ABOUT THIS RACE:
Race Starting Location:
233 NM-511, Blanco, NM 87412, Blanco, NM
The Holy Grit - Race or Tour along the Old Spanish Trail is a Mountain Biking race in Blanco, New Mexico consisting of a 15 Miles and 40 Miles and 65 Miles.
Come ride the Old Spanish trail, either race or tour your bicycle through the canyons of Northwestern New Mexico. Dive back in time as you will be navigating the canyons that had once been traveled but in a different fashion. This is a great way to experience some of New Mexicos history. Starting and finishing at Wines of the San Juan, the route takes you on parts of the Old Spanish Trail. Tucked in the cracks of the canyon are Petroglyps, Pueblitos and a rich cultural history. Riders should expect to encounter a lot of sand and some steep climbs. This route is SANDY and riders should expect it to take longer than anticipated. This is going to be a great test to see if a gravel bike or mountain bike is superior.
Need to Know:
Riders must be ready to grit and grind in the sand, and expect this ride to take longer than your traditional gravel riding. Recommended tire size is at least 40mm and who knows a mountain bike tire size might be the way to go. There is limited cell service in the area... please keep this in mind as this is a wilderness setting in the terms of rescue. Let people know in advance if you go and pre-ride, this area is remote and has limited cell service. Riders MUST ride on the right side of the road and be aware of other road users. Be careful for industry workers and other people using the roads, they are NOT closed during our event. Although the traffic will be less being that it is a weekend, please be aware that there is other road users out there to be cautious of. MANDATORY navigation device of some sort to help riders avoid confusion. The course will be marked but due to how easy it is to get turned around out there and lack of cell service we require all riders to have a navigation device with the route downloaded. Please hang around after riding to enjoy the music, food, beverages and even camp out if you would like.