Recap: McLain Farm Gravel 2021
I am not a morning person but as the slogan goes for McLain Farm Gravel “the gravel is calling” so there I was, up at 4am to make the drive out near Steubenville for the 8:30 start of the 65-mile”The Dude” route (they also offer 37 and 100 mile distances). It was quite the drive, especially with the heavy morning fog and tons of twisty country roads that provided a rather terrifying preview of the climbing to come on two wheels. Watching the sunrise and turn everything pink was beautiful, though.
For the start the organizers had “built” a new gravel “road” which was a fun touch but was so deep and loose it yielded a rather hairy start. We headed off into the lifting fog (humidity was the theme of the day) for a lap around the cornfields which spiced things up a bit with mud (smelled freshly fertilized!), a ditch crossing, and plenty of bumps. Then there were just a couple miles of chip and seal, with the first rolling hills, before we turned onto the first proper gravel, which was also the first (of twelve!) proper climb of the day. Thankfully this one was a nice warmup and nothing too insane—just a steady grade. Somewhere after the following descent I recall running over a hatchet laying in the road—no joke! Thankfully it didn’t kick up.
The second climb at about mile 7 was a different story. This one was steep two-track, with plenty of loose rocks. It was the one time I had to walk, as I simply couldn’t get traction on the steepest parts. I was still able to ride most of it, though, and it was a nice technical challenge. All in all I’d say the adventure sections on the course were just the right amount of difficult and in the right amount. I don’t consider myself a technically skilled rider and was on 700x40 WTB Nanos. Other bikes ran the gamut from MTBs to a 3T Exploro with what appeared to be slicks.
After a really nice rolling road along a creek and two more big climbs we arrived at aid station one. This was run by the fine folks from Sweetwater Bikes who put on the Whiskey Rebellion. It was also the most well-stocked on the day (more on that later). From there we turned onto Temme Road, which was one of my favorites. Non-maintained, it reminded me of Bat’s Nest for those familiar with that road near Walhonding. Some mud puddles, wash outs, rocks—lots of fun.
Two more big climbs and we came into the only town on the route, Hammondsville. Other than a post office, there wasn’t much here except for aid station two. Unfortunately this one ran out of water, though result arrived while we were still there, and food was sparse. I think there was a single banana left. I was glad I brought all my own food for the day, as the heat was really intense by now (heat indexes neared 100 by the end of the day) and I needed to have what worked for me. Thankfully I’d studied the route and new we were heading straight up a brutal climb right after the stop, so I didn’t overeat. This climb was perhaps the hardest on the day. The very beginning was the steepest and very loose so I had to accelerate as hard as I could just to keep momentum. And then it just kept going and going. All the big climbs on the day felt like a combination of the steepness of Ohio with the length (mile-plus) of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The reward—after a descent and another climb, this time paved—was another favorite road. I don’t recall the name, but it was officially closed, probably due to recurrent flooding from the creek it followed. It was perhaps the best scenery on the day and also about the only “flat” section of any length! At this point there were less than 20 miles to go but still four big climbs. I had planned a bailout at mile 50 just in case but was feeling great and knew I wouldn’t need it. Two climbs to the final aid, then two more to the finish—let’s do this!
The next section featured some more unmaintained roads with bigger (unavoidable) puddles and even a downed tree that had to be negotiated. I messed up my mental math and thought after one climb it was time for the final aid, but then we began descending and I knew another climb was looming. This turned out to be the biggest struggle of the day for me. Both hamstrings started threatening to cramp. I don’t know how but I just kept going and they calmed down. I made it to the aid station and was bummed to see it setup out in the blazing sun. They had pickles, though, miraculous pickles, and that was the last of my cramps for the day! There is a fantastic view back down to the farm from here, which is beautiful but also somewhat cruel since we were suffering at this point and could hear the music at the finish festival!
Carry on we did, though, across a rolling paved road, then down a ripping and wash boarded dirt descent. Then we were mentally tested again as we simply could’ve turned straight and been at the finish in about a mile, but instead we turned left for a 500 foot climb. Then a descent, a bit of recovery, and another 400 footer. On this one my lower back started to lock up, then on the final descent my feet were screaming to get out of my shoes. This dumped us out right at the entrance to the farm but a volunteer told us to go left—what?! Yep, back down the road for another lap around the cornfield before we finally crossed the finish, where I had to try super hard to not wash out in the loose gravel! Due to my slowness many folks had headed home already but the finish festivities were still fun. Great Italian food from a local shop and a live bluegrass band. A tent for shade would’ve really been appreciated, though. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, I did get to enjoy a pop-up tent and camp chair, though!
It was a challenging and rewarding day on the bike. Plenty of great gravel of all types, just the right amount of adventure, challenging climbs, thrilling descents, and all the best of Ohio scenery. I really enjoyed getting to ride with multiple OGGers: Cindy, Jeff, Justin, Glen, and probably others I’m forgetting, sorry! I also talked to some folks who’d come in from PA.
This was the final race in the Rust Belt Triple Crown, along with Whiskey Rebellion in PA and Rollin’ Coal in WV. Though it’s quite haul from most anywhere in Ohio I’d recommend checking out this event. The route is the highlight (check it out on the routes page)and rest stop hiccups aside (which were still an improvement over last year I heard) they’re putting on a good show.
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