Published September 22, 2016 01:12PM
Voyage to Vegas: The Beehive Ride to Interbike
Kristen Legan and a group of journalists take the scenic route to Interbike in Las Vegas, riding a three-day gravel route through Utah.
Our favorite stretch of the ride was a singletrack section through aspen trees that are well into their winter transformation from green to gold to red. Photo: Kristen Legan | VeloNews.com
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We took the long way to Interbike this year. Instead of hopping on the one-hour flight from Denver to Vegas, we set out on a three-day adventure called the Beehive Ride through Utah’s rugged backcountry terrain. Starting in Grand Junction, Colorado, our group of journalists and cycling industry members pedaled our way across remote sections of Utah on forgotten — or never really found — gravel and dirt roads. We chased each other up twisty, switchback climbs, flew down bumpy mountain descents, hit some singletrack at 9,000 feet in elevation, and took the occasional paved road to connect the lesser-traveled sections.
The rugged conditions and mixed terrain provided a perfect opportunity to test some new gravel-inspired products from the likes of Clement, Eddy Merckx Cycles, Bont Cycling, and more. But most of all, the ride was a refreshing way to get out on the road and breathe in Utah’s endless sandstone views as we traveled west to the spectacle that is Las Vegas.