While more of a 'wild adventure' than a true gravel event, the BMC Rock Cobbler delivered yet again for a 12th edition in central California, complete with "a damn challenging route with awesome, unique features" including a pass through a cowboy bar.
Peter Stetina (Canyon) took the men's solo victory in the second edition of the 96-mile Boulder Cobbler while local Bakersfield rider Denise Miller won the women's division. On the classic Rock Cobbler course, which came in close to 23 miles shorter, Lance Haidet (Specialized) and Ruth Holcomb (Santa Cruz htSQD) won the men's and women's categories, respectively.
The events are not serious races, with no podiums or prize money, but serve as an early-season gauge of fitness with a dash of 'shenanigans' to remind participants that the punishing terrain was intended to be a 'playground', the emphasis on 'play', according to Haidet.
"Racing through the Ethels Old Corral saloon was a total surprise to me. In fact, I almost missed the turn to direct you to the back porch. Inside there was music, cheering fans, beer, [whisky] shots, and a bunch of tight, twisty corners. I ended up getting a shot, and somehow proceeded to get 90% of it in my eye. It took the next few miles to get my full vision back," Haidet recounted to Cyclingnews about the adventure with both mountain and man-made scenery, including a 24-foot fiberglass statue called 'Big Indian' marked a sharp turn at Ethel's Old Corral Cafe.
He described sections of the course ranging from huge berms, whoops, slalom singletrack and hero dirt. The dry conditions were far different than when he competed two years ago when he finished third, especially on the infamous 'hike-a-bike' climb with under 10 miles to go, the steepness reminiscent of the cliff called 'gorge of eternal peril' from the movie, The Princess Bride.
"This year featured a new Cobbler run-up that felt longer but was slightly less steep. I tried to ride up, but only made it about a couple hundred feet. There were all kinds of spectators cheering riders on, and we were catching riders from the Pebbler (short route), so it was pretty cool to have some company while trudging tired legs up the climb.
"The weather and course conditions were in our favour this year. The tacky dirt was super fast rolling and had endless traction, which allowed us to take advantage of the playground of trails," Haidet said.
For Holcomb, it was her first-ever gravel event, having started as a junior in mountain bike racing and spending the last two years with a US road team.
"It was so awesome out there. I loved all the single track sections," she told Cyclingnews. "I think the cowboy bar was pretty awesome. I'm from Durango and we do a race where you ride through a bar there, so I felt like I was racing at home a bit. I think The Cobbler brings out some of the best people."
Coming off a win at Low Gap in the Grasshopper Adventure Series, Stetina earned a win at the Cobbler for a third time in four years and called it "the most fun days you can have on your bike", or off the bike when trying to remain upright on the final climb. Haidet confirmed that many of the amateurs on that climb "were cursing Sam Ames' (course mastermind) name".
All three routes had individual mass starts from the Pyles/Lake Ming Picnic Grounds near the Kern River on the east of Bakersfield. Friday opened with bicycle barrel racing during the pasta dinner, and Saturday morning rides began in waves.
The 96-mile Boulder route included 12,600 feet of climbing, while the Rock Cobbler came in at 75 miles with 9,200 feet of elevation gain. Organisers offered aid stations and course markings for the rides, with the tech guide stressing "course markings over rule GPS", keeping an emphasis on safety as well as uniqueness.
