Evergreen Grinder ’19

Date: December 7th, 2019
Time: 5:30 a.m. rider meeting, 5:45 a.m. start
Location: West Olympia Safeway parking lot: 3215 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia, WA 98502

The 2019 edition of the Evergreen Grinder will be the most challenging yet. More climbing on both courses than in previous years, more single track & water crossings, and the prospect of a harsh winter promise to test even the most experienced and hardy gravel and adventure cyclists. This year there will be a long course (107 mile/14,000 ft) and short course (64 mile/8,500 ft) again to accommodate riders of different abilities and goals. Again, the date will be Saturday, December 7, 2019. Please RSVP on RideWithGPS here. Routes are now final, pending a pre-ride scheduled for October 12th (if you’d like to join that, shoot me an email or DM).

As was the case last year, here are some important things to keep in mind when planning for the race:

  • There is no entry fee, just show up
  • The course is UNMARKED; you are responsible for navigation. RidewithGPS files are available for download and I’ll have paper cuesheets as well.
  • Study the course and have a bailout plan in case you need to scratch from the race. There is no sag wagon or any support of any kind.
  • Be prepared for a variety of circumstances, weather, and road conditions on the course: you must carry all your own food, water, layers, tools, spares, etc.
  • There are no services on route and the Safeway won’t be open yet, so plan ahead and bring enough food with you to the start on race day.
  • There is live traffic on all roads on course- cars, trucks, ATVS, logging equipment, etc. Follow rules of the road and use common sense
  • You must have lights and a helmet.
  • you are responsible for your own safety, have an emergency contact standing by in case of injury
  • there is no prize for first place, and it’s likely no one will be there when you finish.

Between the cold weather, freezing precipitation, 14,000+ feet of elevation gain, and self-sufficiency requirements, this is the hardest gravel race on the West Coast. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

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