Low Gap 2026 Race Report
Note: Will update w/ race pics once they are available
The first race of the Grasshopper Adventure Series is Low Gap, which had a mostly-new course this year. This year the course was expanded to 59 miles, up from 48 in previous years, and despite intense marketing to the contrary, was roughly 50/50 road/gravel.
Many miles of the dirt sections at Low Gap are on private logging property. Its nice having access to otherwise unrideable terrain during these events, which also means we’re all essentially riding blind out there. Some course preview videos help provide some clues, but conditions are somewhat mysterious until you experience them first hand.
Looking at the course map, the race is essentially made up of three sections. The first is a moderate road climb that was mis-labled as gravel — this is a mix of chipped pavement, brand new pavement, and some gristled rock hard dirt. If you’ve ridden a previous Low Gap race, we climbed up what had been the final descent. The middle third of the course was a mix of gravel and road rollers, which included the steepest and hardest climb of the day with an average of 9% and included 19% pitches on grass and dirt. The last third was a long gradual road climb not unlike the first, with a ripping fast descent back to the finish, just like in previous years.
The Plan
Bike setup: I kept my standard setup - Enve MOG w/ 2.1” Thunder Burt tires
Fuel: 2L bladder + 1L bottle w/ Tailwind High Carb + 6 Carbs Fuel gels in 2 soft flasks; plan to refill 1L bottle at 2nd aid station at mile 41
Tactics: Tempo to Threshold on the two main climbs, keep aero position and move fast on rollers, rip the final descent per usual
The Reality
Bike setup
I knew much of the course (the first and last 13 miles, at minimum) was on road, but I didn’t realize that the mix would be closer to 50/50 for the course. This was more like an all-road course than a gravel race, and was probably the first time that I felt like I definitely did not need the chunky Thunder Burts. I ripped the descents, but I paid for it on the many miles of road.
Fuel
It was around 38F at the start line, and got down to 32F for two sections, making it a pretty tricky race to dress for, and putting some pressure on fueling as well. I did manage to drink all 4L of mix as I had planned, but only finished one of my two soft flasks of gels. The gel gets thicker in cold weather, and I just never felt like I was burning hot enough to need more. I was also breathing hard enough where taking drinks was a bit of a challenge, and futzing with the gel flasks just felt like a step too far.
Tactics
Mig called for the first 7ish miles to be “neutral” because of frost on 6 slick metal bridges that we’d be riding over. I was hoping this meant that we’d roll at a Tempo+ pace, keeping the group together and easing into the day. That… was not what happened. I was riding at threshold for the first 10-15 minutes at the front of my group and made the call to ease off, to save myself for the day. It was really painful to see the lead group go, and I rode essentially solo for the rest of the race.
I never felt like I was able to really push on the day. The weather, the slight under-fueling, the sluggishness I felt with fat tires on all that road, just added up to a solid, but unimpressive ride for me.
Results
I had looked at previous years results and calculated rough timings for my category podium, top 10, top 20, and where I was last year in 36th. My calculations were essentially spot on, but I didn’t realize just how many people would be able to hold those faster paces. The fitness level in NorCal is truly remarkable.
My goal was sub-4h, and I ended up coming in at 4:10:08, for 28th place. Decent, but not great.
Logistics and Vibe
I feel incredibly lucky to have these Grasshopper events so close to home. They are incredibly well run, the courses are fun, the people are welcoming, the communication is outstanding, the the vibes are great. Zero complaints. As with most hoppers, there are options for hotels and for on-site car camping. I drove up the day before to get the race packet and camped overnight in the van. When I made my way to the front of the burrito line after the race, I was handed a hot burrito immediately. That’s an unbeatable life experience I hope everyone can enjoy at least once.
It was great to catch up with lots of new and old faces in the growing gravel fam. I’ll see you at Huffmaster in a few weeks.