This one I did not see coming.
Six days before the Gralloch gun goes off, I’ll be rolling out alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mike Woods for a shakeout ride through Galloway Forest Park. Ventum organised it. Thirty kilometres, social pace, open to any rider who wants to come.
No race numbers. No pressure. Just a steady spin in serious company through the kind of Scottish forest that makes you remember why you started riding a bike in the first place.
The Company
Brad Wiggins. Tour de France winner, five-time Olympic champion, man who somehow ended up at a gravel race in Dumfries and Galloway. I’m not going to pretend that’s normal.
Mike Woods is one of the best climbers in the world and one of the sport’s more thoughtful competitors — someone who has navigated the shift from road to gravel in a way that’s worth paying attention to.
And me. I’m the reigning British National Gravel Champion, nine days out from Unbound Gravel, doing a 30km social spin because it sounded like a good idea and because Ventum asked nicely. There are worse ways to preview a race venue.
What to Expect
Thirty kilometres through Galloway. The forest, the lochs, the roads that reappear on Sunday when the race gets underway. This isn’t a reconnaissance mission — it’s a spin. You’ll see some of the terrain, get a feel for the place, and roll through it at a pace where you can actually take it in.
Afterwards, come and find the Ventum stand. Talk bikes. Talk gravel. Ask Mike about climbing in Galloway or ask Brad about how he ended up here. Ask me how the legs are feeling six days out from a 111km Scottish gravel race sandwiched between the Traka and Kansas. Honestly, I’m not sure yet.
The ground that decides the Gralloch is worth seeing before you race it. That’s reason enough to come.
Book Your Spot
Spaces are limited — it’s a shakeout ride, not a mass participation event. If you want to roll out with us, book now:
grallochgravel.com/shakeout-rides
The race itself is 16–17 May, Galloway Forest Park. The shakeout is the day before. I’ll see you in the forest.
Supported by Merlin Cycles, Ventum Racing, OGT, Spatz, Coros, and Kenetik. Coached by Jacob Tipper at JT Performance Coaching.