Cyclists line up July 21 for the Butte County gravel short course. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

So many aspects of the inaugural Butte County gravel ride on July 21 were outside of my comfort zone.

The short ride, which is what I did, was 38.2 miles with 3,589 feet of climbing. Those who did the long ride went 52.2 miles and up 4,895 feet.

I had never ridden my mountain bike that far or climbed that much; so, short is not the descriptor I would have chosen. I had never signed up for an organized ride by myself. I knew no one. I didn’t know the majority of the trails.

I really hadn’t been training—that’s on me. It’s just so hard to get up early to ride when cycling isn’t my first love.

My muscles survived, though my butt sure was sore for a few days.

What an experience, though.

Sadly, the ride would not be able happen this weekend because of the Park Fire that is raging out of control because some asshole started an inferno in Upper Bidwell Park.  Butte Meadows, where the ride was, is under evacuation orders as of this writing.

Part of this event went through terrain that was charred in the 2021 Dixie Fire, which is the single largest fire in the state’s history.

Enough about fire.

A cyclist pedals through the scar of the Dixie Fire during the gravel ride. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The ride. We started on pavement, went to loose—but not thick—gravel, dirt, back to gravel, and finished on pavement. In addition to loose dirt and gravel, significant pot holes made paying attention essential.

At the morning safety talk we were warned about one wet spot near Snag Lake; and were told to not ride through the middle because of a big hole. Someone wanted to know how big. “Big enough to send my husband to the ER,” responded a woman.

Great. Another obstacle to be wary of.

Fortunately, it was easy to stay to either side of the wet area, which is what we had been advised to do.

Snag Lake, organizers said, would be a good place to take a dip to cool off since riding temps were going to top out in the low 90s. I was afraid I’d never get back on my bike if I dunked in the lake. Good thing it wasn’t that inviting.

Shade was much appreciated because the spots without looming pine trees were intense.

By the time I finished I had 3 percent left on my battery. (Only a few of us were on e-bikes; all had to be pedal assist.) I just can’t imagine doing the ride without some assistance.

Apparently the bike saved me from myself. There were times near the end that I wanted more power, but being in single digits the bike would not change levels. In retrospect, this was a good thing. I would have ended up with no power to finish if the bike weren’t smarter than me.

It felt like I had zero charge, though. I was so slow, so tired, so ready to be done and yet had miles in front of me.

Once on the last stretch of pavement, which had rollers to it, others were flying past me on their much lighter bikes. E-bikes are heavy. I’m guessing they were in much better shape, too.

My strategy at first was to use the motor on the early climbing to save my legs. I don’t know if this was the best option.

I know going forward that more training and better use of the battery will make for less stress at the end when I was dragging.

For not being much of a cyclist, I’m thrilled to have done this. My goal was to finish. Goal accomplished. Now I just need to start riding more; and maybe even participating in more gravel rides.

I want to explore more trails in the Butte Meadows area. I love that the entrance fee for the ride is for Chico Velo to expand trails in this area. Money and time well spent on this particular Sunday.