Recap: Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder 2022
Michigan Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder is a gravel race in Michigan. The headline event is a 213 mile East to West one way race across Michigan from Au Gres (Lake Huron) to Ludington (Lake Michigan). They also have an option of a 100 mile loop that starts and ends in Ludington. This year, the race was on June 25.
This is a self supported race with the exception of getting help at checkpoints from your support team, and/or stopping at convenience stores or gas stations on the way to refill water and get food. The only other reason for you to get help on the course from your support team is when you scratch and need to be picked up.
I decided to sign up for the 100 mile loop. Given this was my first ever 100 mile ride/race (road or gravel), I was excited but nervous. I travelled to Ludington the day before and reserved a camping spot at the Cartier Park Campground which is 1.5 miles north of the start line. I rode the start and finish sections to acclimate myself to the gravel in the area and loosen up my legs after driving for six hours. The campground had flushing toilets and showers which was great.
The morning of the race was beautiful. The start and finish line are at Stearns Park which is on Lake Michigan. Weather was perfect and there was a slight breeze. There were about 176 cyclists that lined up at the start. The race started at 8 AM promptly. The first few miles of the route is on road which takes you East out of the town. After the first 5.5 miles, you hit the gravel roads.
Being my first ever 100, my goal was to finish the race. A lot of things were going on in my head before and during the race. Part of riding a long distance ride/race is a mental game. For me, I decided to break down the 100 miles into four 25 mile rides, which seemed very doable. I decided that I would stop and take a break every 25 miles with the big stop at mile 54 in Dublin (more on that below) and that will be my strategy for the race.
The first 30 miles were easy with rolling hills but gradual elevation gain. Around mile 30 is when you enter the Manistee National Forest area. The roads are double track roads with sections of sand. Since it had not rained for a few days before the race, the sand sections got pretty loose and “sandy“. It was as if I was riding my bike on the beach. On these sand sections, there were times when I could ride my bike with some effort, but other times it was just not possible to ride so I hiked my bike. As the day progressed, it started to warm up and it started to get hot. Keeping up with my hydration was key during this section.
At mile 54 I hit the town of Dublin. A little 0.6 mile detour to the right takes you to Dublin General Store which was a welcome rest stop. They have a lawn with benches to sit and relax. I refilled my water bottles, and ate a bag of chips with a bottle of Coke! I was pretty exhausted after riding the double track. I realized later that I had been at the store for an hour. I decided to get going.
From mile 54 to mile 64, there are gravel roads and single track sections that eventually take you to Big M Recreation Area. The single track sections are beautiful with thick forests on both sides and a general calm. Big M is the only checkpoint on the 100 mile route. There is water available at this checkpoint as well as tools to fix simple mechanical problems with your bike, but the water is not guaranteed, as the organizers have to haul water from outside to the checkpoint. It is best that you detour to the Dublin General Store at mile 54 and refill your bottles there, unless of course you have your own support crew at Big M waiting for you.
After the checkpoint at mile 64, the route turned towards some more single tracks and a couple of tough climbs. If you are not experienced with climbing up hills on single track with your gravel bike, its ok - just hike your bike up the hill - which is what I did. At mile 67(ish) I came across a steep downhill (there is a warning sign for this downhill) on which I decided to just send it. Going downhill at 35 mph I realized at the bottom of the hill it was a sand pit. It was tough to gain back control of my bike and the only way I stopped was to run into the shrubbery on the left of the road. I was thankful for not crashing, or falling, and just being safe overall.
After mile 70 the route turned towards usual gravel roads. While there were rolling hills, it was overall a gradual decrease in elevation towards the finish. I finished the race placing 5th in my category. I averaged 10.1 mph and I was happy to finally cross the 100 mile mark - a personal achievement.
There was post event food and chocolate milk which was welcome. That night when I went to sleep all I could see was the sand sections. The next day I drove back home thinking if I could do the full 213 mile race. While I may not do the 213 next year, I think I will come back for the 100. The race next year is on June 24.
Thank you to the race organizers (Mark, Lin, Greg, and Matt) and the volunteers for putting together this wonderful event. I hope to come back next year!
A note on tire selection: There is a lot of discussion in the Coast to Coast group on Facebook about tire choice and tire pressure which you can check it out. For me, my 50c semi slicks with 35 psi pressure front and 38 psi back worked great - especially in the sand sections. I also carried a small bottle of chain lube which I applied to the chain at mile 54. I don’t know if that helped but I did not experience any chain suck.
Links: