In this latest update of summertime stories, rider Sophie Russenberger shares with us a meaningful part of her 2022 summertime experience. The Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder has quickly become an iconic event in the scene of gravel riding and racing, partly for its 5-day, point-to-point stage race format, and more for its incredible routes traversing the heart of the Oregon Cascade range. Each day ends at a new campsite with unique opportunities to relax and connect with the riders and staff, yielding a especially reflective and also fun experience for all.

Since completing her degree at Fort Lewis College in winter of 2019, Sophie has balanced day jobs in public service with her riding and racing life, ultimately relocating back to her hometown of Bend, OR in summer of 2021. The OTGG starts from her doorstep (almost!) and also attracts top-level off-road competitors (i.e. our friends) to come play on the backroads and trails we at Team S&M CX call home. While we are a team that focuses on cyclocross and a wintertime season of competition, we are all year-round riders.

One reason why we focus on 'cross is because it is, by definition, a racing-first discipline: after all, it exists because of the course, which is extracted from the landscape, formed for the course, and then sequestered away, in the end. Cross is to be raced, not ridden. It's ephemeral but very real, brutal but so beautiful.

But we are also year-round riders, dabblers, multi-sport artists, appreciators and afficionados. Cyclocross was historically an off-season sport that served as preparation for a summertime season. Now, as sport explodes from science and passion, cyclocross is a full-time focal point for some, and also made that much better from the riders who pursue it in the winter at the same level as their other, equally important summer-season cycling sect.

There’s room for all of us, and that’s why we love it.

Photos courtesy of Wil Matthews & Adam LaPierre, ©.

My friends kept calling Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder “summer camp.” But summer camp implies a level of ease, and I won’t lie, I was exhausted the entire time. For me, it was more like “mindset boot camp,” and my biggest struggle was looking at my performance objectively. I am proud that I was able to overcome the negative self-talk that plagued me through the first few stages.

Before I lined up for the first stage I knew what was going to happen: the fastest gravel racers in the country would ride away from me. I knew this because I have not been training as much as them. I am rarely as fit as my competitors in early summer because cyclocross season is so much later in the year, and cyclocross is my focus. This is an objective fact, so I shouldn’t be frustrated when I can’t keep up with my competitors in early summer. Despite knowing this, I was still disappointed in myself when I watched my competitors ride away on the first stage of the Gravel Grinder.

Here are some thoughts that went through my head during stage one, mostly in order:


“fuck.”

“wow it is dusty”

“why am I going so slow”

“WOOHOOOOO THIS SAND IS SO FUN!!!”

“I hate racing”

“FINALLY we get to descend!!”

“ha. Didn’t think you’d see me again, did you?”

“ohh I remember why I like racing”

“ah shit not another climb.”

“how have we only gone 30 miles?”

It was a roller coaster. If I was going to have fun at this summer camp, my mindset needed to change. I realized I had been hoping for a miracle, and I was not being granted one. 

And what was my dilemma? I wanted to keep up with my friends and I couldn’t. Simple as that. 

I knew that the root of my disappointment was trivial, which only furthered my frustration. And while I was reflecting on the first couple of stages I realized that one of my favorite things about racing is that there is no way to fake it. If there is a missing piece, whether it is strength, stamina, or a required skill on a given day, there is nothing you can do. Racing keeps people honest. That’s what I love. This race was only keeping me honest, reminding me what I needed to work on. 

I tried to remove my ego from the race, but I simply couldn’t. My solution was to start early on stage four. This meant that my time wouldn’t count toward the overall, but I would still ride the same course, and I would get to see all my friends as they passed. 

This turned out to be my favorite day because I got to yell at my fast friends as they rode by! I’m convinced I went faster despite not being part of the race, and when my friend Ellen caught up to me I was able to stay with her until the finish! We giggled down the hardest descent of the entire 5-day race, cheering at close calls in technical sections. I was able to carry this mentality into the final day, where I had my best finish of the week (9th!)

My next stage of “mindset boot camp” is to bring the same lightness that I brought to the last two stages of the gravel grinder to competitions in the future.