Big Results for the Obed Team at SBT GRVL
SBT GRVL is Colorado's fastest gravel race, and with nearly 2,500 riders in attendance, it's also one of the biggest gravel races in the world. This year, SBT GRVL introduced an all-new race course, but the high altitude, tough climbing, and beautiful scenery remain.
Four members of the Obed team took on this beautiful beast, and we had one of the best race weekends in recent memory:
The Obed Gravel Team at SBT GRVL
Torey Lasater
Torey is an Obed ambassador currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a result, she is much more acclimated to the altitude than the rest of the team! She is also a ripper on the bike. When she's not studying for her PhD, she's training with the fastest riders in Utah and chasing podiums at gravel races across the country. She currently rides a Gen 1 Obed GVR and is eagerly awaiting her new Gen 2 GVR.
Matt Shrader
Matt is one of Obed's pro mechanics, who come to events to help us keep our gravel bikes in perfect working order, and to wrench for any Obed riders at the expo who need help before the race. Back in Chattanooga, he's our resident king of gravel vibes, often hammering deep into the woods with his overnight gear. He rides his Obed MMR adventure bike with big MTB tires and a dropper post.
Jonathan & Christopher Brown
Jonathan Brown is 13 years old, and he is easily the fastest 13-year-old I have ever met. He fell in love with bikes at a young age, and with guidance from his dad, he's started his gravel racing "career" over the last year. His rise has been meteoric, and he already has several Junior category and overall wins to his name. He's riding a Gen 1 Obed GVR but often steals his dad's Gen 2 GVR when he's not looking.
Obed's VP, Christopher Brown, is a former elite mountain bike racer, and it shows. When the road turns downhill, he often drops a watt bomb and leaves many of us younger riders in the dust. At SBT GRVL, he acts as coach and soigneur for his son Jonathan. He also keeps the rest of the Obed team housed and fed. We wouldn't be able to do events like this without him! These days, he's regularly winning his age group on his new Gen 2 GVR.
The Buzz Around Obed Bikes
One of the most exciting things we experienced at this year's SBT GRVL expo was how much interest riders had in our next-gen gravel race platform, the new Obed GVR! Many riders stopped by the booth to see the bike in person. More than a few were shocked by how light it was!
Two more bikes turned a lot of heads. One was an MMR painted in one of our new paint color options and kitted out with our Essentials frame bags. The other is top secret (sort of). Check out the photo above; you'll see it on the right in our booth. This upcoming bike is pretty exciting, and I can't wait to tell everyone about it when it finally launches!
This event is also the first time I've seen a customer racing on a new Gen 2 Obed GVR. During the race, I met Henry, who was one of the first people to purchase the new GVR as a frameset. He built his bike up with 2.25" Schwalbe Thunder Burt tires and blitzed past me on the way up Cow Creek, the roughest section of the SBT GRVL course!
We also gave out over 300 physical copies of our Spoke & Terrain magazine, and people loved it! This year's issue is full of amazing stories of gravel riders overcoming big challenges, and it seemed to really resonate with the community. If you're interested, digital copies are free!
Obed Riders on the Podium & at the Finish Line
Back-to-Back Wins
Is Jonathan Brown going to be a future UNBOUND Gravel champion? After the clinic he put on last weekend, I wouldn't bet against him! It started with Friday's MTN CLMB event. Formerly the "HLL CLMB" (I don't make these voweless names, don't blame me), this event is essentially a big party on a ski slope.
Riders race each other uphill in heats, sometimes wearing outrageous costumes. Jonathan competed in the Junior Boys' category and took the win with a nuclear attack in the final. For his efforts, he won a POC sponsorship. Our Obed Junior is becoming quite the little pro!
Two days later, Jonathan proved this performance was no fluke. He competed on the 53-mile Red Course, dropped his dad on the final climb, and came to the finish with 17-year-old Jonathan Muhawenimana of Rwanda. Our Jonathan managed to win the sprint, while his dad watched from behind. Chris rolled in to take 3rd, probably with a tear in his eye after witnessing his son's victory.
This is only the beginning of Jonathan Brown's story, and we're excited to keep supporting him as he grows. We're also terrified for when he's old enough to race on the same full-distance course as us adults. The onward march of youth makes fools of us all.
Torey the Explorer and Matt the Vibe King
This year's full-distance Black Course was 108 miles long with around 8,000 ft of climbing. It's a tough challenge for most, but not for Torey and Matt.
Torey came ready to light things up, and she attacked from the gun. The whole day, she rode the edge of exploding and cramping, battling her way up through the field to finish in a stunning time of 5:43:47! Not only was her time smoking fast, but she was the 4th woman overall, and she won her age group! This is a huge result for her, and hopefully, she carries this momentum into the rest of the gravel season.
Matt took a slightly different approach. He let his hair down, literally, allowing his luscious locks to wave behind him in the wind as he cruised through the course. He isn't just a master mechanic, but he's a master of consistency (maybe those two qualities go hand in hand). He kept an even pace all day and came across the finish in 7:07:20 with a huge smile on his face. This is the biggest gravel race Matt has ever done, and after this experience, he's definitely coming back for more!
