Gravel Growlers

Gravel Rides

Gravel growler rides feature gravel roads, single- and double-track trails, and just enough pavement to string the aforementioned together into fun, woodsy adventure loops. Expect a lot of trees and few cars. The gravel growlers ride year-round. Most of the time, we have organized rides on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Routes are suitable for mountain bikes or gravel bikes; some routes are better for one or the other. Rides begin at different locations, primarily associated with Yellowwood State Forest, Brown County State Park, and the Hoosier National Forest in Monroe, Lawrence, and Brown Counties. Specific routes may be dictated by weather conditions, but starting locations, route maps, and GPS file links will be posted on the club calendar in advance.

Sometimes we have to adjust the schedule because of inclement weather. Sign up for the "All Gravel Rides" Forums to be notified about changes to gravel rides, send questions to the group about gravel rides, and generally stay informed about all things gravel. The "All Gravel Rides" Forums is also the way we notify members about pop-up gravel rides.

Helmets are required, and front and rear bike lights are encouraged.

We recommend that you download the Club Express app to have access to emergency contact information and/or share your cell number with other group members in case of an emergency on route, but keep in mind that cell reception is often spotty.

If you are not yet a member, sign up for a free one-month membership or join the club! It requires you to electronically sign a liability waiver prior to riding with the club.

Pop-Up Gravel Rides

We encourage club members to organize their own rides and add them to the calendar as pop-up gravel rides. These could use one of our regular gravel routes or be organized around a particular theme, interest, or activity. It could be as simple as a ride that explores a new route or one that starts and ends at a particular location. Use your imagination! To have a pop-up ride classified as a club ride, follow this checklist:

• All regular rules apply, and new members must have signed waivers.
• The ride must be open to all members.
• The ride must have a clear ride organizer.
• The ride organizer must send a notification to the relevant discussion group (and ideally via chat in the app as well) at least 2 hours in advance of the ride. This must include communication about the expected speed.
• The ride must be put on the club's ride calendar at least 2 hours in advance of the ride.
• At least 2 club members must be on the ride.

How We Ride

• We are a no drop group.
• We don’t necessarily ride as a group but we do regroup regularly. You can ride as hard as you want until the next significant turn. 
• If you lose contact with the group it’s not usually a problem.
• If you think you’re lost or haven’t seen anyone in a long time, go back to the last place on the route where you saw a fellow rider. Someone will come looking for you. 
• The same applies if you have a crash or a mechanical issue. Stay where you are. Someone will come looking for you.
• If you lose contact close to the start, go back to the start. Someone will come looking for you. 
• Check the calendar for ride start locations and routes for regularly scheduled rides. Schedule or location changes are communicated via the Forums and app; so are pop-up rides.
• Familiarize yourself with the route before the ride. Each rider should have an idea of where we are going. 
• We call these rides adventure rides for a reason. We don’t scout the route ahead of time, and we deal with whatever we come across on the way. We could encounter water, snow, mud, or fallen trees to traverse—or all of the above, if it’s epic.
• We typically hang out and have a beverage at the end of each ride. Bring the beverage of your choice.