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WATA cannot wait to welcome you all back to our largest and most important fundraiser of the year! It's always a blast and this year is going to be the best ever. All proceeds from the event directly support trail building, maintenance, and land stewardship in the Waterbury Area--Perry Hill & Little River State Park. They also help fund our long-range plans to link WATA trails to other local trail systems. So, come on out for a great day of riding and support the trails while you're doing it!
NEW THIS YEAR - Route Signage: Riders this year will be expected to be more self-sufficient with route following than in previous years! A handlebar-mounted GPS or cell phone synced with your respective route is HIGHLY encouraged. This will help with some of the more confusing turns or where vandalism of route signs has occurred in the past. We will mark certain major intersections and have queue sheets to help with turn by turn directions/mileage if a GPS or cell phone isn't an option for you. Also, our guide for any marked arrows is to only follow those arrows on the RIGHT side of the road (no pun intended).
Route Links (Options to cover most devices…)
Traditional Grind MapMyRide Route (Link)
Traditional Grind Garmin Route (Link)
Traditional Grind GPX File (Link)
Big Grind MapMyRide Route (Link)
Big Grind Garmin Route (Link)
Big Grind GPX File (Link)
NEW THIS YEAR - Location: The 15th Annual Gravel Grinder will be held at a NEW LOCATION - Waterbury Village Historic District's Rusty Parker Memorial Park! More green space, more gazebos, and more fun. Routes remain largely unchanged and the detailed route maps will be available here by April 24, 2023.
Start Times: Big Grind Start - 8:30AM | Traditional Grind Start - 9:00AM | Traditional Run Start - Any time preferred (posted or earlier). There will be a cut-off for riders to begin the Big Grind from HQ along with a "last call" for food & drinks which all riders must be back by to guarantee those items.
Online registration: Includes a limited edition 2023 Gravel Grinder t-shirt, aid stations, and food and beverage tickets after the event. Register by May 1 to receive a t-shirt on the day of the event.
*We will be featuring the "Self-Guided Grind" ride again this year for anyone who might not be able to make the event or aren't into big group events. We'll map out the route for you and have a shirt waiting for local pick-up and you can complete the ride any time you'd like.
Routes
The Traditional Grinder: This route will be 28 miles with about 2800' of climbing and lots of dirt winding through the hills of Waterbury. The route will be the classic to keep nostalgia high.
The Big Grind: A 47 mile route with 4900' of climbing and gravelly goodness. Really want to test your early season legs? Stoked on the Traditional Grinder but want to see if you can push it a little farther? This one's for you.
Refreshments
Pre-ride breakfast: STAY TUNED - some of your favorite amazing local shops will help get you fueled for the ride.
On the ride: We're still kitting out the mid-ride aid stations, but we will make sure you are fueled for miles ahead.
Post-ride refuel: After the ride, we will be serving up a tasty and satisfying meal in partnership with some of the best local restaurants this side of the Mississippi. They've taken great care of us in the past and we're stoked they're back this year. Beverages will be provided by the Vermont Beer Shepherd.
This event obvsiously would not be possible without the many generous sponsors who are donating things to help keep our bellies full, keep us hydrated or rehydrate us, last minute mechanical help, or even just unlimited stoke for the season upon us. WE ALL THANK YOU!
Big Tree Brewing & The Rez
Blackback
VT Beer Shepherd
Bike Express
Waterbury Sports
Stone's Throw pizza
Paprika Catering
Zen Barn
Red Hen Bakery
Cabot Cheese
Factotum
VMBA
Limbic Studio
Blackcap Waterbury
KC Bagel
McKenzie Country Classics
Town of Waterbury
Your registration gets you a delicious meal and 2 drink tickets.
Weather: We ride rain or shine - it's a gravel grinder after all!
