Sea Otter Classic Gravel Race

By Pro Cyclist Stefano Barberi

This year, for the first time, I did the Sea Otter Classic Gravel Race as part of the Life Time Grand Prix℠, an off-road cycling series. The race itself was three laps with a total of 89 miles and 10200ft of gain.

I had an extremely poor start and was super far back going into the crucial first dirt downhill. However, I tried not to waste too much time being frustrated at that with myself, put my head down, and started getting to work on moving up.

I managed to link up with Lachlan Morton and Mattia De Marchi–both former world tour and top five at last year's Unbound Gravel race. We spent the rest of the day picking off groups of riders, eventually making it to the second group on the road just before the finishing climb on the last lap.

I finished in 32nd, and while it may not be an amazing result on paper or reflective of my effort, it’s a great reminder that I can go pull for pull with anyone and still ride away from them. There are more wins to come and it was a great chance to catch up with sponsors and friends, old and new! My next race will be Epic Rides Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott, Arizona.

Photo Credit: Bertrand Mejia-Morin, Bike Tires Direct