Slate Valley Trails and MTBVT are proud to present 2023’s Meeting Of The Grinds Cycling Fest, a two-day celebration of gravel and mtb, held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 15th – 17th. Saturday’s epic gravel route options (gravel-duro style – see below) will open your eyes to the wealth of terrain available in this region, while Sunday’s mountain bike rides will showcase Slate Valley’s seemingly unending singletrack for all ability levels. Each day’s riding festivities will be punctuated with a catered meal and a chance to break bread and tip a few back with with your compatriots.

Now in its third year, the event will raise money to support the stewardship efforts of Slate Valley Trails. Festivities are based out of the Fairgrounds Trailhead in East Poultney, where riders can congregate, camp, and access more than 50 miles of purpose-built singletrack and an extensive network of quiet gravel and class IV roads.

SATURDAY: GRAVEL EXTRAVAGANZA

Saturday’s gravel rides feature 20, 40 and 60-mile options with well-stocked aid stations and gorgeous Slate Valley scenery. Competitive folks can compete in a timed “gravel enduro,” while others can take their sweet time and savor every minute of the ride. Everyone will be treated to an apres repast from our friends at Ranch Camp.

About the gravel enduro format:

What’s A Gravel Enduro?

The format of our Saturday gravel event is a “gravel enduro”. A gravel enduro is a mass-start ride with a series of timed segments (also called stages). Participants looking to compete will ride these segments at race pace, and then can choose to chill out for portions of the route that are not being timed. Finishing times are NOT based on the overall ride time, but rather on each rider’s cumulative time from the timed segments. Don’t want to compete? Just ride your ride and don’t worry about the timed segments!

Segments begin with signage communicating approximate distance and end with another sign to let you know that you can relax and resume soaking up the scenery. Segments are flat or uphill and they range from technical (with variable rocks, roots, and mud) to smooth packed dirt.

Awards will be given to the top three riders in the male, female and gender-diverse categories. Riders in 40-mile and 60-mile distances will be scored together.

SUNDAY: MOUNTAIN BIKE SINGLETRACK SESSIONS

Sunday features a full-festival party ride on an epic 20-mile singletrack route with optional bailout points for those looking for a shorter ride. This rolling party will sample a breadth of SVT’s epic MTB network, with several aid stations curated by MTBVT, Zero Gravity, and Sram along the way, as well as wood-fired pizza served up by the TrailHouse.

The festival experience will be rounded out with on-site camping, bike demos, vendors, a short film festival featuring local cycling media on Saturday night, and beverages for purchase including a range of craft non-alcoholic beverages from Aqua ViTea and beers from Zero Gravity. Families with children will find engaging ride options and fun activities for kids.

Check out a Grinds Retrospective here.

Event Registration

NEW THIS YEAR – THREE DAY FORMAT WITH WEEKEND CAMPING!

This year the festival includes Friday night activities including a meet-n-greet for self guided mellow evening rides, a BYOBBQ “bring your own BBQ”.

We’ll also be hosting camping on Friday and Saturday night. Camping spots require a ticket and are limited (see ticket page). Camping options are “car camping” style adjacent the venue.

SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 15th

2:00pm – Campers welcome (general admission plus camping ticket required)

4:00pm – “Disorganized” meet-n-greet group rides (self guided )

6:00pm – BYOBBQ (Bring your own BBQ) We’ll provide the grills, you bring the grub

8:00pm – 10:00pm – Movie (TBD) projected on the barn

10:00pm – rest up, you’ve got a big weekend ahead of you

Saturday, Sept. 16th – GRAVEL DAY!

8:00am – Registration opens: sign-up, demos, coffee, snacks

10:00am – Gravel rides depart

2:00pm – Return for burritos, beer, an epic vendor village, and bask in the post-ride glory

4:00pm – VT-gravel bike polo world championships

6:00pm – BYOBBQ (Bring your own BBQ) We’ll provide the grills, you bring the grub

8:30pm – Green Mountain Showdown Local MTB Film Fest excerpts

10:00pm – ok, simmer down, we’ve got another big day of riding tomorrow

Sunday, Sept. 17th – MTB DAY!

8:00am – Registration opens: sign-up, demos, coffee, snacks

9:30 -10:00am – Ride departs on mapped courses

2:00pm – Return for apres meal and post-ride shenanigans

4:00pm – Unofficial Foot-down World Championships

*Special 20% off for members. Go to the Member Benefit page to get code!*