Meet new people, ride new places
TGIM Monday Evening Gravel Rides – Summer 2020
Join us on Monday evenings in summer for a relaxed, no-drop gravel cruise to Stanley and back. Meet at Gravelmob HQ for a 6pm sharp departure. The route covers around 25km and is suitable for early intermediate riders. If time allows, we usually stop at The Stanley Pub for a quick sports drink before returning to Beechworth around 7.30pm.
High Country Brewery Grind – April 2020
The High Country Brewery Trail is a collection of 9 independent craft breweries in the Victorian High Country, each offering their own unique take on craft beer and local ingredients. Get yourself over to Feast High Country and check it out (and while you’re there, read about Rule 47, the annual collaborative beer release).
The general idea of the HCBT is that you hop in your car and tour around the region, sampling the excellent beers (and other brews, including gin and cordial), food and vibes that only independent breweries can provide. If you’re partial to the hops-based sports drinks, it’s an excellent way to spend a long weekend.
So where does Gravelmob come in?
Well, what we’ve done is link those breweries together into an epic, 7 day gravel touring route – the High Country Brewery Grind. Promising big days with plenty of elevation, we’ve set this up along some basic guiding principles:
- Each day ends at a brewery.
- The riding is on gravel, singletrack or quiet backroad.
- Each night has a variety of accommodation options ranging from camping to (relative) luxury.
Right now the route is theoretical … meaning we’ve ridden parts of it but not the whole lot in one go. Some sections will be straightforward, others really difficult. Some of it could be hike-a-bike. And total distance on the currently mapped route is a lazy 552km, with an Everest-like vertical gain of 8,852m.
April 2020 – the inaugural HCBG gravel event
Despite all the unknowns, during April 2020 we’ll be having a crack at the 7 day ride, along with a few mates from Beechworth. We’d love other riders (like you) to join us too. The vibe will be social.
In future years we might turn this into a thing, but for this first year this will be a gravel event where a group of cyclists leave Beechworth at roughly the same time and follow a mapped route. It won’t have an entry fee, or insurance, or any formal organising other than what we figure out between ourselves. All riders will be riding at their own risk, supporting themselves (well, we’ll all be supporting each other), and arranging their own accommodation.
The rough plan
- Day 0: Beechworth (Billson’s Brewery)
- Day 1: Beechworth to Rutherglen (Rutherglen Brewery)
- Day 2: Rutherglen to Wangaratta (Black Dog Brewery and The Malt Shed)
- Day 3: Wangaratta to Whitfield (King River Brewing)
- Day 4: Whitfield to Bright (Bright Brewery)
- Day 5: Bright to Dinner Plain (Blizzard Brewing Co)
- Day 6: Dinner Plain to Mitta Mitta (Mitta Mitta Brewing Co)
- Day 7: Mitta Mitta to Beechworth (Bridge Road Brewers)
If you’re interested in being part of the inaugural ride please let us know via our Instagram feed (@thegravelmob) or email at bookings@gravelmob.com.au. And if you think you’d like to ride it on one of our Bombtrack hire bikes, book early!
This ride will either be a highlight of your year or a complete disaster. Either way, you’ll have something to talk about…
Tour de Beechworth – July 2020
This annual celebration of “the misery of winter cycling” is run by Bridge Road Brewers, Beechworth’s renowned independent craft brewery.
Usually held on the last weekend in July, and fast gaining a reputation as an unmissable gravel event, the Saturday gravel grind and the Sunday recovery ride were very popular in 2019. Stick the whole weekend in your diary, get some accommodation sorted and make sure you’re here in town for the 2020 edition.
Gravelmob will be offering a limited number of accommodation, food, drink and gravel bike hire packages for the 2020 weekend … watch this space.
Beechworth Gaol Break – November 2020
First ridden in 2018, this 65km day ride loops around Beechworth on quality gravel roads. Starting at the Old Beechworth Gaol and ending at Bridge Road Brewers, the 2020 edition will follow a new route and promises more great gravel with a very social atmosphere. More details will be published here soon.
