Barry Roubaix: The Killer Gravel Road Race

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Barry Roubaix Men's Elite 65 Highlights 2011

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Thom Parsons at CyclingDirt on March 29, 2011

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2012 Barry Roubaix Video Highlights:
http://bigbikesmedia.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/248533-Barry-Roubaix-The-Killer-Gravel-Road-Race/video/624140-Barry-Roubaix-2012-HD-Highlights

Tags: Brian Matter, Erik Box, Mike Anderson, Tristan Schouten

Saturday March 26th 2011, Middleville, MI.

It was cold out, like 17* cold, but that didn't stop over 1000 people from lining up for one of the three versions of the Barry Roubaix gravel road race. The options were: a 23 mile "short" loop, a 35 mile loop, or a 65 mile version, which is two laps of the 35 mile loop (minus the lollipop portion of the course that brings you back to the start/finish). There'd been some debate as to what the ideal bike for the course is. The two previous editions of Barry Roubaix have been won on 29ers, but under slightly more adverse conditions. This year the conditions were more dry, possibly favoring a cross bike. And while you might be thinking "What about a road bike? I bet I could do it on a road bike." Ya sure, and you could ride a mountain bike in the Tour De France (if UCI headquarters got hit by an asteroid), you'd get to the Champs Elysees eventually. On a road bike you'd make it about 1/8 of the way around the first lap of Barry Roubaix, then you'd hit the infamous Sager Rd. section of doubletrack,where you'd either flat or crash out and your day would be over. (Which might not be a bad thing when there are something like 13 kegs of Founders Ale sitting back at the finish line waiting for your busted ass).

There was only a light thinning of the the herd on lap one before Mike Simonson (Trek/Rochester Bike Shop) took the lead into the Sager Rd. doubeltrack section. He was quickly passed by the defending champion Derek Graham (Bissell/abg) and last year's second place finisher Mike Anderson (Trek 29er Crew SRAM XX). The first lap was altogether pretty sedate, although Stephen Keeping and Clint Verran took a couple flyers just to make sure the group was paying attention. There was one first lap casualty ÃÂÃÂ Garth Prosser (Cannondale) fell victim to a little hurly burly in a corner and went down with a broken collarbone.

Lap two was when things began to get shaken up. Mike Anderson came though the back end of Sager Rd. holding a substantial gap with fourteen riders giving chase. The subsequent increase in pace caused further whittling down of the pack, at that point just eight riders were anywhere near Anderson. "Eh, I knew I was probably going to get caught, but I just though I'd see what I could do" he said (or something to that effect anyway the wind and the engine noise from the moto made conversation difficult). And it wasn't long before they did bring him back. The nine man group remained static for a while, but then, going into a loose, dirt road corner, Erik Box (Er Navito-Pg-Devinci) got a small gap. In the next corner he extended it just a little more. Soon he was a good ways up the road. Box was not a name that had been mentioned in any discussion about the favorites, and this may have been why the group let him go in the first place. Graham was watching Schouten and Anderson, Schouten and Anderson were watching Graham, the other five guys were watching all three of them but who the hell was watching Box?

Over the latter part of the second 35 mile lap, Box increased his lead as dissension in the ranks slowed the pace of the group dudes were literally putting their hands on other riders' backsides and shoving them forward to make them pull through in the paceline. This internecine warfare allowed Box to eke out a minute and five seconds and this was late in the game, maybe too late. As the pace lifted over one of the many brutal dirt rollers, Stephen Keeping, the small, aggressive rider who had been attacking all day blew up you could hear it, It was like someone had pulled a crystal clear piece of plexiglass across the road in front of him ÃÂÃÂ WHAM! The poor kid came almost to a complete stop (although he would hold on for a very respectable ninth place).

The final showdown was on the deceptively hard paved climb just before the winding run-in to the finish. Schouten, Anderson, and York went clear from the group. Graham, Verran, Sachs and Matter hanging back. Up front Box was still pounding away at the pedals like a mad man, his face a mask of pain and concentration. The gap was looking insurmountable but that didn't stop a fresh looking Schouten from leaping away from Anderson and York as he attempted to close down the gap to Box. Graham would eventually bridge to Anderson and York, but Schouten was gone, sitting solidly in second place, a Montana Sky worth of daylight between him and his pursuers.

As Box wove his way along the twisty road next to Gun Lake he was still all throttle, no brake. He was as safe as a kid wearing hockey pads at badminton practice, but he didn't care, he wasn't leaving anything to chance. He was riding with his head down, standing up on any rise to keep his bike at top speed, then reverting back to his aero tuck. Salt crusted his face from the pouring sweat the sweat that was pouring even though it was barely 32* He didn't slow down until he was within about two meters of the finish, finally sitting up and making a failed attempt to zip his jersey with his numb hands.

Schouten came across in a definitive second place, but things got a little dicey when Anderson, York, and Graham bolted for the line. The traffic direction was a little shaky, apparently an exiting car obscured the marshall from the riders or something. As a result Anderson and York broke right, going the wrong way while Graham went left, the right way. Realizing their error, Anderson and York shot across the grass toward the finish line, Anderson nipping Graham for third place. After a brief discussion it was decided that Graham would be awarded 3rd, since the wrong way amounted to a short cut. For a time there were rumors that Anderson and York would be disqualified, but in the end both the promoter (Rick Plite) and the timing folks (Race Services Company) were cool and Anderson and York were given 4th and 5th place respectively.

And so the 29er winning streak was broken at Barry Roubaix, with both first and second being taken by cross bikes (third and fourth were on 29ers shoot, eighth was on 26" full suspension bike!). A dark horse ran away with the win, and the way this race is growing, we may see a whole herd of dark horses showing up next year to give the favorites a hard time.