Hi {{first_name | rider}},
We blew out our first month’s birthday candle this week. Time flies when you’re building something you love but there is still so much we want to explore, learn, record and write about.
New route: The Sakya Tashi Ling Loop
We published a new route, The Sakya Tashi Ling Loop. You leave Barcelona heading west and loop through the Garraf massif. Pine forests, singletrack, fire roads and …(wait for it…) a ghost town followed by a Buddhist monastery. 91 km, 1,610 m. Route details here →
The Gritliner Spotlight series
We just launched a new series that puts you in the spotlight. Every two weeks, we’ll share a Gritliner’s story, from the Barcelona local to the European visitor flying in for a gravel holiday. We’re showing who’s behind the line. We kicked things off with our founder and editor, Robin. Read Issue 01 here →
June events, full gas
June is a big month for Catalan gravel, before the heat crushes riders’ confidence and excitement for the sport. The month already kicked off strong with two events last weekend: Ranxo, taking riders through the dusty Lleida tracks, and the Pyrenean Rally, crossing from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and back. Read the full events calendar here →
Behind the scenes
At Gritline, we want to make it easier for riders to find events, from small local rides to the marquee races. We also want to improve the experience at events: building connective tissue between participants, organisers and sponsors. This is why we’re prototyping a new community experience around one upcoming event, solving some of the problems we’ve felt first-hand. It’s a side bet to our core media work, but one we are excited about. If you organise events and want to chat, just reply to this email.
A few small changes on the website worth mentioning:
RideWithGPS integration. Every route now has a richer interactive map
New Journal section. A new dedicated home for our writing, from additional guides to the Gritliner Spotlight series. More formats coming.
Back in two weeks,
Robin