To get away…
The Ohio Gravel Grinder Story
I’ve ridden gravel roads since I was a kid so this whole gravel grinding thing seems to come naturally. At the end of our street we always took the gravel road down to the park and beyond. We never had “gravel” or “road” bikes; our bikes took us on all-roads.
I took a break from cycling during college but once I got my first real job in the early 2000’s I purchased a road bike. In the mid 2000’s an orange Lemond Poprad caught my eye at the bike shop. It quickly became my first all-road bike since childhood. The addition of a Light & Motion light-set helped spark gravel road riding at night out in the countryside of Ohio County, WV. It always amazed me how many cars would slow down and move over for us with those blindingly bright bicycle lights. The experience felt like being a kid again.
Soon after I moved to Columbus, OH I traded my Poprad for a Lynskey Cooper CX. As my group of biking friends expanded so did the opportunity to ride wherever and whenever, but we mostly stuck to paved roads. After riding all of the locally organized road rides multiple times biking turned somewhat stale. Then our friend Tim Cristy started developing new routes with gravel. And then it went downhill from there. Literally.
In March 2011 Tim Cristy and Bill Ferriot headed to Athens, Ohio to ride the fabled Gravel Rouser, organized by Athens Bicycle. The Gravel Rouser ventured out to Lake Hope SP via quiet paved and gravel roads ending with BBQ and beer. The event ended in 2017 after a fourteen year run. In November of 2011, Tim sent out a ride invite with a route that was 23 miles long; half being gravel. We rode the area around Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve and had a great time on the mixed surfaces.
Our first named “gravel grinder” held in January 2012 led us from Loudonville, OH to Danville and back. It was cold, the gravel was squishy and there was whisky. The rest of the year road riding still held its sway with our group, although we sprinkled in an occasional gravel ride, including bike packing.
At the end of 2012 we tried out another route developed by Tim, the Wildcat Gravel Grinder. As we neared the end of the route I mentioned to another cyclist that we should create a Facebook group to get more people into gravel riding. The rest is history. Since inception we have organized hundreds of gravel grinders, explorers, and bike packing trips and our group has swelled to over 6700 members and counting. This website is the logical extension. Thanks to Kenda Tires for their support of the site.
In 2020 the Ohio Gravel Grinders added a Ride with GPS Club Account powered by Paradise Garage. Later in the year OGG members kicked in to support the addition of Tourism Tools to allow dynamic mapping on the website. The Ride with GPS Club Account sits at over 3000 members.
Welcome!
Take some time to explore the site and I hope you can get away on gravel roads, trails and the occasional jeep road with big muddy potholes. ~ Ray
Lemond Poprad - my first “gravel” bike.
Our first official gravel grinder in January 2012
Fine print
By participating in any offline arranged ride or activity, you, your heirs, executors, administrators and representatives do hereby agree and will absolve and hold harmless Ohio Gravel Grinder organizers, it's corporate sponsors, cooperating organizations, and any other parties connected with this web site in any way together with their respective successors from and against any blame and liability for any and all losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind including, without limitation, personal injuries, death, and property damage, or any other damage of any kind whatsoever either directly or indirectly related to or arising from your participation in any such offline Ohio Gravel Grinder organizers arranged ride or activity.
User assumes all risk and liability for any action in relations to usage of information and routes on ohiogravelgrinders.com, including if actions result in injury, death, loss or damage of personal property or other complications. Ohio Gravel Grinders, its partners, associates, and contributors accept no liability. Route information and advice is provided as a planning resource only, and is not guaranteed to be accurate or complete, and in no way should replace your own due diligence, research, and safety precautions. All users are advised to check current conditions before embarking on any route, including weather, surface conditions and closures. Riders should obey all laws including public and private land usage restrictions and guidelines and carry adequate safety and navigational equipment.