Recap: Border Wars Gravel Adventure
Photo by: Andrew Hetherington
I unexpectedly needed to help a friend in Atlanta and googled to see if any gravel events were going on in the area. The Gravel Gods were on my side as Border Wars Gravel Adventure (BWGA) was taking place on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Border Wars is described as a “home-grown gravel grinder that straddles the border of Alabama and Georgia, where the gravel is vastly different between the two, and the only war is the mental struggle going on in your head to keep your legs going forward and the physical battle of your bike withstanding the punishment of the roads you’re riding.” My summation is an awesome ride on unpaved roads in two states with a variety of different gravel surfaces. I promptly signed up for the 62 miler. They also have a 100 mile route and a 30 miler.
This years event had just under 400 registrants with most opting for the 62 mile route. Their website and FAQ page was one of the most helpful ones I have seen for what to expect on the ride. It noted stream crossing, updated mud encounters, places with steep downhills to narrow wood bridges, etc. The descriptions were very helpful and complete for all three routes. This information was also sent in the useful rider guide. There was a bridge out and routes were changed to avoid it a week or so before the ride resulting in the 100 and the 62 routes being a couple miles shorter and the 30 mile route being an out and back (usually its a loop). The routes are about 70% gravel (per website) and for the 60 mile route 21 miles were in Alabama and the rest in Georgia. The day was projected to be sunny and temps in the 60s. What could be better?
There was a convenient Friday late afternoon packet pick up near the Atlanta Airport which I utilized and Saturday morning I arrived to the small town of Franklin, GA an hour before my start. Franklin is an hour from Atlanta. There was plenty of parking at the local high school 0.4 miles from the Franklin town square start location. Start times are staggered with the 100 mile route starting at 8, the 60 at 9:30 and the 30 at 11 am. We were warned there was a mud section one mile after the start that we would need to walk around and a neutral start was planned for the first 3 miles. After the muddy trail you turned on a main road which local police blocked at the start and had one lane closed on the return to town.
I started near the back as wasn’t planning to race the route but have a good steady endurance ride. I didn’t realize the walk around the mud section was practically single file so most of the front half plus of the group was far ahead by the time I passed through this section. Still since I was riding solo my rest stops were brief and I was always near other riders for the majority of the ride. The day was sunny and temps were 40s at the start and 60s later. Winds however, had 20-30 mph gusts with mostly headwind on the route. Thankfully much of the route was in tree lined areas though paved sections were out in the open.
The gravel varied from packed dirt, to typically what one thinks of gravel roads and then there were what I describe as rock gardens. Rock gardens were on several steep climbs and on a few descents. Most of this section was in Alabama as described in the rider guide/FAQ page. These sections reminded me of the northern route of Unbound Gravel and BWGA would be a great early season prep for Unbound. There were a few muddy patches on the route with only one, besides the previously stated one, where you had to get off the bike to walk across. Nothing like sinking your shoe into deep muddy water. On a positive note you soon came to a descent with a stream crossing at the bottom before an ascent to partially clean off your shoes. This crossing was noted in the guide and I just kept my momentum going on the downhill and rode across for the shoe wash. I tried to keep a steady endurance effort throughout the course, snapping a few photos and chatting a few times with other riders. I enjoyed the gravel ride and its climbs much more than my scheduled FTP test. I did miss seeing pro cyclist Lauren De Crescenzo who won the Women 100 as she finished long before me.
Overall a great scenic ride in two states. And it was fun to see my time greatly improve as we rode through Alabama which is on central standard time. I ended up with 60 miles and 4300 feet of elevation. The route is not marked, nor are there cue sheets, but the GPS directions were perfect. It was nice to be cheered by several locals on the route. The 60 mile route had 3 rest stops (at 16, 36 and 46 miles) with Oreos at the last stop which always makes me happy. SAG support was noted transversing the route and a photographer was also present. Post ride there was burgers, hot dogs and chili, including vegetarian, plus plenty of beer for those who indulge. Live Bluegrass music was playing in the square and there were plenty of friendly, smiling cyclists and volunteers happy to be out on a lovely day. I was lucky to meet and have an enjoyable conversation with (?) Wayne, the race director and a fellow bikepacker.
Border Wars is worth the trip down south for an early season ride. Grab a few friends and enjoy a weekend in Atlanta next February. They also had camping options in Franklin adjacent to the river. Atlanta airport hotels are an hour away. If you have an extra day and want non gravel the Silver Comet Trail starts in Smyrna, GA. The trail also goes to Alabama joining the Chief Ladiga Trail for total length of about 96 miles.
