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Community Spotlight by Xact: TransRockies Gravel Royale Race Weekend Breakdown with Nick Kleban, Race strategy, Fueling Strategy, Shake out ride, Xact Nutrition Seminar, Tips and Tricks from a pro
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On today’s episode of Just In Stride, we sit down with elite cyclist and Xact Nutrition representative Nick Kleban to talk all things TransRockies Gravel Royale. Known for tackling some of the toughest gravel courses with a calm head and strong legs, Nick brings a wealth of firsthand experience to one of North America’s most scenic and demanding gravel events.
From breaking down the 3-day stage race and what riders can expect on each leg, to the critical role nutrition plays in sustaining performance, Nick shares practical strategies any cyclist can apply. We cover fueling tips, race-day preparation, and the community-building extras like the pre-event shakeout ride and evening seminar.
Whether you’re lining up for your first Gravel Royale or chasing a new personal best in stage racing, this conversation offers an inside look at the planning, mindset, and excitement that goes into riding through the heart of the Rockies.
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Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.
Offer from Lagoon : This episode is also brought to you by Lagoon sleep pillow and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code STRIDE. Mininum purchase of $74 USD required. Limited to one use per customer.
Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
Transcript
Introduction to the Justin Stride Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Justin Stride Podcast. I'm your host, Justin Pugliese. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place.
Mission and Social Media Engagement
00:00:12
Speaker
On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential.
00:00:18
Speaker
Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover. Everyone has a story and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together we'll have some fun. So follow along on Instagram at Just In Stride Pod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired.
00:00:47
Speaker
Come along for the ride with Just In Stride.
Sponsorship and Discounts
00:00:50
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session.
00:01:00
Speaker
I never had out for a run without a few exact energy fruit bars in my pocket, and now they've made fueling even easier with their brand new minis. Same great taste, now in bite-sized pieces.
00:01:13
Speaker
Each reusable bag has 32 pieces, making it perfect for sharing with teammates or dialing in your fueling on the go. Stay fueled, stay strong, and fuel smarter with Exact Nutrition. Get 15% off your order with code JUSTINSSTRIDE at exactnutrition.com.
00:01:33
Speaker
We're also supported by our friends at Lagoon, the experts in deep restorative sleep, the ultimate recovery tool for your training. When I spoke with Ryan Hurley, the founder of Lagoon on episode 37 of the podcast, I learned just how important the right pillow is for optimal sleep and performance.
00:01:51
Speaker
After taking their two minute quiz and finding my perfect match, I finally started waking up refreshed and ready to tackle my goals. Now Lagoon is offering 15% off your first purchase with the code STRIDE.
00:02:04
Speaker
So head to lagoon sleep.com and see for yourself why better sleep leads to better running.
Nick Klaben on Trans Rockies Event
00:02:10
Speaker
On today's episode of Justin's Drive Community Spotlight Edition, we sit down with elite cyclist and exact nutrition rep Nick Klaben to talk all things Trans Rockies gravel royale.
00:02:22
Speaker
Known for tackling some of the toughest gravel courses with a calm head and strong legs, Nick brings a wealth of first-hand experience to one of North America's most scenic and demanding gravel events.
00:02:35
Speaker
From breaking down the three-day stage race and what riders can expect on each leg to the critical role nutrition plays in sustaining performance, Nick shares practical strategies any cyclist can apply. We cover fueling tips, race day prep, and the community building extras like the pre-event shakeout ride and evening seminar.
00:02:58
Speaker
Whether you're lining up for your first gravel royale or chasing a new personal best in stage racing, this conversation offers an inside look at the planning, mindset, and excitement that goes into riding through the heart of the Rockies.
00:03:14
Speaker
Nick, what a pleasure again to have you on. i feel like at this point you're like a staple on this on this show. Yeah, thanks Justin. Yeah, it's good to be back. Yeah, it's always great to have you. and And this time to highlight a major event that you're going to be, you've taken part in, that you will be at, and that Xact will be partnering with.
00:03:35
Speaker
And we want to talk about all that that weekend about the Trans Rockies race happening, Gravel Royale, I believe the name is. And we'll have you on as like the expert for that. So yeah, welcome. And so how will you be showing up? When are you getting there and all the the fun stuff?
00:03:52
Speaker
Yeah, so the race is going to be in about two weeks time. It depends when this podcast comes out, actually. But from when we're recording two weeks time, it runs from the 22nd of August to the 25th. So it's like a Friday to Monday event.
00:04:07
Speaker
um I'll be there as a participant, but also as like the member of Exact Nutrition. We're the on-course nutrition partner for all of the Trans Rockies events. um So Gravel Royale is actually just one of many Trans Rockies events.
00:04:21
Speaker
They have um different sorts of disciplines across their like catalog. So this is their kind of like flagship gravel event, but they have mountain biking, they have trail running, they have like kind of all these sort of like epic weekends out under the sun. I'd say it's kind of like the weekend warriors, like best race series.
00:04:40
Speaker
If you love adventure and gravel RL is just like that. It's like a three day stage race, but you're camping as you're doing it. And, uh, you have this really interesting dynamic where you set up like a home base of like tents in the Rocky mountains. You're in the middle of nowhere.
00:04:58
Speaker
And over the three days, you'll do like three distinct routes and like running in different directions. You'll get like a great lay of the land, but always coming back to that same home base where you're camping with all of your fellow racers.
00:05:09
Speaker
So um In terms of races I've done in like the gravel community, this is the one that's like most unique in that aspect where once you finish the race, you have that sort of community that's there.
Race Experience and Strategies
00:05:20
Speaker
And it's not that you're captive, but there's also nowhere else to go. So you're spending time with everybody at the race site. And yeah. It's it's ah basically for me, I like to think of it as like adult summer camp in a way, because you're just doing a bike ride, you're going to go hard and come back and, you know, play some play some yard games in your campsite.
00:05:41
Speaker
Amazing. So like now you get to combine your two passions, which is the nutrition side. And also from an athlete standpoint, you get to also ride there too. So like, how does this partnership work with you and the race event? Like, why do you guys show up?
00:05:57
Speaker
Why have you chosen this particular race? It's I know it's not the first year yeah to whiten help support them. exactly i think with exact we've been with the trans rocky series for three seasons now and and for us it's a it's a great series to partner with because it covers just like i said many different disciplines you have the trail running you have mountain biking you have gravel racing stage racing uphill scramble racing um 12-hour ultra racing like they're each one of their events is really distinct and i think that's super cool that we can partner with that and be able to like fuel each of those like unique races
00:06:32
Speaker
I think that's that's fantastic. Awesome. Yeah. And and so when how will you guys show up for this event? like can you do Is there like ah maybe a specific schedule that you guys are going to be following where you'll turn up, where you support?
00:06:48
Speaker
Absolutely. Like for this one, ah like I said, I'm going myself to race, but also like be that kind of person for exact at the site. So we're going to kick things off on Friday. I'll be leading one of the like community shakeout rides. So that's just like a way to kind of set the tone for the weekend. We'll go check out part of the course um and just get to know everybody. Cause like I said, you'll be spending the next three, four days in the woods with everybody. So it's kind of nice to and maybe start things off on the right foot, know everybody's name.
00:07:17
Speaker
just get to Just get to know everybody a little more personally because you won't really have those opportunities when you're going full gas racing. So that's Friday. Then the three race days are Saturday, Sunday, Monday.
00:07:29
Speaker
With Saturday night, I'll be doing a little impromptu like nutrition seminar. So with a lot of events that we partner with at Exact kind of... something we offer is before the race, ah I'll like hop on a Zoom call and for all the participants, if they have questions about their like nutrition strategy for the race, what products are are a good fit for the course, or even if they just want like a kind of soundboard, what they have been doing, we usually have one of our employees a lot of the time myself, like, uh, take on those questions and like a zoom format.
00:08:02
Speaker
But what's nice is because at Gravo Real, it's kind of like I said, you have that bit of a captive audience where not everybody just flocks off after the race. We can do a nice little point nutrition talk, uh, right at the race site.
00:08:15
Speaker
And so we'll be doing that, uh, Saturday night after stage one. And what's nice about that is we had done that last year, um for this event, but we did it on Sunday night. And what I noticed was After two stages, there was a lot of questions about, okay, like how much should I eat? What should that for breakfast? Things like that.
00:08:32
Speaker
But we were only addressing that with one stage to go. And the feedback that I got was like, this is great. Like my last stage was my best stage because of your advice, but I wish I had this a bit sooner. So we're gonna move that up a day. So it gives people two days to kind of like make those tweaks to to what they're gonna do ah in terms of their strategy with their nutrition.
00:08:52
Speaker
you So what would you say with regards to that? So anybody listening to this, this will come up before the whole race weekend. So maybe there's some quick tips and tricks that you can maybe suggest ahead of this going into the weekend, like maybe must haves or must do's leading in.
00:09:12
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So like, as another shameless plug, I did a whole series about like how to fuel for every Trans Rockies event that's on like YouTube. So it's like a 10 minute, like, comprehensive guide for each race. Like, what do I need to know about Gravel Royale?
00:09:28
Speaker
What do I need to pack? What do need to to expect? And like, what are the demands for this
Race Challenges and Community Spirit
00:09:33
Speaker
race? So that's out there already all on our YouTube channel. But if we're going to dive into a bit of that right now, the number one thing with Gravel Royale is you is your preparation in terms of what you're bringing to the race. Because like I said, it's not like a normal, like, so you're going to run in the Montreal Marathon and oh shoot, I forgot my my exact fruit bars.
00:09:52
Speaker
and need to get some more. Like, well, We're at the expo. You could get some from us. You could go to any store in the city, get some more nutrition, but you're in the middle of the Rocky mountains. So it's kind of like whatever you brought is what you have.
00:10:05
Speaker
You're not getting like top ups of food. So to me, this means like doing a little bit of homework before doing the race. So it's like, look at the stages, how long it's going to take you, how hard do you think you're going to go and make a good estimate of how much food you think you'd need for that stage.
00:10:22
Speaker
And of course, Another shameless plug, I made a carbohydrate calculator for this purpose. So you can just plug in on our site. Okay, how long am I going? How hard do I think I'm going to go? And it gives you like a, basically like a nutrition plan for that effort. They'll say, okay, pack this many exact fruit bars, this many endurance bars. Like it just gives you a good sense.
00:10:43
Speaker
So I think if you use both those things, like just for that little bit of preparation, look at the course, use the calculator if you want, you don't have to, but I think it makes it a bit easier. And then all you have to do is pack that amount of food for three days and make sure you leave having eaten all the food.
00:10:59
Speaker
I think that's a fantastic starting point better than most people will for for something like this. and And what are the things that maybe people don't know, but they should know leading into gravel, gravel rail?
00:11:12
Speaker
Well, what they should know is that having done this race last year, the course is and incredibly rough because you're out there, it's really rugged gravel. It's not like what they call like champagne gravel where it's like pretty smooth. Like this is like the real deal.
00:11:26
Speaker
And so because of that, it's pretty challenging to like eat while you're riding something that's like that full on. So you really got pick your battles of like When you can eat, when the course allows you to eat, you got to eat, like you just take on, it it may seem crazy to take like three fruit bars at once or like half a bottle at that time. But that's kind of how this race goes.
00:11:47
Speaker
yeah It's like, you want to eat when you can, not when it's like, quote unquote, optimal to eat. So I think if you come in with that sort of mindset, that's going to just make sure that you're actually getting in the calories you need.
00:12:00
Speaker
And what does that look like? When is the, I know you don't know when, because it's the terrain is so unpredictable, but like, when is it for you? Like, is there a moment where youre where you're always saying, if I see this type of terrain or if,
00:12:15
Speaker
Like this is the moment where I should. Yeah. it kind course it'll, it'll depend on a lot, but it's like anytime that I feel like comfortable that I could take two hands off my handlebars. and it And that's really rare there because like a lot of these courses, like because we're at Nipika mountain resort, you have to leave the resort to get out onto like the fire service roads and leaving the resort entails riding on like the,
00:12:41
Speaker
excuse me, the cross-country ski trails that are around there. And they're like super, super bumpy ah in the summertime because it's just like grass with a bunch of like sticks and rocks on top of it. So it's like in my head,
00:12:55
Speaker
It's like the first time I'm going to be able to eat on any of the stages of Gravel Royale is once I exit the cross country ski trails. And it can be like 30 minutes to like an hour on some of the stages.
00:13:06
Speaker
And so really, I'm just looking at like, anytime there's like a true fire service road where like a big truck could drive on this great time to eat. But every time that we're on these like little mountain goat paths or cross country ski trails or single track trails, it's just like not a feasible time to take on food.
00:13:25
Speaker
Because that could cause other problems. other than It's just like you're focused on keeping it upright. Yeah, exactly. That's crazy. So who who does this event attract? Who's kind who's showing up for this thing? like You're an elite ah cyclist. Who else is showing yeah it gets ah It gets a wide range. Like, I mean, last year, the elite field was was like rather deep. I'd say we had guys who were the best in the country at gravel showing up doing the race, but it it trickles right down to, I think, just anyone who has that kind of like sense of adventure, they want to go on like something that's like a pretty, I think, memorable experience.
00:13:59
Speaker
Like for a lot of people, ah you know, they haven't done a stage race. That's something that's really reserved to like elite racers to do something like that. And I think gravel rail kind of gives you that opportunity to experiment with racing three days in a row ah for just like the weekend warrior who loves gravel racing.
00:14:17
Speaker
And on course there's going to be aid stations every so often. Yeah. so So where's the exact going to be, are it going to be at every, yeah every zone and, and are they going to be providing every type of of nutrition that they offer? Because now they're offering a wide range of, of different solutions.
00:14:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So for us, we are at every aid station. There's usually like two or three, every stage, depending on the duration or and and distance of the stage. Um, But for what you can actually get from those aid stations, we have, I think, our strawberry bars, our apricot bars, and the orange bars.
00:14:53
Speaker
And those are the three flavors that you can pick up. So if you say you're like, you know, I'm a diehard green apple person, you got to like make sure that you bring that from home. Or like, I'd say like more importantly, if you're like starting to use that new endurance bar, which is like perfect for gravel racing, you got to bring your box from home.
00:15:10
Speaker
Okay. Okay. And, and why is that endurance bar perfect for gravel racing? And what's your like go-to, do you have a mixed pack? Do you go stick to one What's your.
00:15:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, the endurance bar, it was built for events such as this it's for events that are really long in duration and require where you want to have something that's going to keep you satiated as you race.
00:15:32
Speaker
So the free bars are great, but maybe in your experience too, with like marathon running, like after a while, you maybe are getting sick of the sweet, maybe you're kind of feeling like I want something a little more in my stomach than like just having the like that, ah that octane fuel like we've talked about in the past.
00:15:48
Speaker
And that's where the endurance bar comes in. It's a little bit heavier, because it's got, it still has the the fast acting sugars, like dried fruits and dates, but it has some chopped almonds there, which is like, the idea is to lower the sugar release of that bar, it makes it a little less sweet.
00:16:03
Speaker
And it just like kind of makes your stomach feel full as you're going for like a really, really long day. Because these stages for most people at Gravel Royale are going to be four and a half hours plus. So if you're just having little fruit gummies that entire time, you usually will want a little bit more.
00:16:20
Speaker
So what I've been doing with the endurance bar is like starting out with them. Like I love them before the race, just to kind of give like a base level of energy. And then when I feel like i need a little top up, I take on like a caffeine fruit bar every now and again.
00:16:33
Speaker
so um you know, one or two of those endurance bars, just kind of like set the stage and then kind of take the quick acting sugars as you need it. It's been like a great combo for me and other grout races this year.
00:16:46
Speaker
Just like have some variety in the, in the palette too, right? Yeah, absolutely. Like flavor fatigue is real. Like if you're always going with the same bar, even if it's your favorite bar, eventually your body becomes accustomed to that flavor. So For years, I've just told people, like just ah if you like all the flavors of Xact, just have eight bars and cycle through the flavor. And then you're kind of like fighting that like palate fatigue, flavor fatigue in a very simple way.
00:17:11
Speaker
in yeah Yeah, totally. so So the endurance bars won't be at the event? You were saying you got to bring those from home? or Yeah, they won't be at the aid stations, but if you want to use them during your race, yeah you got to bring them from home.
00:17:25
Speaker
I'll have some as like samples, of course, as like during the little nutrition talk, so everyone's going to be able to try it. ah But if you really want to chow down on like more than one, I would recommend bringing that from home.
00:17:36
Speaker
Okay. And what's the feedback been on those? Because I know those are relatively new. Well, it's been fantastic because like I'm a cyclist and it was like made, I think in part to be like a cycling bar runners use them too, of course, but I think cycling, you're able to take on that little bit of a heavier nutrition, just a little bit better than our runner counterparts can.
00:17:55
Speaker
And what people like, they like that part, but they really like how easy it is to eat. Whereas like, I've heard many other like energy bars and maybe a couple come to mind. It's like, chewing, you're chewing, you're chewing, you're chewing, and it's still not going down when you're, even when you're exercising relatively easy.
00:18:11
Speaker
So what's nice about the endurance bar is it's, it was designed like similar to the exact fruit bar where it has that soft texture. So when you're exercising and breathing hard, it's still getting that bit of like dissolving effect in your mouth.
00:18:25
Speaker
And you're not just like chewing cud for, for minutes on end. So the softness, the the taste, the texture, everything has been really good feedback so far.
00:18:36
Speaker
um It's just right now people are just figuring out if they've been a diehard exact user for a long time. It's like, okay, where do I put this bar into my fueling strategy? Because once you would know as well, like once you have your strategy, it's hard to like change that.
00:18:50
Speaker
If you're like, I've done this for years and I love it. Like, I don't know if I want to, to accept the endurance bar into my life, but I'm telling you, if you do accept it into your life, it can make quite the difference.
Technical Aspects and Personal Insights
00:19:02
Speaker
Yeah, totally. Yeah. It's good to try new things, just maybe better in training than, than when you're out there in the bush, you know? Absolutely. I mean, of course I try everything first beforehand.
00:19:12
Speaker
um But I'd say it's pretty risk free if I had to have to give my vote of confidence. So after after being at this event more than once, like do people recognize you now? Are they recognizing you more as a cyclist? or as a Maybe they will. Maybe they won't.
00:19:28
Speaker
um I did have like two people this year recognize me from mini Catching in Mouth videos, which I was like very happy about. um So maybe they will, but I don't think so.
00:19:40
Speaker
And you can't be all, you know, at all places at all times or at aid stations stuff. So will you be mainly in the main area, the main village or? Oh, yes. The aid stations are all run by the race volunteers because they are quite out there.
00:19:53
Speaker
So on my end, I'll be like doing the race myself. And then at the end of the race, so I'll just be like hanging around the like base camp. Okay, sounds good. And you find like when you're in these events that it's more race talk or more fuel talk? What's the... Just sort of like just around the streets. Like what are people talking about?
00:20:10
Speaker
Yeah, or with you, like when you're just talking to people, are they more interested in like... And the fueling strategy side of things or more like race? you It's dealer's choice. It's going to depend on who you're talking to. because youre not and And of course, like the the the third part of that is like the the equipment guys who are going to come talk about like the bike setup and stuff. So I think like if you were to silo into three categories of the rhetoric post-gravel race stage, it's a equipment, nutrition, and strategy.
00:20:38
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Perfect. um And so like, so, so you'll be hanging out there. You'll also be racing as well. What are you most looking forward to that weekend?
00:20:49
Speaker
Well, I think like, uh for everybody just remember to keep your head up when you're out racing there because it's like truly special to be racing through the rocky mountains and some of the views that you'll be taken in during the race um as well as like the wildlife that you'll see i remember last year i was racing with the a friend of mine we were like chasing back a breakaway and there was like a herd cattle who like crossed the road but it's kind of like france you know where they just kind of like live there. Like it, we weren't like a fence or anything. They just came by.
00:21:21
Speaker
Um, and I could have touched it like this massive cow, which is kind of like crazy. Um, so things like that. i't know there's like kind of things that you just won't get at home. So just remember to, I think, take it in.
00:21:33
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And and how to like what's so special about this region in particular, could you say? Because you've done other gravel races before, but what makes... I think, like I mean, I would just go straight to like the epic factor of it. like There's other races that are like beautiful in their own right, but like this is like the Rocky Mountains.
00:21:49
Speaker
like It's straight out of a postcard, and it's kind of like... It is take your breath away territory in terms of that stuff. And the other thing too, is just that the technical aspect of the race.
00:22:00
Speaker
Like this is, it's a true gravel race. So I think for some people, especially people who come from more, maybe the mountain bike off-road side, it is something that like, they'll enjoy the actual riding of it. Like you're not just going like destination to destination, like the actual like physical act of like riding your bike down these, these like mountain pass roads is like very enjoyable.
00:22:21
Speaker
Hmm. How does the, this might be a dumb question, but from mountain biking to gravel bike racing, what are the main, main differences would you say?
00:22:35
Speaker
Uh, well, for most people coming from like a strict mountain bike background, it's this whole like pack racing, ah dynamics that happen in gravel. So in mountain biking, I actually started in cross-country mountain bike myself. And it' it's typically like, if you're the strongest person in the race, you'll probably win the race.
00:22:53
Speaker
Like, it's ah more similar to running in that aspect. Less drafting going on. It's more just like, if I can do this course point A to B the fastest and I'm strongest, I'll probably win.
00:23:03
Speaker
But gravel... You take a lot of road strategy as well because the speeds are higher. You have the draft going on. So people kind of like playing the tactical element of racing comes into play more and more.
00:23:15
Speaker
So and think for a lot of mountain bikers coming gravel and doing like the elite side of gravel, that's like ah challenge to kind of figure out, okay, like I can't just ride as hard as I can because everyone's going to draft me and they'll just pass me.
00:23:29
Speaker
So you need to be like more calculated when like, okay I'm going to make my move here because I it can drop them then they won't. be following me anymore so you have this chess match going on but in terms the similarities are like the actual technical riding part of it because I find typically in a race like Gravel Royale you'll probably adopt a more like mountain bike position when you're descending you'll be like standing up on the bike with your elbows out like doing it the descent versus like a road style descending position where you're like tucking on the seat and like kind of sweeping through corners like you don't have that quite as much
00:24:06
Speaker
Cool. So like, yeah, a little bit of, a little bit of different types of strategy I'm hearing. So that's, uh, that's, and do normally both types of riders do both or they stick to one?
00:24:16
Speaker
Well, like historically it's been like gravel was like the meeting point of like, you have road guys and mountain bike guys and they'll meet in the middle and gravel. But I think now there's like gravel guys and like, this is what they do.
00:24:29
Speaker
Okay, sounds good. um Just for these events, these the seminar, the shakeout ride, let's call it, is there specific times? Do people have to sign up for this kind of stuff? Or can they just show up and you're welcome? For the shakeout, we're going to run it ah between 3 and 5 p.m., like the night before the first stage, probably closer to 5 p.m., if i had to say, because it just gives everybody a chance.
00:24:51
Speaker
to like arrive and like build their bike set up. So like tentatively before dinner time on Friday, and it's like a short ride, hour tops. The nutrition seminar, we'll probably do it afternoon on Friday. So it's like, we we all race in the morning, come back, get a chance to kind of like decompress, maybe get a quick swim in. And then afterwards, once everyone's changed and feeling a bit better, we'll do it around the ah the kind of a chillville zone is what they call it.
00:25:19
Speaker
Okay. And then people know where to find this and. Oh, yes. You'll be like, Justin, if you were there, you it's, it's quite small. It's not not going to get lost. Okay. It's like, is this some big kind of village or something? like that seems It's very quaint.
00:25:34
Speaker
Okay. So it might, must make for a nice, like still feels like grassroot type of event then.
Event Logistics and Tips
00:25:40
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. That's what's really nice about it. Okay, cool. So like everybody's talking in the evening and.
00:25:45
Speaker
Because it's stage racing and then you go to battle the next day kind of thing. 100%. That's the best part. Okay. That's amazing. Yeah, i've never I've never experienced anything like that. So, yeah, it's it's quite interesting to hear that that kind of perspective. And and the fact that you you know camp at night and everything and you kind of set up set up camp, like how far in advance do people show up to get their spot? Or like do people have their spot year after year? Or how does that... it's how Is it organized chaos kind of thing?
00:26:15
Speaker
It's a bit organized chaos. and The set-up day is Friday, so the earlier you show up, the like ah higher pick you have for what tent you select. so They set the tents up for you. It's already there, but like I guess some people maybe want the tent that's closer to the washroom in the night. I don't know what their first pick is, but there's certainly that.
00:26:33
Speaker
Cool, cool. What's your first pick? i I would go with the one that's like... closer to the meal tent in the morning. Cause I remember last year I was like quite far away and it's, it there's, rock it's rather dewy in the morning.
00:26:46
Speaker
So it's like, and don't really want to have to walk, uh, like half a kilometer in wet do and have my socks all wet at the breakfast table. So I probably like i like first pick I'd go with like closer to the meal tent.
00:26:57
Speaker
Okay, perfect. Uh, give me your top, um, race tip, your top nutrition tip and your top tip for the weekend.
00:27:10
Speaker
Sure. So, okay, let's go top race tip is bring the right bike, like put on good tires because it's like, it's super rough. It's sharp. Like last year I got like three flat tires in this race, just from like the wrong tire choice.
00:27:25
Speaker
So I'd say on your bike, take a look at what's the biggest tire you can fit. And I'd probably go towards that upper range and just eliminate the flat problem, uh, before it starts, if you can.
00:27:38
Speaker
Great tip. Secondly, or like second, are you know, this more of nutrition tip, actually. I would say make sure that you're like into your nutrition strategy, like right from the start of the race.
00:27:50
Speaker
Because like I said earlier, a lot of people, they've never done a stage race. before and the key is like you don't want to start day two already depleted after stage one like we've all done races and the next day we felt awful so you have to actually spend that like little bit of extra attention on your nutrition day one day two to make sure that you can like get through day three just as strong so in practicality that means maybe packing a little bit of extra food eating a little bit of extra food during your races so those glycogen stores are always topped up making sure that you're getting something to eat within 30 minutes of your finish
00:28:23
Speaker
That can be a big challenge for people because there's not like ah like food waiting for you at the finish. So you have to make sure that you've maybe prepped something, you've brought something to to eat right away, just to like start that recovery process for the next day.
00:28:38
Speaker
And just that kind of like extra attention, I think to like the during and finish of the race is a big difference for a lot of people where you finish your your big marathon race and that was your goal.
00:28:49
Speaker
And then you just, you know, have a few beers and then that's it. Like, I think you have to kind of like walk in for those first two days. And then on the last day, yeah, you can like celebrate after. Cool. So really both of those tips, it's just like be prepared, bring your stuff, bring the right equipment, bring enough food and follow through with it.
00:29:09
Speaker
And then you'll have a good weekend. And you'll have a great weekend. Because it's way more fun if you're not bonked ah and and you can enjoy the stages versus like you're just suffering through every single day and you're getting flat tires and your hands are full of sealant and you're not happy.
00:29:24
Speaker
So I think preparation is ah your key to happiness at Gravel Rail. Always. And is it typically the same guys leading each day or is there, you know, you see strengths and depending on the stage. There's always like the heads of state when you see the start list, you're like, okay, these are the guys.
00:29:44
Speaker
And there's always like a lead group, but there's going to be people within that lead group who are better at descending or better at climbing and their their technical abilities better. Or they brought a better bike than someone else for that course on that day.
00:29:57
Speaker
So there's going to be like changes day to day, but I'd expect like probably like the top five, six guys or and girls are always kind of like in the mix. Throughout the weekend. And they're friendly with each other, would you say? Like ah in this little village that you have? Oh yeah. Like last year, the vibes were immaculate as the kids say.
00:30:16
Speaker
ah Okay, cool. Anything else you want to add as ah as a reminder for people heading into a big weekend? Um, I, I, I don't think there's much more to add. I'd say, uh, just do your homework, like go into the gravel rail site, read the site top to bottom, just kind of know what you're up against because you have time now prepare things. Like got to bring extra nutrition, you got to kind of change the bike setup that you're running, things like that.
00:30:44
Speaker
Because if you're reading that like on the airplane to the race, that's not really going to do you any good. So I would just try to be as prepared as you can. ah Because if you know what you're up against, it's kind of less daunting once you do the race.
00:30:56
Speaker
Because we didn't mention it, but the race is like no joke. like you do You do 5,500 meters of climbing in three days. wow You're doing like a you know chunk over Everest on proper... mean, not over Everest. A chunk over half of Everest in total gain in like...
00:31:12
Speaker
three days on like rough gravel. So like the the climbing meters aren't coming easy. So it's like, yeah, it's not like a walk in the park gravel race. Like it is like a proper challenge to finish the three days.
00:31:25
Speaker
Yeah. it sounds it not trick It sounds like hell of a weekend that you got to take quite seriously in, in all aspects for sure. And, and where can people find out more about how exact we'll be showing up?
00:31:40
Speaker
I think like you'll want to check our website as like your point of like as your hub. Like we always for events, we have like a little blog that kind of says like, here's your weekend guide. Like here's where you can find us. Here's some resources for you.
00:31:52
Speaker
So I would really check that out. That's going to probably have all the links to like the videos to prepare for the race or the carbohydrate calculator or the schedule. So just check us out on our website there. It's pretty simple to find. It just says events on the top of our homepage.
00:32:07
Speaker
Awesome. And Nick's super knowledgeable. So scout him out at the event and chat him up on all things gravel Royale that weekend. wonderful said Well, like we'll chat over some cornhole.
00:32:19
Speaker
Amazing. Well, can't wait to follow along. It sounds like an amazing event. i'm kind of jealous now. I don't think I'd be prepared for it, but certainly with your tips, I'd be a little bit better off for sure. So have a, have a great time out there. Enjoy the racing, enjoy the community and good luck.
00:32:37
Speaker
Well, cheers, Justin. Thank you. Thank you. Have a good one. You too.
00:32:43
Speaker
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