Prior to this year's Loose in the Woods bikepacking event, we came up with the idea of Loose Cycles x gravgrav collective Bikepacking scholarship. We know that's quite a mouthful, but the main idea was very simple: we wanted to reduce the entrance barrier to our events for five selected newcomers, since bikepacking is a beautiful activity, but also costly to get into. This year, the scholarship covered all the event costs and bike maintenance at Loose Cycles and we also provided participants with any missing gear. True to the event's name, we were quite loose with what we expected in exchange.
We did not want to make it feel like homework, so we encouraged the participants to come up with a way to express themselves, be it through a written piece, a photo essay or simply by spreading the word. Here, we share with you the first contribution of Eva Pavlič, and I think we all agree it far surpasses all of our expectations in that department. You better hope we don't tighten our expectations for the next year ...
A bit of background
Determined to live out my life as a cliché I bought my first used gravel bike some months before turning 30. The primary investment was soon followed by the acquisition of cycling kits, bike bags and a GPS device, which was a thoughtful birthday gift by my friends, who are also pushing 30 and therefore understand the sudden need to feel aerodynamic.
It turns out getting into cycling isn’t as easy as just pushing the pedals: there are so many choices out there and even more cyclists that will gladly inform you that the choice you’ve made is the wrong one. Being blessed with a mild delusion that I believe is key to being a successful cyclist, I wasn’t much perturbed though. I did my best, cycled with friends or solo and soon found out about the Loose community bikepacking events.
I first attended Loose at The Coast, a 2-day ride through the Slovenia-Italy border region. The course was the most difficult thing I’ve ridden thus far, but the scenic views, sunny weather and the fact that everyone else seemed to be handling it just fine, were enough for me to cycle the whole thing and even enjoy it. As soon as the Loose in the Woods applications opened, I applied, although the addition of camping wasn’t exactly a personal preference. I may feel the need to be aerodynamic, but I am still successfully evading the need for survival in nature.
Owning no camping gear, apart from a sleeping bag so porous that the filling is constantly escaping its synthetic prison, I applied for the LITW scholarship, intended for newbies such as myself, who maybe lack some gear or experience, but make up for it with spirit and fearlessness in the face of bonking. As the scholarship beneficiary I was lent a tent and sleeping pad, I got a free bike service, courtesy of the Loose Cycles shop, and my fee for the trip was kindly covered by the organisers. The Loose events may be advertised as self-supported, but the wonderful reality is, you’re always supported by the group in one way or another.
A scholarship implies an education and therefore I will now share with you my newly gained expertise. If you want to know how to set up a tent or fix a broken chain, you will have to watch a Youtube tutorial. The knowledge I will impart is of a different nature. In a true the lesson is the friends we made along the way fashion I will present to you a way of profiling the riders you’re bound to stumble upon whilst on the trail, in the comment section of a steel is real Reddit post or - if you’re lucky - on the next Loose event.
A bit about the grid
Firstly, this is not a scientific analysis, even though a grid is involved, but as far as I’m concerned you may quote it as such. The following cyclist profiles are based on a double axes grid. The horizontal axis defines aggression, while the vertical axis defines looseness.
More on the grid and its origins can be found at the bottom of the text. But for now: let’s get into it.
The loose aggressive cyclist
The most easily recognizable. Flair is everything to the LAC - expect snazzy colorful jerseys, bespoke gear and shiny bike parts. Loud and unpredictable, the LAC loves loose gravel, rough descents and having no sense of conserving energy. The LAC is not afraid of getting Komooted, if anything Komoot is scared of the LAC: anything can be a track if you want it badly enough. If you fell into the LAC crowd do not expect to get out unscathed and do expect to be dropped as soon as you get a mechanical. Be ready for many a hike-a-bike and while you’re trying to rehydrate on one of the stops, the LAC is probably downing a shot of some local schnapps and smoking a Marlboro red. Be careful of showing them your snack supply - they will eat all of it, when given the chance. Your one and only hope is the fact that the LAC also eventually runs out of gas in which case they will just make do with the situation and probably sleep wherever the grass is softest. Camping gear? They didn’t bring it.
The loose passive cyclist
Everyone’s best friend - as long as you are in no hurry or need to get far. Expect photo ops at every mildly interesting location and frequent updates via social media. The LPC is just happy to be on the trail, their favourite being champagne gravel with a pizza place along the way, where one can snag an affogato and post another envy inducing instagram story. This sure beats a day in the office, eh? A smile on the lips and a Rapha core bundle on the back. They have a map of all the best restaurants in the area and no idea how to change an inner tube. Regarding sleeping arrangements, the LPC prefers to book a room, but if they’ve been coerced into camping, expect them to have a big tent, a wide sleeping pad, pillows (plural) and a coffee drip. How far are we going? Just to the nearest body of water. They never forget to pack a bathing suit.
The tight passive cyclist
No cycling jerseys are at play in this equation: just promo T-shirts and old jumpers. They own a single pair of bibs that have been in use for the last ten years, and when those are dirty, they will just reach for a pair of jeans shorts. The TPC never had a bike fit and they don’t believe in them. Maybe the slowest as far as pace goes, but they make no stops and might reach the endpoint first because of it. The TPC needs half a liter of water and one (1) oat bar for a 100 km ride. Aerodynamics are of no concern to the TPC - their best friend is inertia. When riding with the TPC you can expect some quiet time for self-reflection. There will be no energy wasting via unwanted chitter-chatter and a sustainable pace will be held from which you will not deviate. The TPC won’t let you ride in the draft all of the time though, so you better be ready to pitch in. Their gear was bought in the last century, is bulky, heavy and resembles something used by the first Himalayan explorers. Debating whether they should buy something a bit more practical is out of the question though. And you better hold your tongue, because when you have a mechanical the TPC will fix you up in no time.
The tight aggressive cyclist
The TAC knows their watts, their VO2max, their heartrate. The last time they were in zone 5 was when they received the bill for their most recent bike fit (which was last week). Nothing is lighter than a hole, is a motto that helps when the new pro bundle haul leaves a big empty nothing in the wallet. Ride with them to push yourself, but be ready to discuss numbers the entire time: distance, altitude, weight, calories. The bike is carbon, the water bottle is aero, the legs are shaved. The TAC loves to attack and the narration of Eurosport TDF commentators is their favourite soundtrack. You will get your PB in this crowd, but at what cost? While you’re slowly losing your will to live on yet another long, arduous climb, they will non-challantly label it a pleasant recovery ride. Just in case you end up hating it, don’t worry: if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.
Oh, sorry, you thought we were going to camp? Outside? The TAC needs to rehabilitate after that last KOM attempt and there is no licensed physio at the camping grounds.
Final summary
The gravel peloton is a delicate ecosystem. Use this grid to better understand the LAC who will inevitably make you cycle upstream, the LPC who will complain the gravel dust is smudging their new almond coloured cycling jersey, the TPC who won’t say anything but know they think you’re an idiot for riding aluminium, the TAC who wants another energy gel, but please, just get them some fiber, and most importantly, to better understand yourself.
And if you’re a TAC, please, only go on cycling dates with one of your own kind.
A bit more about the grid
“The Grid” is based off of Alan N. Schoonmaker’s grid for profiling poker players as presented in his book The Psychology of Poker (2000), in which the term of aggressiveness can be translated to playmaking and active participation, while the term of looseness is in regards to (unwarranted) risk taking. Ever since I familiarized myself with it I cannot help but apply it to almost anything imaginable. If for some reason you realise that cycling has not been enough of a financial loss and are looking to poker for something even more unsustainable, I strongly recommend the book. Although I personally think we should just stick to gravel.
