Thirty riders, eighty-eight miles, and the quiet fall backcountry of Routt County. Rapha x Moots Brevet, a fall gravel ride out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Words by Richard Jara · Photos by Keegan Ashton, Nate Bradley Friday The factory is winding down on a Friday evening. The welding torches are off, and tubing sits racked along the walls in the miter shop. Evening light shines through settling into the corners. On the Friday before the Brevet, the shop floor filled with riders who had driven in, most of them from Boulder and the Front Range. We started the night with a tour, a look into the process behind a handbuilt titanium gravel bike, and a look back at Moots' history as we celebrate our 45th anniversary. Then we shared food and drinks to fuel up for Saturday's ride. A brevet isn't a race. No clock, no podium, no free socks. There's the route, the people on it with you, and the experience shared after a hard day. This day asked a lot. Saturday morning. Thirty riders gather outside the Moots factory for the start. The Climb Wolf Mountain to Sand Mountain. The loop strings together some of our favorite roads and surfaces, from champagne gravel to rocky, rooted two-track over the divide. The Route · 87.6 mi · 8,416 ft of climbing Ride it yourself: Wolf Mountain x Sand Mountain on Ride with GPS → The loop leaves the valley quickly, turning onto dirt county roads and winding through Mystic to the base of Wolf Mountain. If you weren't committed to the full route this was your chance to cut the route shorter. Long fence lines, grazing cows, and the quiet chill of morning. Golden, sunburnt hills in every direction, with dark pines along the high ridges, and off to the north sits the watershed divide we'd be crossing hours later. Recent rains had packed the dirt firm. We couldn't have asked for a better window. More wild horses than cars. Somewhere in California Park, Routt National Forest The climbing doesn't let up. It builds steadily through the first half, mile after mile, until the high point near mile fifty. By then the group had strung out across the route. Nate Bradley putting the new Routt through its paces. Meet the new Routt → Sand Mountain The descent off Sand Mountain was, in Torin Lackmann's words, "chonky" loose, rocky, and a little above everyone's comfort zone. At the bottom, a pop-up aid station was waiting. Huge thanks to Gina, Keegan, and Indy for being there with food, water, and good spirits for a lot of tired souls. Food, water, and good spirits at the bottom of Sand Mountain. Home From there, thirty miles and about 2,000 feet of climbing stood between us and the finish, most of it trending downhill. After Sand Mountain, the final stretch felt well earned, smooth champagne gravel over long, rolling hills, with the valley and Steamboat slowly coming back into view. "The absolute fall ride of my dreams. Has to be my favorite single day out of the year. So pretty. So fun. So flowy. All. Time." — Torin Lackmann, Rapha Boulder Thirty riders rolled out that morning. They rolled back in dusty, cooked, and grinning. Post-ride beers waiting. "Although there were a couple of hard, dark moments, everyone seemed to have an amazing ride. One rider told us back at the shop that afternoon it was the best gravel ride he'd ever done, hands down. We're truly lucky to have terrain like this right outside our front door. It validates why we make the bikes we do." — Nate Bradley, Moots We build bikes like the new Routt for days like this. Long days, rough roads, and every side of the map to explore. Thanks to Rapha Boulder for making the trip to our corner of Colorado and making the roads we know by heart feel new again, and to all thirty of you for riding them with us. Want to ride it yourself? Here's the route. See you out there.
