women's gravel race

Bacon, Bears, and Bikes
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Bacon, Bears, and Bikes

A trip to ride through vineyards in Tuscany was initially suggested. Yet we found ourselves in remote Montana on a chilly, overcast Saturday morning in the company of bacon, bears, and bikes. How did we get here? When did this all start?

It all started back in 2010, when life forces a person to shift gears and adapt to what remains; in other words, life has a way of bringing people together. The biking part of it all started back in 2016, when two cousins decided to take a bike ride through Yellowstone National Park. We had pledged back in 2016 to make the get together an annual, or biannual, event at the least. Then life got in the way, including a pandemic, so we never had another adventure… until 2023.

I don’t anyone else who can pair cycling apparel with cowboy boots, and make it look good!

As we prepared for departure to Ovando the next morning, there was a lot of discussion about bacon. Not only did we have bacon for breakfast, but KMax decided that bacon would be her snack of choice during the Dusty Bandita. She also decided that having bacon loaded jersey pockets, warranted a bike bell, to alert the grizzly bears that she was coming… in case they couldn’t already smell the bacon. It was at this moment I knew the grizzly bears were not a concern for me. I just had to be faster than KMax. So we left Bozeman with a cooler full of bacon, stopped in Helena to pick up a bike bell (and see Aunt MJ), and headed to Ovando for packet pickup. The further north and west we went, the harder it rained. We opted to stay near Seeley Lake on Friday night, which was about a 40 minute drive from Ovando with the road construction.

On Saturday morning, we arrived in Ovando about 45 minutes before the race started at 10:00 AM. The skies were gray, and eventually let go with a steady but light rain. I had somehow managed to leave most of my cold weather riding gear back in Denver. I’m still a little puzzled by how that happened, but I think my intention was to go back and add it to the gear bag, but I forgot to circle back. (Rookie move!) There was some discussion about abandoning the race and going over to Flathead Lake instead. But we decided that we had to at least give the race a chance and ride for a few miles before completely abandoning it. Besides, I didn’t drive all that way with bike gear, to not use it!

The first couple of miles were sloppy as the rain continued its steady descent onto the dirt road. But within 5 miles or so, it tapered off and we were left with decent temperatures under overcast skies. It ended up being perfect riding weather: not too hot, not too cold, just right! This picture shows the two of us at the first aid station, snacking on bacon, and other tasty and salty treats! This was a fairly remote section of the race and if there were bears to be seen, this would have been a place to see them. Alas, the only sign of bears that day was the huge pile of scat on the road. The aid station was at the base of the climb, and this is where KMax and I split up to ride at our own paces.

All the moisture over the winter left behind meadows bursting with wild flowers and green prairie grasses. I had to stop several times to take it all in, and some pictures! Our parade most certainly got rained on that day, but there was no shortage of smiles and laughter. Oh, and we still went Flathead Lake anyway!

The Dusty Bandita – A Race Review
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The Dusty Bandita – A Race Review

Background:

The organizer’s held their first edition of the race in 2022. This is a women’s only gravel race held in the remote location of Ovando, Montana. For 2023, two courses were offered: a 45ish mile course, and an 80ish mile course. You can check out their website to learn more about the race, the name, the location, and the fantastic crew putting it all together.

Registration & Race Communication:

The registration process was smooth and I was able to register myself and a friend without any trouble. Communication leading up to the event was timed well, and began at one month out with a weekly email update. Lodging, camping, parking, cutoff times, and the event schedule were very well communicated. Final GPX files were provided at approximately one week out from the event. The organizers did a fine job of addressing two concerns: snow pack (which did finally melt in time) and grizzly bears. Yes, grizzly bears.

When we arrived in Ovando, Montana on Friday night for packet pickup, the hardest part was finding the church where packet pickup was located. Ovando is a tiny town and prominent signage isn’t really necessary when everyone from there knows where everything is! But it didn’t take long to find and we were able to peruse the raffle items, meet the organizers, and get answers to any questions we had.

The Race:

There were two start waves on Saturday morning. The longer route departed earlier at 8 AM, and the shorter course departed at 10 AM. Parking was very clearly communicated to racers; as were expectations about stopping before the one major highway crossing. The course was very well marked, with both signage, and volunteers pointing the right direction. There were two aid stations along the shorter course: one at the base of the climb, and the other just five miles away at the summit of the climb. Personally, I would have liked to see these spread out a bit more. The first aid station, was well stocked with pre-packaged snacks and fluids for topping off bottles. They also offered olives and pickles – yum! The second station had a similar offering, although slightly fewer options – I’m guessing this is because it was even more remotely located than the first aid station.

My favorite part of this race was the finish line, which was not visible until you were nearly there. The very last quarter mile of the race was up a slight hill and the finish line was hidden around a corner in the heart of the town square. When you finally crested the hill and came around the corner, there were hoards of people gathered in the town square to watch finishers. There was applause, inflatables surrounding the timing equipment, and an announcer who made me feel like I had just finished in first place. Inclusivity and support were some of the reasons this race was founded, and I definitely felt both throughout event, but especially at the finish line. All race finishers received a Dusty Bandita bandana and stainless steel coffee mug.

All race entries included a post-race lunch ticket, which was very important. A town the size of Ovando has few and limited dining options for such a large crowd. Racers had their choice of sandwich, chips, drink, and cookie.

What’s the story with the grizzly bears that I mentioned earlier, you may be wondering. In 2021, a woman was was pulled from her tent by a grizzly bear as she was sleeping. Race organizers did a fantastic job of communicating the seriousness of tent camping in the Ovando area. Here’s an excerpt from one of their emails:

If you do choose to camp, you’re on your own, and please, please, please practice BEAR SAFETY while camping. Grizzlies frequent the area and roam around the town of Ovando, so take bear safety seriously: 

  • Have bear spray on you and in your tent/van.
  • No food or fragrances (including toothpaste) in tents/vans, etc.
  • Use secure bear storage.

Their website even has an entire page dedicated to this topic.

Despite all the talk of grizzly bears, I didn’t see a single one on race day. The closest thing to a grizzly bear was the huge pile of scat on the ascent to the second aid station. They were most definitely in the area!

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention the significant number of women who opted to stop in the middle of roads or on blind corners to chat or address mechanical issues. This happened on flat roads where there was plenty of room to pull to the side, and on the descent from the race course summit, where there wasn’t much room or visibility for riders coming up from behind. They were oblivious to the danger they were putting themselves in, as well as every other cyclist who encountered them. This is something the race organizers should address in their communication in the future. It seems like it would be an obvious safety concern, but due to the large numbers of women that were doing it, it should be clearly communicated going forward.

While Ovando was certainly out of the way, I would do it again!