Who does these sorts of things? I mean, what kind of person do you have to be to undertake an endeavor such as this? Is it the pleasure or the pain? Is it the challenge to say you “did it”? Or do you want to have a fun time doing something that you love very much? If you answered “Me!” or “Yes!” to any of the above questions, then the Oregon Trail is something you need to go do.

The Oregon trail is part race/ part bike camp. It’s even billed as such as I saw both ends of the spectrum while I was out there. It’s not for the faint of heart and some level of training is required to do this, as well as experience riding gravel events and how to deal with every possible curveball that gets thrown your way. Technically speaking this should not be your “first event”, but oddly enough I met two separate people who said it was their first bike race ever. Granted, they both came from other endurance sports, but still, this is of a heck of an event to break the ice with. If nothing else, this is a “Bucket List” event that needs to go on your calendar/ radar if this type of challenge excites you.

There are two main categories for the event: Pioneer (I did this category) and Settler. The Pioneer group races (or rides) the full course. My bike computer said I raced 354 miles and climbed 27,202 feet over the course of 5 days. The actual racing miles are slightly shorter due to neutral rollouts and finishes back to camp, but the total mileage still needs to be completed even if you ride slow before the start or if you crawl back to your tent at the end of the day. The Settler category races/ rides a slightly shorter course with less climbing as some of the most brutal features of the day are cut out, but the epic scenery remains so no one is missing out on anything other than maybe a few bumpy sections.

The event takes place over the course of 5 days with varying miles and elevation gain per day. Conditions vary greatly depending on the course design for the day. You will encounter plenty of sand, rocks, loose gravel, chunky gravel, pavement, a little bit of dirt and maybe a touch of loam. Recommended tire size is a 700×45 at a minimum. I did see quite a few people running 700×40’s and even a few running cyclocross tires (700×33) so it is possible to do it. Personally, I ran a 700×40 Tufo Thundero on Zipp 303’s for day one as there was a fair amount of pavement and I thought it would be the faster choice for the stage. Unfortunately, there was also a fair amount of sand so a wider tire would have been better suited for the day. On day 2 (and for the rest of the race), I switched to a 700×48 Tufo Thundero on an Enve AG25 wheelset and was MUCH happier with my tire choice as the larger tires obliterated everything in front of them and still rolled really well on the fast-rolling sections.

Bike choice is all over the place as well. Mountain bikes, Cyclocross Bikes, E-Bikes (they had their own category), and all sorts of gravel bikes were the steeds of choice. 1X and 2X drivetrains were everywhere and there were a lot more suspension forks on the bikes than you would have normally expected. I am quite happy to see the adoption of suspension forks on gravel bikes as I think they have a place in the sport when the terrain gets as nasty as this race can get. For those that had the suspension forks, by and large they all seemed quite happy with their equipment choice while those on rigid bikes were cursing the washboard sections every chance they could. Dropper posts were also a good idea considering some of the descents that we faced.

For my setup, I used the Storm King GP with a 2024 SRAM Red 2X drivetrain (46/33 up front with a 10-36 on the back), and a Fox 32 Tapercast fork with 40mm of suspension travel. Zipp carbon XPLR bars with a Rock Shox AXS Reverb dropper post, while the Tufo Thundero 48mm tires on Enve AG25 wheels completed the build spec. From a gearing perspective, I never felt like I was missing a gear on the steep climbs as the pitches never went above 15%. There were some last-minute pitches on Day 4 that hit 15% and at that point walking was not a bad alternative as it had already been a big day up until that point.

I did carry 2 x 1 liter water bottles on the bike each day as well as a 2-liter USWE hydration pack. While I always refilled my bottles out on course, the hydration pack was nice to have when I needed a drink or some fuel and could not reach for my bottles. I also carried SIS gels, Skratch Chews, and Honey Stinger Waffles. The aid stations were well stocked at each section and usually about 20 miles apart from each other. There were lots of goodies to have it each stop, but my favorites were the shots of pickle juice and the shots of Coca Cola. I also ate my fair share of mandarins and bananas at the stops. On stage 2 I did eat a cracker with Nutella on it and instantly regretted the decision as it stuck to the roof of my mouth. It took a little while to choke down with liquid help… I would recommend carrying the food you prefer to eat and if the food at the stops works in your favor, then you can take advantage of them. Otherwise, don’t rely solely on the stops as it is better to not have stomach issues than worry about the weight of the food you are carrying.

Camp each night was a small tent city where everyone congregated, ate our meals, showered, and generally hung out. For a small fee, you could purchase a “VIP” package that ensured you had a tent setup for you when you arrived to camp each day after the ride. This was a nice option as it meant I didn’t have to worry about setting up a tent in case I had a tough day on the bike. Those that chose to forego this option had to set up their tents each night, and then tear them down in the mornings as well. Still, there were others who elected to bring their sprinter vans and camp in the vans. Of course, this meant that they had to have a driver of the van for the trip, but they at least had the creature comforts of home vs the rest of us who camped out. The tent community was really nice as people hung out by their tents and talked about the events of the day. Overall, it was a really good social vibe.

All meals were provided each day and they were quite good. Hearty breakfasts in the morning and a different dinner each night. There were also “lunch bars” setup for post ride if you made it back to camp in time as some people were quicker than others. Meal time was a very social vibe and people definitely chatted around with each other all week.

For post ride events, there was a group of massage therapists at camp each night. Luckily I booked my massages in advance as they were sold out each day. Thus, I highly recommend scheduling in advance as you won’t regret it. There were also camp games setup, a beer/ whisky bar that travelled to each stop, and awards/ podiums each night as well.

This year was the first year that the Oregon Trail race was part of the Gravel Earth Series. This is a global series with stops at unique races all around the world. It attracts an international field of riders and the competition is high in the pro categories. As a result of being a part of the series, the course was changed this year to a bit more “competitive” with less chunk and more smooth sections so the battles could be closer together and not necessarily decided by super tech course sections that could blow up a bike.

The first 4 days were all fast racing. The terrain never got too technical, yet I was happy I had the suspension fork and the dropper post none the less. On day 5, things got ugly quick. We started with 2 miles of soft sand and then proceeded to pound through rock gardens, go down nasty downhills, and climb 2 very big/ long climbs. There was even some patches of snow on the course. This course could make or break you if you were not careful. Overall, the entire route was fantastic and while there were some challenging sections, on-course medical and mechanical support was everywhere as motos were running back and forth along the course. I never felt like I was alone out there so even though we were in some remote areas, I still felt like I was really well supported.

The one thing that each stage had in common was the epic scenery. Everywhere you looked you had amazing views of lakes, mountains, forests, and so much more. While I don’t normally stop and take pictures during a race, this time I did. It was just too nice not to do it. Definitely a highlight of the race for sure.

In the end, this is a bucket list event that needs to be on your list if you race/ ride gravel. Everything was top notch about the event: Epic courses and distances, fantastic organization from the promoter and his crew, the general camaraderie of the racers/ riders, and it was just so much fun. Yes, you need to train for it and you should have experience riding gravel and know how to handle yourself out there, but it is definitely worth it for sure. Put it on your list for next year and you won’t be disappointed.