and which helps kee

Style is King - Stand out from the crowd with a unique ride.  Talk here about my beautiful 3T Exploro Racemax. 

After a few weeks of riding in Seoul it's easy to see that riders here take their rides and cycling kits very seriously here.  Rapha kits and racy road bikes with carbon rims abound but it’s always nice to stand out from the crowd a bit.  

That’s where my 3T Exploro Racemax comes in.  With a killer paint job, all of the aero stylings of a carbon aero road bike but the large tires of a gravel bike the bike stands out not just for its performance but great looks. It’s only been a month on the bike but I’m already getting a lot of nice feedback on the bike from local riders.  Gravel in Korea is just starting to take off and it's always fun to be a trendsetter. 

Rough Roads & Spring Flowers

 

Yang Yang MCT Report (양양 MCT 후기)

 Road Racing on a Gravel Bike?

This season one of my goals was to ride the same bike in as wide a variety of events as possible. As a member of the Hustlin Racing Team which competes in the Korean Masters Cycling Tour road racing series I regularly compete in long road races.  In the most recent round of the series I decided to put the 3T Exploro Racemax to the test.  It was a resounding success as I finished reasonably well and was fully satisfied with the performance of the bike in the mountainous race.  As a result, I plan to bring the bike to more road races and criteriums this season. 

What is the MCT?

Road racing in Korea consists of two main kinds of races: Independent one day races and the season long Masters Cycling Tour (MCT).  The MCT is organized by the Korean Cycling Federation (KCF) and is raced by teams of amateur cyclists from around Korea.  In general, there is one round of the series each month from February thru July and the top 20 teams at the end of the series compete in a 3-day stage race in the fall.  All of the races are road races generally about 80 – 100km long (50-60 miles).  As this is the national amateur series of Korea the best racers in the country target these races with the peloton usually consisting of 300 riders from 35 teams! 

Course & Bike Set Up

The Yang Yang round of the series is held in the eastern part of Korea each summer.  The course consists of 3 laps of a 25km loop with a 2km long climb each lap followed by a twisty descent. The finish is a long gradually uphill drag that favors climbers over sprinters like myself.

For this race I chose the Boyd Podium Carbon 36mm Wheels with Pirelli Race Zero 26cc tires.  This made the bike feel essentially like a road bike other than having a slightly higher position and lower gearing.  

How did the bike perform? 

I felt great on the bike all race. It was stiff and responsive when climbing out of the saddle and the wheel tire combination helped me rail the descent which was important for catching back onto the main group after the long hard climb. 

The disc brakes performed amazingly giving me more confidence to carry speed on the descents and into corners.  It was also great to have a wide range of gearing for the climb.  I never felt under geared either as I was able to spin the 46 x 10 up to 65km/h on the flat sections in the pack. 

Overall, if you want one bike that truly can do it all, the 3T Exploro Racemax is a great choice if you can get a couple of different sets of wheels.  I plan to use this bike in a 3 round criterium race series starting next month!

Suffering on the climb

Railing the descent

Chillin in the pack

Santa Barbara Gravel Riding

 Santa Barbara Gravel Riding

While California usually conjures up images of beaches and sunshine there is some great gravel riding to be had in the state.  I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks in Santa Barbara recently and get out for some gravel adventures.  When coming from out of state to ride however it’s important to be prepared as there are some unique challenges to the gravel rides in the area.

Where to find gravel roads?

Santa Barbara County is huge and most of the roads near the ocean or the Front Country as they call it are paved.   The backside of the mountains (or backcountry) is where the action starts, with numerous gravel routes in the Los Padres National Forest. These roads are virtually traffic free and provide great views of the valleys and ocean. However, unlike the Midwest gravel roads I grew up on, these roads are bumpier & rockier, 35cc or larger tires are a must for most of the gravel roads here! 

Suggested Routes

The easiest gravel routes to access from Santa Barbara start in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Parking in the main Los Padres National Forest parking lot off of Paradise Road is a great place to start.  From here there are a variety of ways to climb up and get some great views.  

Climbing to El Camino Cielo (Road) provides some amazing views of the ocean and downtown Santa Barbara. You can ride up Arroyo Burro Road or up the backside of Gibraltar Road to get there.  

The other way to go from the Paradise Road parking area is to Camuesa Road which also provides picturesque and scenic gravel riding.  This route and many others in the area are also good as out and backs. 

Safety Considerations

I love getting out for a great solo ride especially on some nice gravel roads but unfortunately that isn’t a very good idea on most of the gravel courses in the area.  Cell phone service is virtually non-existent on the routes in the backcountry and many of the roads are only open to non motorized traffic making it difficult to get picked up. For this reason it is very important to always ride with a friend and bring proper tools to fix your bike. 

The other consideration is bringing enough food and water. While it is nearly always cool in the mornings things can heat up quickly as you get further from the coastline.  Temperatures in the 90s are common in the afternoons and the hot sun combined with a lack of shade makes things feel even hotter.  Given the extremely remote nature of the rides there typically isn’t anywhere to get food or water so it’s important to bring enough for your entire ride.   

Happy Trails!

Rough Conditions

And some smooth parts too

 

Well Worth the Views

Gold Hill Ride

 Having recently come back from 3 weeks in Boulder I wanted to share my favorite ride from the trip! The Gold Hill Loop has it all including great views, nice gradual climbs, hard packed gravel and a fun fast descent.  The destination town of Gold Hill looks like something straight out of a western movie and features a great general store to stop and have a coke. 

What is Gold Hill? 

Gold Hill is a small old mining town in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado.  The town was built over 150 years ago and most of the buildings haven’t changed since then! There are old broken down trucks scattered throughout town plus an old hotel & a general store on Main Street.  The Gold Hill General Store & Pub is a favorite resting place for cyclists to stop for a coke and some snacks mid ride.  There is a welcoming atmosphere and usually other cyclists hang out so be sure to stop by! (https://www.goldhillstore.com/) 

The Gold Hill Loop

The traditional Gold Hill Loop leaves Boulder on a bike path going up along Boulder Canyon Road (CO 119).  The bike path is smooth gravel and is shared with walkers so it's important to take it easy for the first few miles of the ride.  Once you climb out of town the bike path intersects with 4 Mile Canyon Road.  

Four Mile Canyon is a beautifully paved, winding and gradual road.  If you're in good shape you can even put it in the big ring for some fun! The road is mostly lined with beautiful pine trees and loosely follows a creek.  After passing through the small town of Salinas the road turns to dirt up to Gold Hill.  

The final climb is 4 miles of steep dirt before you reach the town of Gold Hill.  Be sure to ride around a bit in Gold Hill and stop by the Gold Hill General Store & Pub for a snack.  

The final part of the ride blasts down to Boulder on Sunshine Canyon Road.  This fun descent is gravel for the first few miles so be sure to be careful on the switch backs.  Keeping your speed down will let you enjoy the sweeping views below as well!

What kind of bike do you need?

The Gold Hill loop features about 8 miles of smooth gravel road and could be done on a road bike by a seasoned rider.  However, you will have a lot more fun on a gravel bike as the bigger tires will be more comfortable and confidence inspiring on the dirt roads.  Additionally, the smaller gears will be useful on the steeper parts of 4 Mile Canyon Road.  A bike like the 3T Exploro Racemax is a perfect ride for this loop.  The stiff, racy feel lets you power up the climbs while feeling confident on the downhill and it allows you to run 40cc tires which are about the ideal size for the varied road conditions you encounter. 

The Switzerland Trail

If the main Gold Hill Loop isn’t providing enough challenge for you I recommend incorporating parts of the Switzerland Trail which is further up in the mountains behind Gold Hill.  This single lane road was originally built as a railroad and now serves as a playground for gravel bikes.  There are 4 different sections of the Switzerland Trail to incorporate into the ride which all feature great riding and even better views.  Check out the link for more information https://bit.ly/3SFlSjT.

Gold Hill Store

Climbing to Gold Hill

Suffering up the last bit of climbing!

Naju MCT Race Report / 나주 MCT 후기

Last weekend was the 3^rd round of the Korean National Amateur Series (MCT) and it is the only course of the 6 round series that is consistently suited to my abilities (flat and likely for a mass sprint finish).  Given this, I tried to prepare as best as I could despite my work situation and a friend visiting for a week prior just before the race.  The best prep ride I had was definitely the Watts Century which was a hundred mile group ride with multiple long climbs included.  That plus lots of mid-week mountain bike & road rides before work plus squats at the gym all winter was my main training base. 

I have a good history racing in Naju with a 2^nd, 8^th and 1^st place finish to my record but I wasn’t feeling as strong as I did last year for the race.  I was still confident that a top 10 was well within my reach though.  The race started off fast and despite numerous attacks nothing got more than about 10 seconds in front of the pack.  I felt good and stayed sheltered until the last 5 km when I started to move up.  About 1km before the finish there was a tight corner and I knew it would be critical to be in the top 10 going into it because it could easily cause the pack to split. 

Watts cycling had other ideas though and they had 3 guys at the front leading out their leader Tim Rochford for the sprint.  I wasn’t as far up as I wanted to be so I passed several riders in the gutter to jump into about 8^th place in line going into the corner but the Watts team took it hard enough that they pulled off the front of the line.  Looking around I knew no one in front of me was going to start pulling but out of the corner of my eye I saw the yellow jersey and winner of the first 2 races Chang Jin Ahn come flying up the side of us.  I jumped on his wheel and we came in to sprint for 2^nd place with Tim holding us off by 2 seconds at the finish.  I wasn’t able to come around Chang Jin but still held on for 3^rd which I was satisfied with.  It would have been hard to beat Tim even if I would have been on his wheel going into the last corner given the perfect lead out his teammates gave him. 

Our team placed well with 3 riders in the top 20 for 2^nd place in the team competition on the day.  Which puts us as the 5^th ranked team in the series currently and myself ranked 14^th overall.  There are 3 races left and I would like to work my way into a top 10 spot in the series.  I will be more than satisfied if our team is able to hold onto a top 5 spot as well. 

The next day was a circuit race and TTT at the F1 race track in Mokpo.  We majorly screwed up the tactics in the circuit race to miss the breakaway and hence prize money spots but redeemed ourselves with a respectable top 10 in the TTT.  All of the races were super fast with over a 42km/hr average for the TTT and 43km/hr for the Naju road race.  The highlight for me though of racing at the F1 track is going out for crab afterwards.  They have this amazing restaurant which serves raw crab meat marinated in sweet red pepper paste and then served with crab soup. It’s definitely one of my favorite foods in Korea and was a great way to end an overall successful weekend. 

This was also my first week on my new Cipollini Bond bike and I have to say I’m very pleased with performance.  Light, stiff, responsive and comfortable as well.  I’m definitely looking forward to racing more on it.  For the next 2 weeks there are no races but my team is going to a pension in the woods this weekend for a sort of team building camp and to do some photos for the sponsors.  Next up there is another fun team time trial and then the next race of the MCT series which will be on a rolling course with a small hill for the finish.  If I can keep training well I’m hoping for a good finish there as well.  (Pics Below)

지난 주말에 시합 두 개 나갔습니다.  토요일에 MCT  3번째 나주 대회 탔고 일요일에 영암 F1경기장에서 써킷 레이스 와 티티티 탔습니다.  나주 에 우리 팀 약속에 땅 같은 곳 입니다.  항상 탈 때 마다 누가 포디엄 오로 가고나 단체 일등 합니다.  작년에 제가 나주에서 일등 해서 이번에도 잘 타 고 싶었습니다.  작년 보다 준비 좀 부족 했지만 웨트 하고 주중 남산 라이딩 와 와츠 센추리 장거리 라이딩 하면서 준비했어요.  

그리고 이번에 우리 팀 새 자전거 다 받았습니다.  내가 치폴리니 본드 캐모 새 깔 로 선택 했습니다.  자전거 가 아주 stiff 와 comfortable 하니까 자신 있었어요!  

이번에 나주 전략은 작년처럼 그냥 팩에서 마지만 5키로 남을 때 까지 잘 쉬면서 라스트 잘 치고 싶었습니다.  이번에 코스 조금 달랐지만 아주 빨은 코스이었고 브레이크어웨이 절 때 못 가는 코스 이였어요.  1키로 남을 때 약간 어려운 커브 있어서 난 그때 10등 정도 되야 일등 가능성 있겠다 생각했습니다.  그래서 그 정도 자리 잡았습니다.  하지만 와츠 팀 다른 계획 있었어요.  커브에서 앞에 3명 너무 세게 타면서 4등 사람 못 달라갔어요.  그래서 1키로 남을 때 갑자기 와츠 3명 50미터 gap 있었어요.  그리고 내가 앞에 있는 사람들 안가고 있었어요.  근데 갑자기 안창진 선서 갔어 서 내가 바로 뒤에 달라갔어요.  우리 1등 했던 Tim 선수 못 잡았지만 2,3등으로 들어왔어요.  난 창진 넘어 가봤지만 못넘어서 3등했습니다.  이거 아주 만족 한 결과이었습니다. 

우리 팀 결과 도 잘나왔어요, 20등 내 3명 있어서 단체 2등 했어요!  이제는 우리 단체 랭킹 5등 이고 난 개인 14등 입니다.  앞으로 난10등 들어가는 목표로 타겠습니다.  그리고 우리 팀 5등잡을수있으면 아주 만족 한 MCT 시즌 될거같습니다.  

일요일에 영암에서 써킷 결과는 전략 잘 못 잡았기 때문에 잘 안나 왔지만 TTT 십등 내로 들어 와서 만족 했어요.  앞으로 시합 전에 팀 회의 하고 그날 전략 잡아야겠다 ㅎㅎ.  근데 항상 F1시합 타로 올 때 시합 보다 계장 먹는거 도 기대 합니다.  이번에도 게살비빔밥 와 꽃게 탕 맛있게 먹었어요!

앞으로 우리 팀 야유회 있고 싱싱 TTT있고 그리고 그 다음 MCT 영주에서 합니다.  영주는 코스 아직 안타봤지만 열심히 준비 해서 좋은 결과로 타볼게요!   

Gapyoung Race Report: Can't win em all 가평 MCT 후가 : 어차피 모두 승리하지 못한다 ㅎㅎ

Last weekend was the second race of the MCT series.  This time the race was held in Gapyoung about 1 hour north east of Seoul on course with one medium size hill and lots of rolling, curvy hills along the North Han River.  Our team was well represented with 9 riders and we were hoping to improve our team placing from the previous race.  We need to be ranked in the top 20 teams at the end of the season to race the Tour de Korea and stay in the top league next season.

It was set to be 5 laps of the course for a total of about 50 miles.  The race started off fine despite the cold weather (about 35F) but after about 1 minute it started raining which would turn the race into a miserable day for most of the pack.  I felt pretty good the first time up the climb but the rain made riding in the pack difficult because of the constant curves on the course there was no place to rest.  That combined with bad air quality that day made my asthma start acting up which hasn’t happened in a while.  So after one lap I pretty much figured out my race was over and had to pull the plug unfortunately.  In these races you need to be within 10% of the leaders time or they pull you so there isn’t much point in trying to finish if you get dropped early on.  It was pretty disappointing but sometimes its impossible to avoid a bad day.  Luckily our team finished well with 3 riders in the top 50 which bumped our overall team rank up to 6^th for the series. 

The next race in the series is my personal favorite for the year being the only totally flat race in the series in Naju about 4 hours south of Seoul.  My plan is to keep weight lifting and doing long rides each weekend to prepare.  Before that though I have the Spyder Bukak hill climb on April 9^th to gauge my fitness.  I also just received my new mountain bike from Elfama.  It’s a Fantasia G 27.5 inch carbon hard tail.  I’m looking forward to ripping around the trails and trying out the new wheel size.  Our team also received new sunglasses and helmets from Uvex.  They all look great and the helmet fits my head perfectly. (www.elfama.com)  (www.uvex.com)

지난주 가평 MCT 다녀 왔습니다.  이번 시합 개인 족 하고 싶은 결과 가 안 나왔지만 팀 결과가 잘 나왔고 다음 시합 잘 타고 싶은 연기 가 받았어요 ㅎㅎ. 

가평 코스가 언덕 도 있고 북한강 옆에 탈라 가는 도로 타니까 curvy 재미있는 코스 입니다.  하지만 이번 시합 비와서 많이 힘들어 졌어요.  날씨 도 추웠고 공기 도 안 좋아서 난 오랜 만에 시합 때 천식이 심했어요 ㅜㅜ.  첫 lap 선두 그룹 잘 달라 갔지만 이미 시합 결과 알고 있어서 그냥 2lap 타고 내렸어요 ㅜㅜ.  난 자전거 인생 시작 할 때부터 일년 한두 번식 이런 날 있었어요.  가금 어줄 수 없이 못 타요.  하지만 우리 팀 어진, 근혁, 명철이 타 완주 하고 우리 팀 랭킹 이제 6등으로 올랐어요!  다음에 나도 도와 주고 싶어요 ㅎㅎ. 

다음 시합은 내가 작년 1등 했던 나주 대회입니다.  코스 조금 바궜 지만 이번 에도 일등 목표로 나가려고 해요.  그래서 열심히 웨이트 하고 주말에 장거리 라이딩 할겁니다. 

올해 우리 팀 스폰서 바궈서 나도 MTB 바궜어요.  어제 신 ELFAMA FANTASIA G 받았습니다.  27.5인치 바귀 기대하고 일주 일에 한번 정 도 산 에서 타는 목표입니다.  주로 우면산 이나 율동공워에서 타요.  시합 도 올해 다시 나가볼게요. 

팀 헬멧 와 고글 도 새로 받았습니다.  올해 우벡스 로 쓸 거에요.  오랜 만에 내 머리 랑 맞는 헬멧 쓰니까 기분 좋습니다.ㅎㅎ  (www.elfama.com) (www.uvex.com)

First Race of 2017 / 2017 첫 시합 후기

I haven’t blogged in a while but I decided I would start again this year.  A few new things for this season, my team changed sponsors and we will be on Cipollini bikes this season we also have 2 new younger members who are both really strong which gives us a more well balanced team.  Also the Korean Cycling Federation has changed the format of the races and now there are 2 “leagues” one consisting of the top 30 teams from last year and a lower league with everyone else who isn’t on one of these teams.  The bottom 10 teams from the top league will move down and the top 10 from the lower league will move up next year. 

This past Saturday was the first MCT (Masters Cycling Tour or basically the Korean National Amateur Series)  It was held in Gangjin County about 5 hours south of Seoul where it’s a few degrees warmer.  The course would ordinarily suit me pretty well but this early in the season the 2 mile climb we tackle 3 times before a flat finish is a bit tough for me. 

Last year at this race I got dropped the 3^rd time up the climb and finished just behind the lead group so I made my goal for this year to finish in the lead pack.  The weather was pretty cold but a pretty nice day to race (40F and sunny).  The first lap up the climb I felt pretty strong but the second lap I realized I was gonna get dropped the 3^rd time up and have to find a way back on.  I decided the only way I was gonna do that is to go my own pace up the climb and then jump on what ever group I could catch afterwards.  Luckily after the downhill I was in a group of about 20 riders about 20 seconds off the main pack (of 40 riders or so) and I thought we would catch up.  We dangled in that position for the next few miles and finally got close with about 5 miles left.  Then the guy in front of me sat up forcing me to attack to catch the pack.  I did manage to catch up but used most of my remaining energy to do so.  The finish was pretty wide open but I didn’t have the legs to put myself in a good position and just coasted in at the back of the pack fro 55^th out of 300.  One of my new teammates was also in the lead group and our team ended up placing 11^th which isn’t bad considering the course doesn’t suit us.  This was also the first race in Korea I’ve ever been in which featured no crashes what so ever.  It’s a good indication that the new league system is doing a good job of separating based on ability.  The next race is in a month and promises more climbing and a flat finish. 

The day after the race I went out skiing with former Asian Games gold medalist Seon Ho Park.  A bit weird to go from bike racing to skiing but I wanted to get on snow some more before the season ended.  The weekend fun didn’t stop there though.  I woke up at 5am Monday with food poisoning (norovirus).  After Saturday’s race we went out for raw oysters and 3 out of my 10 teammates got sick!  Its Tuesday night now and I’m feeling a lot better but it was not a fun way to start the week! I’m going to Japan on vacation for the next few days but after I get back it will be time to get a bit more serious on the bike!

(pics at the bottom)

오랜 만에 브로그 안썼네요.  올해 다시 써볼게요.  이번 시즌 사황 조금 바꿨어요.  우리 팀 스폰 칲포리니 로 바꿔서 3월부터 자전거 바궐거에요. 2명 팀 새로 들어왔어요 근혁 와 명철.  더 어린 친구들 들어오니까 올해 팀 에너지 와 결과 좋을거같아요.  그리고 MCT 도 리그 식으로 바궈서 시합 도 안전할거아요. 

지난주 토요일 MCT 1차 강진 시합 타고왔어요.  코스는 항상 같은거지만 4키로 언덕 넘어가야하니까 나랑 조금 안맞아요.  그래도 열심히 타려고 강진 내려갔어요. 

작년에 마지막 바궈에 나 언덕에서 바졌지만 이번에 시합 목표는 선두 그룹이랑 완주 하려고이였어요.  첫 2 바귀 잘탔지만 3번째 난 못달라 갈거라고 알고있어서 그냥 내 페이스 타고 다운힐에 잡아 봐야겠다 했어요.  마지막 다운힐 끝나고 20명 이랑 선두 그룹 한 20초 뒤에있었어요.  근데 계속 안잡고있었어요.  10키로 정도 남을때 거의 잡았지만 갑자기 내앞에 있는 사람 페다링 거의 몸쳤어요.  그래서 나 그냥 스피린트 취고 잡았는데 나랑 같이 타는 어진 바졌어요 (미안해 어진 ㅎㅎ).  근데 그렇게 타니까 라스트 치는 힘이 없었어요.  좋은 자리 잡으려고 했는데  힘이 없어 그냥 펙 뒤에 들어왔어요.  그래도 선두 그룹 이랑 들어왔으니까 성공이였어요.  300명쯤에 55등 그리고 우리 팀 11등 했으니까 결과 나쁘진않았어요.  우리 팀 새 멤버 근혁 도 아주 잘탔어요 (첫 시함 인데도 선두 그룹!)

일요일에 나 박선호형 이곤지암 스키 타로 갔다왔어요.  토요일 자전거 시합 타고 일요일 스키 조금 이상 하지만 눈 있을때 많아 타고싶었어요.  재미겠타고 왔다가 월요일 부터 갑자기 배가 아팠어요 ㅜㅜㅜ.  강진 대회 끝나고 생굴 먹었는데 우리팀 10명 중에 3명 아팠어요!!  이제 거의 다나았지만 월요일 너무 힘들었어요 ㅎㅎㅎ.  이번 주 일본 놀로 가지만 와서 가평 MCT 시합 열심히 준비 할게요.