Gravel Grinder rolls again this Sunday, May 23
May 22, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Riders take to Bank Hill on Main Street in Waterbury for the 2019 Gravel Grinder race. Courtesy photo.
Dozens of cyclists and a handful of runners will converge on the Waterbury area this Sunday, May 23, for the 13th Annual Waterbury Area Trail Alliance Gravel Grinder race.
The event is the largest fundraiser for the nonprofit group and organizers say it's sold out with a cap of 200 participants. Local residents are encouraged to cheer on the racers along the course, said coordinator Logan Shuman.
The race begins at 9 a.m. with groups of 25 riders in staggered starts from Pilgrim Park behind the Waterbury train station downtown.
Racers can opt for varying course lengths: a 28-mile stretch or a roughly 50-mile route. Together the race will involve roadways from Moretown to Waterbury Center and all routes end back at Pilgrim Park.
Sunday's Gravel Grinder bike race and run will have racers on local roads from Moretown to Waterbury Center. Map courtesy Waterbury Area Trail Alliance.
Several local cafes and restaurants will supply food and beverages for the event including Stowe Street Cafe, PK Coffee, The Reservoir, Prohibition Pig, Blackback Pub and Vermont Beer Shepherd. Aid stations will be located along the way including Zenbarn with water and snacks.
Riders get a t-shirt for their efforts, and a post-race meal and beverages.
The annual event is the largest fundraiser for the group whose mission is to support trail building and maintenance in the Waterbury Area including trails on Perry Hill and at Little River State Park as well as long-term plans to link local trails to other trail systems.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the group did a virtual race in 2020 with cyclists invited to bike the course, but it was not an organized effort. This year’s cap of 200 keeps participants to about half the usual crowd that has numbered up to 450 in past years, Shuman said.
Given recent changes to COVID-19 protocols, participants will not be required to wear masks on the course but they will be asked to mask up at aid stations and in the vendor area where people will be gathered. Shuman said distancing signs show people keeping a bike’s length apart and “I have a large supply of hand sanitizer.”